WARS OF THE NINETIES. 144 Presently Major Stuart-Wortley's army of friendlies appeared marching along the river bank,a motley crowd ofmany tribes,colloquially known to Tommy Atkins during the campaign as the" Skallywags." The big guns of the battery were landed with a couple of rangefinders, and the advance was resumed, the Jaalin tribesmen leading. There had already been some wild firing at long ranges between Stuart-Wortley's vanguard and a number of mounted Dervish scouts, who had retired towards Halfiya. Close to the village there were a couple of forts on the river bank. These were bomcamp was shaped like a capital D, the straight side of it being along the Nile bank, and the curve facing the desert. This curved line was fortified partly with a zereba hedge, partly with shelter trenches. Guns and Maxims wereplaced at intervals,and a number of mud houses that interrupted their fieldof fire werelevelled to the cround. Inside the camp a few houses afforded shelter for the field hospital, and behind them the transportanimals werepicketed.

The groundimmediately in front of the camp was a slightly undulating plain, about a mile wide, across which any attacking force must GENERAL VIEW OF KHARTOUM IN 18S4.

(Photo: K. Buchta.)

advance with very littlecoverfrom fire. Beyond the plain were some low hills, and to the left rose a bold rocky mass, marked on the map as Jebel Surgham. This was occupied by a party of the 2ist Lancers, who established a heliograph signalling station on the summit.

With them were some staff officers watching Omdurman and the movements of the flotilla.

Early in the morning Keppel had taken his gunboats across the river to a point just below Haltiya. He had six of them with him, the Sultan,Sheikh, Melik, Futtek,Nasir,and Tamai. Towingbehind the Tamai were somebarges, on which were embarked the 37th R.A. howitzer battery, and a detachment of 175 British soldiers from various regiments,who were to act as its escort when it was landed. yT barded by the gunboats, and in a few minutes what was left of the garrison took to flight. Several of the Dervish wounded were brought on board of the flotilla and attended to by the surgeons. Meanwhile the scouts, who had pushed on in front, rode in with the news that the enemy were holding a group of four small villagesnear the riverbank opposite Omdurman.

Full steamahead wentthe gunboats,andsoon they were sending a shower of shells into tho villages. Then Stuart-Wortley moved up to storm them. At first the friendlies seemed r.nythingbut eager for close fight ; there was a lot of shouting and firing at longrange,and witvery little regard to sighting; but at last the Jaalin, the best of the lot,started off, followed fhvthe others, and got into the Dervish position.