y prisoners taken, while
hundreds surrendered voluntarily, among them a brother of the amir Wad
en Nejumi. The dervish Dongola army had practically ceased to exist.
Debba was seized on the 3rd October, Korti and Merawi occupied soon
after, and the principal sheiks came in and submitted to the sirdar. The
Dongola campaign was over, and the province recovered to Egypt. The
Indian brigade at Suakin returned to India, and was replaced by
Egyptians. The North Staffordshire returned to Cairo. The work of
consolidation began, and preparations were made for a farther advance
when everything should be ready.

The Sudan campaign, 1897.

The railway up the right bank of the Nile was continued to Kerma, in
order to evade the difficulties of the 3rd cataract; but the sirdar had
conceived the bold project of cutting off the great angle of the Nile
from Wadi Halfa to Abu Hamed, involving nearly 600 m. of navigation and
including the 4th cataract, by constructing a railway across the Nubian
desert, and so bringing his base at Wadi Halfa within a few hours of his
force, when it should have advanced to Abu Hamed, instead of ten days.
Early in 1897 this new line of railway was commenced from Wadi Halfa
across the great Nubian desert 230 m. to Abu Hamed. The first-mentioned
line reached Kerma in May, and by July the second had advanced 130 m.
into the desert towards Abu Hamed, when it became necessary, before it
was carried farther, to secure that terminus by an advance from Merawi.

In the meantime the khalifa was not idle. He occupied Abu Klea wells and
Metemma; recalled the amir Ibrahim Khalil, with 4000 men, from the
Ghezira; brought to Omdurman the army of the west under Mahmud--some
10,000 men; entrusted the line of the Atbara--Ed Darner, Adarama, Asubri
and El Fasher--to Osman Digna; constructed defences in the Shabluka
gorge; and personally superintended the organization and drill of the
forces gathered at Omdurman, and the collection of vast stores of food
and supplies of camels for offensive expeditions.

Towards the end of June the chief of the Jaalin tribe, Abdalla wad Said,
who occupied Metemma, angered by the khalifa, made his submission to
Kitchener and asked for support, at the same time foolishly sending a
defiant letter to the khalifa. The sirdar sent him rifles and ammunition
across the desert from Korti; but before they arrived, Mahmud's army,
sent by the khalifa, swept down on Metemma on the 1st of July and
mas