The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-28

Ola. Their trained hack troops. trsesi TO sd-
vance against cur left ! should say there
were fifteen or eighteen hundred Of Sssfn-
They formed n dense line 50 far as l
could Ese. three deep. ard fo- few rnifa-
utes their fire wss heavy and rapid. ThEv
came on boldly 0ut Of cover. s-d alc1-
their black line one saw a csasesess blaze
~ IRE from right 10 left. each MAJ iaadlnss
and puilsnx trigger as fast as he could
IL was the critical moment Of the fight
Would the long. thin lire Of ne Exypti1n
army hold It's own Yes stessly solfeys
answered the rapid Ere OF the Js4ssdia,
and then from the hills came ths rafting
din OF our Maxinas ard tire deeper tone os
the guns. and the sharpneI burst into
white rings OF smoke just IN fr51~ OF the
dervish lire.
Such a storm OF Ere was never seen in
the Soadaa before, and the wonder was
that the Jehaa9ia held their own for eyena
few minutes As a spectacle Il Was mag
n.1cent- The village. the bright river al
bathed IN the morning sunlight. the corr
tending lines. bright with FIRE flashes and
wTesthed in smoke. and Ferkeh mounts IN
sending back the echoes Of The guns from
it's dark prerlpfces
Hnrrah. The Jedahia are retiring. taxi
Ing cover among the rocks, and en- gos )
08r line after them 20 hunt them OF.
village, and then the three brig ades close
In upon II. and we can see a great hollow
square before Us. The lines were dressed
Ss II for a review. The men on the 4 Il
and right faces fired steadily half left
and half right. But neither the artillery
preparation for the attack nor .he yeiley
firing lasted long. The Siraar meant to
save ammunition. The word was given
and in our fellows went with he bayonet.
and gradually cleared the place from
north to south.
There were some tough hand-to-hsnd
fights in the lanes and in the houses. IN
one corner alone OF the great Village We
counted 1s dervish dead. BY $50 o'clock
Ferkeh was ours. and then We nea-i tire
FIRE of the pursuit rolling away sosfhward,
and on the other bank the skirmishing OF
our friendiies hunting down those who
had swan across.
Hammuda was found dead outside the
village. He must have been killed early in
the fight. None OF the British officers
were hit-a wonderful escape, for they
were in the saddle IN the firing line. and
the deryish RemIngtons being mostly cut
down TO carbine length. carried high.
There are several deryish wounded IN
the field hospital. Ii Is no easy matter to
help them, as the wounded dervish has an
ugly habit OF jumping up and stabblng any
one who approaches him. ! myself saw
our principal medical officer. Hunter. go
cut with the stretcher men TO save a
wounded dervish. but one or the men kept
his rife ready. The women seem 10 have
been mostly sent away. One child, a boy.
lay dead In the village. killed by a chance
shot. The women who remained were
laughing and joking with the soldiers. and
most OF the prisoners were anxiously in
quiring whether they could not enlist in
our Soudaaese regiments.
h. rflf saf st1f IF asa4 fer he \. as-<,-
net and Martini volleys at close quarters
make very sure work. In all the holfows
OF tho broken ground dervishes are lying
dead or wounded. In one found six dead
in a row killed by the Maxim.
All through the village the dead lay In
and near the houses, mostly with a look OF
repose on their faces. which had not Tho
collapsed look of men who have diel IL
disease. Even where the wounds were
terrible the face seemed in repose. On
sloping path at the north end os the VIII
iage a bearded man lay dead. his back to
the slope. so that he seemed to face RE
as / urged my horse up 1t. The rish. side
of his forehead was simply blown out ~
a Maxim bullet, but despite tao gaping
wound there was no sign of pain, terror
or excitement on the dead features IL
the wound had been covered one mig at
have thought he was resting. There is not
the ashy paieness OF a dead European
face.
One hears OF the rivers of blood shed on
the battlefield. That Is poetry. There Was
very little blood on most Of the dead.
Sometimes IL was hard 10 say where the
wound WAS that had laid them low. In
some OF the houses there had been fierSe
lighting. and In one there was heap OF
dead-six or eighth the open court
yard. Sometimes. too. one saw signs of
the completeness of our sIrprise-ths
cooking OF the morning meal begun sni
suddenly interrupted as tina storm of fire
burst upon the village.
did not realize the fSil holiness of our
night march till saw IN tie daylight the
rough. stony track and .ha narrow lodges
OF rock above the river which We had ira
yersed in the darkness of Saturday night.
Near this. pass, as ! rode inside the belt OF
palms on the river bank. a man In very
suspicious dress came out of the bush. IL
looked very like the new ornamental jibbas
had seen on several OF the Madhist i pad
and prisoners few hours before. loosei
my pistol in It's holster, and then, affecting
a GOODNESS did not feel. wished him good
day. He returned my greeting and salated
ne. and then / used my small stock of
Arabic 10 exchange few remarks with
him. He expressed great delight at hear
ing OF the deryish defeat. but my friends
here thought he was deTvish fugitive.
lie retired into the bush as / rode away.
4 little further on l had a narrow es-
cape from an undoubted dervish. probably
a scout cut off by our advance. He was on
my track. and 1t would have been
a question OF q tired man with a re-
volver against a deFvish spear. had not
three OF the friendiies happily come In
sight and sent him racing for his life up
one Of the khors. The frIendlies are every
where tn the hills. and are now making
a clean sweep OF all the stray dergIshes TO
be found in them.
Half way TO Akasheh I was overtaken
by n cavalry soldier riding with a dis
patch and the rest OF our Journey We
made together. After today. I take IL. the
desert and river routes TO Ferkeh Will be
as safe as London street. for the
"frisndiles" have just ts,5a a. M marched
IN 1Ss deryish prisoners. captured al var
ious points southeast OF Akasheh. A few
whs were so foolish as 10 resist capture
were shot. bat the news Of Ferkeh gem
orally produced a ptompt surrender.