e were a blot upon the face of the earth, and that he hoped
Mahmud would improve their manners and those of their wives.

Abdalla-Wad-Saad crept from the presence, and returned in fury and
disgust to Metemma. Having collected the head men of his tribe, he
informed them of his reception and the Khalifa's intent. They did not
need to be told that the quartering upon them of Mahmud's army meant the
plunder of their goods, the ruin of their homes, and the rape of their
women. It was resolved to revolt and join the Egyptian forces. As a
result of the council the Jaalin chief wrote two letters. The first
was addressed to the Sirdar, and reached General Rundle at Merawi by
messenger on the 24th of June. It declared the Jaalin submission to the
Government, and begged for help, if possible in men, or, failing that,
in arms; but ended by saying that, help or no help, the tribe were
resolved to fight the Dervishes and hold Metemma to the death. The
second letter--a mad and fatal letter--carried defiance to the Khalifa.

Rundle, who was at Merawi when the Jaalin messenger found him, lost
no time. A large amount of ammunition and 1,100 Remington rifles were
speedily collected and hurried on camels across the desert by the
Korti-Metemma route, escorted by a strong detachment of the Camel Corps.
The Khalifa did not receive his letter until the 27th of June. But he
acted with even greater promptitude. Part of Mahmud's army had already
started for the north. Mahmud and the rest followed on the 28th. On the
30th the advanced guard arrived before Metemma. The Jaalin prepared to
resist desperately. Nearly the whole tribe had responded to the summons
of their chief, and more than 2,500 men were collected behind the walls
of the town. But in all this force there were only eighty serviceable
rifles, and only fifteen rounds of ammunition each. Abdalla expected
that the Dervishes would make their heaviest attack on the south side
of Metemma, and he therefore disposed his few riflemen along that front.
The defence of the rest of the town had perforce to be entrusted to the
valour of the spearmen.

On the morning of the 1st of July, Mahmud, with a force variously
estimated at 10,000 or 12,000 men, began his assault. The first attack
fell, as the chief had anticipated, on the southern face. It was
repulsed with severe loss by the Jaalin riflemen. A second attack
followed immediately. The enemy had meanwhile surrounded the whole town,
and just as