British expedition, El Teb, 29th February, 1884.General Graham was thereupon sent with a small British expedition of 4,000 to relieve Tokar, and having gained a brilliant victory at El Teb (29th February), succeeded in his task, and sent 600 of the Suakin Egyptian garrison back to Cairo. Tamai, 13th March, 1884.On the 13th March Graham advanced again, and, beating the enemy thoroughly at Tamai, swept them back into the hills. The idea was then mooted of a dash across to Berber, but it was eventually dropped, and Graham’s troops retired, Major Chermside being appointed Governor-General at Suakin.
Fall of Gedaref.In April the garrison of Gedaref made terms with the enemy and surrendered.
Abyssinian Mission.In order to evacuate Kassala and Amadib, the help of King John of Abyssinia was now called in, and in June Admiral Sir W. Hewett, R.N., and Mason Bey, visited him and concluded a treaty to this effect, by which he was to have Bogos and Keren if he succeeded in his task. Later on he agreed also to relieve Gira and Gallabat.
Kassala had been besieged since November, 1883, and was beginning to feel hard pressed. Its garrison consisted of 1,600 regulars and 2,300 irregulars, including a force of Bashi-Bazuks, under the command of Ahmed Bey Iffat; the Beni Amer and Hamran tribes in the neighbourhood were also loyal.
In August Mason Bey, now Governor of Massaua, ordered Ahmed Bey Iffat to retire; but this was found to be impossible, as more than half the garrison was composed of natives of the district. John now proposed to relieve Kassala, but he was told that the case of Gallabat was more urgent; he therefore began his preparations, and Bogos was handed over to him on the 12th September.
Evacuation of Berbera, Zeila, and Harrar. 1885.During this latter month Great Britain took over Berbera and Zeila from Egypt, and in November Harrar was handed over to the natives and the evacuation began. 6,500 of the garrison were sent down to the coast without incident, and, under the auspices of Majors Hunter and Heath, a new government was established under the native Emir Abdullahi Mohammed Abd El Shakur.
[Harrar, it may be noted here, remained under its Emir till the beginning of 1887, when Abdullahi was decisively defeated at Chalanko by Menelik, and the town occupied by the Abyssinians.]
Second British expedition, 1885.On the fall of Khartoum becoming known another British expedition, assisted by Indian and Australian troops, was despatched to Suakin under the command of General Graham. Its objects were to crush Osman Digna, to occupy the Hadendoa country, to make a railway towards Berber (at all events as far as Ariab), and to prepare for the opening of the Suakin-Berber road when the Nile Column had captured Berber.
The expedition, numbering 13,000 men, arrived at Suakin on and about the 12th March, and remained for a couple of months. Tofrek, 22nd March, 1885.During this time it fought several actions, at Hashin (20th March), Tofrek (McNeill’s zeriba, 22nd March), and Tamai (3rd April), but none of these were decisive. The railway was carried as far as Otao, but on the retirement of the expedition (17th May) it was abandoned.
At the end of November, 1884, the garrison of Gallabat joined hands with the Abyssinians, and decisively beat the Mahdists. Relief of Gallabat, Amadib, Gira, and Senhit.They were definitely relieved in February, 1885, and retired to Massaua viâ Abyssinia. Amadib and Gira were also relieved, in April and July, 1885, respectively, and the garrison at Senhit[184] handed over their post to Abyssinia on the 19th April.