England in sections, so that they might be ready for the final advance.

THE ATBARA CAMPAIGN.

At the beginning of 1897 the Sirdar's force at the front was in four
brigades, three Egyptian and one British. The Egyptian division of
three brigades was under Major-General Hunter; the first brigade, three
regiments of black hoofs, Sudanese, and splendid soldiers, and one of
Egyptian, was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel H.A. Macdonald, and
quartered at Berber. The second brigade, also consisting of three
Sudanese and one Egyptian regiment, and under the command of
Lieutenant--Colonel Maxwell, was about half-way between Berber and the
Atbara River; while the third brigade, under Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis,
consisting entirely of Egyptians, was at the Atbara. The British
brigade, commanded by Major-General Gatacre, had its camp about a mile
away from the second brigade, and consisted of the 1st Lincolnshire,
Colonel Verner; the 1st Cameron Highlanders, Colonel Money; 1st
Warwickshire, under Lieutenant-Colonel Onagle Jones, and was afterwards
joined by the 1st Seaforth Highlanders, Colonel Murray. The whole force
in the field, exclusive of the railway battalion and the crews of the
gunboats, but including four batteries of artillery under
Lieutenant-Colonel Long and eight squadrons of Egyptian cavalry under
Lieutenant-Colonel Broadwood, amounted to about 14,000 men.

About the end of February it was known that Mahmoud was concentrating at
Shendy, and preparing to make an attack upon Berber, which being held
only by Egyptian troops he hoped to capture before the Sirdar could come
to its relief. Nor was this by any means an impracticable plan, for
Mahmoud's force consisted of some 20,000 horse and foot, with ample
supplies of arms and ammunition, guns, and transport animals; but
Mahmoud reckoned without the Sirdar.

On the 25th February the British brigade was ordered to proceed from Abu
Dis, to which point they had recently advanced, to Debeker, a village 10
miles or so south of Berber. The men had but just returned from a
16-mile route march, but the start was made without delay. The railway,
which was always being pushed ahead, was available for 17 miles out, and
by the evening of the 27th the whole force was on the march; while by
the evening of 3rd March they had reached their destination,--as good a
performance as even the records of British Infantry can show. To quote
the Special Army Order issued from the Horse