CLOSE OF THENII. . AMPAIGN. Incidents During the Retreat to Korti.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 102, 16 May 1885, Page 5

CLOSE OF THE NII. . AMPAIGN. Incidents During the Retreat to Korti.

The final series of letters from Mr Burleigh, describing the retreat ot Stewart's column under General Buller from the Nile to Abu Klea, Gakdul and Korti, have been appearing in the "Telegraph., " this last week. I aggead * few Qatsaak *-.

A Convoy Attacked. Very properly the fact that we intended evacuting Abu Kru—not El Gubat, for that was a mile up stream —was kept as profound a secret as possible, to prevent any of the natives about the camp carrying information to the enemy. With the departure of the wounded and of Gordon's Soudanese on the 13th Fobruary, there was less need for making a mystery of the contemplated movement, and orders were issued which indicated the nature of tho stop about to be taken. Packs were made up, water-skins filled, and camels got ready for the road. 1 The Commissariat, too, suddenly began to isaxxe stores to all comers in the most lavish 1 manner. Tea, coffee, sugar, bacon ; yea, even the Nile boat dainties and hospital comforts, jams,condensed milk,and liquors, were givon away, and the first and last rum ration at Abu Kru was measured out. A stream of men wore going and coming from tho Commissariat all day long on that eventful Friday, Feb. 13. We had seen three hundred of the enemy leave Metemmeh several hours after the sick convoy, which started at six a m. This force was thought to be too insignificant to hamper- it. At one p.m., one of the 19th Hussars rode in with the news that Colonel Talbot, who was in command of the convoy, had been attacked by the Arabs in the bush, six or seven miles out. The attack was begun just as the convoy was resuming the line of march after having rested for breakfast by several hundred riflemen. The enemy were reported to be part from' Metfemmeh and part an ammunition convoy from Khartoum. Colonel Talbot dismounted his men, and formed them in square behind their camels, whilst a double row of baggage camels was placed in the centre to surround the wounded. His force consisted of 135 men taken from the Guards, 135 men from Mounted Infantry, and 135 men from -Heavy Camel Corps. Captain Pearson, of the Marines, who form part of the Guards Camel Regiment, went out with a company of his men to skirmish with the enemy. Firing opened at ten a in., and was maintained till shortly after mid-day, the enemy's horsemen circling around the convoy, but neither they nor the riflemen appearing to have the least desire to rush the square. At noon tho Light Camel Regjment-, under Colonel Stanley Clarke, arrived quite unexpectedly upon the scene. They were marching to Abu Kru, to reinforce the troops there. Hearing firing they pushed ahead, only to be saluted, at 1,000 yards range, with two or three volleys from part of the Mounted Infantry. The latter had seen the enemy's horsemen in the bush in the same direction but a minute previously, and that was their excuse. The bullets hit a camel or two, but, happily, none of the soldiers were struck. The men dismounted, bugles were sounded, and two or three officers rode forward to explain matters. The arrival of i the Lights put the enemy to flight, and they disappeared as suddenly as they had come on. Our loss was three killed and eight wounded, the Marines proportionately suffering mest. Unimportant as the affair turned out to be, it was feared the consequences would be fatal to the mo reseriously wounded men who were being carried back. Happily such was not the case, as, with one exception, Major-General Stewart, whom the removal had greatly upset, none appeared a whit the worse. Perhaps there has never been a campaign where, in so brief a period, so many serious dangers have been run by those with the Hying column, or so many "clo^e calls" made by the grim enemy, " Death." Heads, luxuriant but three months ago with hyacinthine locks, I have noted now showing silver streaks. Never have I seen so many young heads grow grey hairs so fast.

The Evacu vtior. On hearing the convoy had boon attacked, Geneial Buller ordered out part of the Royal Iri^h and the Guards to their as«i.>tance, and undertook to make a demonstration against Melemmeh. At three p.m. Major Grenfell, of the Egyptian Army, rode in with a &muli escort, and told the General that the Arabs had run off, and that the Lights were going to return as additional escort with the wounded as far as Abu Klea Wells. The Royal Irish and the Guards were called in, and once more everybody devoted themselves to' making preparations for departure. Only what was indispensable was carried, and candles and articles of preserved food, which before brought fabulous prices— jam 5s to 10s a pot— could almost be had for the asking. I told you in my last how glad we all were to see General Buller ride in and assume the command. An army without a chief is a wasted force, and no committee of captains can fill the position usefully or effectively. His presence was soon felt in many valuable ways. Himself "a decidedly self-reliant man,' he expects that quality "from others. At nightfall men were detailed to break up the Commissaiiat stores, which, with the surplus ammunition and rifles, were pitched into the river. Tons of stoies that had cost so much trouble to transport were thus destroyed. The Nile-beat stores, from ten to thirty per cent, of which had been damaged by the knocking about, and the getting in of water iji transit to Korti, were consigned to the river that had already consumed and ruined so much. I(i was painful to sea the waste. Until midnight the work of destruction went on. Even then it was far from complete, for many of the tins of meat were merely thrown upon the shalloM' bank, and could easily be recovered by the Arabs. The hospital equipments, tents, stretchers, bedding, clothing, and medicines were left lying upon the ground, together with a pile of boxes and some ammunition near where the lloyal Engineers were quartered. As little noise and stir as possible were made, and to outward appearance the camp must have looked much as usual. Hopes that had been held out of the force going down the river on steamers and in nuggars to Berber, ira order to join Earle's column, now proved delusive. The last of poor Gordon's steamers, upon which he must have expended so much thought, were also to be destroyed, and by his countrymen, to prevent their falling into the enemy's hands. The military mind was for scuttling them and sinking the craft midstream. Lord Charles Beresfotd, with the true tar's traditional dislike to sinking a ship, begged leave to try another p3a», supporting that proposition with the plea that if we returned to Metenwaeh the two steamers might be recaptured and used by us, but to the enemy woujd be valueless. General Buller gave his consent, and in the darkness of a moonless night the steamers Safia and Te.wfekia were temporarily moored in deep water. While there all. their guns, stores, and ammunition wera thrown overboard. In emptying the xaagazines the sailors came across several packages of friction primers for guns. Without much thought the wrappings were torn off, and most of the primers pitched into the toil©. Before all had gone somebody picked up one of the paper wrappings, and read from writing upon it, "Safe; made by my own hands. Khartoum..— G. E. G," This writing was Gordon's, sure enough, for many of us knew it. There waa a aovainblefor the few packages left, an4 these were speedily packetted, to lie o&ryied away as souvenirs cf the bravest of soldiers. After the munitions of war had been destroyed, the Tuwal engineers took away parts of tho machinery —the crank pins and eccentric sfarape— an# tbra stoipEoa* the *tQaaiWtf w«s foffc ta th%

Mahdi. His allusion in his letters to the " fcnglieh officers'' not to put trust in the 8teamer8 was at any rate well timed. Since then we have all learned there is a complete Government machine shop in Khartoum, where they can not only replace the missing parts, but, if necessary, build a steamer These were the steamers with which we threatened to bombard Shendy every day unless the people submitted !

A Pleasant Night. At Abu Klea the Arabs again made things pretty warm. Here is a description of a night in the desert :— All lights were ordered out at dark, and no firing was to take place by our men unless the enemy actually attempted an assault. With scaut covering and supperless we all lay down upon the ground to wait for daylight. 1 he enemy Kept up a well-sustained fire, although it waa a cloudy, starless n'ght— the blackest I have seen in the Soudan. A fresh north wind blew, and a slight spatter of rain was felt about midnight. How the Arabs contrived to fire half as well as they did in the intense darkness I cannot imagine. As the night wore on they crept to within 600 yards of our position, with the result of conferring greater safety upon our troops, as the bullets then did not drop so freely into the fortSi but buzzed overhead. Towards morning it became extremely cold, and the fire was irregular and weak. We could hear their leaders going about waking their followers and shotting to them to keep on firing General Biller h*d double stntries posted, and ho »nd Lord Charles Beresford aud the other officers were more or less on the alert all night. The rest of us took what; sleep we could There was but one alarm and rhat occurred at eight p m., through some of the Royal Irish firing at a native sentinel walking about outside their fort. The crack of rifles and the uproar which naturally followed caused every man in Fort No. 1, a9 well as the other forts, to clutch his rifle and rush to his post. Some outsiders lining the ditch of No. 1 Fort rushed into the work pell-mell, but; they were instantly ordered back to their stations. and a guard was placed at the opening with fixed b-tyon * ? to prevent, any repetition of the rush