The Irish standard., 1893-02-18
FIGHTING FJJRIES.
Fearlessness and Ferocity of the
African Dervishes

Fearlessness and Ferocity Of the
African Dervishes.
Cndaunted by Superior Numbers They
Charge Their English Foes and Fight
as Long as the Breath of Life
Remains in Them.
: ut is easier to turn hungry tiger
aside from his prey than a thoroughly
excited Dervish from his swoop on an
enemy says the military correspond
ent Of the London Telegraph. "His
half brother in fanaticism. and creed,
the Indian Or Afghan ghazi, is terrible.
but Che 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 COM
paratively harmless sort of lrnatics
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 heav-
ems awaits HIM if he can only engage
in sturdy, steady butchery with inf
dels. of his own or any race 1t is a
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.
1.-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
skirmish took place, is about sixty
miles south Of Wady Halfa. There is
an Egyptian outpost at Gemai, 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 camels. The Egyptian cavalry
which, under careful English train
ing, has learned to trust their weapons
and their own physical strength in a
contest with the Bedouinese-probably
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
roar of the mighty river, the Egyptian
troops at 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 fight,
merely to assume fresh coign of van
tage-a sharp engagement seems to
have ensued. The Mahdists, nothing
10th, swarmed, mounted and foot, up
the rocky hills, which their pursuers
had, with sound, tactical judgment,
crowned and whence they had opened
fire.
'sI thin k it was at the battle of Ell
Teb l first made the acquaintance of
the Mahdist dervishes. The FuzzyWuz-
Nv Hadendowah tfibesman is the brav-
est of the day, but the dervish is hero
ism run crazy. These so-called holy
beggars,' self-sworn to devote them
selves to the Prophets cause, came at
Gen. Graham's square of marines, High
landmen and stout inesmen as if we
had been children to be frightened by a
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
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 fiercely on, reeling
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
was generally to hurl the weapon they
carried, stick, lance or sword. toward
our ranks and shout an Arab impreca-
ton against, us. 'Nosrani!' (Nazaruno)
An old gray-haired sheik actually
charged the square, reading the Koran
aloud, which he held in his hands.
Later on, when Sir Herbert (then
coloneD Stewart charged the worsted
Arab footmen with his two regiments
of cavalry, their mounted dervishes
faced his whole force and boldly
charged them in return Again, at
Tamai, when the Arabs broke into Gen.
Davis square, where was, and having
temporarily captured our six machine
guns, on which they danced in fendish
glee, the dervishes were in the fore
front of the attack. A big marine, who
had bayoneted one of them, found his
rifle caught and clutched by the fanatic
savage, who strove to reach his foeman
with his sword. 1t was at the moment
we were being driven back, and while
the marine tugged and swore to get his
weapon free, the reeling dervish es-