Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-28
WHERE BURNABY FELL.
The Terrible struggle OF the
E.-hting square at Abu-K lea.

At it we went; the square was closed
7 must acknowledge that our men were
now mad. We all felt that we must
flo ht for our lives. Retreat was not to
be thought Of; if we did SO, where could
we retreat to, cut off as we were from
all support? If we did not win the day
we must leave our bones in the desert.
The temper of our fellows mounted to
the boiling pitch. Each man felt
as if he must put forth the
power of a giant, and as a conse-
auence, the butchery was terrible
none dared to finch. Thus every man
in the square had to do his duty, for
while the inside resembled a volcano in
active eruption, the outside or kneeling
ranks had enough to do to keep the
other Arabs at respectful distance.
The fighting was literally back to back.
Stabbing and gashing their horses,
which were iammed in mass, we quick
ly brought them to the ground, riders
and all, when the latter were quickly
dispatched by dozens of bayonets at
once. The Arabs being packed so tight
ty could neither use their lances nor
WELD their scimitars without slashing
each other, while we did not cease our
lunging as long as one breathed. AT
last they were wiped out, and we again
faced outward aud reopened fire, our
weapons meanwhile dripping. Five
times the enemy charged US with frantic
cries and waving banners, and as many
times we poured in the murderous vol.
leys-no shots wasted.
Ii was during one of these charges that
Col. Burnaby, impatient at the restraint
imposed on him, pushed his horse
through the ranks of the rear face, and
singing out an emir who was making
himself disagreeably prominent, made q
thrust at him, but was rather short; the
emir thrust in return with his lance, but
Burnaby, with sneer on his face, par
ried it easily. Two or three other Arabs
took o hand, but he disposed of them
similarly. 1t was evident that he now in
tended to astonish them by his magnifi-
cent swordmanship, as he gathered up
his reins and frightened his grip OF his
saber. But at this juncture another
rush was made, the Arabs surged
around him, and before he could turn
an Arab thrust at him from behind,
piercing his jugular vein. He realed in
the saddle and fell, but springing to his
feet, dying though he was, he delivered
one tremendous cut at some dismounted
Arabs near him with such terrible ef-
feet as to sever the heads from the shoul.
ders of two of them. As he propped the
Arabs closed in to mutilate him. but q
dozen men sprang from the square and
tore his body from them. All this hap.
pened so quickly as to bewlder the
spectators.
1t might be asked why it was tha.
the men OF the square did not shoot
those to whom he was opposed. There
are two answers: One was that owing to
the velocity of his movements they were
afraid of shooting him while aiming al
his adversaries; the other was that
those who knew him had such conf.
dence in his ability that they did not
like to rob him of his game, never think
ing for moment that the affair would
terminate as it did.
Meanwhile the battle ragged, the en-
emy came on like the waves, not to be
driven back, but to be beaten to the
earth. Horses and men, they were
piled in mounds; in fact, the great mum.
ber of dead and wounded interfered
with their movements, while the slight.
est delay on their part insured certain
death, and it was now noticed
from their hesitation that they had lost
heart. As they came on for the last
time, the front of their advance, consist
ing entirely of wkite.robed emrs and
shelkhs, shouting, waving theil banners
and pointing at US, all our machine
guns opened a searching fire, supple
mented by handicap volleys from the
Martini-Henrys, and when the smoke
lifted not a live Arab was to be seen
within 5000 yards--they were all
stretched.
| fear no contradiction when | ven
ture to say that never since Agincourt,
not even at Inkermann (the soldiers
battle), has a British force fought so
terrible hand to hand fight.
Commercial Bulletin.