heers of the Arabs. It was evident that the
gunboats were not strong enough to silence the Dervish fire. The want of
the terrible Zafir was acutely felt.

The firing had lasted two hours and a half, and the enemy's resistance
was no less vigorous than at the beginning of the action. The Sirdar now
altered his plans. He saw that his flotilla could not hope to silence
the Dervishes. He therefore ordered De Rougemont--who had assumed
the command after Colville was wounded--to run past the entrenchments
without trying to crush their fire, and steam on to Dongola. To support
and cover the movement, the three batteries of artillery under Major
Parsons were brought into action from the swampy island of Artagasha,
which was connected at this season with the right bank by a shoal. At
the same time three battalions of infantry were moved along the river
until opposite the Arab position. At 9 A.M. the eighteen guns on the
island opened a tremendous bombardment at 1,200 yards range on the
entrenchments, and at the same time the infantry and a rocket detachment
concentrated their fire on the tops of the palm-trees. The artillery now
succeeded in silencing three of the five Dervish guns and in sinking
the little Dervish steamer Tahra, while the infantry by a tremendous
long-range fire drove the riflemen out of the palms. Profiting by
this, the gunboats at ten o'clock moved up the river in line, and,
disregarding the fusillade which the Arabs still stubbornly maintained,
passed by the entrenchment and steamed on towards Dongola. After this
the firing on both sides became intermittent, and the fight may be said
to have ended.

Both forces remained during the day facing each other on opposite sides
of the river, and the Dervishes, who evidently did not admit a defeat,
brandished their rifles and waved their flags, and their shouts of loud
defiance floated across the water to the troops. But they had suffered
very heavily. Their brave and skilful leader was severely wounded by
the splinters of a shell. The wicked Osman Azrak had been struck by a
bullet, and more than 200 Ansar had fallen, including several Emirs.
Moreover, a long train of wounded was seen to start during the afternoon
for the south. It is doubtful, however, whether Bishara would have
retreated, if he had not feared being cut off. He seems to have believed
that the Sirdar would march along the right bank at once to Dongola, and
cross there under cover of his gunboats. Li