HALFIYEH RELIEVED. I 35 from Khartum than Halfiyeh, and could only do so if assured of your co-operation."

It seems as though he could not believe that no help would reach him when his difficult and increasingly hopeless position was known.

Early on the Saturday morning an expedition of 1200 men was ready to start for the relief of the beleaguered force at Halfiyeh. Gordon had armed the townsmen of Khartum, fhat he might take as many troops as possible for the work in hand. The men were hidden in the two larqe iron barq-es — the barges used for the transport of grain. The troops were thus out of sight of the enemy's marksmen, who were in the trenches which they had made on the bank, and from which they commanded the river owing to the lowness of the water. It will be seen how impossible it would have been for the garrison at Halfiyeh to escape without aid from a force sufficient to raise the sieq-e. " We were bound in honour to make the attempt to extricate them however perilous a defeat might be," said Gordon; "and, e7i passant, it is curious to remark, that the general strategy in the Soudan has been mainly forced in the direction of relieving beleaguered garrisons." The barges were towed by three steamers, which had been "armoured" with boiler plates, and carried mountain-guns with wooden mantlets, and some of the troops were concealed in the holds. The expedition performed its work quickly and decisively.

In a few hours the steamers and barges reappeared, having rescued 500 soldiers of the imprisoned garrison at Halfiyeh. They had raised the siege and saved the men, with the loss of only two of their own number. They had also captured 70 camels, 18 horses, and a quantity of arms. There was greater rejoicing in Khartum than had been known there for many years, and the townspeople made a lively demonstration in honour of General Gordon, who determined to take the troops while they were in the humour and to order an attack to be made next morning on the Arab army, which was drawn up within sight of the palace windows. Something would have to be done. The whole country around Shendy was in the hands of the rebels, and Berber was threatened