itical. The Khalifa was desirous that Mahmud should return with his
force to Omdurman, there to take part in the battle in which, as he was
convinced, the invaders would be annihilated. Mahmud, who was of an
eager and impetuous disposition, was anxious to take the offensive at
once, and either to march upon Merawi and Dongola, or to drive the
British out of Berber.

There could be no doubt that his view was a more sagacious one than
that of his father; and that the best tactics to be adopted were to
harass the British advance, fall upon their convoys, cut their
communications, and so oblige them to fall back for want of supplies.
The Khalifa's mistake was similar to that made by Theodore in
Abyssinia, and Koffee Kalkalli in Ashanti. Had either of these leaders
adopted the system of harassing the invaders, from the moment they left
the coast, it would have been next to impossible for the latter to
arrive at their destination. But each allowed them to march on,
unmolested, until within striking distance; then hazarded everything on
the fortune of a single battle, and lost.

Mahmud made no movement in obedience to the Khalifa's orders to retire
to Omdurman, and the latter thereupon refused to send any further
supplies to him, and Mahmud's army was therefore obliged to rely upon
raids and plunder for subsistence. These raids were carried out with
great boldness, and villages situated within a few miles of Berber were
attacked. The Dervishes, however, met with a much warmer reception than
they had expected, for rifles and ammunition had been served out freely
to the villagers; and these, knowing the fate that awaited them were
the Dervishes victorious, offered so obstinate a resistance that the
latter fell back, discomfited.

Early in January, the Sirdar learned that the Khalifa had changed his
mind, and had sent peremptory orders to Mahmud to advance and drive the
British out of Berber, and destroy the railway. Mahmud had now been
joined by Osman Digna, with five thousand men; and as the Egyptian
troops, well as they had fought, had never yet been opposed to so
formidable a force as that which Mahmud commanded, the Sirdar
telegraphed to England for white troops.

His request was at once complied with. The Warwickshires,
Lincolnshires, and Cameron Highlanders were ordered to proceed from
Cairo and Alexandria to the front; and the Seaforth Highlanders at
Malta, and the Northumberland Fusiliers at Gibraltar were also
desp