THE SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1896-1908


The Khalifa fled to Kordofan, and was joined there by Osman Digna. At the battle of Omdurman, Osman Digna was posted on the river side on the Dervish right flank, he concealed his men in the dry river bed of Khor Shambat; the 21st Lancers charged this force, and lost 60 killed and wounded and 100 horses, which put them out of action as divisional cavalry to carry out the pursuit of the retreating Dervishes. About 5,000 Dervishes got back to the Khalifa and for a year he was left alone, but getting short of food, he came down to the Nile and was defeated at the Battle of Gedid by General Wingate, he and all his emirs died on the field of battle, except Yunis Wad Dekein and the Khalifa's son, Sheikh Eddin, who was wounded and died as he refused to have his wound dressed. Osman Digna escaped, crossed the White Nile near Abba Island, then went across the Jezira, and made his way to Adarama on the Atbara, and thence to the Red Sea Province, to the Warriba Mountains, where the Gemilab tribe lived. (I had been sent to Suakin in April 1899 as Deputy Governor, Major Godden was then Governor of the Red Sea Province). The Gemilab tribe had been Osman Digna's staunchest supporters, they had never paid tribute to the Egyptian Government, and after the battle of Omdurman had not come in and acknowledged the Anglo-Egyptian Government. Colonel Collinson, Governor of Kassala Province sent a telegram to Major Godden informing him that Osman Digna had crossed the Atbara 7 days before and had gone to Warriba. Major Smith was sent with 100 men from Kassala to find him. We had no troops in the Province, only 100 Arab police, of whom 20 were mounted on camels. There were 100 camel corps belonging to the repression of slavery department and Major Godden sent them out under Mr. Cope. Both parties returned empty handed.


The Governor asked me if I would try and find him with a few camel police, I agreed, and left with six men. We looked out Warriba on the map, it had been fixed by triangulation, and appeared to be 90 miles away. I estimated it would take me 3 days to get there, and allowing a week to search for him I took food for a fortnight. The Sheikh of the tribe was Mohd. Ali Or, and I took a letter with me offering £100 reward to any one who gave information leading to his capture, and threats of the extreme penalty to anyone who harboured him or helped him to escape. I went south-west by Khor Langeb, got over the Meiz Pass and on the third day reached the Gemilab country. Directly I got into this country the people disappeared, I surprised an Arab, and told him to lead me to the Sheikh's abode, that night he escaped, but next day I caught a boy of 14 looking after goats, and after fearful threats, he led me to the Sheikh's tent, made of camel mats on poles carefully hidden in a hollow, his wives and children were there, but they told me the Sheikh had gone away, they did not know where he was, nor when he would return, they denied all knowledge of Osman Digna. I gave them the letter and stayed there that night, hoping the Sheikh would return. The next day I left, instead of an isolated hill, I found that Warriba was a range of mountains 70 miles long and 30 miles broad. No white man had ever been there. I could get no information. I wandered about the hills for a fortnight, fortunately I shot 13 gazelle during this time, which helped out our dwindling food, I felt it was a hopeless business, and that I must go back. At sunset on that evening, I saw a dozen men coming down towards me on camels and I found that Major Godden had sent out 10 Arab police on camels, with their commander Mohamed Bey Ahmed to try and catch Osman Digna, and join up with me. Sheikh Mohamed Ali Or had got my letter, he decided it was best for him to go in with the Government, and sent his nephew in to Major Godden, telling him he would show him where Osman Digna was.


I interviewed the nephew, he told me Osman Digna was in the hills 50 miles away. I had some food, and saddled my camels, and with my new force, we rode all night and arrived next morning at 8 a.m., to a place a mile away from the hill in which Osman Digna was hiding. I sent for Sheikh Mohamed Ali Or, who appeared shortly, he pointed out a precipitous hill a mile away, about 1,000 feet high, composed of enormous rocks, the size of railway carriages, piled one on top of the other and forming innumerable caves ; at the top of the hill Osman Digna was hiding in a cave, no one could have got up this hill under 4 or 5 hours. I told the Sheikh that if he could not get Osman Digna down to the bottom of the hill, I should have to take him into Suakin as a prisoner, where death would be his penalty for harbouring Osman Digna. I told him I considered he was amusing himself at my expense, he said he would try and get him down. I had my camels led away, they had been halted out of sight of the hill. I told my men to remove their uniform and boots, and put on their Arab tobes, a piece of linen the size of a large sheet worn by Arabs, in two hours the Sheikh returned and informed me that Osman Digna had come down, he had told Osman Digna the Government troops had gone away, and that he must make a feast for him, to celebrate the occasion. Osman Digna wanted the feast on the top of the hill, but he was told a sheep had been killed, and that it would be impossible to get it up, so he came down and had a good meal. I spread my men out at 20 paces interval, and told them to creep quietly along, hiding behind any bushes they could find. The Sheikh refused to come and guide me, so I had to take my chance of hitting off the exact point a mile away.


We advanced slowly at first, but the men in their excitement gradually went faster and faster, eventually I had to run as hard as I could, the last 300 yards to keep in front. I arrived at the bottom of the hill and found a cave with a fire still burning, and a skin half full of water, but no signs of Osman Digna, in despair I looked up the hill, and thought Osman Digna had again managed to escape; as I looked up I saw 50 feet above me a man in a Gibbah pass like a flash between two rocks about a yard apart, I shouted to my men in Arabic that I had seen him, and to surround that spot. I climbed up with one Arab policeman to the spot where I had seen him, whilst my men were encircling it. I had to climb on my hands and knees, and on getting there, found a man in a Gibbah in a cave; I drew my sword, and said Taala Hinna Osman, which means, “Come here Osman”, he came forward and I seized him by one arm and the Arab policeman by the other. I called out “I have him "; the other Arab police joined me, and we took him down to level ground, and there I found Mohamed Bey Ahmed, who on account of his age and figure had been unable to keep up. I said to him "Is he Osman Digna?” he found the sword cuts on his head and wrist, and the wound in his back, and said "It is he indeed." We took him to the camels, where we put some chains on his legs and neck, and I had my camels rounded up and saddled. I was able some distance away, to see the Sheikh who told me Osman Digna had arrived about one month ago, and that he proposed that they should attack Suakin, as there were no troops there. The Sheikh said there was nothing doing in that line, he then asked if he could stay and end his days there, the Sheikh suggested it might be awkward for himself and the tribe if the Government got to hear of it, and that it would be better if he moved on, so it was arranged that a dhow should be got to take him from some small harbour across the Red Sea to Jeddah, so that he could go to Mecca, 50 miles away and end his days there, and this was agreed to by both. I told the Sheikh that £100 was waiting for him at Government House, but that we should like to see him personally, and that it would be nice for him to make the acquaintance of the Government. I promised his nephew £50. He told me that only four men in the tribe knew that Osman Digna was in hiding at the top of the hill, his nephew and himself and two men who took up food and water daily. January 13th, 1900 was the day on which he was captured, and it was then 2 p.m. I decided that, owing to the hostility of the tribe, it was better to get away as far as I could that day. Osman Digna rode a camel in front of me, with the camel's halter tied to the saddle of a policeman in front of him, and the other men rode in a ring surrounding him. I decided it was safer to return to Suakin by another route and took a line to the north. I wrote a letter to Major Godden informing him of the capture, and said I expected to be in Suakin in 4 days. I sent this by the man who had seized Osman Digna with me in the cave, and told him to ride fast to Suakin, he did the 96 miles in 24 hours without halting. The route I took was 120 miles; above the Red Sea littoral, a plateau rises 2,000 feet, in many places straight up, and it is only possible to descend into the plain at certain places. We rode 20 miles that afternoon, I had Osman Digna's chain fastened to my tent pole, and as my men had ridden 70 miles that day, I changed the sentries every half-hour. I got to Suakin on the afternoon of the 4th day, and as I rode through the town, I only got scowls from the Arabs in the streets, and the only cheers were from the negresses.


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