Another blow had to be struck, and this time at Hicks Pasha.
It was a two days march to Tokar.
At that place Hicks, with three thousand seven hundred and forty-six men, met the advance guard of the Mahdists, led by Sherif el Habib and Max.
The fighting was desperate, but seemed to be as favorable to the Egyptians as the Mahdists, until the Mahdi himself arrived.
There was a charm and magnetism about the man which made him irresistible.
His presence was equal to a thousand men.
In less than an hour the unfortunate Hicks was dead, and two thousand three hundred and seventy-three of his men lay stiffening under the tropical sun.
The defeat was a thorough one.
The Mahdi was now master of all the Soudan except Khartoum and Equatoria, over which Emin Bey presided.
The people flocked to the Mahdi’s tent.