, and still further increased the want
which already prevailed in the Dervish camp. When in Dongola, the
Gehenas were suffering so terribly from famine that they stole the
Dervishes' sheepskins, on which they prayed, and ate them.

It was madness to attempt to invade Egypt with such a force as Nejumi
then had, made up of almost every tribe and nationality, all huddled
together, and yet absolutely wanting in cohesion. Then the enemy which
they were going to fight was of an entirely different stamp to the one
they had overcome in the Sudan. The Egyptian was not the same as in the
old days. The army was now composed of well-trained battalions under
English officers; and it is not out of place here to remark that the
occupation of Egypt by England was a heavy blow to the Khalifa and his
followers. Often have I heard him say, "If the English would only
evacuate Egypt, I should very soon take possession of it."

Thus did Nejumi set out from Dongola with his force. At Sarras a parade
was held, and some 14,000 souls counted; but of these nearly half were
women and children. His intention was to avoid Halfa, and march direct
on Bimban, as the inhabitants of that place had promised to join him;
but in the village of Argin, he was attacked and defeated by Colonel
Wodehouse. Here Nejumi lost about 1,000 men, amongst whom were several
emirs, including Sheikh Idris and Abdel Kader Guru, besides many more
wounded. On account of this victory, Wodehouse Pasha was known in the
Sudan as "the vanquisher of Wad Nejumi."

But, in spite of his defeat, Nejumi still continued his advance,
although the only food he had for his force was camels' and donkeys'
meat, and his troops were more dead than alive. He was obliged to make
his cavalry into a rear-guard to prevent desertion, but still large
numbers succeeded in joining the Egyptian troops.

The Sirdar, General Grenfell Pasha, wrote a letter to Nejumi, in which
he showed him that he understood the wretched state his troops had come
to, and urging him not to expose uselessly the lives of so many of his
people; but take the wise course and surrender. Nejumi, however, boldly
replied that if Grenfell Pasha would adopt Mahdiism he would guarantee
him happiness and contentment, otherwise he would sweep him and his
troops off the face of the earth.

Only one of the two messengers who had been sent with General Grenfell's
letter returned with this reply; the other--an Arab named Abdel
Hadi--was s