some standing on biscuit-boxes,
peered through their glasses and studied the effect. Of this I had one
glimpse. Eight hundred yards away a ragged line of men were coming on
desperately, struggling forward in the face of the pitiless fire--white
banners tossing and collapsing; white figures subsiding in dozens to
the ground; little white puffs from their rifles, larger white puffs
spreading in a row all along their front from the bursting shrapnel.

The infantry fired steadily and stolidly, without hurry or excitement,
for the enemy were far away and the officers careful. Besides, the
soldiers were interested in the work and took great pains. But presently
the mere physical act became tedious. The tiny figures seen over the
slide of the backsight seemed a little larger, but also fewer at each
successive volley. The rifles grew hot--so hot that they had to be
changed for those of the reserve companies. The Maxim guns exhausted
all the water in their jackets, and several had to be refreshed from the
water-bottles of the Cameron Highlanders before they could go on with
their deadly work. The empty cartridge-cases, tinkling to the ground,
formed a small but growing heap beside each man. And all the time out
on the plain on the other side bullets were shearing through flesh,
smashing and splintering bone; blood spouted from terrible wounds;
valiant men were struggling on through a hell of whistling metal,
exploding shells, and spurting dust--suffering, despairing, dying. Such
was the first phase of the battle of Omdurman.

The Khalifa's plan of attack appears to have been complex and ingenious.
It was, however, based on an extraordinary miscalculation of the power
of modern weapons; with the exception of this cardinal error, it is
not necessary to criticise it. He first ordered about 15,000 men,
drawn chiefly from the army of Osman Sheikh-ed-Din and placed under the
command of Osman Azrak, to deliver a frontal attack. He himself waited
with an equal force near Surgham Hill to watch the result. If it
succeeded, he would move forward with his bodyguard, the flower of the
Arab army, and complete the victory. If it failed, there was yet another
chance. The Dervishes who were first launched against the zeriba,
although very brave men, were not by any means his best or most reliable
troops. Their destruction might be a heavy loss, but it would not
end the struggle. While the attack was proceeding, the valiant left,
consisting of