The Government were called upon early in 1884 to realise the full weight of the responsibility they had assumed in regard to Egyptian affairs. The Mahomedan Arabs of the Soudan had been brought under Egyptian rule in 1870; gross misgovernment had brought about bitter disaffection, and the troubles of Lower Egypt before and during Arabi's revolt, afforded these wild tribes an opportunity for throwing off the yoke. Mohamed Ahmed appeared among them as the Mahdi, or Redeemer, who, besides being a religious enthusiast, was a daring and skilful commander in the field. In 1883 the Egyptian Government sent an army of about 11,000 men under command of Colonel Hicks, a retired officer of the Indian army, to restore the Khedive's authority in the Equatorial Provinces. This force was attacked on November 1 in a rocky defile; for three days they defended themselves; on the fourth their ammunition was all spent, and every man in the Egyptian army, with many British officers, perished. Of course, this tremendous victory was accepted by the Arabs as complete proof of the Mahdi's divine mission: the insurrection spread like wildfire, and the Khedive, acting under advice of the British Government, decided not to attempt the re-conquest of these provinces. [Illustration: MARINE ENGINES IN THE ERECTING SHOP AT CLYDEBANK. The Clydebank works cover an area of 75 acres, and employ 6,500 workmen.] [Sidenote: General Gordon sent to Khartoum.] But the relief of Sinkat, Tokar, Khartoum, and other stations, garrisoned by Egyptian troops under command of European officers, was imperative. Expeditions to the relief of the two places first named were attacked by the Arabs and cut to pieces, and instructions were telegraphed for the immediate evacuation of Khartoum. But in Khartoum there were not less than 11,000 persons, many of them Christians and many in the Egyptian civil service, and to transport these safely down the Nile would be an operation of exceeding difficulty and hazard. General Gordon, commonly called "Chinese Gordon," a man of remarkable character, happened to be in London at the time, preparing to start for the Congo in the service of the King of the Belgians. He had been Governor of the Soudan in 1874, under Ismail, and to him the British Government appealed in their perplexity. He readily consented to throw up his engagement under the King of the Belgians, and to proceed to Khartoum, telegraphing to the garrison of that place: "You are men, not women. Be not afraid. I am coming." Meanwhile, the Mahdi had scored another signal success. Baker Pasha, formerly a well-known officer in the English cavalry, advanced in January, with a force of 3,500, to the relief of Tokar and Sinkat; he was attacked near Trinkitat and overwhelmed; his half-trained Egyptians fled, and were cut down to the number of 2,200, and sixteen European officers perished. Then Sinkat fell, the throats of all the garrison being cut, and Tokar surrendered.