LIEUTENANT DAWSON S NARRATIVE. 29 two gaps had been created—first, by the jamming of the Gardnergun which was in the angle, and which, I suppose choked by sand, went wrong after firing two or three rounds; second, the camels laden with the wounded having lagged behind could not be got inside the rear face. This latter may be partly accounted for by the fact that, just as the enemy appeared, Burnaby ordered the square, which was halted, to advance a few yards so as to occupy ground giving complete command on all sides. The well-known reluctance of the tired camel to rise in a hurry will account for the fact that at the charge many were outside the square and consequently deserted by their drivers, who bolted inside; indeed, had it not been for the promptness and gallantry of an officer who saw this, all the wounded would have been speared outside. At any rate, the advancing mass came on nearer and nearer undeterred by the tremendous fire they were exposed to. That the firing at this moment did not stop the front ranks of the enemy is shown by the fact that all the flags coming on, high up in the air, were being riddled with bullets, and seeing this I found myself near the left face trying with others to induce the men to aim lower. By this time they were against us hand-tohand. I saw Burnaby on his horse outside the square doing great execution with his sword, then he disappeared, then by sheer weight we were driven back step by step—past Beresford's now useless gun, where nearly every man belonging to it was speared as he stood and Beresford himself knocked down (I saw him on his legs again in an instant)—past where Stewart and Wardrop were trying to stem the rush, and Stewart's horse by sheer weight was knocked off his legs and speared; till the gradual retirement of the left face brought it close to the rear of the front face.

Thus the left face of the square had made a wheel backwards.

Frantic shouts to the guards to stand firm were not really required. We shouted ourselves hoarse, but it was not necessarj'.

It looked at this moment as if the last two remaining sides of the square must be swallowed up by the hordes surrounding us. So much so that seeing my brother a few paces off I rushed to him, shook his hand hard, and returned to my place. But