Autumn of 1898.

267 Immediately after the occupation of Omdurman gunboats were sent to patrol the Blue Nile, and a force of 600 men Blue Nile. (Xth Battalion) and the R.I.F. Maxim detachment was despatched under Major-General Hunter, on the 19th September, to occupy Sennar, Karkoj, and Roseires, which was done on the 23rd September, 1st October, and 30th September respectively.

On the 22nd September, Colonel Parsons, who had left Kassala on the 7th, and crossed the Atbara in flood with Battle of a force* of about 1,400 men, to occupy Gedaref, came into collision with its garrison of about 3,200 men, a few miles %tjl{ north of the town, and, beating ofE two desperate attacks, with a loss of .53 killed and 61 wounded out of 1,347, advanced and occupied the place.

Ahmed Fedil himself, who with about half the original garrison had previously left Gedaref in response to a summons from the Khalifa to reinforce him against the main advance on Omdurman, encountered General Hunter and the gunboats on the Blue Nile near Rufaa, and realising that Omdurman must have fallen, resolved to return at once and retake his headquarters at Gedaref, where he arrived at dawn on 28th September with some 4,000 to 5,000 men.

(2:i.9.98).

TIIK LATE KMIR ,\IIMET) FEDIL.

After two determined efforts to dislodge the Anglo-Egyptian troops, now safely ensconced in several walled enclosures, he withdrew after heavy loss to the village of Sofi on the Abu Haraz road, barely two miles from our forts. Here he remained for three days quietly collecting cattle and grain from the outskirts of the town and then moved to Asar, 10 miles south of Gedaref.

On receipt of the news at Omdurman of the state of affairs at Gedaref, Lieut. -Colonel Collinson was despatched to Abu Haraz with a force of about 1,100 Camel Corps and Sudanese Infantry with 2 Maxims, and arrived at Gedaref on the 21st October. Two days after the arrival of these reinforcements Ahmed Fedil began his move westwards rii) Beila and Hawata to Roseires, his march being dogged by friendlies under command of the recently surrendered Emir Abu Bakr Mustafa.

Efforts were then directed, through gunboats on the Blue Nile, to prevent him crossing that river with a view to joining the Khalifa, at that time near Sherkeila.

These were eventually successful, for Colonel Lewis, hearing from Roseires that the enemy were about to make Action near ths attempt to cross close by, marched with a small colunm (Xth Battalion and Friendhes), on the night of Christmas Roseires day, and in spite of the troops suffering much from fever, they, in a severe action on the following day, cut up most (26.12.9S).

* Composed of : — 16th Battalion, Arab Battalion, Camel Corps, Irregulars and details, the whole under 8 British otKcera. 2 N