The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-02-24 00:00:00

FIGHTING AT ABLY KLEA.

ENE %IY REPUL9EI).
GAZDUL, Feb. 18th,
Abu Klea is ...airp the seen.. of • aerious military
eitu.tion. After the con•ey I. ft on t'm 16th, at three
in the atternoon, Arab. appeared ro MIK along the
M•temnseh•road. A o impauy of monnt-ri Infantry
and a Pene It .yal Irkh wore r• .t t or crototer th-m—
-the former down • s a le, the letter 'long room
rolling grotto 1 t the • uth..vers.. Toe enemy .h...ve I
• lisp to overlap our flank., and cloee tie pPso
•41044 the range, for rridoe in nor rear' over which
the r sad load.. In th early irsrt of theday,o3lll:ral
with vrent f oethought, hat begun 4rengthen•
log hia po-ition. There has exi.ted .t for some
time p. 4 a stron;:y•usade tIBIa fort. /1.1.11 this
Lord Ohs lee II r -.for I with the hailors. U ',Auer
guns and sappas was planed about • hundred yords to
the left, his froot facing littarnmeh In uneven
ground. Near the wateroourse • detachment s.f the
&wart regiment built and °soupiest our fort a one 20
yards square, t the right rear of the Sail. re 330 yea Ja
ff, The ftlyol frith were directed to built our fort
in the bet of the water-course, 200 yards to the rear
of the Sailors' right, and the mounted Infantry were
formed in square sal °ride I to surround thew...lves
with an earthy', rk. At arse o'clock the enemy 's
addicts was as usual iu Beare I by • I. n; frings of
horsemtn. They came on in threes and tiros., taking
op • position within 1,600 parole of us, d 'urinating
ridges by four. There were 100 horsemen, anall our
attended by a few to tenets extended acr .as our front,
e•ory minute the numb: r hemmed, so the It wal Irish
owl mountel infautr r advanced wastrel hundred yards
to engage them. Two volleys from the Royal frith
sent the enemy's ravish y letting I if, Nada,* empty-
ing 1 Arab saddle.. The enemy at once
demisted from pushing the left forward, and if icked
towards the hills to the north-wart. The in 'tinted
infantry akiratithers Inflicted further punishment as
the enemy •theamed acne. their front a thousand
yard• off, whilst Lard °earl. Beireatord gay* them •
torsi fr .rn the " Gardners," &I thy ehowed eh 'ye the
errata. As yet the Arabs had a Purely ettem; tof
replyrig to our firs, and the work of c anplatiug the
forts 11144 pushed I rrwari rapidly with two or three
„thin. I mod le 1 the hill at the for tot the wady
and clearly saw the enentee dieposition and numbers,
Behind their cad!. y Cain.ws equally long line of rfle•
men ri plops.' as dirmishas. Upon the ennmy'd lilt
on the histamutelt.road, marchel. in aoparent
military order many cilams,s of iolantry—epearsineu,
swordsmen, and riflemen if "mein half a d.xen five.
Shortly after five the Arab infantry swarmed aloog
the CreeS of the ridges on the Baba rose'. N
and nearer they acme, running swilt4 down the slops,
and haltiog upon the foothCle 1,300 to 1,300 yards on
tre Wady. Some of the Sussex man and mounted
infantry • leant:teal sot opened fire urwil the nearest
Arab. to which they replied weakly. Toey were herd
at worlr, as we o,ali see, putting up low et me walls
.imiler to those we had erected a month before. At
5 30, without any warning, the Arab. toured down
npon us an drew tingly well direcned fim from 500
Rintingtoos ; the bullets rattled all over the camp.
This sharp fire MU continued almost without inter-
mission WI after sundown. That night few of us had
hot tea or coffee, and lights were not permitted altar
dark. Many of us were without overcoats or blankets,
thew having been left does to the camel lines, where
It was unite. to venture. All alght the enemy kept
up a dropping fire, occassiona'ly delivering small
volleys and showing that they are rapidly acquiring
• slight knowledge of modern war method. ; for a
wonder they beat no totntozne. The wind was high
and the odd was keen, go altogether most of the force
passed a miserable night. The work of improving the
Royal frith rectangular fort went on till morning.
Gingered Bolter walked &boat a good deal dor ing the early
part of the night, and weed the alert ea wells. the other
commanding dna''', till daybreak. At eight p.m. •
false alarm originated at the Royal Irish poet, through
an accident, which led to the in a firing their rifles,
and an inrush of • few outaiders into Lord Charles
Elereaford*s fort. From dark till dayllet not • shot
WAS fired frma our linee at the enemy. TiU the morn.
lag of the lfth we had 14 men woundei, three killed,
and Wes or four trinkets mining. On the 17th, as
soon as the,. was light enough, the artillery, who
wire in another little fort and meta 50 yards to the
right of the sailor., opened fire with shot ant shrapnel
from the screw P• 11111 upon the enemy, the Gardners
also ware turned upon them. hut as ammunition was
limited the petunia was repatriated. Ihe enemy, though
temporarily silenced, were obrerved improving th in
tweition, ant by eight o'clock the fire was nearly &I
vigorous as ever. Luckily the wield la still high, sad
cloud. c f sand and dust darkened the air like fog and
duet destroyed the Mah 114.: aim. General Buller
ordered C ilonel Blabs: no with some men of the
Lights to proceed to Gakdul. There Beebe:on was to
deliver deepatcheo, ant return with transport cantata
partly laden with water and grain under scant. On
their return General Buller intended filling the wells
end retiring upon. Gakdul, there to await Lord
Wolselef instructiona

KOlrti, i:s.Tr7-27,. 550 p.m. (From Gado',
February 19th.1
The enemy retired Nem hit poeltion near the Alm
Klee Walla on the afternoon of the 17th inst. We
now hold the hill, from which their riflemen fired
up.. our UM. o.a lure amount. to 25 wounded and
four killed. About noon on the 17th General Huller
commerc•cl a syeternatic shelling of the Arab line..
Presently two fortunate, well aimed shots inflicted
oneid'rable damoge upon the troops of the Blandi.
One ..f there buret 0 sr the heads of • number of moo
gathered Around • fonemounder howitzer, which they
bed dragged to tho top of the hill nod of as fort held
by the sailo e, nit I the sec did monition in carry-
ir g sway the wheel of a RUC 011aNje, Meanwhile
L.r I Charlee Bereeford with the Gardners work 1.1
upon the enemy at every opportunity, and at the
saute time the Minuted I-fantry, under Col.tain
Pigott, while pr, toting the water parties, he; t np a
heavy fire from an advanced p Ant in the Wady, so I
that took off those of the enemy's skirmishers oh
hod crept nearest to our line.. The honours .1 the
day, however, fell t) Msj,, Wardropr. With four
Hume,* one nod right left behind, be and Lieutenant
To.lway, of the Mornted Infantry, stole op the AV.!,
in the direction of Stewart's amble, keeping well
under over of the bills, and maintaining touch all the
while of Bal'er's left. Movie g cautlonaly in this way
the little I ,rae crept roun I the enemy's right. Seeing
there were only • few bundre I riff linen nmo the
hills without any roma of spearmene WerdroP, set
volleys at 800 yard.' range lot, the enemy'. fl ink.
Leaving a tom at the epot t, o mtinue the firing
as rapidly as pornibl.., but without showing
hirneelf above the skyline, Wrr bore then descended
and galloped wit his meet to the next hill further
behind the enemy'a right, and from here he
repeated the taotioe I bora jut describe I. Thie done,
be puebed on to • third bill, again carrying out the
caine pine. Ifis prooe lure was band on the bell, f thrt
the Arnie would not stand it taken iu the rear. And
in It proved. The &optimum of the men and the
firing from so many different quarters oompletely our-
prl'edries Mandist., and threw them into something
hice a panic. They evidently thought that bodies of
fresh British troops were arriviog, and having no
his mien at hand they began at about 2.30 to make
,if for Metammeh. By three o'clock their firing
owned, •r% I the main body of the memy had d's-
appeared, taking with them their PULS and dead and
wound' I. A few mounted Arabs, acting te. egnatta,
remained on watch two or three miles off. It is
probable that the enemy's kens 'landed ours. The
whole affair may have been a reeonnalmance In force
on the enemy's part, but the &Arturo% Canada!)
Cline sod the wearing of the %dub's uniform showed
nightua atasoict
fuseernotmi olg7tethnhet
south. to
and rate,
p morninga
During
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thbiesh
87 etihb
eotrbt •
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All cheques sod Post-otlios orders Cr. pny.tbie to
Mu. Uses lIILLza, 8. High West-dtreet, Wm:bolter. Printed and Pub Hoed by How.tan INfeweAs. as tho
Offices, 8, High Allintt-etreet, Dorchester, io itt*
Parish of The Holy Trinity, for the Proprietor
Tuaiday, llsbruary 2411), 146.