The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-06
THE vALOR OF THE DERvIsmEs.
They win Fight for a Long Time
Against Fearful odds.
From the London Times

From the London Times.
OF all the numerous British officers who
have taken part in former campaigns
against the Nahdists. all allow that the
Dervishes have lost nothing OF their old
valOr. They heed death as little as ever.
I saw them stand undismayed in the open
and fight with dogged determination in
the face OF our deadly volley fire; they
lought on with rifle and spear and knife
" men charged by the cavalry; each wound
ed dervish, as he lay bleeding 10 death
on the ground, was dangerous and
treacherous Zoe until he had breathed his
last; they even did what some authorities
nave denied that any troops, however
brave, would ever do-they stood in groups
firing steadily into our ranks while our
Maxim guns poured their streams OF bull
let's on them. moving them down like
grass ] doubt whether any other men
IN the world would have stood. as these
men stood. for nearly two hours against
such fearful odds as were opposed TO
them.
But. if one may judge from this fight.
the dervishes have changed their old
tactics; they have to a great extent aban-
doned the reckless rush Of spearmen,
which used to distinguish Sudanese war
fare and rely more on rifle fire, in which
their practice has considerably improved.
II trained and disciplined (but Il Is very
doubtful whether that savage beast Of
prey, the Baggara, ever could be tameD,
THESE lien would make mdEnllccnl IN
fantry They display now as much amaz-
ing GOODNESS when acting on the defensive
as they did wild elan in their furious
charges OF former campaigns. During
one part OF the fight l was with the men
Of the Ninth Sudanese battalion. who were
clearing the hills to the east of Ferkeh.
and I saw a handful OF twenty-five OF the
enemy's rifemen stand firm and fire into
us until we were twenty yards from them,
when they in vain sought safety in flight.
The majority of these rifemen were
blacks of the same stock as the men of
our Sudanese battalions. 1t is. therefore,
possible to form some idea of how the
latter win fight if caught in tight
corner"
The Khahfas black rifemen. or Jeha-
dla, for the most part fight unWillingly IN
the cause OF the tyrant who has ruined
their country, and would gladly desert to
us; but once in the thick of a fight they
forget all this, their blood is up, and they
set to as IL inbued with tanattCal frenzy.
In my last letter 1 recorded an incident
I witnessed-that of one of our Sudanese
soldiers rushing from the ranks to en-
brace a prisoner who had just been taken
and whom he recognized as relation.
Similar strange meetings occurred over
the whole field A man of the Ninth bat
taEon found his father lying dead among
the enemy. Again, when the men of the
Tenth battalion were attacking the enc
my's riverside position, they were set to
clear a hut held by a number of desperate
men, who fired on them from the loop
| nOleS with considerable erect AT last
nearly all the defenders were killed and
| the few survivors surrendered and came
| out. among them a big black who, no doubt
| up to that moment had been doing his best
| to kill as many of our men as possible;
| but as soon as he appeared a soldier
| laugh.ngly ran forward and put his arms
| about his neck; then several others, recog-
/ nizing in him an old friend whom they
! had not seen for years, welcomed him.
| their faces beaming with pleasure, and
J there was a general embracing all round.
/ No fewer than 100 of the black prisoners
whom we took during the fight of the 7th
have already been enlisted in the Sudan
| csc battalions