The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-07
FIGHTING FURIES.
Fearlessness and Ferocity OF the
African Dervishes.
Undaunted by Superior Numbers They
Charge Their English Foes ard Fight
as Long as the Breath OF Life
Remains in Them.

1T Is easier to turn hungry tiger
aside from his prey than thoroughly
excited Dervish from his swoop on an
enemy says the military corresponds
ent of the London telegraph His
half brother in fanaticisn and creed,
the Indian or Afghan ghazi, is terrible,
but the African and Arab dervish is
superlatively awful. with an incurable
delirium for his opponents gore. Howl
ing and whirling dervishes, such as
travellers are specially conducted to
see when visiting the east are 4 com
paratively harmless SORT of lunatics
compared with those types of the Afri-
can bigots who. converted to Mahd-
ism. burn TO run amuck with the rest of
unbelieving humanity. Once fairly
bitten with the tarantula of Moslem
sectarian zeal, the proselyte is con-
sumed with the belief that the delights
of the seventh or any number OF heas-
ems awaits HIM if he can only engage
in sturdy. steady butehery with inf
dels,' of his own or any race. 1t is .
matter of Indifference TO him, if, in the
operation, while he sheathes his sword
in his and his Prophets enemy, the lat
ter is doing the same TO him. Quick
and happy translation he holds as his
sure reward.
The stiff fight the other day be-
tween the Egyptian troops south of
Wady Halfa and Mahdists recalls to me
many a bygone incident and fierce
struggle between British and Egyptian
troops and forces largely composed of
dervishes. Ambigol cataract. where the
skirnish took place, is about sixty
miles south of Wady Halfa- There is
an Egyptian outpost at GENIAL, where
the great Second cataract proper be-
gins, and another at Sarrass. The one
station is fifteen miles and the other
thirty-three miles farther up the stream,
and the railroad and ironclad train still
run through to both posts. No doubt
when the dervish raiders, numbering
four hundred strong, were repulsed
from the forts, they fell back from the
river towards the easier going tracks in
land, along which they must have sped
on their caueIs- The Egyptian cavalry
(which, under careful English train
ing, has learned 20 trust their weapons
and their own physical strength in
contest with the baby
not numbering more than two squad
rons, overlook the raiders at the pleas
ant aforetime camp of Ambigol There,
no doubt, under the palm trees
grateful shade, hard by the rush and
troops az once opened fire upon them.
Although the whole of the enemy were
unlikely to have been dervishes-for
these gentry never run away, but. when
necessary, walk sedately out Of a fight,
merely to assume fresh coign of van
tage-a sharp engagement seems TO
have ensued. The Mahdists, nothing
10th, swarmed, mounted and foot, mp
the rocky hills, which their pursuers
had, with sound, tactical Judgment, |
and whence they had opened /
fire.
Il thin x it was at the battle OF FL /
Teb / first made the acquaintance of
the Mahdist dervishes. The Fuzzy-Wuz-
~ Hadendowah trihesman is the BRAY
est of the day, but the dervish is hero
ism run crazy. These so-called holy i
beggars,' self-sworu to devote them 1
selves to the Prophets cause, came at 4
Gen. Graham's square of marines, High
landmen and stout linesmen as il we 4
had been children to be frightened by
cry. Clad in their patchwork rags.
with shaved. barred heads. many armed /
with no better weapons than sticks,
they charged full in front Of the fire
walled square. Down they went by
scores and hundreds, but others quickly 1
took up the running toward us | saw
them that day - more than one
Of them - pierced through and
through with Martini Henry bull
let wounds. come fercely on, Keeling
like drunken men, their teeth cleaning
and eyes afame with hatred Happy
were they if they could but cross weap-
ons with our bayonets. When exhaust
ed nature failed them, their last act
" as generally 10 hurl the weapon they
carried. stick, lance or sword, toward
Dur ranks and shout an Arab impreca-
ton against US. 'Nosran!r (Nazaruno)
An old gray-haired sheik actually
charged the square, reading the Koran
aloud, which he held in his hands.
I.ater on. when Sir Herbert then
,oloneiJ Stewart charged the worsted
Arab footmen with his two regiments
II cavalry, their mounted dervishes
faced his whole force and boldly
charged them IN return Again, at
ramai, when the Arabs broke into Cen
Davis square, where | was, and having
captured our six machine
runs, on which they danced in hendish
,lee, the dervishes were in the fore
'front.' OF the attack a big marine, who
lad bayoneted one OF them, found his
life caught and clutched by the fanatic
iavage, who strove TO reach his foeman
With his sword II was az the moment
ve were being driven back. and while
he marine tugged and swore 20 get his
Weapon free, the Keeling dervish e.
aged with his parting strength - siay
II wound our Tommy Atkins In the
desperate battle Of Abu-Elea similar
Genes occurred ! state II as fact, Of
which / took personal note ., the time,
hat during the melee IN which Col
}rrnaby fell. a 6ervish, who had
truck that officer and was promptly
,ayopeted through the back. twisted
bout while the steel was protrudiug (
nd tried % thru. his lance into TIE +
older. Even the crippled and wound
A oervishes on the feld Of battle lay
q wait % stab the chsrce-pzssing
nemy. Asked 20 Surrender and pat
Owl their swords and spears. tbs IN /;
aris bic answer of the sorely siricksn :
ervish was; Christian Tor iuSaeli
ogs. never When / saw them out IN I
Ae Soudan, a few years ago, there Wa