rce had been terribly punished, and the main body,
brought to a standstill at a distance of fourteen hundred yards, had
suffered almost as heavily, the battle had not gone so well to the
right of our position, towards which the Khalifa was now moving.
Broadwood's horse, and the camel corps, had been driven off the hill
they occupied; and so fierce was the attack that three of the guns of
the horse battery had to be left behind. The camel corps were ordered
to retire rapidly, and make for shelter to the right rear of the camp.
The force made two or three stands, and the Egyptian cavalry more than
once charged the pursuing horsemen. The gunboats opened fire, and
covered the final retirement of the camel corps, which had lost eighty
men.

The cavalry did not retire to the zareba, but continued to fall back,
occasionally turning and facing the enemy, until they were five miles
away; when the Dervishes gave up the pursuit, and sat down to rest
after their tremendous exertions. Although forced to retire, the
cavalry had done good service, for they had drawn off a great body of
the enemy at a critical moment, and these were unable to return and
take part in the battle still raging.

At length, the Khalifa moved off with all his force behind the western
hills, and for a short time there was a lull in the battle. Many of the
wounded tribesmen crawled up to within seven or eight hundred yards of
the zareba, and there opened fire. Their aim was good, and men began to
drop fast, in spite of the volleys fired to clear off the troublesome
foe. But their fire was soon disregarded for, from the ravines in the
range of low hills, behind which the Khalifa's force had disappeared, a
mass of men burst out at a hard run. From their shelter behind Surgham
Hill, a portion of the force who were there also swept down to join the
Khalifa, while Yacoub advanced from the southwest, and another body
from the west.

Instantly the infantry and artillery fire broke out again. On the
previous day, the distance had been measured and marked on several
conspicuous objects; and the storm of shells tore the ranks of the
enemy, and the rifles swept them with a rain of bullets. But, in face
of all this, the Dervishes continued to advance at a run, their numbers
thinning every minute.

Two or three hundred horsemen, with their emirs, dashed at the zareba
at full gallop. Shrapnel, Maxim and rifle bullets swept their ranks,
but nearer and nearer they came,