28 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

" As we advanced we covered our front and flanks with skirmishers, who engaged those of the enemy. The latter worked wonderfully, the ground lending itself to their game. This drew the fire to some extent off the square, which, however, advanced at slow march steadily, and with only a halt every now and then to load up the wounded on the camels. We kept always on open rocky ground; to the left was the 'wady' or gully, a deep pass ot grass and bush-grown sand intersected with innumerable waterchannels down which in rain-storms the water evidently tears. These gullies would have rendered our advance with camels, and guns dragged now by hand, nearly impossible; and we also thus avoided ground where the enemy could hide and collect close to us unseen. Meanwhile, the hills on each side were swarming with them moving parallel—sharpshooters and spearmen. When about 1500 yards from the line of flags, the guns sent four or five shells right among them, and we saw hundreds of them spring up and bolt. On nearing the flags, so little could be seen of the enemy there that the skirmishers sent word to ask if they might go down and take them, and all seemed to think that most of the Arabs were gone. One of our officers, who had been at Teb and Tamai, said to me, 'There is no one there; it is merely a burial-ground;' and Sir Herbert Stewart laughingly said to Burnaby, who was in immediate command of the square, ' Move a little more to the left; I want that green flag.'

Just at this moment, when about 450 yards from the flags, as if they had risen from the earth, up rose a line of spearmen all across the wady, and at the same moment the whole wady behind appeared black with them. I should say about 5000 in number, they came on, headed by men on horses, next to whom came the flags, and behind them an overwhelming mass of spears seemed to be going to envelop the whole square. The charge was at the left front corner of the square (they know the corner is the weakest, and always charge there), but having yelled to the skirmishers to run in, the mounted infantry gave them such a fire as to sheer off the main attack towards the left rear corner, where was the Heavy Camel Regiment. Here I afterwards heard