steamer had been ordered up
the river to meet them the next day with fresh supplies. The road by
the Nile was choked with armed Dervishes, and to avoid these dangerous
fugitives the column struck inland and marched southward towards some
hills whose dark outline showed against the sky. The unknown ground was
difficult and swampy. At times the horses floundered to their girths in
wet sand; at others rocky khors obstructed the march; horses and camels
blundered and fell. The darkness complicated the confusion. At about ten
o'clock Colonel Broadwood decided to go no further till there was more
light. He therefore drew off the column towards the desert, and halted
on a comparatively dry spot. Some muddy pools, which were luckily
discovered, enabled the bottles to be filled and the horses to be
watered. Then, having posted many sentries, the exhausted pursuers
slept, waking from time to time to listen to the intermittent firing
which was still audible, both from the direction of Omdurman and from
that in which the Dervish army was flying.

At 3 A.M. on the 3rd Colonel Broadwood's force moved on again. Men and
horses seemed refreshed, and by the aid of a bright moon the ground was
covered at a good pace. By seven o'clock the squadrons approached the
point on the river which had been fixed for meeting the steamer. She
had already arrived, and the sight of the funnel in the distance and the
anticipation of a good meal cheered everyone, for they had scarcely had
anything to eat since the night before the battle. But as the troopers
drew nearer it became evident that 300 yards of shallow water and
deep swamp intervened between them and the vessel. Closer approach was
prevented. There was no means of landing the stores. In the hopes of
finding a suitable spot further up the stream the march was resumed. The
steamer kept pace along the river. The boggy ground delayed the columns,
but by two o'clock seven more miles had been covered. Only the flag at
the masthead was now visible; and an impassable morass separated the
force from the river bank. It was impossible to obtain supplies. Without
food it was out of the question to go on. Indeed, great privations must,
as it was, accompany the return march. The necessity was emphasised
by the reports of captured fugitives, who all told the same tale. The
Khalifa had pushed on swiftly, and was trying to reorganise his army.
Colonel Broadwood thereupon rested his horses till the heat of the da