aving their swords, and the
women uttering shrill cries of welcome. The reception of the expedition
when places of importance were passed, and the crowd amounted to several
thousands, is described as very stirring, and, we are told, such was the
enthusiasm of the natives that they even broke up their houses to supply
the gunboats with wood for fuel. Whether this be true or not I cannot
tell, but it is in any case certain that the vessels were duly supplied,
and that the expedition in its progress was well received by the negroid
tribes, who had long resented the tyranny of the Arabs.

On the 22nd of September a considerable part of the army of Osman Digna,
which had not been present at the battle of Omdurman, was found encamped
on the Ghezira, a few miles north of Rufaa. The Sheikhs and Emirs, on
being summoned by General Hunter, surrendered, and a force of about
2,000 men laid down their arms. Musa Digna, a nephew of Osman and the
commander of his forces, was put in irons and held prisoner. The rest,
who were mostly from the Suakin district, were given a safe-conduct, and
told to return to their homes--an order they lost no time in obeying.

The next day the general arrived at Wad Medina, where the Dervish
garrison--1,000 strong--had already surrendered to the gunboat Sheikh.
These men, who were regular Dervishes, were transported in sailing-boats
to Omdurman; and augmented the number of prisoners of war already
collected. On the 29th of September General Hunter reached Rosaires, 400
miles south of Khartoum, and the extreme limit of steam navigation on
the Blue Nile. By the 3rd of October he had established garrisons of
the Xth Soudanese in Rosaires, at Karkoj, at Sennar (the old seat of the
Government of the province), and at Wad Medina. Having also arranged for
gunboat patrolling, he returned to Omdurman.

But there was one Dervish force which had no intention of surrendering
to the invaders, and whose dispersal was not accomplished until three
fierce and critical actions had been fought. Ahmed Fedil, a zealous and
devoted adherent of the Khalifa, had been sent, after the defeat on
the Atbara, to collect all the Dervishes who could be spared from the
Gedaref and Gallabat provinces, and bring them to join the growing army
at Omdurman. The Emir had faithfully discharged his duty, and he was
hurrying to his master's assistance with a strong and well disciplined
force of no fewer than 8,000 men when, while yet sixty mil