The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-21
THE WAR IN THE souDAx.
xngiishmen Enter Upon the oexu~-
With LIGHT Heorts and C0ufldem~s~

xngiishmen Enter Upon the oexu~-A>
With Light Hearts and Conlldcnoe.
Cairo. March 1.-Ths khaiifa has pro.
claimed a jenad tnoy war; against E~vne
and called on all Dervishes capable Of 500.
ing arms to enroll under his banner. I,
u said Canaan Digna will leave KaasuIs
and join the Dervishes now mastering -
Dongola.
Lord Cromer declines to expreu any
opinion as to the situation. The aapumrs.
don is that he knows very little OF the
scope OF the movement. 1t Is known
that the order for the advance was a eur
prise to him. With the experience wainca
through Wols4lsy's dilatory. vacillatinr
tactics In the Khartoum campaign befDre
the British war Office. it is practically Ger
tain that this expedition will he called for
ward with sharpness and precision, bat A
Is not al all probable that a serioa1s al
vance VIII be made upon the very thres-
hold OF summer. The Soudan and EKypt-
ian troops At Wsdy Halfa may be pushed
on to Akasher. while the English cont,n-
gent will concentrate al Wady Halsa and
organize for effective work When coal
weather sets In. early In September col
umns from the Nile and Saukim can mako
combined advance on Omdurman, but thu
guardians OF KhaUfa Abdulla know some
thing Of British tactics and may not wait
for the cooler weather programme.
Fully 6D,00 Dergishes are reported
ready 10 fight The massacre Of the Itai-
ians Mt Adowa filled them with warlfke
zeal, and the fall of kassala would in
flame them with fanaticism They NAV
take the initial and may fall upon the al
vance column OF the Nile and crush Il.
even before the main support can reach
Massun.
While the natives are all disconsolate In
the prospect Of war. tho English In Cairo
are elated. Scores Of young men in ciyil
places are striving for permission to joiu
the forces. and scores OF English women
have volunteered for hospital service The
prospect Of fighting creates much enihua-
assn among tho British. Many serious
minded observers predict that the attempt
to carry out Englnnd's long -matured poll
cy In the Soudan will provoke a European
war. inasmuch as II will afford Russia and
France the pretext which they have been
yearning for. The war correspondents Of
the London press arc rapidly concentrating
here.
The troops in Cairo are taken by rail to
Gbixeh. where the steamers receive and
carry them down to Assonan. The North
Etahordshire regiment is booked to make
the trip on tbs 18th. The young khediye
Is said to be elated over the prospect.
Slafin Pasha- the companion OF Gen. Cor
don. who has had seventeen years OF life
AMI Imprisonment In tire Soudan. and who
now holds tho rank OF colonei In the
Egyptian army. Ia suffering from injuries
received through recent fall from hts
horse. He says: although I am etili
lame. shall 60 to the front at once. ny
reason OF my knowledge Of the country. my
Information AZ to the forces In the Held
and to be brought into It. and my ability
10 speak the dialect OF the Soudan resi-
dents. I ought 10 be able to render good
service. I really speak Soudanese better
than my native German. think We shall
have fighting inside Of week. Our troops
today made the hrpt advance beyond
Egyptian territory. They are certain to
meet oppo&ision. think we shall find the
enemy at least 1000 strong In rifles. with
500 spearamen and with an irregular
cavalry force OF about 1000 The best arms
they have are the Remington rifles, and
they are quite cft OF date now. The talk
about the Dervishes being able TO put l00.-
ono fighters in the field Ii absurd. Not half
that number OF fighting men can be MUS
tered In the whole region. They have some
regimental ana brigade organization. but
discipline Ii lax. Osman Digna~ will prcbA-
bly, be our chief opponent. The Dervishes
will not In this encounter have the fanat-
iclsm which the Mahdi inspired IN tbs
Gordon campaign. Beside. the people are
much dissatisfied on account OF tho OPP
preston and misraiie Of their government
OF late. ! am quite familiar with all the
tribes that can he brought against u.s. and
we have no fear as 20 the result of this
expedition. Quite n number Of European
military officers are applying for permits
sion 10 accompany us. Slrdar. who Is the
nominal commander OF the EGYPTIAN ar
my, will so 10 the front on Tuesday. Much
r. expected OF the trained Soinianese reg
imenis Differed by the british. hut would
not care to depend much upon Egyptian
troops such as have seen"