e batteries into action at 1,200
yards, Five minutes later the whole of the Khalifa's reserve, 15,000
strong, led by Yakub with the Black Flag, the bodyguard and 'all the
glories' of the Dervish Empire, surged into view from behind the hill
and advanced on the solitary brigade with the vigour of the first attack
and thrice its chances of success. Thereupon Sir Herbert Kitchener
ordered Maxwell to change front to the right and storm Surgham Hill.
He sent Major Sandbach to tell Lewis to conform and come into
line on Maxwell's right. He galloped himself to the British
division--conveniently halted by General Gatacre on the northern crest
of the ridge--and ordered Lyttelton with the 2nd Brigade to form facing
west on Maxwell's left south of Surgham, and Wauchope with the 1st
Brigade to hurry back to fill the wide gap between Lewis and MacDonald.
Last of all he sent an officer to Collinson and the Camel Corps with
orders that they should swing round to their right rear and close the
open part of the "V". By these movements the army, instead of facing
south in echelon, with its left on the river and its right in the
desert, was made to face west in line, with its left in the desert and
its right reaching back to the river. It had turned nearly a complete
somersault.

In obedience to these orders Lyttelton's brigade brought up their left
shoulders, deployed into line, and advanced west; Maxwell's Soudanese
scrambled up the Surgham rocks, and, in spite of a sharp fire, cleared
the peak with the bayonet and pressed on down the further side; Lewis
began to come into action on Maxwell's right; MacDonald, against whom
the Khalifa's attack was at first entirely directed, remained facing
south-west, and was soon shrouded in the smoke of his own musketry and
artillery fire. The three brigades which were now moving west and
away from the Nile attacked the right flank of the Dervishes assailing
MacDonald, and, compelling them to form front towards the river,
undoubtedly took much of the weight of the attack off the isolated
brigade. There remained the gap between Lewis and MacDonald. But
Wauchope's brigade--still in four parallel columns of route--had
shouldered completely round to the north, and was now doubling swiftly
across the plain to fill the unguarded space. With the exception of
Wauchope's brigade and of Collinson's Egyptians, the whole infantry and
artillery force were at once furiously engaged.

The firing became again trem