Bahr El Ghaznl, 1895—1897. 263 The expedition under La Kethulle (for Nilis'e name disappears almost at once) penetrated, vid Sandu, up the Chinko La K6thul!e. River, Sango, back to Sandu, Bakuma, Kreich, Bandassi country (7° 30' north lat.), Upper Adda or Bahr el Arab (8° 40' north lat.), to the important village of Hofrat el Nahas (where there are valuable copper mines), being well received all along the route. At Hofrat el Nahas the natives are said to have offered* to take La Kethulle west along the caravan route to Lake Chad, but he declined, and himself returned along his own route to Rafai, where he arrived on 8th June, 1894, and at once proceeded to Europe.

The Khalifa, on hearing of the presence of Europeans in the Bahr el Ghazal, and of their having communicated Re-occupawith the Emir of Shakka, sent orders to Mahmud to re-occupy the Bahr el Ghazal, and in consequence a force of 1,800 '°" \ Sudanese riflemen and 2,000 spearmen, under the Emir Khatim Musa, was despatched from Shakka towards the Belgian '"''"*°®*-posts in the summer of 1894 ; they were delayed some time by the rains, but eventually pushed forward. The Belgians, whose headquarters were at Liffi, with advanced post at Hofrat el Nahas (?), retired before Khatim Musa, who entered Faroge. Sheikh Hamed, finding himself deserted by the Belgians, sided with the Dervishes, and handed over the treaties ; these, together with two letters written by Belgians at Liffi, dated September, 1894, arrived at Omdurman in January, 1895.

The result of the Dervish victory over Fadl el Mula manifested itself at Omdurman in May, 1894, by a steamer from Rejaf bringing back loot in the shape of many tarbfishes, two guns, ivory, five red standards with white stripes, and many breech-loading rifles and Congo Free State buttons, together with a report that a great victory had been gained over the " Turks." This produced at first considerable conjecture in Egypt as to the identity of those who had been defeated.

As regards Abu Girga, he was thrown into prison about the same time by Dafaalla. The Dervishes had meanwhile been losing ground in the west, and only retained garrisons at El Fasher, El Obeid, Nahud, and Shakka, besides the penal settlement at Rejaf.

During 1894 there were various disturbances and rumours of invasion by white men in general from the south-west, and by Rabeh Zubeir in particular. Although little is known about these western movements in Wadai, etc., it is worth noticing that much information, curiously accurate on the whole, regarding movements of Europeans and their native troops on the Upper Nile, trickled down to Omdurman, and thence to the Egyptian Intelligence Department.

A rumour reached Omdurman in November, 1894, that Rejaf troops were being hard pressed (this must refer to the fights of the " Mahdists " with the Congolese), and eleven barges full of troops were sent as reinforcements. Numerous reports now reached Omdurman that the whites had beaten the Dervishes; this may refer to the victory by the Congolese at Egaru on the 23rd December, 1894. The Rejaf garrison was now estimated at 1,500 riflemen and 3,000 spearmen, with two steamers.

In consequence of the Franco-Congolese treaty of 1894, Major Cunningham and Lieut. Vandeleur were sent from Uganda in the beginning of 1895 to Dufile, where they planted the British flag on the 15th January. A hostile reception was given them at Wadelai in consequence, it is believed, of the alliance of the chief of that place with Kabarega.

On the retreat of the Belgians in the Bahr el Ghazal, Khatim Musa retired towards Shakka, but famine and 1895.

■ disease broke out in his camp, and most of his black Jehadia deserted to Zemio. The latter thereupon marched Re-evacuaagainst Musa, who had but 800 left out of 4,000, and even these were mostly sick. Khatim Musa retreated towards .X Mahmud's force in Kordofan, Abu Khawata, the recently-appointed Emir of Shakka, accompanying him. The Bahr el Ghazal was thus left open to any Europeans who chose to enter (April 1895).

In June a frantic message arrived at Omdurman from Wad Dafaalla, clamouring for reinforcements, as he was threatened by the speedy advance of an European force. He had therefore retired to Shambe.

This panic would seem to have been a false alarm, consequent perhaps on Congolese reinforcements having been sent to Dongu. However, numbers of men were collected and hastily sent upstream from Omdurman under one Hamadnalla, Emir of the Powder Factory at Khartoum. Strengthened by these (4,000 in all). Wad Dafaalla returned to Rejaf, and sent Hamadnalla in the autumn to suppress an attack by the riverain tribes.

During 1896 Dafaalla and his men appear to have been paralysed by the news of the Dongola campaign, and remained 1896. quiet.

Nothing further of interest occurred, as far as we know, until the attack and occupation of Rejaf in 1897, by Chaltin.

Chaltin's column — part of a large force of Congo troops under Baron Dhanis — composed of five white officers, four white non-commissioned officers, 806 trained riflemen, some guns, 250 porters, 50 Azande (Nyam-Nyam) riflemen, and .500 spearmen, under their chiefs Renzi and Bafuka, arrived at Surur at the end of the year, and left it on the 1st January. On the 14th February they reached the Nile at Bedden, and their scouts came into touch with the Dervishes. 1897.

On the 17th they attacked the Dervish position near Rejaf, held by about 2,000 men, and routed them with great loss ; fapt"™ of later in the day they had another small action, and occupied Rejaf, the Dervishes bolting to the north. Chaltin lost [i 17th Feb-* Lt.-Col. Sparkes, wlio visited Hofrat el Nahas in 1903, states that the inhabitants absolutely deny this visit of La K6thulle's. ruary, 1897.