There has virtually been no news from the Nile during
the past week, owing partly to the fact that the Sirdar out- marches the field telegraph, and partly to a storm, which prevented the wires already in operation from acting properly. It is said that this is always the case when the Sirdar is about to fight, but in this instance, at any rate, the interruption was quite real. As we write—i.e., on Friday—all the indications point to the fact that the battle will not long be delayed, if indeed it has not already begun. The British forces are almost under the walls of Omdurman, and the gun- boats on the river opposite the town. As our troops have steadily advanced the Dervishes' outposts have always fallen back, usually without firing a shot. On Thursday, however, the 21st Lancers got into actual touch with the Baggara scouts and drove them back, with the loss of a few horsemen, to their camp near Kerreri,—a line of low hills which stretch across the road to Omdurman, and where it has always been anticipated that the Dervishes would make their first stand. It is suggested by Mr. Pearse in the Daily News that if a stand is being made at Kerreri it may be in order to cover the retreat of the Khalifa from Omdurman upon Kordofan. Mean- time it should be remembered that if the Dervishes do make a stand at Kerreri their position can be enfiladed by fire from the gunboats on the river. All speculations as to where the Khalifa means to fight will, however, have been decided by the time these pages are in our readers' hands.
Previous page
