As the river rose, four steamers came up from Dongola, together with a number of sailing boats; and in the beginning of August the whole flotilla, consisting of ten gunboats, five unarmed steamers, eight troop barges, and three or four hundred sailing boats, were all assembled.
By this time the reinforcements from home were all at Cairo, and their stores had already been sent up.

It was arranged that they were to come by half battalions, by squadrons, and by batteries, each one day behind the other.

To make room for them, two Egyptian battalions were sent up to the foot of the Shabluka cataract.
The six black battalions left Berber on July 30th, and arrived at Atbara the next day.

There were now four brigades in the infantry divisions instead of three, two battalions having been raised from the Dervishes taken at the battle of Atbara.

These were as eager as any to join in the fight against their late comrades.
This was scarcely surprising.