, 1888-12-21
AT SUAkIM.
Engagement Between British
Forces and Arabs.
0sman Digma's Men Retreating
Toward Harheen.
The Rebel Loss Stated at Four
Hundred.
AT SUAkIM.
Battling with the Arabs.


Of the British and Egyptians made an
attack to-day upon the rebel position.
They stormed the redoubts and trenches,
and after a brilliant engagement, lasting
half an hour, drove the enemy into the
bush. The British encamped in the rebel
position. Victory is complete. The
British lost four killed and two wounded
during a gallant cavalry charge. The
Egyptian and black regiments charged the
trenches and carried them brilliantly, los
ing two killed and thirty wounded. The
only officers wounded In the attacking
force were two Egyptians. The rebel loss
is now stated at 400.
Before dawn this morning the British
man of-w Startling and the Egyptian
steamer moved up the coast with orders
to cover the rebels at Handoub. AT day
break the forts opened fire upon the rebel
trenches and the troops advanced to the
attack, the black brigade on the right
flank, cavalry and mounted infantry COW
ering. The Scottish Borderers, a Welsh
regiment and an Egyptian brigade occu-
pied an embankmenS between the forts.
The British infantry was held in reserve.
The forts shelled the trenches, keeping up
a terrific firing. The enemy held the
ground with intense courage until the
black brigade charged the trenches, which
fell after half an hours hard fighting.
The rebels fought with fanatical bravery.
Two of the enemy's guns were captured.
The naval brigade did splendid work.
The Scottish Borderers are now at work
entrenching the rebel position. The enc
~ 10 ratraaf1nn tnuyord HaShaan and
lamar. The British force numbers
1000.
LONDON, Dec. 20. The Standards
Suakim dispatch says: At 4:30 this morn
ing the man-of-war Racer opened the
battle by Smelling the cnemy's trenches.
Ships up the coast followed suit and
landed parties. who lighted fires and
placed dummies in position. This had
the effect of deceiving the enemy from
Handoub. The whole force moved to.
wards the euemy's left flank, with a naval
detachment with machine guns, cavalry
and mounted i~nfentry scouting, protecting
the TANKS and rear. Two lines, compris
ing battalions in double companies, rushed
towards the left corner OF the enemy's
trenches, the British infantry and Egyp-
tan reserve lining the embankment be-
tween the water forts. Gen. Grenfell and
staff occupied a position 10 the left of the
water forts. From 5 o'clock heavy salvos
of guns and mortars from every fort bore
on the trenches.
An official dispatch from Gen. Grenfell,
dated Saukim, ll:25 a. NJ. says: The
enemy's loss is 400. The hussars are
still pressing the Arabs. The trenches
are nearly filled and two temporary re-
doubts are being built where the Joint
forces are entrenched. They will bivouac
on the field tonight, the naval detachment
with machine guns remaining in the tren-
ches. | have sent the man of wal Star
ling and all available steamers to anchor
off Handoub in order TO prevent a force
from Handoub coming upon US. During
the action the dervishes were severely
punished. We expect to have a quiet
night.
LONDON, Dec. GA dispatch from
Suakim says the feature OF the fighting
was the determined rush upon the
trenches by the blacks and Egg ptians,
The dervishes fought with the utmost
bravery. a great many of them dying
in the trenches. The charge of the
hussars was also specially mentioned.
When the dervish cavalry saw them
coming they dismounted and planted
spears in the ground, but these proved no
obstruction to the hussars, who swept
down on the dervish horsemen like an
avalanche. cut through the ranks aud left
half of them dead on the ground. The
hussars then reformed and charged the
remaining dervishes who fed. A large
portion of the rebel force was not en-
gagged in to-day's lighting, being absent
camping at Handoub and the wells beyond.
1t is believed the rebels will be reinforced
and make an attempt to retake the lost
position.
A dispatch to the Times from Suakim
says: THE prisoners say they believe all
the mounted %gunners were killed. All
tell the same story of privation and cruelty
at the hands Of the mahdi and Osman
Digma. None of them wished to fight,
but were forced to do so or persuaded to
fight by promises of loot at Suakim and
other rewards. The trenches were bare.
They found no food, clothing or money,
but only Snyder rifles and cartridges.
The prisoners knew nothing of the re-
ported capture of the Emin or of the fall
of the equatorial provinces Natives
assert that Handoub would fall at the
first approach of our troops. The govern
ment ought not to lose this chance The
task is an easy one, as there is not the
slightest sign of any gatherings of local
tribes"
Three zerebas and a stockade were
built over and filled the trenches and
were manned by four Soudanese battal.
ions and British soldiers. The space be
tween them and the water forts was occu-
pied by a battalion OF horse artillery.
Emin of Trinkitat is a prisoner. He is
wounded.
SAUKIM, Dec. 20.-Osman Dlgma's
nephew and twelve dervishes have been
capcured. All are wounded. Serious
complaints are made concerning the quail
ity of sabres and revolvers furnished to
the troops. Seward cavalrymen returned
with broken sabres, and in many instances
their reviewers became clogged and were