70 GORDON AND THE MAHDI.

whilst the marine artilleryturned the twoKrupp guns with whichit was mounted against the enemy'ssecond position whenceanactivefire wasstillbeingkeptup. The villageof ElTeb, hithertohiddenby the high ground,was nowdiscernible. Some hundred yards in front was the brick building already mentioned, with thelarge rusty iron boiler, that must have found its way to ElTeb during Ismail Pasha's improving days, lying on the groundbefore it. All around, thick as a rabbit warren, were shallow grave-like trenches evidently dug by the enemy to protect themselves. A numberof Arabs were concealed in the building, and others lurked in every hole ready to jump out and charge. These pits continued to give considerable trouble, some of their occupants feigning to be dead till the first lines hadpassed, and then springing up and doing much mischiefbefore they weredispatched. As theBritishadvanced theyshelled thebuilding, which was loopholed, and from which the enemy kept up aheavyfire,butthe guns werenotheavy enough to break down the walls. It was at, length carriedby acharge, themen ofthe navalbrigade,ledby Lieutenant Graham,firing through the windows, whilst the Soudanese contested the neighbouring ground inch byinch. They seemedto swarm behind everybush, and could onlybe killed,not drivenoff. Scores were waiting, swordor lanceinhand, to charge,but only to get shot or bayoneted. When the troops were quite close, three or four Arabs crept out from the boiler and rushed on withindomitablepluck but only to meet their doom. At least ahundred laydeadaround this relicof civilization.

Byone o'clock the rebelsshowed signs ofbolting. As they ran the Gatlings andMartinis playedhavoc amongst them. Still pressing them, the British made tow-ards the wells of fresh water at ElTeb, where the Soudanese made their last stand. Here was theirsecondbreastwork, rudely constructed of sand bags and barrels. It was crescent-shaped and facing south, but as the troops advanced on it from the north, the guns, with which it wasmounted, wereturned in thatdirection. Two companiesof the GordonHighlanders,ledby CaptainSlade, carried this work, capturing two Krupp guns, a brass howitzer,a Gatling,and two rockettubes. Despite the encouragement of their sheikhs, one or two of whom rushed at the advancing troops empty-handed,to show that they bore charmed lives, the Soudanese were now clearly beatenand on the move. Their camp, huts, and wells had been captured after from three to four hours' arduous fighting. Many, however,stillcontinued to display the most desperate valour, jumping out of their holes as the square passedandcharging savagely,so that to keep themoffit wasnecessary to face inall directions. Lads of twelve, after fighting desperately, fell dead into the shelter-trenches, with their teeth set and their handsgrasping their spears. It was almostimpossible to save the wounded or to take prisoners, as the dying, even in their last throes, strove to thrust or cut with knife,lance, or sword. The troops as they pressed forwardhad to shoot or bayonet all they came near, for the woundedwould start up and strive to killor maim theirfoes, agrim pleasure lighting up their faces whenever they could bury their weapons in a soldier'sbody. After the battle was over, and when the troops were searching about the enclosure,a youth,lying unobserved amongstacrowdof deadanddying,startedupandrushed with a drawnknife on a coupleof soldiers, while another spranglike acat upontheback of a third,andwouldhave succeededin cutting his throat but for anofficer coming up in time to put apistol-shot through the Arab's head. To return,however, to the engagementitself. Whilst effect being soon apparent. The practice wasexcellent, and no sooner did the hoarse growling rattle of the Gardners and Gatlings awake the echoes than the enemywere seen to be falling in large numbers. The fire of the rebels slackened andgradually ceased, whereupon the bugles sounded the advance, and the troops rising and wheeling slightly round on the centre of the square, went for the enemy's works. By this manSuvre the Black Watch in turn became the front line, facing the rebel entrenchmentsand the wellsof El Tehbeyond them. The Arabs clung to their position, which was really a strong one, with desperation, and fought like fiends. They were not drawn up in militaryorder,but werescattered about, taking advantageof the abundant cover the ground afforded. A portion of the entrenchments consistedof a numberof large deep holes or rifle pits, in which the rebels lay packed in readiness for their favourite tactic, a desperate rush. As the British advancedthere w*ere not morethan acoupleof thousand of themvisible in front,though several hundreds more couldbe seenhangingoneither flank of the square.

As the square moved on, firing the while,a host of rebels,most of themarmedwith spears,and others with huge cross-hiltedswords, rose up boldly from theirlurkingplaces, withintwo hundredyards, andrushed on the troops at break-neck speed. It was marvellousto see how they came onheedlessand fearlessofdeath,shouting andbrandishing their weapons. Right andleft they fell before the witheringfire of the Martinis,but evenwhen woundedrushed on. A few got within ten paces of the squarebefore they dropped,proving how many bullets it takes to kill a man. Sullenly the survivors fellback, and when the Martini fire had cleared the front, the British witha cheer rushed into the fort. ColonelBurnaby who had had his horse killedunderhim,and had been wounded in the arm, wasthe first to mount the parapet with some men of the Black Watch. He was armed with a double-barrelled shot-gun, a deadly and handy weapon at closequarters, andwiththishe wrought somehavoc amongst the rebelshangingabout the works. As explained,the entrenchments werehoneycombedwith rifle-pits, in which a number of rebels hadhidden themselves side by side withdead bodies, withtheintentionof rushingupon the square and cutting their way into it. Concealed as they were,manyactually escaped observation tillthe troops hadpassedthem, andthus for a time the conflict became a hand-to-hand one, in which the Arabs made use of their spears,havingdiscarded their rifles as theBritish came to close-quarters. When their hidingnooks werediscovered theywouldrise andrun at the troops spear inhand. Anumber of theBritish were wounded and severalkilledin this fashion, whilestanding in the ranks, and at times it was almost a melee of bayonetagainstspear.

A special act of bravery was performed by Captain Wilson of the Hecla, who was present at El Teb, as a volunteer. As the advancing troops closed on the battery,the rebelsmovedout onthe corner of thesquare against the detachment who weredragging the Gardner gun. At this moment Captain Wilson sprang to the front andengagedin combatwithfiveor sixofthe enemy, in the course of whichhebroke his swordat the hilt over thehead of oneof them. The others closedround him, but he kept themat bay withhis fists,and did terrible executionwithhissword hilt till aid arrivedandhe was rescued. By almosta miracle he escaped with a sword cut on the head which laid open the scalp, but after havinghis wounddressed he kept on with the troops.

After the fort was gained there was a slight halt