The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-03-25
IHE WAR IN EGYPT.
Soldiers from India Repulsing the
False Prophets Arabs.
Ell Mahdi Issuing Proclamations to
the Faithful"

Ths Indian native soldiers of the Sikhe
regiment have be ell in their first engagement
on Egyptian soil. A party of Osman
Digma's Arabs made an attack on one Of tbs
British outposts in the neighborho cd of Sua'
kim, and tho Sikhs were sent out into the
open field to repel the attack. They were
splendidly handled, and they showed ad'
mirable GOODNESS and ~steadiness. The Skin
were soon repulsed, and many of their dead
were left upon the field. The casualties
among the Indian troops were few and I'm.
important. The Arabs became panic-stricken
when they saw the swarthy Mohammedans
from India facing them in true British style
and delivering their fire with such precision
as to make almost every shot tell.
The hostile Arabs at night attacked the
ordnance enclosure of the garrison near Sua.
kim and killed two sentries belonging to the
Berkshire regiment and wounded three 9TH
ers. In this engagement in the dark one of
the attacking party was killed and several
were wounded. The enemy also surprised
the Shropshire infantry regiments patrol,
killing one man and %wounding one. One man
DtlOilSiuS " LHlo lollol doo ttitooAAS
since the engagement.
When the attack was made, the rebels, in
answer to the challenge of the pickets, re.
piled: Friends" They then swarmed into
the zereba, o~verpowered the pickets and at
tackled the guards, but hearing mel landing
from the gunboat Condor, they decamped,
carrying with them all their dead and
wounded except the body Of their leader,
Abdul, who was Osman Digma's standard
l,aoror Civ 0f tho British O3rorAc tyaro
killed, and seven others were wounded.
The British government has ordered the
contractors to hasten the construction Of the
Suakim-Berber Railway. Two hundred adj
ditional navvies have been sent to work upon
the road.
The Royal Irish regiment have arrived at
Korti from Gakdul Wells. On the route they
saw some 400 hostile Arabs between Magaga
and Howeiyat.
The Turkish authorities in the Arabian
province OF Hediaz have seized several hun
dred placarls which had been distributed by
emissaries of ElMahdi at Jeddah, Dokah Lith
and other seaport towns opposite the Soudan.
The placards order the Faithful to organize
and expel the Turks from Arabia, promising
that the prophet will soon arrive at Jeddah
and will lead his hosts to Mecca, where there
will be displays in the sky such as will leave
no doubt of his identity. The placards have
caused an incipient rebellion, and the Turk.
ish governor is trying to suppress the revolt.
General Gordon's diary is written on Egyp-
tian telegraph blanks. The pages are sewehl
together with Irvine, and every page is j.
Illuminated with pictures, fantastic and seri-
Gus. Gordon's letters indicate that his diary
was written for the use of tho English gov
eminent. 1t is desired that tine government
should edit this diary and publish fa".similes
of it as soon as all of it has reached Lon
don. The diary as lett by Gordon is in six
volumes.
The Earl of Merely, under secretary Of war,
replying to the Earl of Galloway in the Brit
ish house of lords, said that he thought a vote
of thanks Just now to General Lord Wolseley
and his army for the work accomplished in
the khartoum expedition would be somewhat
premature.