THE WAR IN SOUDAN.

Kumara Times, Issue 2674, 17 April 1885, Page 2

THE WAR IN SOUDAN.

[REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.] By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. — ♦* ADVANCE TO OTAO WELLS, 20 MILES FROM SUAKIN. [Per Reuter's Special Correspondent.] (Received April 17, 12.40 p.m.) Suakin, April 16. The Scots Greys, with a detachment of Artillery and two guns, as well as a squadron of Lancers, advanced to-day without opposition as far as Otao Wells, a point about 20 miles from Suakin, on the road to Berber, and formed a zareba there. >_._< THE NEW SOUTH WALES CONTINGENT. NAMES OF THE WOUNDED. ESCAPE OF A CAMEL DRIVER FROM THE ARABS. THE BRUSH WITH THE REBELS AT TAMAI. The Sydney Evening News war correspondent telegraphs as follows : Suakin, April 3. In skirmishing near Tamai the Imperial troops had a private killed and an officer wounded, and the New South Wales contingent, who smelled powder for the first time, behaved with great steadiness all through. They had three men, slightly wounded—namely, privates Charley Harrison, C. C. Downey, and Learoyd. The enemy's loss is not known. On this occasion our fellows did not get a share of the fighting that was given to some of the other troops, and I am inclined to think that the General in command wished to ascertain how they would behave in actual warfare before he carried out his promise of brigading them with the Guards. That he is satisfied is shown by the announcement now that iu the general advance we are to have the place of honor. April 6. The weather is getting very warm, and the heat where we now are is intensely diy, just like that of New South Wales. Our fellows stand it very well. Attacks of sunstroke of a slight nature are prevalent, principally among the Imperial troops. April 7. The Arabs beat up our quarters at the zareba on the road to Handoub last night. They came up without any military order, but in pretty considerable numbers. But warned by their former attacks on the zareba at Tamai, they made no attempt at u general assault. However, they opened a brisk fire, but it was harmless. They made their appearance on two sides of the zareba, and their bullets with few exceptions passed over our heads. At the same time the situation was quite sufficiently dangerous to test our men's nerves, discipline, and order under fire ; and what they were you will when I tell you that in the morning the officer in command of our post (General A. J. Lyon, Freemantle) complimented the New South Wales men on general smartness, but more particularly on the way in which they returned the Arab fire. This was not done at haphazard, kit like marksmen should do, taking advantage of every little opening in the zareba from which a fair sight of the enemy could be obtained, and not blazing away reck-,

lessly, but only firing when there seemed to be something worth hitting. The Guards and the rest of the garrison were equally bridk in returning the Arab fire, and it is supposed that a good many Arabs were hit and carried off by their friends. The exchange of firing lasted a couple of hours, after which the Arabs drew off, and we slept peacefully for the rest of the night. April 8. A camel driver who returned to head quarters camp last night, after haviug been missing some time, reports that he was taken prisoner during the fight at Hasheen on March 22, between the British under General Graham, and the Arabs under Osman Digna, when the Arabs, though subsequently beaten, fought stubbornly for a time. They threw the Bengal Cavalry into confusiou, and severely pressed the Guards for a time. The man was with the Arabs as a prisoner when our men had the first brush with the enemy at Tamai on Friday morning, and when, with the Guards, we drove them back among the lower hills. The camel driver reports that our fire on that occasion was much more destructive to the enemy than was supposed, and they had 250 killed and wounded. This confirms the impression that the Australians are showing their superiority as marksmen, which I mentioned in my telegram yesterday, when I described the night attack upon the zareba on the road to Handoub. The camel driver says that the Arabs are very much disheartened, and cannot now be brought up to make a charge upon us. They are burning their villages and retiring inland. As a result of the dedepressed state of the Arabs, they relaxed their watch over their prisoner, who escaped without much difficulty, and came into Saakin as I have described. The New South Wales artillery still remains at head quarters close to Suakin and it is not yet known whether it will join in the general advance on Berber or remain at Suakin. The former is, however, most likely, if the report of the camel driver as to the demoralisation of Osman Digna's people be true.