At Ladb.

97 Yussuf Bey, wlio towered on horseback above his men, and they let the first squadron pass, to attack the second commanded by him.

According to the fugitive soldiers who witnessed the catastrophe, the first to fall was Yussuf Bey, his horse being run through by a lance. Yussuf had not time to rise, and died from the blow\s of the Shilluks' weapons. After his death the men of his squadron were massacred, and simultaneously those also of the first column, despite their defence being better directed than that of the second, which Yussuf Bey had commanded. Of one hundred and forty-one soldiers only seven were able to save themselves, and, flying to the banks of the Nile, were received by us on the Ismallia together Avith seven of the wounded, whom we were able to rescue from the ferocity of the Shilluks, who pursued them and would perhaps have reached them, since, weary and wounded, they were only upheld by the instinct of self-preservation. But the brisk fire from the Ismailia obliged the Shilluks to retire, taking with them, however, their dead and wounded. They were also armed with good guns, but their balls did no mischief since they aimed either too high or too low.

I then went up and down the river several times in the Ismailia to see if it were possible to rescue others of the wounded, but in vain ; and while lying off Khaka I saw the savages approach again, but this time they were out of the reach of our guns.

I then collected a patrol of volunteers to send to the village to encourage the garrison to hold out till the next day. I provided them with good guns and ammunition, and thus they were able to reach their destination.

The entire garrison was composed of twenty-four men, among whom nine were sick. Khaka Avas also defended by a single cannon placed in a somewhat elevated position, but Avhich certainly could not command all the countr}'. Besides the garrison there H