THE SYDNEY TROOPS IN THE SOUDAN. Description of Recent Movements. Newspaper "Specials" in Danger. (BY THE "SYDNEY NEWS" CORRESPONDENT.)

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 103, 23 May 1885, Page 3

THE SYDNEY TROOPS IN THE SOUDAN. Description of Recent Movements. Newspaper "Specials" in Danger. (BY THE "SYDNEY NEWS" CORRESPONDENT.)

Suakim, May 6. A eecoknaissance wai made last night extending to Thalrub, a native village some miles beyond Haskeen. The force making the roconnaiesance were the camelry (including the lately-formed New South Wales corps), the mounted infantry and the Bengal Lancers. After marching through the night, taking the utmost care to guard against surprise, and having scouts well in front and on their flanks, the troops arrived at Thalrub just as the day was dawning. The natives at once showed a hostile front, and being attacked by our men, a pretty sharp encounter ensued during which fifty of the enemy were killed. A great number wounded, and twelve prisoners. Two hundred goats and a number of donkeys were taken possession of. The fight was not a very long one, but was rather warm while it lasted. The Arabs retired' beaten, and escaped into the moun> tains, where, of course, they were not followed up, the British force being only a small one ; and the object of the reconnaissance so far being fully attained, the viilage was burned and the return march. That the return march was begun none too soon was ehown by what happened so the Sydney press correspondent. Directly the fight at Thalrab had terminated they jumped on their horses and rode back to Haskeen to be first to bring the news. Before they had gone far, they became unpleasantly aware that they were being Matched and followed by arabs scouts and when about half - way a number of Arabs closed in upon them yelling and brandishing their speara, throwing those shorter spears like assegais, and fixing their rifles. The Arabs were on camels, and it became a case sante quo pent with the newspaper men. They sat down in their saddles, rammed home the persecutors, and did the fastest match against time and Arab camels that they had thought possible. As it was they had a pretty narrow squeak of it as the children of the desert succeeded in getting tolerably close to them more than once, and bullets, speare, and camol sticks flew aronud th«m as thickly as the rice and flowers that were strewn upon the contingent when it marched down Sydney streets. The newspaper men escaped not wholly scatheless, however, for Mr Latnbie, of the " Sydney Morning Herald," was wounded in the leg. The affair was quite lively enough for the correspondents, however. The casualties among the troops during the reconnaissance and fight were not serious ; only three men having been wounded, and none of these belonged to the New South Wales Corps. Ajsecond reconnaissance will probably be made.