CHAPTER VI.

THE SIEGE AND FALL OF EL OBEID.

Said Pasha, Governor-General of Kordofan, prepares to defend El Obeid--The Mahdi attacks the Town, but is repulsed with Great Loss--The Missionaries at Delen fall into the Mahdi's Hands--The Siege and Fall of Bara--The Horrors of the Siege of El Obeid--Said Pasha is forced to surrender--His Interview with the Mahdi--The Search for Treasure--The Mahdi's Miracles--Effect of the Fall of El Obeid on the General Situation 171