Three hundred and twenty
corpses were counted, and at least an equal number must have been wounded.
Ahmed Fedil and one or two of his principal Emirs escaped to the southward
and to the Khalifa. The Egyptian loss amounted to five men wounded.
The troops bivouacked in square formation, at about four o'clock,
near the scene of action.
A question of considerable difficulty and some anxiety now arose.
It was learned from the prisoners that the Khalifa, with about 5,000
fighting men, was moving northwards towards the wells of Gedid, of which
we have already heard in the Shirkela reconnaissance, and which were some
twenty-five miles from the scene of the fight. The troops were already
fatigued by their severe exertions. The water pool was so foul that even
the thirsty camels refused to drink of it, and moreover scarcely any water
remained in the tanks. It was therefore of vital importance to reach the
wells of Gedid. But supposing exhausted troops famishing for water reached
them only to be confronted by a powerful Dervish force already
in possession! Sir Reginald Wingate decided, however, to face the risk,
and at a few minutes before midnight the column set out again on its road.
The ground was broken; the night was sultry: and as the hours passed by
the sufferings of the infantry began to be most acute. Many piteous appeals
were made for water.
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