236 Seven Yeais in the Soudan.

Suleiman having sent him word to come directly with his troops to fight the Government, and from one moment to the other I might lose the force on which I counted for my approaching operations.

It was the 24th November before I reached the bank of the El-Taugi, where I rested the troops ; we had to cross the river in three places two hours before daylight. A certain Sangiak Abdalsamet had orders to cross at that point above the village of Babeker, which I have mentioned before, while Yussuf Bey was to cross lower down the valley, and I was to cross when the seriba was in our possession. As soon as Abdalsamet had crossed, he was to occupy the road which leads to Jur Grattas. But whether Abdalsamet found difficulty in crossing, or whether he had not made the necessary haste, he failed to occupy the position indicated. Yussuf Bey crossed in time, but here, too, a difficulty occurred.

While the soldiers were disembarking a gun accidentally went off ; the enemy's sentries, posted half an hour off the village, gave the alarm, and thus Babeker was able to escape, abandoning his provisions of salt and other things.

In the morning we occupied the village, and here I was obliged to stop for several days.

The porters could not walk another step ; only the Soudanese troops showed any good humour.

Three hundred soldiers pursued the enemy, but, in spite of their good will, they could not overtake him, but they captured about a hundred oxen. The people of Babeker disappeared among the bushes, and on the same dav seventv Besina-ers, with arms and baggage, came to join us, and thus I was able to replace the men whom I had abandoned on the road.

Only on the 28th November was I able to commence the march, arriving without any difficult}' at Jur Gattas, whence, after an hour's halt, I pro-