You have fully justified my confidence in you.
"In the first place, I will go and see the house you have occupied.

I shall leave you still in possession of it, but I do not intend that you should hold it.

In case Mahmud comes down upon you, at once embark in boats, and cross to the islands.

It will be some time before I can gather, here, a force strong enough to hold the town against attack.
Indeed, it will probably be some weeks; for, until the railway is finished to Abu Hamed, I can only get up stores sufficient for the men here; certainly we have no transport that could keep up the supply for the whole force.

However, all this will be settled by the Sirdar, who will very shortly be with us." It was now the 6th of September and, the same afternoon, two gunboats were sent up to Ed Damer, an important position lying a mile or two beyond the junction of Atbara river with the Nile.