And the great Rihd. I beg you to accept me for your own good, as the Turks you are killing with me are my wife, the man is my full brother, and the woman is his wife. The crops are being trampled by the passage of this army. My village, my country, is this, you have destroyed it. Here it is on your right, it is called Hilla Sheikh Mansour. There is no need for my mischief in this hilla. This slave is my brother's servant. His Excellency the Hakdar informed him that what caused all this fanaticism, the destruction of your homes, and the killing of your souls, why did you disobey the government and follow this corrupt man? He said that this is the will of my Lord, and this is the calamity of Muhammad Ahmad in these recent years. The Arabs claim him as their Mahdi. So His Excellency the Hakdar said to him, "And you too claim that he is God?" He replied, "Only God, and with fear of him in the hearts of the Arabs." He claimed to them that he is the awaited Imam, and now they call him God and swear by him only. I remained in my place, hoping to meet the government. I have arrived... At 8:30 AM, we arrived near Hilla Al-Faki Muhammad Turbieh, and we camped there. The zariba was made as usual, and tomorrow we will proceed to Su'ud.

On blessed Monday, October 15, 1883, at 12:00 AM, we left Hilla Al-Faki Muhammad Turbieh, heading for Su'ud. We arrived there at 9:00 AM and camped on the bank of the river itself. Its water is extremely clean. However, the work of the zariba and the preparation of the camp were not finished until 11:00 AM. The soldiers suffered from thirst twice, and eleven mules and one horse died. Four soldiers died on the way, all from thirst. We are extremely surprised because when we left Al-Aqila, according to the reports received from the admirals, there were five million and some fractions of water. When we reached Hilla Al-Faki Muhammad Turbieh, where we were yesterday, we learned that only twelve hundred waterskins remained. This matter, which is a matter of life and death, greatly concerned His Excellency the Hakdar and His Excellency General Hicks Pasha. They were alarmed that since only a thousand waterskins remained from the original five thousand, and four thousand and some fractions were consumed, what would happen tomorrow with the thousand waterskins? A discussion took place in the morning between His Excellency Hicks Pasha and His Excellency the Hakdar.