138 Egypt
(January 28) they found that the city had fallen
two days before. It had been closely besieged since
September i, and reduced to starvation. With the
capture of Omdurman on the other bank and the empty-
ing of the moats as the Nile fell, it had become in-
defensible. It could thereafter have been carried any
day, and it was the approach of the steamers that caused
the assault. Gordon was killed against the orders of
the Mahdi, who had been anxious to come to terms
with him.
The death of the popular hero under such dramatic
conditions was so energetically exploited that the
Government was very nearly driven from office. In the
hope of propitiating public anger Wolseley, who had
taken command, was encouraged to proclaim his inten-
tion of "smashing the Mahdi." But his operations
for taking Berber failed, as did those against Osman
Digma. At Tofrik the Dervishes again broke the square
and caused heavy loss (March 22). Summer then
brought a stop to the campaign and cooler counsels.
Great Britain was threatened with a war against Russia
in Central Asia (April, 1885), and the Sudan expedition
became unpopular. The Government decided to fix the
frontier at Wadi Haifa; which prudent decision was
maintained when Lord Salisbury's Government took their
place (June 24, 1885). The Mahdi died (June 20), and
was succeeded by the Khalifa, who tried to invade
Egypt, but was defeated at Ginnis (December 30, 1885).
The frontier was thereafter held by Egyptian troops at
Wadi Haifa, backed by British at Assouan.
Meantime the Egyptian Empire in Africa was being
liquidated. Great Britain, France, and Italy divided be-
tween themselves its territories on the Somali coast.
Kassala was occupied by the Italians (1894), but re~