Chapter XIV: Book VI: Events at Kartoum (2)

This is our _first_ encounter with the Mahdi’s personal troops. One tumbles at 3 A.M. into a troubled sleep; a drum beats—tup! tup! tup! It comes into a dream, but after a few moments one becomes more awake, and it is revealed to the brain that _one is in Kartoum_. The next query is, where is this tup, tupping going on. A hope arises it will die away. No, it goes on, and increases in intensity. The thought strikes one, “Have they enough ammunition?” (the excuse of bad soldiers). One exerts oneself. At last, it is no use, up one must get, and go on to the roof of the palace; then telegrams, orders, swearing, and cursing goes on till about 9 A.M. Men may say what they like about glorious war, but to me it is a horrid nuisance (if it is permitted to say anything is a nuisance which comes on us). I saw that poor little beast the _Husseinyeh_ (a Thames launch) fall back, stern foremost, under a terrific fire of breechloaders. I saw a shell strike the water at her bows; I saw her stop and puff off steam, and I gave the glass to my boy, _sickened unto death_, and I will say my thoughts turned on ... more than on anyone, and they are not beneficent towards him. My boy (he is thirty) said, “_Husseinyeh is sick_.” I knew it, but said quietly, “Go down and telegraph to Mogrim,[225] ‘Is _Husseinyeh_ sick?’” Answer, “No.” I asked again; answer, “No.” Then telegraph said, “She was aground.”

2.45 P.M. The _Ismailia_ tried to take _Husseinyeh_ off, and got struck twice, in addition to the three times before mentioned, with shells, so she desisted from the attempt. The Arabs are firing on the _Husseinyeh_. I have ordered the Krupp of Mogrim to play on the Arab guns, and shall wait till night to take off the _Husseinyeh_. She is nearer to the _left_ bank than to the _right_ bank; it is not clear if she is aground or half sunk (equally a trouble). 3.30 P.M. The Arabs are bringing their guns nearer to the aground or half-sunken _Husseinyeh_. The _Ismailia_ reports that the two last shells have done her no material damage. 4.30 P.M. The Arabs have now three guns bearing on the _Husseinyeh_. 6 P.M. The firing has ceased. I hope to get the _Husseinyeh_ off at night. 7 P.M. The Arabs keep up a dropping fire on the _Husseinyeh_, who, I hear, has two shell holes in her, and has six men, including the captain, wounded. I must say the Arabs to-day showed the greatest of pluck; over and over again they returned to the attack, though overwhelmed with the musketry fire of the castellated _Ismailia_. I think they must have lost heavily, for at times they were in dense groups. I believe that by the _Arabs_ we may understand _our own regulars captured in Kordofan and Darfur, &c._ We are going to get the _Husseinyeh_ off to-night _if we can_. No Royal Navy vessels would have behaved better than the _Ismailia_ to-day; she passed and repassed the Arab guns upwards of twenty times, when any one well-placed shell would have sunk her. Whether the crew knew it or not does not matter. _I did, and felt comfortable accordingly._ The Arab guns were not 1,200 yards distant from her, and even less at times. She was struck five times with shell. Remember that the _Ismailia_, is only a superior penny boat, and that the Egyptian mountain gun is as superior to our wretched seven-pounders as a three-pounder is to a twelve-pounder Howitzer, both for range and for effect. You want a gun to make a hole, not a gimlet-hole, which these seven-pounders do, and what wearisome work to carry them!

All this worry is (humanly speaking) due to that chocolate-coloured clerk of the telegraph not warning me. This evening there was an ominous sign that the Arabs on the Blue Nile knew of our troubles with the _Husseinyeh_. They came up against Bourré, but two gunshots drove them off. At 4 P.M. the Arabs on the right bank of the White Nile fired twelve shells against the Lines, and opened a fire of musketry for a short time, but did no harm. I have given half a month’s pay to the _Ismailia_ and to the _Husseinyeh_ crews, and $2 for the men who have gone to get the latter off; she is _not half sunk_, but _is aground_. There is (8 P.M.) a fire on the left bank of the White Nile, opposite to Halfeyeh. The Arabs got into the ditch of the entrenched camp at Omdurman, which is theirs. We only occupy the fort X. Hicks’ army were in this entrenched camp. Arabs came to Y.

8.15 P.M. The Arabs have still their guns on the river bank, and are firing at the _Husseinyeh_, whom I am trying, by my men, to get off. Evidently they are not cowed, for generally they take their guns back at night to their camp. Report from _Husseinyeh_ steamer:—-10.20 P.M., Wounded, 6; killed, 3; efforts as yet are ineffectual as to taking off the steamer _Husseinyeh_.

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_November 13._—The _Ismailia_, 2 A.M., got struck by _two shells_ (?)[226] going to take off the _Husseinyeh_, so we took her gun out, and her crew, and have left her. At 5.30 A.M., the Arabs commenced firing on the Lines at Bourré, and 7 A.M. I see they are coming across to Goba, bringing a gun with them. The Arabs at Omdurman are quiet. The Arabs have fired five times with their gun at the Omdurman Fort. The Arabs have got their gun at the village outside Sheikh Ali, near the end of the Lines on the White Nile, and have fired shells at the Lines. Our telegraph was cut yesterday evening with Omdurman Fort, and cannot be repaired (8 A.M.), for the Arabs are shelling that fort. The Arabs, on the North Side, have their gun on the low sandhills some 4,000 yards off, and are shelling us; musketry firing going on at Bourré. The Arabs had their guns last night defending the approach to the _Husseinyeh_. We are repairing the _Ismailia_; the barricade of the steersman of the _Husseinyeh_ got struck by a shell. We raised a parapet on the river bank to defend any approach of the Arabs to _Husseinyeh_. Omdurman had yesterday a quarter of a million cartridges—Remington.

Omdurman Fort has one and a half month’s supply of food and water; it was a fault to place it so far from the river;[227] yesterday it had not its flag up; to-day it has. The Arabs have sent 250 men to Goba; but the village Hogali, which was the one close to the palace, having been levelled, they are too far off to do us any harm. There is a report in town, the Arabs say they will enter it to-morrow, and say their prayers in the mosque on Friday. The Arabs at Goba are wasting a lot of ammunition (Remington), their bullets do not reach us.[228] They will be bothered for water, for we filled up all the wells in Goba. 9.15 A.M. The Arabs have returned from Goba. 10 A.M. They have made a long _détour_,[229] and have gone to the prolongation of our lines at Bourré, on the right bank of the Blue Nile, where they are firing heavily. I expect we fired 50,000 rounds yesterday, and the Arabs rather more, while to-day the Arabs have fired a great deal. We calculate that with Hicks’ army was lost 1,000,000 cartridges, and now it is a year ago, during which time, with the firing there and elsewhere during a year, two-thirds of that million must have been expended, and they have no means to renew the cartridges; they cannot have much more than 300,000 rounds.

The Arabs have now gone from opposite Bourré (11 A.M.), having fired a nice lot of ammunition, and hurt no one in the fort. Omdurman Fort is still cut off from us; Arabs at A B C. The Arabs certainly got the best of it yesterday, though I expect they paid for it. It appears the _Husseinyeh_ got aground through the captain, who was afterwards wounded, not doing what the Reis told him. Fortunately I had foreseen the likelihood of the fort at Omdurman being cut off, and had provisioned it. If the expedition comes at all, it ought to be here before long. We had fifteen men wounded yesterday, three rather dangerously, and seven were killed. I never feel anxious about any of the fights, except when the steamers are engaged, and then I own I am on tenterhooks as long as they are out. 1 P.M. The Arabs have got four guns down on the river, and are firing across the river at the Mogrim Fort, which is answering by Krupp and rockets. We are not fortunate with the little steamers I had brought out in sections from England; we have lost, at any rate _temporarily_, one, the _Husseinyeh_; another, the _Abbas_, where is she? And the Arabs have the third, the _Mahomet Ali_, on the Blue Nile. The Arabs fired four guns on the lines near the White Nile this morning (they fired sixty rounds). Musketry (3 P.M.) going on across river between our men and the Arabs. Certainly we have been left to almost the very last extremity, and I declare I think the year will be complete, from the time Cairo heard of Hicks’ defeat, to the time of the relief expedition arriving here!!! And I am sure, if an enquiry was made, it would be made out no one was to blame.

The Arabs have eighteen boats plying as ferry from one side of the White Nile to the other. They may try with these boats to get hold of the _Husseinyeh_, or else to board her; there are only some bags of biscuits on board; but as the steamer is blinded, if Arabs once get on board, it would be very difficult to dislodge them, unless we sink the steamer, for they will find the biscuit and so have plenty to eat. Fifteen shells fell into the town this morning, but did no harm.

Nearly all the Arab force which came on the north side to-day were slaves, with them perhaps forty horsemen Arabs. Eventually the Arabs will find out the inconvenience of these Mamelukes.[230] Four bullets came from the Arabs to the Palace to-day—2800 yards—and came with a good force. A native of Kartoum came and complained he had had nothing to eat for himself and family for four days; they found eight ardebs of dhoora in his house; in another house forty ardebs were found.

* * * * *

_November 14._—8 A.M. The Arabs on both sides of the Blue Nile began firing on Bourré at 5.30 A.M., and it is going on now. They kept up for more than quarter of an hour a continuous roll of fire, and have wasted a precious lot of ammunition. They brought down one of their guns and fired a few rounds. Up to this time no one is wounded at Bourré.

Two men crossed from Omdurman, and report Ferratch Ullah as all right, and as having no men wounded in the fort. The Arabs fired their guns on the fort this morning.

An Arab tried to swim off to the _Husseinyeh_, whom (_they say?_) our men shot.

I wonder where King John is, with his 200,000 soldiers?

I argue thus: 1. It would be impossible for the Expeditionary Force, once having come to Dongola, not to move up to Metemma, or to the vicinity of Berber. 2. That once at Metemma, or at Berber, they will find the steamers, and consequently must communicate with Kartoum. 3. Once they communicate with Kartoum they must assume the responsibility of the government of that place (of course, when once that responsibility is assumed, the decision as to what they will do rests with them).

4. It is impossible for them to loiter long on the road between Dongola (or Debbeh) and Metemma.

5. It will be impossible for them, _owing to the events of the last few days_,[231] to avoid collision with the Arabs around Kartoum. A week ago it might have been possible, but now the Arabs are too close to the town to avoid it. Omdurman Fort being cut off will oblige action being taken to re-open communications. The Arabs _may run away_, but, somehow, since a few days, I doubt it.

A soldier came in from the North Fort from the Arabs this morning.

_Another fib_—they told me that they had got everything out of the _Husseinyeh_ but the biscuit: it appears that the ammunition is still in her.

No church parade on the right bank of Nile (Kalakla), but one is going on at Giraffe on the Blue Nile. It appears last night that a boat went off to the _Husseinyeh_, that the men in this boat got frightened at the challenge of our own men and jumped into the water, and left their boat. I went down to Mogrim, and found the _Ismailia_ has been struck by seven shells, and is pockmarked with bullets all over. The Arabs (some 400 rifles) line a long trench opposite the _Husseinyeh_: we have erected a parapet on our side opposite her. The Arabs have four guns, from which they kept up a desultory fire, doing no harm. The Arabs’ rifle-fire is continuous and futile, ours is less heavy, but I expect equally futile, for the Arabs keep under cover. The Arabs fired regular volleys, upwards of five, while I was there: they appear to delight in the noise. The _Husseinyeh_ is about 1,200 yards from the point X, 800 yards from Y, and 1,000 yards to Z, where my trench is.

_Husseinyeh_ lies just off the end of the entrenchment of Omdurman _entrenched camp_.

She has her stern to the Arabs.

A soldier came in to the North Fort from the Arabs on the Blue Nile, and reports that a man with letters came the night before last to the fort of Omdurman and called out to the sentries, but before they could let him into the fort the Arabs captured him and the letters. I hope to be able to-night to communicate by bugle sounds with Omdurman Fort.

Revised list of the robbery; 172,000 okes of biscuit they change every day. We have to-day in the magazine 240,000 okes of biscuit, 1,326 ardebs of dhoora. Have ordered 1000 okes to be given away, and 4000 okes to be sold.

The Omdurman Fort is ill placed, as it cannot see the ground down to the river, and is distant 1200 yards from the river. The Arabs on left bank of the White Nile opposite _Husseinyeh_ number 500 (I expect all are my soldiers), and they are so far away from any reserve that it would be easy to crush them before they were aided, _if we dared to try_, which we do not. I was at Mogrim Fort for half an hour, during which time the Arabs fired, as I calculated, fifteen shells and 8000 rounds, and no one was touched; indeed, where their bullets went I could not see nor hear. No stores could stand that, and up to sundown they were still at it with rifles and guns. Bourré, in spite of all the heavy firing, has no casualties; 80,000 rounds would scarcely cover our _united_ expenditure to-day.

Reports from the Arabs at different times said the Mahdi had brought 200 (some say 120) camel loads of ammunition (Remingtons) from Obeyed—say 200, and say that each camel carried 2 boxes, each box 1000, so that he had, before he began, 800,000 rounds; he must have expended in the last week 250,000 to 300,000 rounds, and has left 550,000 rounds or 500,000 rounds. I do not expect he has 200,000 rounds left, which is his weekly expenditure if he goes on at the rate he is going now. We turn out on an average 40,000 rounds a week, and are well ahead of our requirements. Looking at the Arab gunners with my telescope, they never seem to bother themselves about aim, but just to load and fire. It is, of course, different when the steamers are in action. The officer in command of Mogrim Fort was wounded in the arm at sundown. The captain of _Husseinyeh_ died to-day. We suppose that on board the _Husseinyeh_, are the men I mentioned as having jumped out of the boat last night on the challenge of the sentry, also a soldier of Omdurman who swam off to her with letters from Ferratch Bey, commandant of the fort, so we are sending off a boat to _Husseinyeh_ to take them off. A workman in the arsenal was wounded to-day by a ball from Bourré, distant 2300 yards. The Arab fire on Bourré renders the vicinity of the palace far more dangerous than Bourré, the balls fall so plentifully around the Mudirat, which is close by, that the Greek consul was obliged to lay to for some time till the firing ceased: it is at least 2500 to 3000 yards from the palace to the place the Arabs fire from.

We have put the gun of the steamer _Ismailia_ on the bank of the Nile, to cover the approach to the _Husseinyeh_; the Greek consul says “the balls fall like water” on the road leading to the palace. I believe a good deal, if you have the ammunition, in the dropping fire of rifles, even at three thousand yards; the balls that fell on the palace are fairly flattened, showing they have plenty of life to kill. The buglers have communicated with Fort Omdurman, who are all well. 8 P.M. to-morrow we will have signals with flags. Out of evil comes good—if _Husseinyeh_ was not aground, the Arabs, instead of concentrating their force and attention on her, would have devoted it on the fort, which, cut off, would suffer; as it is now, the fort is unmolested. Bullets rained on the hospital yesterday and to-day, but did no harm! I calculate that the _Ismailia_ has two thousand bullet marks on her.

* * * * *

_November 15._—Last night we sent off a boat to the _Husseinyeh_, and took off the soldier of Ferratch Ullah Bey, who had come from Omdurman, also the ten men who jumped into the water from their boat the night before. Ferratch Ullah writes he is all well; he wants ammunition!!! he had 230,000 rounds three days ago: he says he has now 150,000 rounds, also he has regulars, 470, each 100 rounds, 47,000; he has irregulars, 170, each 200 rounds, 34,000 altogether; in magazine of fort, 150,000 rounds, and with the men 81,000; total ammunition in fort, 231,000 rounds: yet he calls for ammunition!!! Hicks took 1,000,000. The buglers communicated well with the fort at Omdurman; buglers then spoke the soldiers on Mahdi’s side, but they did not answer; we invited them to come over to us.

The five feluccas, which took the men off the _Husseinyeh_, were not seen by the Arabs. I sent an engineer to take off the steam-valves of the _Husseinyeh_; the five feluccas took off, _this time_, everything from _Husseinyeh_, biscuit, ammunition, &c., &c. It appears that the Arabs, who were watching the _Husseinyeh_, had gone off to Kerowé, opposite Halfeyeh; but this is doubtful.

At dawn the Arabs opened a heavy fire with the usual futile efforts on Bourré, also they fired with gun and musketry on Omdurman Fort.

At Omdurman Fort they have had, in the last few days, four killed and sixteen wounded.

A shell from the Arabs struck _Husseinyeh_ yesterday, but did no harm, for she is well aground. No wounded at Bourré to-day by the Arab fire.

The Bimbashi, who was wounded in the arm yesterday evening, was lying on his angarep[232] when he was wounded: he thought it a secure place; he died to-day.

The Arabs from Omdurman side of the river have kept up a desultory fire of guns and musketry all day; but at sundown the fire was much heavier, and if the Arabs go on like that for many days, they will be out of ammunition, both gun and rifle.

It has turned out a benefit for us the _Husseinyeh_ going aground, for the attention of the Arabs is devoted to her, and they fire scarcely at all on the fort at Omdurman; even if we had her, she could do little good: the other little steamer will be completed in twelve days.

I think I have been rather unjust towards the fellaheen soldier, for though he is not brave enough to take the field, he has done good work on board the steamers, and a good many of their officers and men have been killed and wounded (thanks to the policy that has been followed elsewhere) in a quarrel which does not concern them. These remarks are produced by a visit I made to the hospital to-day, when I saw the mass of the wounded were fellaheen soldiers, whom I put in the steamers, because, when in action, they could not run away, while I kept the blacks for the defence of the Lines. As I was leaving the hospital to-day, a dead man was carried out by four men in chains (convicts) on a stretcher, accompanied by two soldiers with fixed bayonets—to be buried as a dog! This is part of the glory of war! According to the demands for ammunition, we are firing away 40,000 rounds per diem; the officers ask for fresh Remingtons, as by the constant firing those they have are out of order. I feel quite indifferent, for, if not relieved for a month, our food supply fails, and even at the above rate of expenditure of ammunition we have fifty days’ cartridges. I like to go down with our colours flying. The Arabs are quite equalling us in expenditure, and they have no reserve of ammunition, or means of repairing their arms. I am going to call the new steamer the _Zubair_, after Zubair Pasha Rahama;[233] the town wanted it called after me, but I said, “I have put most of you in prison and otherwise bullied you, and I have no fear of your forgetting me.”

* * * * *

_November16._—The Arabs quiet, little firing at Mogrim; I expect the Mahdi has found out that his men have been making away with his ammunition too fast, even as I have found it out. A small fantasie or church parade is going on near the Mahdi’s camp this morning.

The Arabs at the Mahdi’s camp have moved the camp further inland; they did this at sundown yesterday. It is on the _tapis_ that they may retire altogether; if so it will be glorious. The camp opposite the Lines on South is much diminished, not more than five or six tents. The Arabs there have gone to Giraffe and El foun on the Blue Nile. With the exception of the Arab guns firing on Mogrim, and our guns answering, everything is quiet to-day. In a couple of hours the Arabs fired sixteen shells without the least effect. Their gun ammunition must be nearly expended. A woman was slightly wounded at Bourré this morning. The Arabs work on a regular principle with the captured black troops. They know that they will escape to us if they can, in the first instance, so they keep them on short rations, and promise them full rations if they fight us. They then force them into contact with us for (at first) appearance sake and to get the full rations; when in contact with us we fire on and kill some of them, then their black blood gets up, and they retaliate _en bonne volonté_, and are egged on by the Arabs, who say to them, “Now you have fired on the Government troops you are in for it; the Government will never pardon you,” and so thus we get no more deserters. It was the same way at Bourré, before we fired on the Arabs we got plenty of deserters, but when once we gave them a slating no more came in; they are compromised with the Mahdi’s cause, and afraid of us if they come in. The Janissaries were the children of Christian parents captured when young, and they fought with vigour against the Christians when they grew up. Scarcely ever is the true Arab in the front, so they say.

We have ninety men in hospital at present, of which fifty-four are wounded. We had one man killed, and one wounded at Mogrim to-day. A woman was wounded in the town yesterday. Report in town says seventy of our captured soldiers have deserted and have entered the fort at Omdurman.

Having been assured by my officers that it was a most terrible risk even to go along the bank near the _Husseinyeh_, even by night, owing to the Arabs’ rifle fire, and being extremely sceptical of the past (putting down the information given me as an excuse for doing nothing towards taking off the _Husseinyeh_ the first night she got aground; and also as an effort to enhance the danger and daring of those men who did take off the ammunition, &c., the night before last), I went down to-night at 11.30 and found it was all a myth, and that if I wished I could take her off without any risk. However, as she is a target and occupies the attention of the Arabs, who leave the fort at Omdurman alone in consequence of her, I shall leave her as she is. Of course, needless to say, I found all the officers in charge absent; _they had gone home to bed!_ However, I am not put out at it. They are, as a rule, the _very feeblest of the conies_, and nothing will change their nature. The _Husseinyeh_ lies close to the junction of the White and Blue Niles, and one may say is within our lines.

I daresay this is a repetition, but if we do get out of this mess it is a miracle, for I do not think a slacker lot of officers ever could be found, but a bad workman always complains of his tools. A good workman turns out good work however rotten his tools may be.

* * * * *

_November17._—It is really amusing to find (when one can scarcely call one’s life one’s own) one’s servant, _already_ with one wife (which most men find is enough), coming and asking for leave for three days, in order to take another wife. Yet such was the case, a few days ago, with one of my servants.

The Arabs this morning fired from their guns from Bourré, from the White Nile, and from Omdurman; they are also keeping up a musketry fire. At the Mahdi’s camp they had another “church parade” to-day. I suppose they are working up their fanaticism. The Arabs have a Nordenfeldt opposite the little steamer _Husseinyeh_. The town people are pleased at the new steamer being called the _Zubair_; the Anti-Slave Society will be furious.[234] If Zubair had come up, I should have had news long before now.[235] It does seem ridiculous that when our apparent policy is to hand over the Soudan to the Mahdi, who with his people are far more slave hunters than Zubair ever would be, we should not have utilized this man in this expedition. There are about two hundred people on the Isle of Tuti, yet last night an Arab came over, killed a man and carried off three donkeys; they do not deserve the name of men. How Zubair would touch up these fellows; he would go to Tuti and give all the men between eighteen and fifty at least thirty blows of Kourbatch. I am obliged to content myself with lamentations.

(“Count the months—March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and half November! Why, I declare, it is a breach of contract.”[236])

If it be true about the repulse of the Abyssinians at Keren, I expect there were roars of laughter in Downing Street at the greenness of His Majesty the Emperor John (as Mitzakis calls him). It is very odd, but we have had no news of Kassala for months, not since September ... to .... “You said _it was too dreadful_; what will you say when I tell you he has made sketches of _you_ and ME? and how, horrible to relate, put them in his demi-official journal; and we can do _absolutely_ nothing, for if he is attacked as being a British officer, he says he made the sketches as Governor-General, and _vice versâ_.”

Independent of my regret for Stewart, the loss of his journal affects me, for there were lots of things in it of interest. All the powers (including the Pope, and excluding England and France) were appealed to in a touching memo., to raise an auxiliary force under Baker, &c., &c., and to stop the wave of Dervish fanaticism. I also wrote to the Sultan. I do not know if these appeals ever got through, but Stewart had them all copied in his journal. Events and my discourses had almost made him latterly, as vicious as I am. Baring’s ears ought to have burned, for the last eight months, he was nicely dissected by us all (Power aiding). If Herbin, the French Consul, had got down Baring would have had a time of it, for Herbin says that Barère, the French minister, went to Baring before Herbin left, and Baring did not tell (Barère) any thing about the evacuation of the Soudan. Of course Baring will shelter himself under the “fiction” that he, as British minister, had nothing to do with it. What a farce, if it did not deal with men’s lives.

When one thinks that Baring works harder than a galley slave for such wretched results, one ought to pity him.

I have sent 150 of these superior troops (the Shaggyeh), to the Isle of Tuti, in consequence of the outrage of last night (which I do not believe in, _for that one man came over and killed another man, and carried off three donkeys in a small boat_ is absurd). However, the Shaggyeh are safer in the Isle of Tuti than in the North Fort. At 7 P.M. the Arabs came down and fired on Bourré from the left bank of the Blue Nile. The officer (a full colonel of _my_ creation), asks me “Is he to fire back?” I said, “Better _not_ ask me that question, unless you want to catch it.” 7.15 P.M. Omdurman Fort is firing away. I certainly lay claim to having commanded, more often than any other man, cowardly troops, but this experience of 1884 beats all past experiences; the worst of the matter is, that you cannot believe one word the officers say. With respect to the major who was absent from the Fort Mogrim last night, he says he was in the telegraph station, which is a direct falsehood. However, I did nothing to him, more than call him a liar, which he probably considers a compliment. A sort of adjutant-major, whom I had borne with for a long time, told me _two cold lies_ in _two days_, so I bundled him out. Can it be wondered at that, after nine months and more of this sort of military worry, and ditto of civil worry, I am heartily sick of the whole affair, and provided _I_ am not made a party (and I _will not be_) to a shabby retreat, I should be glad to be out of this place.

The Arabs fired fifteen shells against the Fort of Omdurman; only one seemed to strike the keep; one man was wounded at Mogrim with the splinter of a shell. The Arab gun-carriages must be in bad state of repair, for our carpenters are continually at work making new ones, and the Arabs have no means of so doing. The _Husseinyeh_ lies just off the division of the White and the Blue Niles, and not as I showed her position, page 327. All the scratched out portion is abuse of Baring.[237] Some one said, “If you feel angry, then write your angry letter, and then tear it up.” It certainly does relieve the mind to write one’s bile, and it is good also to scratch it out, for I dare say Baring is doing his duty better than I am; he is certainly more patriotic, if patriotism consists in obedience to the existing Government of one’s country.[238]

Doctor reports that the shells and bullets of the Arabs fell all around the hospital this morning, but did no harm, they came from Bourré.

* * * * *

_November 18._—Everything quiet all round the place; they fired a few shots with their guns at the lines near the White Nile.

11.30 A.M. The Arabs on the right bank of the Blue Nile have moved towards the north, and, from the number of porters, I expect they are going to form a camp to the north.

It may be turned as one likes; three prominent undeniable facts exist. Her Majesty’s Government refused to help Egypt with respect to the Soudan, refused to let Egypt help herself, and refused to allow any other power to help her: this cannot be disputed or explained away. Lord Dufferin’s despatch was “hands off.”[239] The resignation of Cherif was the prohibition of allowing Egypt to help herself. This tardy succour under pressure, and Baring’s despatch, establishes the unwillingness to help.

The Arabs have settled down in the old Dem they occupied in March last!! opposite the palace, and which they evacuated in August; their vicinity will give us more spies, which we have lacked hitherto; this proceeding does not show as if they were much appalled at the advance of the expeditionary force. On the 12th March they pitched their tents on the very spot they are pitching them now—251 days ago—during which we have night and day been in hostilities with them, and been obliged to keep on the alert “because of?” “because of?”—“What?” The answer has been worn threadbare.

The Arab guns on Omdurman side firing 1.30 P.M. on Mogrim. They have expended a lot of gun ammunition in last few days. 3.30 P.M. They are still firing; one can distinguish the Nordenfeldt. I remember how, when Hicks left for the Soudan, papers wrote of the great effect that the Nordenfeldts were to have upon Arabs, like the French before the Franco-Prussian war with their mitrailleuses. At 4 P.M. they fired for a quarter of an hour quickly. This was caused by five cows which approached the Fort, the men of which killed three (so to-night they will have meat). The Arabs fired fifteen shells one after the other against the Fort, for the outrage on their property. I shall have to move these superior troops (the Shaggyeh) out of the North Fort, for the approach of the Arabs has filled them with dismay. I have kept moving them from every place the Arabs came near. It is really absurd that one should have to pay and keep such troops. I will say Ferratch Pasha (however irritating he is in some ways) is always the gentleman, which I am sorry to say _I am not_, with the fury I get in on state occasions. A woman came in from the south front; she says they were all my old soldiers who are fighting on the left bank of the Nile, and that they lost heavily on the day _Husseinyeh_ got aground. I am moving _these_ Shaggyeh to the lines; it is no use exposing them to be attacked. The Arabs now on the north front opposite the palace are the men of the Mahdi, not as before the men of the Sheikh el Obeyed, who do not seem to have entered cordially into the second blockade of Kartoum. We had to-night the Arab forces all around us, and are regularly hemmed in, but the town does not care a bit, and are fighting questions of pay with me, for I am paying in paper the three months’ backsheesh I promised them.

The major who was shot when lying on his angarep, and who died of his wound, was 3,000 yards distant from the Arabs. We do not know yet the effect of the rifle in a dropping fire. I offered, in paying the three months’ backsheesh to the troops, to give orders for bulk sums £120, £130, but they refused to accept them; they want the _regular paper money_, so I have issued £10,000 more in £50 notes. In this paper money notes _I am personally responsible_ for the liquidation, and any one may bring an action against me, _in my individual capacity_, to recover the money, while in the orders it might be a query whether they (the authorities of Cairo) might not decline to pay the orders. Paper money now cannot be bought at a discount. People have tried to buy it up, but they failed.[240] I consider this is very satisfactory for one’s credit. Her Majesty’s Government, as well as the Soudan people, will not need to name a vessel after me in order to remember me, even if they felt so disposed, which I very much doubt. We shall get lots of spies in now the Arabs have hemmed us in. In these deserts, if you leave a space unguarded you see at once any one moving over it; but if you surround it entirely, there is the usual going to and fro, and thus a spy slips in. I do not think it is realised what happened in Hicks’ defeat a year ago. 10,000 soldiers, including 2,000 cavalry, 4,000 camp-followers, 7,000 camels, perished in two days from thirst;[241] 1700 rifles, 1,000,000 rounds Remington ammunition, were captured; 7 Krupps, 6 Nordenfeldts, 29 mountain guns, with 500 rounds each, were captured (perhaps 300 men were spared out of the host). Eight Englishmen and 8 Germans were killed, and, according to all accounts, they were so exhausted that they were unable to move. Stewart took great pains to get all the details, and wrote them in his journal. The Arabs have made a pyramid of the skulls. The major who was wounded at Mogrim was sleeping in the telegraph station in the Fort. He found it hot, and went out and got struck and died. If you went to the Fort at Mogrim you would (on seeing the position whence the Arabs fire) say you were as safe there as in Regent Street. This man was a very timorous man, and had avoided every service of the least danger. It is of no use fighting against your destiny. The doctor described to me to-night the state of the town _a year ago_, when they heard of the defeat of Hicks; and one compares it to our present state, when one may say perfect confidence exists in the town, and every one has gone comfortably to bed—it is a lesson to man to never despair.

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_November 19._—The Arabs came down, 7 A.M., to Goba, opposite the Palace, and fired, but did no harm; they are pulling down Seyd Mahomet Osman’s house, which was spared. Ferratch Ullah did not dare to go out for the three cows killed last night. The Arabs had a bugler of ours with them at Goba; he bugled a call “1st Regiment!” and then was apparently stopped, he then bugled “We are strong! We are strong!” I have packed up and addressed to the chief of staff, Soudan Expeditionary Force, “all European telegrams sent _from_ and received _in_ the Soudan for years 1883-84,” and send the box with this portion of the Journal.[242] The Arabs have put a gun in the breastwork on the left bank of the White Nile below Omdurman Fort, so as to bar the entrance to Kartoum on the north.

We have communicated with Omdurman Fort with flags, it is all right. The Arabs are not firing to-day (since 8.30 A.M.). Twelve days have to elapse ere the month’s rations become due; this evening it is reported to me that those utterly useless troops—some fifty Bashi Bazouks—began crying that they had nothing to eat, and even went so far as to throw down their arms; now this is rather too much, considering that they are receiving the full rations of soldiers, and also the pay of men who are supposed to find themselves, so that it is a perfectly gratuitous gift to give them rations at all, or if I do so, I should cut their pay; the best of it is, that I _have given_ them full rations for the month, which has twelve days yet to run ere that month is out. I do not know if ever the expeditionary force will come here, and I do not know the policy which will be pursued; but there is one thing I think I am justified in demanding, that is the disbandment of these brutes, to whom only yesterday I gave a gratuity of fifty dollars to erect their breastwork—a totally unnecessary proceeding on my part. Of course if I can hand over the government to the Expeditionary Forces’ Leader I have nothing to say; he can do as he likes. What irritates me is, that a row like this is aided and abetted by every officer, inasmuch as it is to me the row is brought, they daring not to decide; of course, it must be seen, that situated as we are, if one corps can take rations for a month and eat them in a fortnight, and then get more, it is virtually giving double rations to the troops, for if you gave to one part, all the rest would want it.

* * * * *

_November 20._—A caravan of 300 men and twenty camels came up the left bank of the White Nile, from the direction of Metemma. 7 A.M. A soldier who came in from the Arabs, says, “The Mahdi sent 2,000 men down towards Metemma on account of the advance of the Expedition, who are near Berber.” Also “reports the advance of King Johannes” (which I doubt). I expect the caravan seen to-day is a caravan with _the money_ from Berber. Report in the town says the Arabs have been repulsed three times by the Expeditionary Force. The Arabs are very quiet to-day; their Nordenfeldt kept on grunting at intervals this morning. Four of those precious troops the Shaggyeh (one a Bashi Bazouk), have deserted to the Arabs; it was never reported to me. I have a suspicion that more have gone. We communicated with Omdurman Fort by flag-signals; they are all right. The Arabs fired from their guns on the White Nile, and from the Omdurman side, a few rounds this evening.

It is rather astonishing to find that the row about the rations the night before last, was made by the Cairo Bashi Bazouks, who are completely at one’s mercy, for the Arabs would never look at them;[243] they even went so far as to throw down their arms! A volley of lies was told about this affair, trying to prevent me hearing the truth. However, I got at the bottom of it, and have noted my friends. A merchant here had a partner in business, who went to the Arabs eight months ago with £3,000 belonging to this merchant, who coolly asks me to pay the £3,000!!!

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_November 21._—I do not believe one person has died of hunger during the 8-11/30 months we have been shut up. Ferratch Ullah Bey, in Omdurman, signalled, “Yes, I have 230,000 rounds, but I fire a lot every day.” Now this is a corker, for I do not believe he fires ten rounds without my personal knowledge, and I estimate his expenditure of ammunition at under 2,000 rounds per diem. By this I expect he wants me to open the road to him, and ammunition is only an excuse; but I do not care to risk a defeat, or a momentary success, attended with a lot of wounded (we have sixty wounded in hospital now). To-day year came the news to Kartoum of Hicks’ defeat. He left this on the 3rd September. The Greek Consul and the Greek doctor describes the arrival of news thus at Kartoum: At night came in the _Bordeen_ with Coetlogon from the White Nile. The Greek Consul was in his house. Marquet, the French Consul, came to his house and said, “Come to my house, by the garden.” He went to Marquet’s house; he found Hussein Pasha Cheri, Ibrahim Pasha Haidar, Coetlogon, Power, and Hansall. He was told “_Hicks is finished_.” The Consul sent a telegram to Towfik, “Hicks finished.” Then Towfik sent a telegram that he would send up reinforcements that night. Towfik had a large party at the Abdeen Palace, and reports were rife that something bad was in the air, but nobody knew anything. _Since that day no aid has come to Soudan._ I hear that the day before yesterday two corporals (one who had come in from the Arabs), five soldiers, and a clerk, all Soudan soldiers, deserted to the Arabs. This was never reported to me. I expect the officers have robbed them.

Ferratch Ullah Bey, of Omdurman, signals he has only 43,000 rounds left. This, out of 230,000 rounds, and I feel sure he tells fibs, and is acting in order to force me to relieve him, which I shall not attempt. He says he has had twenty-five wounded and eleven killed. Church parades all round to-day. The Arabs fired at Bourré and at Tuti this morning.

To-day I discovered a robbery of Ruckdi, my old clerk, about which there could be no doubt whatever, so I have turned him out, and written to cancel his being made a Bey. A woman came in from the Arabs. She says the Expedition left Merowé for Berber, and that Mahomet Achmet will try, on Monday, the 24th November, to take Omdurman Fort. This is disagreeable news! However, I have done what I can, and one can do no more than trust now. What has been the painful position for me is that there is not one person on whom I can rely; also, there is not one person who considers that he ought to do anything except his routine duty. We have now been months blockaded, and things are critical; yet not one of my subordinates, except the chief clerk and his subordinate, appears to-day. I had to send for them, and wait till they came, perhaps an hour. “It is Friday, and it is unreasonable to expect us at the office,” is what they say. My patience is almost exhausted with this continuous apparently never-ending trial; there is not one department which I have not to superintend as closely as if I was its direct head. The officer who commanded the post from which the men deserted never told me, but says he told Ferratch Pasha. This Ferratch Pasha denies, and so it goes on, tissues of lies, and they no more care about being found out than not. It is indeed hopeless work, and yet, truly, they have been treated most handsomely in every way. Nearly every order, except when it is for their interest, has to be repeated two, and even three, times. I may truly say I am weary of my life; day and night, night and day, it is one continual worry.[244]

Our breastworks at Tuti are bothering the Arabs near Omdurman. A soldier came in from the Arabs; he had nothing to say of importance. We have got a breastwork also towards Goba, on the Isle of Tuti. I have given those improvident troops 15,000 okes of biscuits. I sincerely hope I may never be besieged with such a garrison another time. A slave came in, and reports “that Berber has been taken by the troops from Kassala, and that the Arab Governor of Berber arrived at the Mahdi’s two days ago (perhaps the caravan we saw yesterday);” also that “the four steamers have gone to Berber, _one being disabled, or aground, or sunk_!” If this is the case, it is that brute Nutzer Bey or Pasha who (keeping himself well under cover) has disobeyed my repeated orders as to “not taking the steamers against the guns, but to stay quietly at Shendy and wait for the Expedition.” The last order that I sent him was that “I would cancel his appointment as Pasha if he dared to disobey me again.” But of what avail is that?

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_November 22._—Slight firing at Bourré and Goba this morning. A soldier deserted to the Arabs last night, with his rifle.

A soldier and a slave came in from the Arabs. It appears more Shaggyeh deserted to the Arabs than the four I mentioned, but it seems perfectly impossible to find out the truth, or even the number of Shaggyeh there are.

I am terribly anxious for the fort at Omdurman, and am trying to devise some means of occupying the Arabs, and diverting their attention elsewhere. Omdurman Fort signals they are all right; they had another man wounded. Up to date we have had, passing through the hospital, 242 wounded. We have had some 1800 to 1900 killed (between 17th March and 22nd November).

This is the present state of affairs; the Arab camps are about five miles from the city.

Camp C is on river.

A is one mile from river; camp D and E are three to four miles from the river. Of these numbers perhaps there are 3000 to 4000 fighting men, and 600 horsemen to 800 horsemen in the _whole lot_. There is nothing like being precise in these days, and it saves a deal of talking if one knows a man’s ideas beforehand. If the Expedition comes here before the place falls (which is doubtful), and _if the instructions are to evacuate the place at once, and leave Kassala and Sennaar, &c., I will resign, and have nothing more to do with the Government of the place, or of the Soudan_; and this I have a perfect right to do, and no one, not even the Soudan troops or people, could say one word. It will depend on circumstances how I shall act _in re_ my commission in Her Majesty’s service (which I do not hold too fast to, seeing any future employment would not be accepted, even if in the very improbable case of its being offered); but I consider that every officer has a right to resign, and if he resigns he is no longer subject to military orders, and is free to go when and where he likes. It may be argued I was named Governor-General “in order to carry out the evacuation of the Soudan, and that I am bound to carry that out, which is quite correct, but I was named for EVACUATION OF SOUDAN” (against which I have nothing to say), _not to run away from Kartoum and leave the garrisons elsewhere to their fate_.[245] If it is positively determined on _not to look after the garrisons_, and _not_ to _establish some sort of provisional Government in the Soudan_, then the course to pursue is _to name a Governor in my place on day of arrival_, and carry out with that Governor that policy which, I have already said, is one of very great danger (putting all the _other_ considerations aside). PERSONALLY, looking at the matter from a VERY SELFISH POINT OF VIEW (and seeing I have done my best to prevent this policy being followed, and am impatient to oppose it), I should be much relieved at this _denouement_, for I should be in Brussels on 20th January.

I have given 6,000 lbs. of biscuit out to the poor (I expect half will be stolen), and I shall sell to-morrow 90,000 lbs. to the townspeople. I am determined if the town does fall, the Mahdi shall find precious little to eat in it. Two soldiers got hold of the head of a shell-rocket fired by Arabs, and, having nothing better to do, they set to work to open it. It burst, and has nearly killed one, and wounded the other—the effects of curiosity!

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_November 23._—A soldier came in at the North Fort from the Arabs; he says the Expedition has captured Berber, and are advancing on this, and the Arabs want to attack Tuti Isle.

The Arabs, this morning, fired from Goba on breastwork of Tuti. The soldier says my noble friend, Nutzer Pasha, kept safely all the steamers at Shendy, and never aided in any way at Berber. The Arabs are (so says this soldier) collecting at Halfeyeh to receive the expedition, but I do not think it.

Three women came in last night from the Arabs to North Fort; they had been captured during the raid the Arabs made on the Shaggyeh some days ago.

The soldier who came in brought two rifles and two belts of ammunition.

Ferratch Ullah Bey, of Omdurman Fort, reports “he is all right,” by signal.