amur of
the district. This brave official remained loyal to the Government
throughout, and was bitterly opposed to Mahdiism. He succeeded in
gaining the friendship of the neighbouring Abyssinian tribes, and,
through their assistance, inflicted great losses on the Dervishes. In
November 1884, he severely defeated the besieging Jaalin; but a few days
later, the Dervishes, being heavily reinforced, beset him very closely.

Through the intermediary of the English, King John sent a relieving
force of Abyssinians, which reached the vicinity of Galabat on the 27th
of January, 1885; and making known their approach to Saleh, the latter
made a sortie, while at the same time the Dervishes were heavily
attacked by the Abyssinians, who drove them off, thus enabling the
entire garrison, men, women, and children, to escape; they marched _via_
Gondar to Massawa, under the protection of an Abyssinian force. Galabat
was subsequently occupied by the Dervishes, who collected here in great
force under the Emir Wad Arbab.

Meanwhile, Saleh Bey, who was now staying with Ras Adal, the chief of
Amhara, was not idle, and was continually urging him to take possession
of Galabat; he was shortly afterwards joined by the Fiki Medawi,
formerly a wild, fanatical adherent of the Mahdi, and who, together with
Abu Girgeh, had been one of the first to lay siege to Gordon in Khartum;
this man, after the Mahdi's death, began to find out that he had been
following an imposture, and fled from Omdurman; he stayed in Abyssinia
for a time, and eventually reached Cairo. Abdullah was furious at his
flight, and put a number of his friends in chains, believing that Fiki
Medawi had been instrumental in pushing on Ras Adal to attack Galabat.

Shortly after the festival of the "Three holy kings," in commemoration
of the baptism of our Saviour in Jordan, known as "Ghittas," which means
immersion (on this occasion--the 5th of January--a cross is always
immersed in the river); Ras Adal, having collected a large army,
amounting, it is said, to 100,000 men, of whom 20,000 were horsemen,
advanced across the mountains and descended on Galabat.

Sheikh Egeil, of the Hamran Arabs, who had always been loyal to the
Egyptian Government, and had combated Mahdiism continuously, also joined
Ras Adal, and entered Dervish territory. Wad Arbab, who had received
full information of the Abyssinian movements, was awaiting their attack,
strongly entrenched within Galabat. He had 16,000 w