ed,
and round these the troops sat smoking and chatting until the bugle-call
ordered all to lie down in their ranks. They were bivouacked in the
order in which they were to advance.

The formation was to be a sort of square, of which the Gordon
Highlanders were to form the front face, the Royal Highlanders the rear
line, the Irish Fusiliers the right face with the Rifles inside them;
the 65th were on the outside of the left face, the Marines being inside
them. The whole square was about 250 yards long by 150 deep. Between
the Marines and Rifles in the centre were stationed the transport
animals with the reserve ammunition and hospital appliances. The camel
battery with the seven-pounders was to remain in reserve in the centre
of the square, while the sailors with the six marine-guns were placed at
the left front of the square, next to the Gordon Highlanders.

The bivouac fires were kept up all night, as it was considered probable
that the enemy, who occasionally fired from a distance, might attempt an
attack upon the sleeping force. The night, however, passed quietly, but
towards morning rain fell heavily, soaking the troops as they lay, and
there was a general feeling of gladness when the reveille called them to
their feet. Fresh fuel was thrown on to the fires, and the men tried as
best they could to dry themselves. The kettles were boiled and breakfast
eaten, and the cavalry recrossed the lagoon to the beach to give their
horses water at the tanks there. They then rejoined the infantry. Their
place was to be in the rear of the square, but two squadrons were to
move in extended order as scouts a mile in front of it and on both
flanks.

Their orders were that if attacked they were not to charge the enemy,
but to open right and left and to retire at once and rejoin the main
body in the rear of the square, so as to allow a clear space for the
sweep of the infantry fire. The infantry were to fire only in volleys on
word of command, and were not to open fire until within three hundred
yards of the enemy.

Moving out from the camp the force was halted on open ground and a brief
inspection made to see that all was in order, and soon after eight
o'clock the advance began in earnest.

As soon as they moved forward the enemy could be seen retiring,
evidently bent upon pursuing the same tactics that they had done upon
the occasion of the advance of Baker Pasha's force from the same
halting-place a month before. The officer