ON THE ROAD TO KHARTOUM. 493 there, composed of some half a dozen French officers and about a hundred native troops from the French province of Senegal. An interview took place between Major Marchand and the Sirdar on the latter's steamer. It appeared that the so-called exploring party were in dire straits for lack of food and ammunition, and were presumably unable to advance further, pending the arrival of the Abyssinian army, of whose approach they could obtain no intelligence. The Sirdar then informed Major Marchand that the Khalifa's reign was at an end; that the Soudan had reverted, not only by previous occupation, but by right of actual conquest, to Egypt ; that therefore no other Power had any right to claim possession of any part of the territories of Egypt ; and that he intended forthwith to raise the Egyptian flag at Fashoda. Major Marchand replied that he had acted under the orders of the French Government in hoisting the tricolour at Fashoda, and that he could not haul it down or withdraw his troops until he had received fresh instructions.

In view of the superiority in numbers of the Anglo-Egyptian forces, any resistance to the hoisting of the Egyptian flag was, he admitted, out of the question. The flag was therefore raised; a salute was fired in honour of the event; and a sufficient force was landed at Fashoda to secure the Egyptian standard against any attempt on the part of the French to dislodge it from its point of vantage. The Sirdar then returned to Khartoum ; and the