137 GORDON AND THE MAHDI.

advance. At the same time he gave the significant caution,"When the men are orderedto close they must always close on their left," this beingtheline ofretreat and alsothe line whichenabledthe columnto keepupon thehigh groundalongthe edge of the wadyleading to the wells. The advance was made in a hollow square formedin the following order:— The leftfront faec consisted of two companies of Mounted Infantry, and the right of two companies of Guards. The left face was composed of two companies of Mounted Infantry, and one companyof Heavy Dragoons. The right face was composed of two companies of Guards, and two companies of the Sussex Regiment. The rear face consisted of four companies of the Heavy Cavalry Camel Corps. The Artillerywith the three screwguns wasin the centre of the front face, and the NavalBrigade with the Gardner occupied the centre of the rear face. Some men of the Mounted Infantry acted as skirmishers on the front and right, while the Hussars didsimilar duty on theleft. The whole force, with the exception of the mounted officersand Hussars,wasonfoot,therebeingmerely a few camels with ammunition, water,and hospital stretchers, in the centre of the square. All the other animals, with the stores andbaggage, wereleft inthe zerebaunderthe guardofahundred andfifty menof theRoyal Sussexand MountedInfantry.

The troops moved out in the formation givenabove, marching so as topass round the leftflankof the enemy's position,and force himto attack or be enfiladed. However, the Arabs met the advance withahotfire from the hills,and as their bullets rainedupon the column,men dropped from the ranksright and left. Major Gough of theMountedInfantry was shot dead, and Captain Lord St. Vincent (16th Lancers) was severely wounded,* together with Major Dickson and Surgeon Magill. Surgeon-major Ferguson and the medical staff" immediately attendedto the injured men, all of whom w*ere carried along with the column. Meanwhilethe Mounted Infantry continued skirmishing,and the enemy fellback, gradually dissolving,as it were,in the long grass, until nothing could be seen of them but their flags waving across the valley at right angles to the British line of advance. Nearly anhour hadelapsed since leaving the zereba, and a distance of two miles had been covered, amida heavy firefrom a number of negro riflemen on the hills, when the order was given to halt and close square. General Stewarthad selected a good position on a slope, which the rebels would have to ascend across openground. It was eleven o'clock when the skirmishers of the Mounted Infantry went forward to force on the attack, whilethe screw guns poundedaway at whatseemed to be the enemy's main position. Suddenly,however,on the left rear of the square, the foe sprang up with twenty banners waving, and charged fiercely up two narrow gullies leading"from the valley. So swift was the onset that the skirmishers barely had time to reach the square before the Arabs cameupon the Heavies, who formed the rear half of the left face, and the whole of the rear face of the formation. Colonel Burnaby, who was on this side, seems to have fearedfor the skirmishers, and he at once rode forward to their support, sword in hand, at the same timeordering the Heavies to followhim. The latter, faithful to their cavalry instincts, were onlytoo eagerto advance,andtheyrushed out to meet theArabs, who came on at great speed, brandishing spears, hurling iaVelins and wielding huge double-handed swords.

Altogether there were 8000 of them, belonging to ten tribes, each of whichhad, onan average,800 menin the field. On the right of their line they were led by Abou Saleh, Ameer of Matamah, and on the left by Mahomed Kheir, Ameer of Berber. The latter was wounded, and soon retired;but Saleh camedesperately on at the head of the fanatics. Colonel Burnaby now ordered the Heavies back, but too late, unfortunately, and their formationbeing broken, their valour proved of no avail against such superior numbers. They were thrown upon the Naval Brigade and the right of the Sussex regiment, which had naturallytried to close up the gap. But the enemy was already sweeping round the flank andbreakinginto the square.

Meanwhile poor Colonel Burnaby had tempted death oncetoo often. He had gone to the assistance of the skirmishers armed only with a sword; for, in deference to the noise made inEngland with regard to his action on a former occasion,hehad trustedhis servant withthat double-barrelled shot-gun which he had used so effectively against the Hadendowasat El Teb. "Haditbeen in his hands at xVbu Klea," wrote Mr. Burleighin the stirring description of the battle sent by him to the Daily Telegraph,"he wouldeasily havesavedother lives as well as his own, but they would have been English lives at the expenseof Arabs. As the dauntless colonel rode forward on a borrowed nag— for hisownhadbeen shotthat morning— he puthimselfin the wayof a sheikh charging down on horseback. Ere the Arab closed with himabulletfrom some oneinourranks,and not Burnaby's swordthrust, brought the sheikh headlongto the ground. The enemy'sspearmenwere closebehind,and one of them suddenly dashed at the colonel, pointing the longblade ofhis spear at his throat. Checkinghis horse and slowly pulling it backward, Burnaby leaned forward in his saddle and parried the Moslem's rapid and ferocious thrusts;but the length of the man's weapon,eight feet, put it out ofhis power to return withinterestthe Arab's murderous intent. Once or twiceIthink the colonel just touched his man, only* to make himmore wary and eager. The affray was the work of three or four seconds only, for the savagehorde of swarthy negroesfrom Kordofan, andthe straight-haired,tawny-complexionedArabs of theBayiidasteppe, werefastclosinginuponour square. Burnaby fenced smartly, just as if he wereplaying in an assault at arms, and therewas a smile onhis features as he drove off the man's awkwardthrusts. The scene was taken inat a glance— with that lightninginstinct which Ihave seen the desert warriors before now display inbattle while coming to one another's aid— by an Arab who, pursuing a soldier, had passed five paces to Burnaby's right andrear. Turning withasudden spring, this second Arab ran his spear-point into the colonel's right shoulder. It was but a slight wound— enough, though,to cause Burnabyto twist aroundinhis saddle to defend himself from this unexpected attack. Before the savage could repeat his unlooked-forblow— so near the ranks of the square was the scenenow beingenacted. — a soldierran out and drovehis s\vord-bayonet through the second assailant. As the Englishman withdrewthe* steel, the ferocious Arab wriggled round and sought toreachhim. The effort was too much,however, evenfor his delirium of hatred against the Christian, and the rebelreeledand fell. Brief as wasBurnaby's glance backward at this fatal episode, it was long enoughto enable the first Arab to deliver his spear-point full in the brave officer's throat. The blow drove Burnaby out of the saddle, but it required a second one- before he let go his grip of the reins and tumbled upon the ground. " Lord St. Vincent, who had previously seen servicein South Africa and Afghanistan, dieda fewdays later from the effects of his wounds.-K 2