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EGYPT [army. of Kordofan, where they were destroyed by the Mahdists drill was smart under the old system, but there was no fire about 50 miles south of El Obeid. In the wave of success- discipline, and all individuality was crushed. Now both ful rebellion, except at Khartum, few of the Egyptian are encouraged, and the men, receiving their full rations, garrisons were killed when the posts fell, long residence are unsurpassable in endurance at work and in marching. and local family ties rendering easy their assimilation in All the troops present in the surprise fight at Firket in June 1896 had covered long distances, and one battalion the ranks of the Mahdists. Baker Pasha, with about 4000 constabulary, who were (the 10th Sudanese) accomplished 90 miles within 72 hours, old soldiers, attempted to relieve Tokar in February 1884. including the march back to railhead immediately after .the He was attacked by 1200 tribesmen and utterly routed, action. The troops under Colonel Parsons, Koyal Artillery, losing 4 Krupp guns, 2 machine guns, and 3000 rifles. who beat the Dervishes at Gedaref, were so short of British officers that all orders were necessarily given in Only 1400 Egyptians escaped the slaughter. The Sirdar made an attempt to raise a battalion Arabic and carried to commanders of units by Arabs. of Albanians, but the few men obtained mutinied when While an Egyptian battalion was attacking in line, it was ordered to proceed to the Sudan, and it was deemed halted to repel a rush from the rear, and front and rear advisable, after the ringleaders had been executed, to ranks were simultaneously engaged, firing in opposite abandon the idea, and rely on blacks to stiffen the directions—yet the fellaheen were absolutely steady; they fellaheen. Then the 9th (Sudanese) Battalion was created shot well and showed no signs of trepidation. On the for service at Suakin, and four others having been suc- other hand, neither was there any exultation after their cessively added, these (with one exception—at Gedaref) victory. It has been said by one who has perhaps more have since borne the brunt of all the fighting which has knowledge of them than any other commander, that “ the been done by the Khedivial troops. The Egyptian troops fellah would make an admirable soldier if he only wished in the operations near Suakin behaved well, however; and to kill some one ! ” The well-educated Egyptian officer, with his natural there were many instances of personal gallantry by individual soldiers. In the autumn of 1884, when a British aptitude for figures, does subordinate regimental routine expedition went up the Nile to endeavour to relieve the carefully, and works well when supervised by men of stronger heroic Gordon, besieged in Khartum, the Egyptians did character. The ordinary Egyptian is not self-reliant or remarkably good work on the line of communication from energetic by nature, and, like most Eastern people, finds it Assiut to Korti, a distance of 800 miles, and the training difficult to be impartial where duty and family or other and experience thus gained were of great value in all personal relations are in the balance. The black soldier subsequent operations. The honesty and discipline of the has, on the other hand, many of the finest fighting fellah were undoubtedly of a high order. When the qualities. This was observed by British officers, from the crews of the whale-boats were conveying stores, the time of the preliminary operations about Kosheh, and at the forwarding officers tried to keep brandy and such like action near Ginniss in December 1885, down to the brilmedical comforts from the European crews, coffee and liant operations in the pursuit of the Mahdists on the Blue tea from Canadian voyageurs, and sugar from Kroo boys. Nile after the action of Gedaref (subsequent to the battle The only immaculate carrier was the Egyptian. A large of Omdurman), and the fighting in Kordofan in 1899, sum of specie having failed under British escort to reach which resulted in the death of the Khalifa and his Emirs. Black soldiers served in Mehemet Ali’s army, but Dongola, an equivalent sum was handed to an Egyptian lieutenant of six months’ service, with 10 men, and duly their value was not then duly appreciated. At the present day (1902) they are nearly all deserters from reached its destination. Twelve years later the standard of honesty was un- the Mahdist forces, or prisoners who have been captured impaired, and the British officers had imparted energy in action. The greater number are Shilluks and Dinkas, and activity into Egyptians of all ranks. The intelligent coming from the country between Eashoda and the professional knowledge of the native officers, taught Equatorial Provinces, but a proportion come from the far under British gentlemen, and the constant hard work west of Kordofan, some even from Bornu and Wadai. cheerfully rendered by the fellah soldiers, were the main Many are absolute savages, difficult to control, wayward, factors of the success achieved at Omdurman on the 2nd and thoughtless like children. They are very excitable and September 1898. The large depots of stores at Assuan, apt to get out of hand; unlike the fellahs, they are not Haifa, and Dongola could only be cursorily supervised fond of drill, and are slow to acquire it, but their dash, by British officers, and yet when the stores were received their pugnacious instinct, and their desire to close with an enemy are of immense value. The Sudani, moreover, at the advance depot the losses were infinitesimal. By nature the fellah is unwarlike. Born in the valley shoots better than the fellah, whose eyesight is often of a great river, he resembles in many respects the Bengali, defective. The Sudanese captain can seldom read or Character w^10 exiAs under similar conditions; but the write, and is therefore in the hands of the Egyptian-born of Egyp- Egyptian has proved capable of greater im- company quartermaster-sergeant as regards pay and clothtian provement. He is stronger in frame, and can ing accounts. He is slow, and as a rule has little knowsoldier. undergo greater exertion. Singularly unemo- ledge of drill. Nevertheless he is self-reliant, much tional, he stood up at Tel-el-Kebir after Arabi Pasha and respected by his men, and can be trusted in the field to all his officers, from general to subaltern, had fled, until he carry out any orders received from his British officer. was mown down by case-shot poured in at close ranges. Near The younger Sudanese officers who have been through the Trinkitat in 1883 he allowed himself to be slaughtered by Military School are well instructed, but it is said that the tribesmen formerly despised, and about one-fourth of his Sudanese brought up in Cairo have lost, in some respects, comrades escaped. Baker Pasha’s force was termed con- the robust martial qualities inherent in the Sudan people. stabulary, yet his men were all old soldiers, though new to The most efficient companies in the Sudanese battalions their gallant leader and to the small band of their brave are apparently those in which the captain is a black and but strange British officers. Since that fatal day, how- the lieutenants are Egyptians. The army raised by the first Sirdar in January 1883 ever, many of the fellaheen have shown they are capable of devoted conduct, and much has been done to raise in was highly commended for its work on the line of comthe soldiers a sense of self-respect, and, in spite of munication in 1884-85, and its artillery and camelry centuries of oppression, of veracity. The barrack square distinguished themselves in the action at Kirbekan in
