Evening journal., 1898-09-05
with only about i4o fighting men, are


apparently making for KordofAn.
The left bank OF the White Nile Is so
difficult Of approach. owing TO the over
flow and the thick bush, that the gun
boats cannot effect a landing. / there
fore can only rely upon the cavalry to
capture him.
II visited Khartum today The town
IS complete ruin, but the lower por-
lions show some OF the principal houses
still standing. The people are naturally
delighted TO see us. SO far as / can see
at present Khartum is the best posi-
ton"
The Daily Telegraph issued a special
edition yesterday afternoon with the
following details OF the movements on
Wednesday and Thursday, telegraphed
from Nasri:
This wednesday, morning the An
glo-E Egyptian troops began the advance
In three brigades, side by side with @
front a mile wide. the army giving the
impression Of a vast square, with faces
each a mile long. Our cavalry occupied
Jebel Shellth Pail, three miles ahead, at
6 o'clock and an hour later our infantry
had arrived at the banks OF the river,
which was flooded at that point fully
mile inland.
Here the force halted, while the gun
boats proceeded. The cavalry and cam
el corps trotted forward. but only a few
scouts were seen. under the command
OF Abdel Bald, a dervish emir. who fell
back rapidly without a contest.
I'm a village we passed a number Of
charred and mutilated bodies were
found. bodies Of natives suspected of
spying and killed by the dervishes. At
o'clock the Maxims fred a few rounds.
scattering a body Of dervishes in the
bush Then there was a lull until noon,
though the cavalry and camel corps
were several miles in advance and in
the rear of the low hills around Kerreri.
The gunboats slgnaled that 500 dervlsh
hOrsemen were moving west upon the
Egyptian right. and the lancers on the
left trotted to intercept the enemy, the
camel corps supporting, but the der
wishes slipped back to their camp in the
bush. a mile inland a camp consisting
OF an old redoubt at Kerreri
"The lancers advanced through the
hill passes and got within a mile Of
Kerreri. Then two officers went ahead
and discovered that there wore many
flags IN the dervish cQmp. They were
fred upon, and eventually the entire
mounted force returned to Sur Urab, in
side the zereba.
During the afternoon the gunboats
shelled the dervish camp for several
hours, apparently doing much damage
A number OF dervishes who had fled to
the bush TO escape the shells surrender
ed during the evening. Among the refu-
gees were the sheilSh Of Kerreri and a
grandson OF Kurshed Pasha.
This Thursday morning. In spite Of
a fierce rainstorm which continued all
last night and until o'clock today, the
army advanced at o'clock and found
Kerrer deserted. The lancers on the
left and the Egyptian cavalry and camel
corps on the right advanced six miles
ahead OF the infantry. which marched in
a square. Brlgadier General Lyttleton' S
battalions leading. The lanccrs got
within mile OF Omdurman and saw
the dome Of the mahdPs tomb (Kubbet
el MahdD Tuti island and the palm
trees Of Khartum.
Drawn up in five divisions. with a
wing thrown back. was the lShallfa's
army. its spears and swords glistening
in the sunshine. arrayed northwest OF
the town in the desert. The tents Of the
| camp were on the north side Of the
town. In the central divisions was an
enormous number Of banners including
one Of blue and one Of black.
"A number of mounted dervishes gall
loped forward. and our dismounted
troopers fred upon them, hitting sew
eral and driving off the remainder. Two
/ squadrons of our cavalry pushed to
within 500 yards OF the enemy, who then
advanced, our lancers and the Egyptians
retiring. The gunboats are now (Thurs-
day afternoon) bombarding the forts at
Omdurman and Khartum."
The queen and General Lord Garnet
Wolseley, the commander in chief OF the
British army, telegraphed their con-
gratulations to the sirdar direct.
The Marquis OF Lansdowne. secre-
tary for war, sent his through Major
General Sir Francis Wallace Grenfell.
inspector general OF auxiliary forces,
now at Cairo and charged with the gen.
eral direction Of the successful expedi-
/ tiOn