THE OFFICIAL DESPATCHES. 283 the attack on the left, he completely crushed this second most determined dervish charge.

Meantime Maxwell’s and Lyttelton’s brigades had been pushed on over the slopes of Jebel Surgham, and driving before them the dervish forces under the Khalifa’s son, Osman Sheikh ed Din, they established themselves in a position which cut off the retreat on Omdurman of the bulk of the dervish army, who were soon seen streaming in a disorganised mass towards the high hills many miles to the west, closely pursued by the mounted troops, who cleared the night front and flanks of all hesitating and detached parties of the enemy.

The battle was now practically over, and Lyttelton’s and Maxwell’s brigades marched down to Khor Shambat, in the direction of Omdurman, which was reached at 12.30 p.m., and here the troops rested and watered. The remainder of Hunter’s division and Wauchope’s brigade reached the same place at 3 p.m.

At 2 p.m. I advanced with Maxwell’s brigade and the 32nd Field Battery through the suburbs of Omdurman to the great wall of the Khalifa’s enclosure, and, leaving two guns and three battalions to guard the approaches, the 13th Soudanese Battalion and four guns (32nd Field Battery) were pushed down by the north side of the wall to the river, and, accompanied by three gunboats which had been previously ordered to be ready for this movement, these troops penetrated the breaches in the wall made by the howitzers, marched south along the line of forts, and turning in at the main gateway found a straight road leading to the Khalifa’s house and Mahdi’s tomb ; these were speedily occupied, the Khalifa having quitted the town only a short time before our entry, after a vain effort to collect his men for further resistance.

The gunboats continued up the river clearing the streets of dervishes, and, having returned to the remainder of the brigade left at the corner of the wall, these were pushed forward, and occupied all the main portions of the town. Guards were at once mounted over the principal buildings and Khalifa’s stores, and after visiting the prison and releasing the European prisoners, the troops bivouacked at 7 p.m. around the town, after a long and trying day, throughout which all ranks displayed qualities of high courage, discipline, and endurance.