142 GORDON AND THE MAHDI.

volleys by companies, scarcely any independent firing being allowed. As the Arabs came on, with loud and furious shouts,the clear,steady voiceofColonelBoscawen could be heard above the din— "Halt— fire a volley at five hundred yards— ready," and then, from the four faces of the square,belchedforth flameand smoke. The wild dervishes and fanatics who led the charge, went down in scores before the British rifles, none of them everreachingthe square. Then the columnmoved forward again at the same slow pace,the bearerspicking up theBritish wounded andplacing themon the cacolets. But theArabs werestillundaunted,andonthreemoreoccasions they attemptedcharges alongtheline oftheadvance.

Colonel Boscawen,cool and collected, met each move of the enemy successfully. Now to the right and then to the left the square marched, driving back the enemy's skirmishersupon the mainbodies. Inthe zerebaColonel Barrow, standingon a pile of saddles, directed the fire of his men so as to prevent the Arabson the flanks from uniting to crush the flying column. Captain Norton, with his guns, sent scores of well-directed shell and shrapnel intothe masses of the enemy on the right and front of the square, stoppingan openintentionupon the part of a considerable force upon the right to join in the charge upon the troops. As his well-planted shots burst amongthe Arabs,scattering them like dust,the soldiers in the square andthe zerebacheeredhis success andthat ofhis colleague, LieutenantduBoulay. Again and again theArabs gatheredindensemasses intendingtorushupon the square. Promptly at sight of their array the troops halted, the front ranks lying down or kneeling, whilst volley upon volley was sent into the savage hordes, causing them to reeland tumble and slink awaybehind thecrests of therollingupland. Inonehour thesquare hadtravelled a mile from the zereba, beset and fightingits wayinchby inch. The desert,bounded bylow black hills, seemed a valley of the shadow of death, for the column was already carrying many wounded, some of whomwerestruck again andagainwhile perchedin their camelchairs.

to drop theirbullets intothe square at allpoints,causing considerable loss of life. Mr. Cameron, the Standard correspondent, had just installed himself behind his camel to have some lunch,and his servant was in the act of handing him a box of sardines when one of the dropping bullets entered his back and killed him instantly. A short time afterwards Mr. Burleigh receiveda blow in the throat from a spent bullet,whilst talking to two other correspondents, but fortunately it didnot prevent himfromcontinuingtocarryonhisduties.

"The enemy," he wroteto the Daily Telegraph,"were firing at ranges of from 700 to 2000 yards, and their practice was excellent. The zip,ping, and thud of the leadenhail was continuous; and, while the camels were killedin numbers, our soldiersdidnot escape, overforty having to be carried tothe hospital, sheltered as well as possible in the centre of the square. As a precaution against stampede, the poor camels were tied down, their knees and necks securely bound by ropes to prevent their getting upontheir legs. The enemy's fire increased in intensity; and, as stretcher after stretcher withits goryload was taken to the hospital,the space wasfoundtoo small, and the woundedhad to be laidoutside, where doctors and patients were alike exposed to the enemy's fire. Surgeon-MajorFerguson,Dr.Briggs,and their colleagueshad theirskill andtime taxed tothe utmost. Wantof water,however,hamperedtheiroperations. "Our situation had become unbearable. We were being fired at without a chance of retaliating. The 10,000 warriorswhom the Mahdi had sent fromOmdurman to annihilateus wereblockingour roadto the Nile; and over a hundred Baggara, the horsemen of the Soudan, and crowds of villagers, who had joined Mohamed Ahmed's crusade,hunglike famishedwolveson our rear and flanks, awaiting their opportunityto slay."

Bold as was the proposed advance— for right in the path stood the enemy, unbeaten and reckless with the mad couragebegotten of fanaticism— it was impossibleto delay decisive action any longer. Accordingly all preparations weremade and the zerebawasplaced under the guard ofLordCharlesBeresford and Colonel Barrow,with the Hussars,about 120 strong, the navalcontingent,the Artillery, and some Engineers. This force was considered sufficient to defend the position, as the Gardner and the three screw guns wereleftin itshands.

At last,at half past-four, after two hours' incessant fighting,Norton'sgunsagainopenedfire, andLordCharles Beresford'sGardner warned the column to be cautious. It was then slowlybut surely approachingthe crest of a sandy ridge,beyondwhichflowedtheNile. The sky-line around suddenly became black again with the enemy, nearly 10,000 of whomswept downin three directionstowardsthesquare,theirmainbodycomingupoutheleftface. "It was a criticalmoment," saysMr.Burleigh. "Down the Arabs came from behind the ridge led by gallant horsemenandwilddervishes,whoshouted totheirfollowers to rush on in Allah's name anddestroy us. Firm as a rock, the square stood steadily, aimed deliberately,and fired. Againandagain had volleys to be sent into the yellinghordes as down they poured. The feeling was— Could they be stopped before closing with us? Their fleetest andluckiest, however, didnot getwithin twentyfive yards before death overtook them; while the bulk of the enemy were stilla hundredyards away. Atlast — God be thanked!— theyhesitate, stop, turn, and ran back. Victory is ours, and the British column is safe! The broken lines of Arabs sullenly retreated towards Matamah;but our square had to gainthe rid-'ebefore escapingfromtheirsharpshooters'fire,or gettingachance ofpunishingthe daring foe."

The onwardmarch wasthen resumed, onlya few shots coming from the bushes, and these gradually ceased as the column drewnearer to the Nile. The sun had now sunk to rest, and the pale moonlightrevealed a silvery The flying column, with Sir Charles Wilson in command, and Colonel Boscawen acting as executive officer, was about 1200 strong, andmarched in the sameformation as at Abu Klea. The Guards formed the front, with the Marines on the right front corner, the Heavies on the right andright rear, the Sussex in the rear, and the Mounted Infantry on the left rear and left flank. Cacolets weretaken for thewounded, andeach mancarried 100 rounds of ammunition,andhadhis water bottlefull. At two o'clock precisely the signal was given for the advance,and the square began to moveslowly across the open,protectedby the fire of theGardner gunin the fort, while flanking skirmishers threaded their way through the scattered mimosas, exposed to a galling 'fire, from whichmany fell.

As the columnreached a part of the valley, which was too thickly covered by grass and scrub for a successful advance,it halted, and coolly swung round andmarched out upon the more open ground, with the Arabs to the right front, their "tom-toms"beating, and their sacred battle-flagsofred, white and greenflying in the air. A first host of fanatics then hurled its swordsmen and spearsmenupon the square. The troops prepared to slice the onslaught, and by their officers' directions fired