The times., 1898-01-18
ENGLAND Is UNEASY
Grave Fears Entertained for Hell
Forces on the Nile.

Grave Fears Entertained for Her
Forces on the Nile.
London, Jan. 1T--with the memory of
Tel Keher cumpa ratiyely fresh in their
minds, EngiiShmen are anxiousiy awaiting
news from the Nile.
Twelve years. 60 trained Dervish soldiers,
drilled by European tacticians and Of
ficered by renegades, slowed themselves
foemen worthy of the pick and flower OF
Rrita III. No one would be astonished to
receive news OF .eisa ster To tire Anglo
Egyptian force now, at Berber. That the
government fears some untoward event
is evident from the haste with which re-
endorsements are being fastened to the
front, not merely from Lower Egypt, but
likewise from Malta, Gibraltar. England,
and even from India. And that some ha ri
fighting is expected is certain from the
war departments sending out extra doc
tors and an additional division of the
medical force. An ordnance corps and
a commisSarat corps are being likewise
sent out from here, and il is hoped that
all these re-enfurcementS will reach Gen.
Kitchener in time.
1t must be remembered that with the eN-
ception of possibly 900 men, probably not
so many the entire force that Kitchener
has at his disposal consists OF Egyptians,
who have distinguished themselves, il is
true, In fiEntiur the Arab tribes, but who
have never yet been called upon to face the
lervish army, trained and ef1icered as
1t is by European renegades. Whether
Kitchener's ''gippies-' viii be able To with
stand the attack of these t.ervtSheS, whose
terrible onslaught even the seasoned Scotch
regiments OF Queen Victoria found it diff
cult to resist, remains 10 be seen. But III
military circles here, especially among
those Officers who have served in Egypt,
the impression is that they viii giTe way
and that disaster viii ensue of the same
magnitude as the TOUT and massacre of
Gen. Hicks's army at obeid In 1884
The gulhDats upon which Kitchener re-
lied to use sos4puch AGAINST the derrisfles
are practically useless, owing 10 the phe-
nomenal fail of the Nile. AS the matter is
now they are commanded from the high
banks and several of them are report ed TO
be aground, wflileg when the Mite is high,
tney are level with the land, and are able
TO pour out shot and shell into the encanp-
ments of the enemy OF course, the pres
ence OF the French III steam launches be-
tween Fashoda and Khartoum complicateS
the sit Iation, and il Capt. Marchaud sue
ceedS in mis- efforts 10 get 10 KhaTtoum first,
and 10 JON forces with the Mahdi. project
winch numerous FrPaehmen have in VAN
endea vored TO execute with the connivance
and even with the asSista nee of their gov
ernnent, the Marquis ne MoreS perishing
| in the attempt, the situation win he, TO
say the least, embarra sSing.
The dark horse in the entire affair is, OF
! course. King Menelik, and no one outside
| the foreign office seems TO know for GER
| tain whether he VIII remain neutral or
whether ue win join with the French and
| Russians and seek TO eunbarrass the Eng
! Iisn IN the Soudan. At the same time, it is
| difficult to believe that he VIII ever join
| forces or support the dervisheS. For the
| Abyssiuians cannot forget the crushing de
I feat which they sustained al the hands OF
the dervishes, who, indeed, killed the lat
! Emperor John OF Abyssinia. Subiecting has
! body to frightful indgnities. Moreover, had
| Menelik been hostile 10 England he could
! easily have prevented the Anglo Egyptian
| force from taking possession of the strong
hold of KassaIa on New Years day, that
! Kassala which he has always so longed TO
/ possess.