A FINE OLD SHEIKH. 2 I

wonder that the tremendous fire we were keeping up had so little

effect. When they got within eighty yards the fire of the guards and mounted infantry began to take good effect, and a huge pile

of dead rose in front of them. Then, to my astonishment, the enemy took ground to their right, as if on parade, so as to

envelope the rear of the square. I remember thinking, " By Jove,

they will be into the square!" and almost the next moment I saw

a fine old sheikh on horseback plant his banner in the centre of

the square behind the camels. He was at once shot down, falling on his banner. He turned out to be Musa, emir of the Duguaim Arabs from Kordofan. I had noticed him in the advance with

his banner in one hand and a book of prayers in the other, and

never saw anything finer. The old man never swerved to the

right or left, and never ceased chanting his prayers until he had

planted his banner in our square. If any man deserved a place

in the Moslem paradise, he did. When I saw the old sheikh in

the square and heard the wild uproar behind the camels I drew my revolver; for directly the sheikh fell the Arabs began running

in under the camels to the front part of the square. Some of the

rear rank now faced about and began firing. By this fire Herbert

Stewart's horse was shot, and as he fell three Arabs ran at him.

I was close to his horse's tail, and disposed of the one nearest

to me, about three paces off, and the others were, I think, killed

by the mounted-infantry officers close by. Almost immediately

afterwards the enemy retired, and loud and long cheering broke

out from the square. . . . They retired slowly, and for a short time

hesitated in the valley before they made their final bolt. During

this period of excitement groups of three to five Arabs, who had

feigned death, would start up- from the slain and rush wildly at

the square. They were met by a heavy fire, but so badly directed

that several of them got right up to the bayonets. The men

did not quiet down until the square was re-formed on the gravel

slope, about fifty yards in advance of the spot where it had stood

to meet the attack. Many of the officers and men now went

out to bring in water-skins and ammunition-boxes from the camels

which had been killed. Curious how one's feelings get blunted