em, the soldiers could not
draw their weapons out, and found themselves hampered with dying foes,
whose breast-bones were jammed against the muzzles of their rifles. If
they drew back to release their weapons, the enemy took instantaneous
advantage of the space yielded. When they strove to stand firm they
were pushed bodily back by the dense mass surging upon them since the
Soudanese in rear could push on with perfect impunity wherever the
bayonets were sheathed in the bodies of the front rank. The sailors who
manned the machine-guns at one corner were driven back by main force
with the rest, but made a desperate effort to keep back the savages,
while certain parts without which the guns were useless could be
removed. They succeeded, but at the cost of many lives, and then back
they had to go, leaving the guns, now happily harmless, in the enemy's
hands.

The confusion was frightful, the front face of the square being driven
back upon the rear, and the sides jammed up with them. And then the
whole tangled mass was forced slowly back, fighting its hardest. For
there was no turning tail; the retreating soldiers kept their faces to
the foe, and where they had their arms free delivered thrust for thrust.
Marines and Highlanders fought back to back, and fought like bull-dogs.
So did the Arabs for that matter; they lay tumbled over in hundreds,
but others came on over their bodies. Seventy English were killed in a
few minutes. Fighting thus the Second Brigade, now no longer a square,
was pushed back nearly half a mile.

But now the charging Arabs came under the fire of the First Brigade, the
square on the right, up to which the enemy had not been able to
penetrate. This was so well directed and murderous as to check the rear
masses of the Arabs, and the Second Brigade having only those in
immediate contact to deal with, and relieved from the tremendous
pressure, soon got on terms with their enemy again, shook them off, and
recovered their lost formation.

The battle was restored; the retreat turned into an advance.

The Arabs, now driven back in turn, retired some distance and opened
fire, which was not very effective. Indeed, in spite of it, the re-
formed square, when it had recovered some hundred yards of its lost
ground, was halted for a quarter of an hour for the purpose of serving
out fresh ammunition, the men being exhorted not to waste it as they had
done before. Desirous of retrieving their former erro