looked at the distance white, though they were really covered
with texts from the Koran, and which by their admirable alignment made
this division of the Khalifa's army look like the old representations of
the Crusaders in the Bayeux tapestry.

The attack developed. The left, nearly 20,000 strong, toiled across the
plain and approached the Egyptian squadrons. The leading masses of the
centre deployed facing the zeriba and marched forthwith to the direct
assault. As the whole Dervish army continued to advance, the division
with the white flags, which had until now been echeloned in rear of
their right, moved up into the general line and began to climb the
southern slopes of Surgham Hill. Meanwhile yet another body of the
enemy, comparatively insignificant in numbers, who had been drawn up
behind the 'White Flags,' were moving slowly towards the Nile, echeloned
still further behind their right, and not far from the suburbs of
Omdurman. These men had evidently been posted to prevent the Dervish
army being cut off from the city and to secure their line of retreat;
and with them the 21st Lancers were destined to have a much closer
acquaintance about two hours later.

The Dervish centre had come within range. But it was not the British and
Egyptian army that began the battle. If there was one arm in which the
Arabs were beyond all comparison inferior to their adversaries, it was
in guns. Yet it was with this arm that they opened their attack. In
the middle of the Dervish line now marching in frontal assault were
two puffs of smoke. About fifty yards short of the thorn fence two red
clouds of sand and dust sprang up, where the projectiles had struck. It
looked like a challenge. It was immediately answered. Great clouds
of smoke appeared all along the front of the British and Soudanese
brigades. One after another four batteries opened on the enemy at a
range of about 3,000 yards. The sound of the cannonade rolled up to us
on the ridge, and was re-echoed by the hills. Above the heads of the
moving masses shells began to burst, dotting the air with smoke-balls
and the ground with bodies. But a nearer tragedy impended. The 'White
Flags' were nearly over the crest. In another minute they would become
visible to the batteries. Did they realise what would come to meet them?
They were in a dense mass, 2,800 yards from the 32nd Field Battery and
the gunboats. The ranges were known. It was a matter of machinery. The
more distant slaugh