It was observed that Al-Habiri did this intentionally, not to mislead them on the road. He intended for them to fall into the hands of the Arabs, or for Al-Fadl to mislead them from the road, to reach the desired destination. It is noted from this that he gave them advance warning to prepare for escape, because if he did not intend that, he would have led them astray from the road and into the midst of forests where there were many trees and tall grass that would hide a rider from view. Due to their inability to escape, they were brought in with great caution, unaware of the army's camp. Fortunately, they heard the sound of drumming from a distance, and two of their men, using it as a guide to the army's location, found their way. Had this not happened, they would have been completely lost in the wilderness to the east. As for the second, the soldier, he said that two hours after leaving, they saw a waterhole on their path, not for the army. They continued for a short distance, and when they found no water, after walking straight along the path, they turned east, seeking some waterholes, as this was their original home. After covering a part of it, they spotted two Arabs sent as scouts by Muhammad Ahmad. As soon as they saw them, they fled on foot. They pursued them, happy at their arrival, and fired upon them, killing both. Meanwhile, they lost their way and could not go back or forward. They tried to find their way, with him still their guide. They covered two miles without turning back. After three hours, they found their way and arrived. What they reported is contrary to the fact that it was the killing of the two Arabs that caused them to lose their way. By this means, they could not reach Al-Talha, and its truth was unknown. As for the two waterholes mentioned earlier, they found them dry. We learned of the presence of some Baggara Arabs a few days before our arrival, and they took the opportunity to water their livestock before we arrived. (The matter of killing the two scouts of Muhammad Ahmad has been clarified by the aforementioned Qaidan in his clear report prior to this.) The council then deliberated on the outcome of this matter, investigating the lack of water ahead of us, and we were relieved, as His Excellency General Hicks Pasha stated that since the Baggara Arabs had brought their livestock and watered them.