with lessening numbers every yard,
until the last of them fell within about two hundred yards of Maxwell's
line. Animated by the example, the infantry rushed forward. The black
flag was planted within nine hundred yards of Maxwell's left; but, in
addition to the Egyptian fire, the crossfire of the British divisions
poured upon those around it.

The main body began to waver, but the Khalifa and his emirs did their
best to encourage and rally them. The flag was riddled with balls, and
the men who held it were shot down; but others seized the post of
honour, until a pile of bodies accumulated round it.

At last, but one man remained standing there. For a minute he stood
quietly immovable, then fell forward dead. Then the Dervishes lost
heart, and began to fall back in ones and twos, then in dozens, until
the last had disappeared behind the hills.

The troops then turned their attention to the men who, lying in
shelter, were still maintaining their fire. There were fully a thousand
of these, and the greater portion of our casualties took place from
their fire, while the troops were occupied in repelling the main
attack. It was not long, however, before bullets and shell proved too
much for them; and those who survived crawled away, to join their
kinsmen behind the hills.

It was eight o'clock now, and the victory had apparently been won. Some
ten thousand of the Khalifa's best troops had been killed or wounded.
In the British division, one officer and one man had been killed, and
three officers and sixty-five men wounded. The latter were at once
placed on board the hospital barges. Fresh ammunition was served out
and, half an hour after the last shot was fired, the army prepared to
march on Omdurman.

It was most important that they should arrive at the town before Ed
Din's Dervishes should reach it; for unless they could do so, the loss
that would be incurred in capturing it would be vastly greater than
that which had been suffered in the battle. At nine o'clock the start
was made. The troops advanced in brigades. Lyttleton led on the left,
Wauchope was on his right, Maxwell somewhat in the rear, while still
more to the right came Lewis, and farther out on the plain Macdonald.
They formed roughly half a semicircle. Lyttleton, followed by Wauchope,
was to march between the river and Surgham Hill. Maxwell was to cross
over the hill, while Lewis and Macdonald were to keep farther out to
the right. Collinson's Egyptian b