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his voice in solemn worship; knew that the heavens were opened 

and that they had come near to God。 Then all at once the onbeia



the elephant's…tusk trumpetwould give out its enormous sound。 

The nahasthe brazen wardrums would summon; with their weird 

rolling; the whole host to arms。 The green flag and the red flag 

and the black flag would rise over the multitude。 The great army 

would move forward; coloured; glistening; dark; violent; proud; 

beautiful。 The drunkenness; the madness of religion would blaze 

on every face; and the Mahdi; immovable on his charger; would let



the scene grow under his eyes in silence。



El Obeid fell in January; 1883。 Meanwhile; events of the deepest 

importance had occurred in Egypt。 The rise of Arabi had 

synchronised with that of the Mahdi。 Both movements were 

nationalist; both were directed against alien rulers who had 

shown themselves unfit to rule。 While the Sudanese were shaking 

off the yoke of Egypt; the Egyptians themselves grew impatient of



their own masters the Turkish and Circassian Pashas who filled 

with their incompetence all the high offices of state。 The army 

led by Ahmed Arabi; a Colonel of fellah origin; mutinied; the 

Khedive gave way; and it seemed as if a new order were about to 

be established。 A new order was indeed upon the point of 

appearing: but it was of a kind undreamt of in Arabi's 

philosophy。 At the critical moment; the English Government 

intervened。 An English fleet bombarded Alexandria; an English 

army landed under Lord Wolseley; and defeated Arabi and his 

supporters at Tel…el…kebir。 The rule of the Pashas was nominally 

restored; but henceforth; in effect; the English were masters of 

Egypt。  



Nevertheless; the English themselves were slow to recognise this 

fact: their Government had intervened unwillingly; the occupation



of the country was a merely temporary measure; their army was to 

be withdrawn as soon as a tolerable administration had been set 

up。 But a tolerable administration; presided over by the Pashas; 

seemed long in coming; and the English army remained。 In the 

meantime; the Mahdi had entered El Obeid; and his dominion was 

rapidly spreading over the greater part of the Sudan。



Then a terrible catastrophe took place。 The Pashas; happy once 

more in Cairo; pulling the old strings and growing fat over the 

old flesh…pots; decided to give the world an unmistakable proof 

of their renewed vigour。 They would tolerate the insurrection in 

the Sudan no longer; they would destroy the Mahdi; reduce his 

followers to submission; and re…establish their own beneficent 

rule over the whole country。 To this end they collected together 

an army of 10;000 men; and placed it under the command of Colonel



Hicks; a retired English officer。 He was ordered to advance and 

suppress the rebellion。 In these proceedings the English 

Government refused to take any part。 Unable; or unwilling; to 

realise that; so long as there was an English army in Egypt they 

could not avoid the responsibilities of supreme power; they 

declared that the domestic policy of the Egyptian administration 

was no concern of theirs。 It was a fatal erroran error which 

they themselves; before many weeks were over; were to be forced 

by the hard logic of events to admit。 The Pashas; left to their 

own devices; mismanaged the Hicks expedition to their hearts' 

content。 The miserable troops; swept together from the relics of 

Arabi's disbanded army; were dispatched to Khartoum in chains。 



After a month's drilling; they were pronounced to be fit to

attack 

the fanatics of the Sudan。 Colonel Hicks was a brave man; urged 

on by the authorities in Cairo; he shut his eyes to the danger 

ahead of him; and marched out from Khartoum in the direction of 

El Obeid at the beginning of September; 1883。 Abandoning his 

communications; he was soon deep in the desolate wastes of 

Kordofan。 As he advanced; his difficulties increased; the guides 

were treacherous; the troops grew exhausted; the supply of water 

gave out。 He pressed on; and at last; on November 5th; not far 

from El Obeid; the harassed; fainting; almost desperate army 

plunged into a vast forest of gumtrees and mimosa scrub。 There 

was a sudden; appalling yell; the Mahdi; with 40;000 of his 

finest men; sprang from their ambush。 The Egyptians were 

surrounded; and immediately overpowered。 It was not a defeat; 

but an annihilation。 Hicks and his European staff were 

slaughtered; the whole army was slaughtered; 300 wounded wretches



crept away into the forest。



The consequences of this event were felt in every part of the 

Sudan。 To the westward; in Darfur; the Governor; Slatin Pasha; 

after a prolonged and valiant resistance; was forced to 

surrender; and the whole province fell into the hands of the 

rebels。 Southwards; in the Bahr…el…Ghazal; Lupton Bey was shut up



in a remote stronghold; while the country was overrun。 The 

Mahdi's triumphs were beginning to penetrate even into the 

tropical regions of Equatoria; the tribes were rising; and Emir 

Pasha was preparing to retreat towards the Great Lakes。 On the 

cast; Osman Digna pushed the insurrection right up to the shores 

of the Red Sea and laid siege to Suakin。 Before the year was 

over; with the exception of a few isolated and surrounded 

garrisons; the Mahdi was absolute lord of a territory equal to 

the combined area of Spain; France; and Germany; and his 

victorious armies were rapidly closing round Khartoum。



When the news of the Hicks disaster reached Cairo; the Pashas 

calmly announced that they would collect another army of 10;000 

men; and again attack the Mahdi; but the English Government 

understood at last the gravity of the case。 They saw that a 

crisis was upon them; and that they could no longer escape the 

implications of their position in Egypt。 What were they to do? 

Were they to allow the Egyptians to become more and more deeply 

involved in a ruinous; perhaps ultimately a fatal; war with the 

Mahdi? And; if not; what steps were they to take? 



A small minority of the party then in power in England the

Liberal 

Party were anxious to withdraw from Egypt altogether and at

once。 

On the other hand; another and a more influential minority; with 

representatives in the Cabinet; were in favour of a more active 

intervention in Egyptian affairs of the deliberate use of the 

power of England to give to Egypt internal stability and external



security; they were ready; if necessary; to take the field 

against the Mahdi with English troops。 But the great bulk of the 

party; and the Cabinet; with Mr。 Gladstone at their head; 

preferred a middle course。 Realising the impracticality of an 

immediate withdrawal; they were nevertheless determined to remain



in Egypt not a moment longer than was necessary; and; in the 

meantime; to interfere as little as possible in Egyptian affairs。

 

From a campaign in the Sudan conducted by an English army they 

were altogether averse。 If; therefore; the English army was not 

to be used; and the Egyptian army was not fit to be used 

against the Mahdi; it followed that any attempt to reconquer the 

Sudan must be abandoned; the remaining Egyptian troops must be 

withdrawn; and in future military operations must be limited to 

those of a strictly defensive kind。 Such was the decision of the 

English Government。 Their determination was strengthened by two 

considerations: in the first place; they saw that the Mahdi's 

rebellion was largely a nationalist movement; directed against an



alien power; and; in the second place; the policy of withdrawal 

from the Sudan was the policy of their own representative in 

Egypt; Sir Evelyn Baring; who had lately been appointed Consul…

General at Cairo。 There was only one serious obstacle in the

way 

the attitude of the Pashas at the head of the Egyptian 

Government。 The infatuated old men were convinced that they would



have better luck next time; that another army and another Hicks 

would certainly destroy the Mahdi; and that; even if the Mahdi 

were again victorious; yet another army and yet another Hicks 

would no doubt be forthcoming; and that THEY would do the trick; 

or; failing that 。。。 but they refused to consider eventualities 

any further。 In the face of such opposition; the English 

Government; unwilling as they were to interfere; saw that there 

was no choice open to them but to exercise pressure。 They 

therefore instructed Sir Evelyn Baring; in the event of the 

Egyptian Government refusing to withdraw from the Sudan; to 

insist upon the Khedive's appointing other Ministers who would be



willing to do so。



Meanwhile; not only the Government; but the public in England 

were beginning to realise the alarming nature of the Egyptian 

situation。 It was some time before the details of the Hicks 

expedition were fully known; but

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