The steamer Bordeen was struck by two shots, one near water-line. The Ismailia steamer received three, the Talataween steamer received two shots. Happily all got down safe. The Arabs fired from guns and rifles with fury—we could see that from the roof. All the steamers have got small-pox from bullet-marks! Our chief of the arsenal, Hussein Bey, had been sharp enough to have bits of old tents ready to stop shot-holes. Had we not had these we might have lost the Bordeen steamer.
The Arabs had three forts (breastworks) along the river-bank, rather above Giraffe. I mentioned that we lost three killed and eight wounded; now mark this, on their way down the steamers met three escaped soldiers from the Arabs; they took them on board, and, odd to say, of those killed and wounded, were these three men, two having been killed, and the other badly wounded! This is remarkable. If we could believe it, we are as safe in the fiercest battle as in a drawing-room in London.
September 27.—I have arranged to send down three steamers to Shendy to co-operate with Dongola forces, and to raise the Shaggyeh tribes. I have sent out a man to warn Dongola of this fact. He carries no letters, only a small slip, stating he is a “true man.”
It is of no use sending up to Sennaar again for dhoora, for we have no money to pay for it, and it is a risk with these Arab guns. Steamer Ismailia received three shells; steamer Bordeen two; steamer Talataween two. Some made tremendous holes, and one in Bordeen was close to water-line; it is wonderful how they escaped. The poor escaped soldiers were asleep in the hold, when a shell entered and burst; two were killed, one was seriously wounded.
Two men came in from the Arabs. One said he was the Mahdi, the other said a courier had come to the Arabs, saying the English were at Berber; they knew nothing of yesterday’s fight.
Our steamers are of about the same consistency as the Thames steamboats, so you may imagine the risk there is of putting them under artillery fire.
Towfikia steamer went up the White Nile exchanging musketry fire with the Arabs.
My beautiful steamers, which used to be comparatively sweet, now stink like badgers. As for the swell Ismailia she is a cess-pit.
Several other shots struck the upper works of the steamers; evidently they were under a nasty fire, and as for bullet marks they are spotted all over. Among the three killed (two of them escaped soldiers) one was a little boy.
Another slave came in at Omdurman, but had no news.