Bahr El Ghazal, etc., 1891—1894. 2fil Omdurman and Bahr El Jebel being completely interrupted, much to the anxiety of the Khalifa. Alarmist reports continued to arrive in Omdurman during .1891 to the effect that Emin Pasha was at Dufile, advancing northwards with a large body of Germans, and reinforcements were sent to help Zeki and fight against the white invaders.* Eventually Zeki got the upper hand of the Shilluks in the beginning of 1892, but the Dervish supremacy did not 1892. last long. In the summer of that year it was reported at Omdiurman that the Italians were advancing westwards from Massaua. Zeki Tumal was therefore recalled with his army, and was thus obliged to evacuate Kodok, leaving Fate of Zeki only a very small guard for the purpose of collecting taxes. Tumal.

He was then sent back to Gedaref and Gallabat, to make headway against the Itahans, but on reporting that it was impossible to invade Eritrea, as the Khalifa wished him to do, he was again recalled to Omdurman, treacherously seized, thrown into prison, and ultimately starved to death.

During 1892 reports reached Omdurman from the south of an European advance on Equatoria from the Zanzibar direction. At this period there was a small Dervish garrison at Rejaf under Omar Saleh, and orders were sent to him to withdraw to Bor. This was effected, but the climate of Bor was so imhealthy, and the natives so difficult to manage, that Abu Girga,t a powerful Emir, whom the Khalifa was anxious to get rid of, was sent south in October with 250 men, Abu Girga with orders to send Omar Saleh to Omdurman. Abu Girga, who had got wind of the Khalifa's intentions, took the October first opportunity of fighting the other Baggara Emirs who were with him, and absconding at Kodok. 1892.

For several months he was supposed to have deserted the Khalifa and joined a serious movement in Kordofan which was led by a western saint, one Muzil el Muhan, and which aimed at the destruction of the KhaUfa. The latter, by the way, had been much disturbed by this insurrection, and sent his cousin, Ibrahim KhaUl, with 4,000, men to suppress it ; but the movement died out by itself.

Abu Girga eventually arrived at Rejaf in July, 1893. Probably fearing the KhaUfa's wrath, and finding the station i893. in a flourishing condition, he sent the Khalifa a present of ivory as a peace offering ; this arrived in August, 1893. Not even a rumour of any fighting having taken place at either Rejaf or Lado, least of all with any whites, seems to have reached Omdurman about this time.

On Omar Saleh arriving at Omdurman he assured the Khalifa that the district was not in danger, and that no Europeans had arrived there. The Khalifa thereupon despatched his relative Arabi Wad Dafaalla| to take command, Arabi Wad to transfer the garrison from Bor back to Rejaf, and to place Abu Girga in chains (presumably for his misconduct at Dafaalla. Kodok).

It is more than likely that the above-mentioned rumours at Omdurman of a large Christian force in Equatoria referred to Van Kerckhoven's Congo expedition, which had at that time (November, 1892) barely crossed the great watershed ; but rumour, especially in the Sudan, is not to be trusted implicitly.

Arabi Wad Dafaalla arrived in the autumn of 1893 from Omdurman, with 1,500 men, to supersede Abu Girga, the latter having another 1,500 at Rejaf. Arabi on his arrival wrote to Fadl el Mula Bey, now in command of some of Emin's former men, inviting him to seize Baert§ and his officers and to bring them to him, but Fadl had had enough of dervishes the Dervishes, and declined ; 400, however, of Baert's 900 natives heard of this and deserted en masse to the Dervishes, and some of whom, under Abu Girga, were penetrating in a W.S.W. direction, and had arrived in the Makaraka country. Congolese. Fadl el Mula then took service with Baert.

Baert does not appear to have actually come to blows with the Dervishes here, but with his thoughts intent on establishing Congolese posts on the Upper Nile, and even on the Albert Nyanza, at Kavalli's, he despatched four companies of Sudanese (400 men) under Fadl el Mula, to proceed to the Nile and there establish posts in the interest of the Congo Free State. The exact route of this party is not known ; they appear to have gone first towards the Nile, in the direction of Rejaf, but hearing the Dervishes had re-occupied that spot and were close at hand in force, they Fight at retreated to Makaraka and Wandi. Here they were overtaken and had a severe fight with the Dervishes, losing Fadl el Wandi. Mula (killed — some say taken prisoner and executed) and about half their number, together with a large quantity of material of all sorts. After this defeat, which took place in January, 1894, the remaining 200 struck out for the Nile, i894.

and reached it about Muggi and Lahore, but finding Uttle food, drifted'towards Wadelai, and arrived there early in February.

To refer now to Uganda for a moment.

* It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to say that these rumours were almost entirely devoid of foundation, for Emin, on his return to the interior, never went north of Kavalli's, having a lively recollection of his troubles (in 1888) on the Upper Nile. He was murdered at Kinena's, in the Congo Free State, on 26th October, 1892 ; this crime was owing to the petty jealousy of one Kibonge, who wished to show his rival, Munye Mohara, who had murdered several Belgians (Hodiater, etc.), that he too could kill a white man !

+ Now with Ali IJinar at El Fasher. t Surrendered to Ali Dinar at El Fasher in 1902 and now residing there. § Successor to Van Kerckhoven.

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