your devilish doings and
iniquity. Inasmuch as there are many in your keeping for whose
blood you are held responsible--innocent, old, and infirm, women
and children and others--abhorring you and your government, who
are guilty of nothing; and because we have no desire that they
should suffer the least harm, we ask you to have them removed from
the Dem (literally, enclosure) to a place where the shells of guns
and bullets of rifles shall not reach them. If you do not do so,
the shells and bullets cannot recognise them and will
consequently kill them, and afterwards you will be responsible
before God for their blood.

"Stand firm you and your helpers only in the field of battle to
meet the punishment prepared for you by the praised God. But if
you and your Emirs incline to surrender to prevent blood being
shed, we shall receive your envoy with due welcome, and be sure
that we shall treat you with justice and peace.

"(Sealed) KITCHENER,
"Sirdar of the Troops in the Soudan."

Colonel Maxwell was appointed Commandant of Omdurman, and his brigade
was quartered in the town, detachments occupying the principal
buildings. Among the places so held were the Arsenal, the Khalifa's
and his son the Sheikh Ed Din's houses, the Treasury, Tomb and Mosque
enclosure. The rest of the troops were moved two miles to the north of
the town, where a camp was formed along the river bank. Omdurman was
too abominably dirty to risk keeping a single soldier in the place
other than was absolutely necessary. Not an hour was wasted. The
Sirdar's practice was--abundant work for each day and all plans
prepared ahead for the next. The submission of sheikhs and their
followers had to be received, the pursuit of the Khalifa pressed,
wounded dervishes and prisoners provided for, as well as the thousands
of poor in Omdurman helped in various ways. Then there had to be
arranged-for the disposal of the spoils of war, repatriation for many
of Abdullah's enforced subjects, the formal re-occupation of Khartoum,
and the immediate despatch back to Lower Egypt of the British troops
whose services were no longer required. All this and much more was
done, nor am I aware that anything was neglected, not even the
correspondents, who were evidently too seldom far removed from the
General's thoughts. Hurrying into the town earl