GORDON AND THE MAHDI. 141 transferred to the few spare " remount" animals. The force was at times in a state of great disorganization groups ofmenfrequently drifting behind;for, in spite of blows and shouts, the camels refused to moveout of a slow walk. Whenever the route led through broken ground— fortunately it was for the most part easy going — there wasmuchstragglingand raggedness, thecolumn resembling a herdmore thananything else. The briefest haltwas seizeduponby hundreds of soldiers to dismount and throw themselves upon the ground to snatch a few minutes' sleep— sleep so deadthatthey had to be roughly arousedbefore theycouldbemade to remount. "Go on, go on," was the cry incessantly uttered; and heavyeyed,half-dozing, the force mechanically moved forward. Watchfires,probably lighted by rebel scouts, were seen on the flank amid the darkness, and uncertainty as to the British strength could alone have prevented the enemy from making an attack. Towards morning the route lay through dense jungle and groves of mimosa, where the confusion againdelayed progress for an hour ortwo. The camels, which were veryhungry,insistedon eatingthelong grass, and as all attempts to urge them forward proved unavailing,Sir Herbert Stewartordered ageneralhalt. It wasnow evident that the Nile could not be reachedby daylight.

Eventually the men set off againat a slowmarch, and as the dawnbroke, the column found itself stillsix miles from the river, and about the same distance south of Matamah. The sun was barely up when numerous tom-toms wereheard beating,andit becameevident that the rebels were aware of the British approach. Soon streams of men on horseback and on foot poured out of Matamah and took up a position between the column and the Nile. For a short time Sir Herbert Stewart deliberated whether to push on two miles nearer the river, but as the Arabs were musteringinsufficient force to offer a serious resistance to the advance,he decidedat six o'clock to halt upon aridge of desert covered with sparkling pebbles, four miles from the river and in the vicinity of the villageof Gubat. To theright and rear rose a few low black hills, from one mile to two miles distant; while in front the desert, dotted with bushes, rolled downwardtowardsthe greenflatsborderingtheNile.

the groin by a bullet. His wound was kept a secret for a time, and he was as unostentatiously as possible carried to the centre of the square, where a hospital had been established by heaping a number of saddles andboxesto aheight of somefour sect. The enclosure thus formed was soon filledby wounded men, some injured severely, others seekingmere temporarydressingof slight injuries. Bullet hits came faster and faster, andthe thud,thud of theleadagainst some resistingsubstance becamepainfully frequent. Here the woundedcommanderlaywithMr.St. Leger Herbert, his private secretary- aud likewise correspondent of the MorningPost, weepingwhilsthe tended him. Leaving his charge for a fewmomentsMr. Herbert was proceeding to the horse lines to fetch some provisions fromhis saddle bags,whenhe was shot throughthe throat and fell dead within thirtyfeet of the hospital.

Turning with alight smile to his staff,GeneralStewart exclaimed:" Tell the officers and men we will have breakfast first and then go out and fight." Thecolumn thereupon closed up, and the men proceeded to forma zerebafor their protection. Sacks and barrelsof stores, camel saddles, brushwood and sand were steadilj- piled up, and flimsy as these works lookedto aninexperienced eye, they nevertheless constituted defences not to be despised in the open plain. While the troops were thus occupied the Arabsgatherednot merelyon the frontand the flanks of the column, but alsoin the rear. Groups bearing the fantastic Koran-inscribed banners of the False Prophet, similar to those of which two or three score had been captured at Abu Klea, could be seen occupying every point of vantage, and the fire of the enemy soon became fierce and deadly,despite the cloud of smoke and sand-dust whichhung around. Breakfast preparations were consequently- suspended for an hour, whilst most of the troops lay flat and fatigue parties strengthenedthe position.

The situation was exceedingly critical, and General Stewartrecognized the danger. Ateight o'clock, having givenorders to form square and attack the enemyin that formation, he went towards a low mound, a hundred yards on the right front where a few skirmishers were stationed. A miimte later hefell to the groundhit in MR. J. A. CAMERON, CORRESPONDENT OF THE "STANDARD."

GeneralStewart being wounded, the command of the column devolved by seniorityupon Lord Charles Beresford, but he being a naval officer and far from well, although personally standing by his Gardner gun all day,passed on the honour to Sir CharlesWilson, hitherto chiefoftheIntelligenceDepartment. Thelatter officerat onceheldacouncilof war,at whichColonels Boscawenand Barrow,Lord Charles Beresford, and others werepresent. It was resolved to wait till 2 p.m. for the enemy's expected assault upon the position, and if by that time they did not assail it, to march out with a square of about 1,200 men, who should fight their way on footto the Nile. As the position was threatened by a front attack, the necessity of asmall advanced work occurred to all minds, and the occupation of two mounds on the right front was urged. Forty volunteers immediately hurried out withboxes, pack-saddles, and spades,andran up a shelter,behind which the skirmishersweresafe from the enemy's fire and couldprevent any force from creeping near the square. The rebels were too numerous, however, to drive away, and the nature of the ground andthehigh trajectory of theirRemingtonsenabledthem