36 THE WAR IN THE SOUDAN.

for their liberty, their country, their prophet, and their God. The rebellion

of Arabi was, as compared with this, as a momentary blaze to a vast and rush¬ ing prairie fire. So useless did the British Government consider it to oppose this new-arisen Soudanese spectre, that it earnestly advised the Khedive to

leave that country to its own fate, and not to attempt further the reconquest

of those distant provinces. Reluctant as the Egyptian Government evidently

was to act upon such advice, there seemed but little possibility for anything else to be done.

Fresh troubles sprang up. The Soudanese spectre of fanaticism and revolt had hitherto haunted the deserts of the west ; now it stalked through

the east also. Sinkat was surrounded by the exasperated foe ; Tokar was surrounded ; the high road between Berber and Suakim was seized ; Suakim itself threatened ; a relief force for Tokar was cut to pieces; 760 men out of

800 fell in one day at Sincat.