352 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN on his way to rejoin the main Dervish army, which was lying near Gadi. The cavalry pushed forward at dawn and found that Fadil had retreated, leaving a quantity of grain behind. A sick Dervish who had remained there said that the Dervishes had moved to a point seven miles away. The cavalry, camel corps, and some of the guns advanced and seized a position within three hundred yards of the Dervish encampment, on which they immediatelj' opened fire.

The rest of the guns were at once pushed forward to reinforce them, and arrived in time to assist them in repulsing a fierce attack of the Dervishes. Owing to the nature of the ground these were able to approach to within sixty yards of the guns before coming under their fire. They were then mowed down by the guns and Maxims and the musketry fire of the camel corps, to which was added that of the infantry brigade when they arrived. This was too much even for Dervish valour to withstand, and they fled back to their camp. The British force then advanced. They met with but little opposition, and as they entered the camp they saw the enemy in full flight. The infantry followed them for a mile and a half, while the cavalry and camel corps kept up the pursuit for five miles. FadiFs camp, containing a large amount of grain and other stores, fell into the hands of the captors, with a number of prisoners, including women and children, and animals. Four hundred Dervishes had fallen, great numbers had been wounded, while the British casualties amounted to a native ofiicer of the camel corps dangerously wounded, one man killed, and three wounded.

Gregory had accompanied Colonel Wingate and acted as one of his staff-officers. He had of course brought his horse with him. It was an excellent animal, and had been used by him in all his excursions from Omdurman. “ That is rather a different affair from the fight on the Atbara, Zaki,” he said, when the force gathered in FadiFs camp after the pursuit was relinquished ; the Dervishes fought just as bravely, but in one case they had a strong position to defend, while to-day they took the offensive; it makes all the difference.”