vellous monotony, I might
say, batch after batch of the sick and the injured, of women and
children, used to be sent by Gordon to me. They used to arrive in
an almost perfect state of comfort, with all the necessary papers
enabling me to disperse them among their different villages in
Egypt. One of the first messages the General sent to me was this,
'Do try and find a motherly European woman to receive these poor
women and children, for they have never been in Egypt yet before.'
With the regularity of clockwork over 2000 refugees arrived, all
the arrangements for their transport from Khartoum to Berber having
been made by Gordon.... Two thousand five hundred men, women, and
children were saved by the direct action and the direct humanity of
Gordon himself, long before the expedition set out for Khartoum."

It is evident that the impression among the three Englishmen at
Khartoum was, that the English Government had deserted Gordon, and
intended to leave him there to die. Both Colonel Stewart and Mr. Power
nobly decided that they would not forsake him in his hour of need, and
that, happen what might, they would remain with him.

Though plenty of skirmishes took place, there was no real fight that
might be dignified by the name of a battle till the middle of March.
Some 4000 of the Mahdi's force had cut off about 800 of Gordon's men at
a village called Halfaya, on the north of Khartoum, and, as the
detachment could not retreat, Gordon decided to attempt to relieve
them. By means of steamers he succeeded in extricating them from
danger, but he could not drive away the rebels who held Halfaya in
strong force.

On the 16th, therefore, he sent Colonel Stewart to attempt to dislodge
the enemy, and the following is his own description of what actually
occurred:--

"At 8 A.M. on the 16th, two steamers started for Halfaya.
Bashi-Bazouks and some regulars advanced across plain towards
rebels. At 10 A.M. the regulars were in square opposite centre
of rebels' position, and Bashi-Bazouks were extended in their line
to their right. The gun with regulars then opened fire. Very soon
after this a body of about sixty rebel horsemen charged down a
little to the right of centre of Bashi-Bazouks line. The latter
fired a volley, then turned and fled. The horsemen galloped towards
the square, which they immediately broke. The whole force then
retreated