The foreign inhabitants, having no slaves, decided to give assistance in kind, and sent 525 ardebs[295] of dhoora,[296] worth 360 pounds sterling, towards the sustenance of these newly raised battalions.
August.
Proclamation of a state of siege at Kartoum.
In August a state of siege was proclaimed in Kartoum. Five forts had been constructed, each armed with one gun. The town was divided into four military sections, and pickets patrolled the streets both day and night. A rising in the town was expected, simultaneously with an attack from without.
As a further protection, it was decided to cut a canal south of the town, joining the two branches of the Nile, but the commencement of this work appears to have been delayed till November.
Revolt of the Kababish tribe.
The Kababish Arabs, an important tribe occupying a large tract of country between Kordofan and Dongola, were in revolt, and a large force of them were menacingly encamped within a day’s march of Kartoum.
July and August.
During July and August many minor engagements were fought upon the lines of communication between the White Nile and Kordofan, which almost always resulted in favour of the rebels. The commercial town of Shatt, on the road from Duem, on the White Nile, to El Obeyed, was totally destroyed by them, the male population was put to the sword, and the women and children were carried off into captivity.
August.