The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-13
THE LAST. OF FORT ATBARA
Story of a Correspondent on the Way
to Khartum.

g. w. Stevens in London Mail.
Thus at Fort Atbara we sat, and sat, and
sat- When there were any troops to see,
coming in or going out, we went to see
them. When there were not, we galloped
about In the desert ate, drank, slept and
generally fulfilled the whole duty of CORE
spondents. Why did you not make a dash
for the front? the guileless editor will ask.
But the modern war correspondent is not
allowed to make unauthorized dashes, and
the man who should commend the claims of
his newspaper by slapping British gener-
ais face would righteously be shot.
Besides, there was no front to speak Of
worth dashing for. The camp at Wad Ha-
bashi, we heard, had been encroached on by
the ever-rising Nile, and it had been moved
four miles up stream to a spot in full view
of the gorge of Shabluka. A bimbashi of
cavalry, who returned thence one day, pro-
nounced the scenery finer than anything in
Switzerland; but then you must remember
that since seeing Switzerland he had seen
the desert railway and Berber and Fort
Atbara and all the other dry dead levels
Of the blank Sudan. More practical was the
news that as yet there had been only one
storm of rain with thunder and lightning.
AT Fort AtbaIa we had cloudy days and
rainy sunsets, whereas in the spring we had
never seen anything but hard blue for weeks
together. On the whole, too, it was cooler.
One hundred and fifteen in the shade on one
or two clear afternoons, but often not so
much as 100 all day. And the further south
Indeed the nearer we actually got TO the
beginning of operations, the softer task the
not seem to find it so were the two bat
talions that had the softest task of all-the
Rifles and the Guards. These came into hos
pital in dozens. Both regiments have a bad
reputation for going sck--the Rifles because
they are mostly cockneys without constitu-
tons, the Guards because they are too much
sickness between them in a week than the
whole of the First Brigade. Their failure to
stand the sun and the dust storms was not
the Rifles, whose officers were keen sports
men, riding out to stalk gaZelle after lunch,
on the hottest afternoons. 1t was not for
want of amusement, as amusement goes in
standing camp, for the Rifles were alive
with vocal talent: Almost every night, drift
ing down from their camp you might hear
the familiar chorale:
jolly good song, jolly well sung.
Jolly good comrades ev-ry one.
If you can beat it you're welcome to try;
Always remember the singer is dry.
Scoop!
The Rifles were keeping their spirits up,
and they were as smart and keen as you
could wish, but they were not acclimatized,
nearly hundred cases-mostly mild sun
fever-into hospital in a week
The first squadron of the Twenty-first
LancerS-they were travelling as three
squadrons to be reformed into four in the
f1eld-arrived on the 11th The second half
of the Fifth Fusiliers came in on the 18th.
Everything seemed Strolling on satisfactor-
lily and sleepily. Then suddenly the sirdar
aroused us with one OF his lightning move
mentS. You will have formed an idea of the
sort of man he is-all patience for month,
all swiftneSS when the day comes The day
came on Aug. ID. At IL l saw him, grave
as always, gracious and courteous, volun-
teering facilities. AT noon he was gone up
the river to the front
The waiting, the sudden start the caution
that breathed no word of his intention, vet
dictated an official explanation of his de-
parture before he left-it was the sirdar all
over. And with his departure Fort Atbara
took on yet another metempsychosis. 1t be-
came all at once the deserted base-camp a
caravanserai for reinforcements, a forward
ing depot for stores. True. most of the staff
remained-nobody pretending to know what
had taken the Sirdar away so astonishing
ly unless ii was merely his idiosyncrasv Of
sudden and rapid movement. If anybody
had been told any other reason it was Just
the MAN or two that would not tell again
But curiosity Is a tactless futility when
you have to do with generals. It was
enough that the advance had come with a
rush. The detachments of the Seventeenth
the bank till steamers arrived TO let them
complete the brigade, disappeared magically
in the sirdar's wake. With them went their
brfgadier, Collinson Bey. On that same
evening the leading steamers passed up with
parts Of the First British Brigade from
shabluka and then they would come down