The Battle of Deni Idris.

And in fact four of tliem were killed in different combats.

But the delay of El-Arbab iu joining us made me uneasy and suspicious of some treachery. On the 27th December I was advised that Suleiman had occupied Dem Jelabba with a heavy force at only two hours' distance from our camp. I took all possible measures of defence. I sent for the Sangiaks and constructed a rampart with earth and wood to protect us from the enemy's balls. Everyone set to work, the huts Avere destroyed and the wood of which they had been built used, and, by working all night, the great seriba was in a capital state of defence in the morning. I assigned to each Sangiak his special post and six hundred men. Placed in the middle of the seriba, and protected by a small barricade, they were to form a strong reserve to assist at the points most threatened. We now only longed to make our enemy's acquaintance.

At six forty-five a.m., December 28th, our outposts fell back on the seriba to announce that Suleiman and his army were coming. In fact, we perceived long lines of the enemy's force advancing from two sides on our improvised fort. The standard-bearers came up to within ninety feet ; firing commenced on both sides — a real shower of bullets. The rebels had of course not expected to find us entrenched, but, calculating on their number, they bravely assaulted us. We repulsed them with great loss, and they retreated, to continue their fire from a greater distance, then returned to the assault, and so on for at least three hours and a half.

The standard-bearers, who fell one after the other, were always replaced by others. Our grape-shot made terrible havoc amoug the enemy, and finally, seeing that they sacrificed themselves in vain, they beat a retrea,t, followed by our fire. The retreat soon changed into a precipitous flight in all directions. We pursued them for a hundred feet,