CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE CHARGE OF THE 2IST LANCERS.

covered by the next in succession. If attacked from the desert while on the move, the line could be rapidly formed facing landward, with the left on the river. BY half-past eight it looked as if the battle was over. The enemy had drawn back over the slopes of the Kerreri Hills on one side and of Jebel Surgham on the other.

MacDonald's brigademarched well to the rear ofLewis's and wasnearest the hills. Between it and theriver and further back came the camelcorps and the Egyptian cavalry. Collinson'sbrigadeformed up close to the village to escort the transport train along the Nile bank, and serve as a reserve to the whole.

The 2ist Lancers had been waiting during the fight in the rear of the British line holding the zereba, At cue time three squadrons had been dismounted to reinforce the left with theircarbine sire.

As soon as the advance began, the Sirdar sent orders to Colonel Martin to take the Lancers out in front of the British division, ride over the All that was to be seen of the Dervish arm] thewreckageoftheattack, the thousands of dead and wounded strewing the desert, their jibbas whitening the ground over a space two miles long and at least half a mile wide. The British and Egyptian wounded ransferred from the field hospital to the awning-covered barges onthe river. Cartridge pouches and the limber boxes of the artillery were refilled from the reserve ammunition,and the order was giventoprepare to march. The Sirdar had determined to push on atonce forOmdurman, about five miles distant, so reach it before the defeated Dervishes could rally for its defence.

LIEUT. It. CRRNPKLL (KILLED IN THE CHARGE OF Hit 2IST LANCERS).

(Photo:Bassano.)

Each brigade formedinline of parallelcolumns at such anintervalthat theycould at once deploy into fighting formation. The second British brigade (Lyttelton's) led the way with its left on the river bank, its front facing south. Next to it, a little to its rear and to its right,came Wauchope with the first brigade. Tl '■ion was what is known as echelon of brij from the left. Next to Wau< ! ope, and still lurther to the right, came Maxwell's brigade, and thenLewis's. Thus the left ol the leading brigade was covered by the river and the gunboats, while the next brigade covered its 1 flank, and had it, own landward flank long slope that ran down from Jebel Surgham to the river, find out if any portion of the Dervishes had rallied behind it on the line of advance,and if so,cut them off from Omdurman and drive them across the British front into the desert. It was supposed at the moment that if the Lancers did encounter an enemyit would be a crowd of disorganised and dispirited fugitives from the battlefield.

The 21st Lancers wereformed afterthe Indian Mutiny out of \arious mounted Corps that had been in the service of the old East India Company. They were thus the youngest regiment in the British cavalry,and though the corps out