, finding themselves without a hope of relief, and their
provisions being wholly exhausted, marched out and tried to cut their
way through the besieged town to the coast. They were, however,
exterminated, not a man making his way through to tell the tale.

Tokar also fell into the Mahdists' hands, its garrison having accepted
terms of surrender; and thus Osman Digma was left free to attack Suakim
itself, which but for the presence of the fleet must have fallen into
his hands.

BATTLE OF EL TAB.

In the meanwhile the British Government, under the leadership of Mr
Gladstone, had come to the conclusion that the advanced posts of the
Egyptian Government in the Soudan could no longer be held, and pressed
upon that Government the necessity of withdrawing the garrisons. The
Egyptians reluctantly accepted the advice of their powerful "ally," but
were unable of themselves to execute its purpose. The British
Government then applied to General Gordon, who had been formerly
governor of the Soudan, and who had more influence over the Arab tribes
than any other European of modern times, to undertake the task of the
evacuation of Khartoum, the civil population of which numbered about
11,000. General Gordon at once responded to the call of his country,
and set out for Khartoum, which he reached with General Stewart as his
sole companion on the 16th of February.

At first all seemed well, and Gordon was able to send down some widows
and children, 2500 in all, to Korosko, but the events above related at
once destroyed all hope of a peaceful retreat; and it became evident
that help from without would become necessary if the population were to
be saved; but the two British officers never doubted that their country
would aid them in their time of need.

The sensation caused in England by the events around Suakim now became
so great that Mr Gladstone's Government could no longer evade their
responsibility, and now took the step which, had it been taken six weeks
earlier, would have saved thousands of lives. English troops were set
in motion from Egypt, some regiments were stopped on their way home from
India up the Red Sea, and a force was assembled at Suakim under General
Graham; when these were collected they were taken down to Trinkatat by
sea, and the disembarkation there began on the 23rd of February 1884.

As usual, all the hard work to be done fell upon the sailors, who worked
incessantly--landing stores through the surf, w