The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-09-23
KHARTOUM NEXT?
British Nile Expedition at Ito
Objective Point.
D0NG0LA FALLS AN EASY PREY,

FireA Retreating to the Captured Dom
COLA with the British Troops Following
Natives Welcome the White Invaders
Fortihcatlons at El HAIR Described.
Kerma, On-the-Nile, Sept. Copy
right, 1896, by the Associated Press. j
Dongola has fallen and the nominal OBJ
jective point of the British-Egyptian ex.
petition has been reached.
The river forces of the British-Egyptian
expedition, pushing up the Nile from Ell
Haflr (the scene of Saturdays fight,
landed a force at Dongola and occup. ed
that place before the dervish forces re-
treating from FL Hafir reached that point.
El Hafir and Dongola are therefore both
in the hands of the expedition, while the
dervish forces are somewhere between
seeking a refuge.
Saturday afternoon the long-range fir
ing continued between the dervishes on
the west bank of the Nile and the expedi-
tionary force on this side. The Maxim
guns, with their sweeping hail of fire, did
great execution in the dervish ranks,
while the field and horse batteries never
allowed the enemy to do anything with
their batteries Darkness put an end 20
the artillery duel across the Nile water,
and stiffness fell upon DO h camps.
Had Evacuated the Town.
Yesterday morning every one was up at
6aybreak, anxious TO know what change
in the situation had developed during the
night, and what would be the next move,
and eagerly scanning the enemy's camp
across the river. There was no sign Of
life In the dervish works, but soon n COM
motion was perceived among the boats
along the bank and native In one of
them was discerned in the act Of waving
something, as though for a signal to this
side of the river. The steamer Dial. of the
expeditionary force, thereupon proceeded
&c the west bank Of the river. where 1t was
found that FL Hafr had been evacuated
by the enemy under cover of the night,
and that not a dervish fighting man was
left in sight. The detachment on the Dial
sent back to the camp on this side Of the
river twenty-seven boats which had been
manned by the native residents Of Ell Hafir
and loaded with II great quantity of grain.
Enemy I'm Very Had Plight.
Yesterday afternoon the news ar
rived here that the steamers and gun
boats of the expedition had reached
Dongola and had landed a force, which
Immediately occupied the treasury and
the grain store. the principal strong
hold of the town. This news was re-
ceived here with delight, as ii Is sup
posed that the enemy is now marching
between here and~Dongola in a much
hampered condition, by the reason of
the number of their wounded. with
their retreat along the river bank
threatened by the steamers, which can
destroy at any moment the food sup
plies stored at Dongola, If they cannot
hold that place against the retreating
forces of dervishes until land forces OF
the expedition have advanced to Coop
crate with them. Saturdays engage
ment at FL Hafir seems to have alto
gether dismayed the dervishes. who
placed great reliance upon the fort at
that place. They believed that the
fort would be able TO prevent the pas
sage of any of the steamers OF the ex-
petition up the Nile.
British Welcomed by the Natives.
The native residents Of FL Hafir have
welcomed the appearance of the Brit
ish and Egyptian expedition and seem
to regard their advance as assurance
of deliverance from the rule of the
Khalifa and the, Baggaras, the Khali-
fa's native tribe, who have exercised a
cruel domination over the Nile tribes.
From the description Of Saturdays fight
furnished by the natives it appears
that the dervish cavalry kept out in
the desert watching the fight and
waiting for landing of opposing
forces. Wad Bishara, the dervish COM
mander. was wounded at about noon
and was Immediately carried out of
range of the fire, repeatedly exclaim-
ing to those who surrounded him:
Allah is against me-"