Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 137.djvu/880

874 this same day, the 24th, he thus records: –

"When near Sheikeih I saw on the left bank, in the distance, a portion of the force under Feki Mustafa, which we had heard on the 21st was marching on Metammeh. I ascertained afterwards that this force, about 3000 men, had halted on receiving news of the battle of Metammeh, and then retired to the position at Wad Habeshi, where we met it on our return."

Navigation is not possible on the Nile in the hours of darkness, and their progress was between dawn and sunset. On the 27th "a man shouted out from the left bank that a camel-man had just passed with the news that Kartoum had fallen, and that General Gordon had been killed;" and "on the 28th, a Shagiyeh on the right bank informed us that Kartoum had fallen two days previously, and that Gordon had been killed." This same morning the steamers were fired on from Halfiyeh, an Arab village and fort below Kartoum, with four guns and rifles. Next, two guns on the right bank opened on the steamers, and a heavy rifle-fire from both banks, sustained till the vessels came within range of the guns of Omdurman.

Here we will interrupt the diary of events to describe the features of the Nile near Kartoum, which become now of importance. Kartoum is on the bank of the Blue Nile; the White Nile flows past west of the town; and the two join about two to three miles below. The Blue Nile, branching at Kartoum, forms the island of Tuti, one end of which is only separated from Kartoum by the branch of the stream; the other end is nearly opposite the junction of the two Niles, and also nearly opposite Omdurman. This last place is a fort, with works extending down to the stream, on the west bank; it had been held by Gordon's troops up to the 14th December, but was closely invested by the Mahdi, so that Gordon could only communicate with it by telegraph, and the Arabs had established guns on the river bank there which shelled every vessel that ran down. Gordon had for long been in great anxiety about Omdurman, and it became known to Wilson about the time he reached Gubat that the Mahdi had captured it. This of itself made a great change in the situation of Gordon, and entailed a vastly increased risk on vessels attempting to reach him.

Wilson's steamers finally reached the junction of the two Niles, and were between Omdurman on the one side and Tuti Island on the other. Kartoum commands this low flat island; and the fact that the enemy were on it, almost of itself implied the fall of the city. What followed is thus described in Wilson's report: –

"When abreast of Tuti Island, which we expected to find in General Gordon's possession, we were received by a sharp musketry-fire at from 75 to 200 yards' range; three or four guns, of which one was certainly a Krupp, opened upon us from the upper end of Tuti or from Kartoum, two guns from the fort at Omdurman, and a well-sustained rifle-fire from the left bank.

"On reaching the point marked A on the accompanying map, I came to the conclusion that Kartoum was in the hands of the enemy, and that it would be a useless sacrifice of life to attempt to land or try to force a passage to the town itself. I therefore ordered the Bordein to turn and run down the river full speed. The Tala Hawiyeh, which had grounded for a few minutes near the upper end of Tuti Island, followed, and the steamers drew up for the night near Tamanieb. Here I sent out two messengers – one to go to Kartoum to ascertain the fate of General