The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-20

G. w. Stevens, the war cOrrespon-
dent of the London Mail, sent superb
Omdurman. His story brings out the
bulldog courage of the English soldiers
and the heroism of the Egyptians and
the SOudanese, but he gives first place
to the Dervishes, who displayed a
valor that no white men would have
shown, as it was bravery that was
simply fanatical defiance to death and
accomplished nothing. The Mahdi's
army preserved it's formation through
out the battle but it played directly
into the hands of the English, charg
ing across a level plain straight up
against the British guns. Here is his
story of the last stand made by the
fanatics:
Light stole quickly into the sky be-
mind us; there was no sound from the
plain or the hills before us; there was
hardly sound from our own line.
Everybody was very silent, but very
come out and run their heads into our
fire? 1t seemed beyond hoping for;
yet certainly they had been full of war
the day before. But most of us were
expecting instantly the order to adj
vance to Omdurman.
A trooper rose out of the dimness
from behind the shoulder of Gebel
Surgham, grew larger and palmer,
vic RI r xa in,
side couple more were silhouetted
across our front. Then the electric
whisper came racing down the line;
they were coming. The lancers came in
on the left; the Egyptian mounted
troops drew like curtain across us
from left to right. AS they passed a
flicker Of white flags began to extend
and fill the front in their place. The
noise of something began to creep in
upon us; it cleared and divided into
the tap of drums and the far away surf
of rancous war cries. A shiver of ex-
pectancy thrilled along our army, and
then a sigh of content. They were
coming on. Allah help them, they were
coming on.
1t was now $50. The flags seemed
still very distant, the roar very faint,
and the thud of our first gun was al
most startling. 1t may have startled
them, too. but it startled them into life.
The line of flags swung forward and
mass OF white flying linen swung for
ward with it, too. They came very
fast and they came very straight; and
then presently they came no further.
With crash the bullets leaped out of
the British rifles 1t began with the
guards of the ADMINISTRATION vol
legs at 1000 yards; then, as the Der
wishes edged rghtward, it ran along
10 the Highlanders, the LincOlns and
to MaXwell's brigade. The British
stood up IN double rank behind their
zariba; the blacks lay down in their
shelter trench; both poured out death
as fast as they could load and press
trigger Shrapnel whistled and Max
inns growled savagely. From all the
line came perpetual fire, fire, fire, and
it shrieked forth in great gusts of de-
struction.
And the enemy? No white trooper
would have faced that torrent of death
for FIVE minutes, but the Baggara and
the blacks came on. The torrent swept
into them and hurled them down in
whole companies. You saw a rigid
line gather itself up and rush on even
". then. before a shrapnel shell or a
Maxim, the line suddenly quivered and
stopped The line was yet unbroken,
but it was quite still. But other lines
gathered up again, again, and yet
again; they went down, and yet others
rushed on. Sometimes they came near
enough to see single figures quite plain
ly One old man with white flag
started with five comrades; all
dropped, but he alone came bounding
forward to within 200 yards OF the
Fourteenth Soudanese. Then he fold
ed his arms across his face and his
limbs loosened and he dropped sprawl
ing to earth beside his flag.
1t was the last day OF Mahdism and
the greatest. They could never get
near and they refused to hold back. BY
now the ground before us was all white
with dead mems drapery. Rifles grew
red hot; the soldiers seized them by
the sings and dragged them hack 10
the reserve to change for cool ones. 1t
was not a battle, but an execution.
Thus much for the right. On the
left the British cavalry were in the
stress of an engagement, less perfect
Nv conducted, even more hardly fought
out. They left the Zariba, as you
heard the moment the attack burned
out, and pricked eagerly off to Omdur-
man. Verging somewhat westwardly,
TO the rear of Gebel Surgham, they
came on some 500 Dervishes. Their
scouts had been over the ground 1000
yards ahead Of them, and it was clear
for charge. Only to cut them off it
was thought better to get little west
of them, then left wheel, and thus gal"
Top down on them and drive them away
from their supports. The trumpets
rang out the order, the troops glided
into line, and four squadrons in col
umn. the Twenty-first Lancers, swung
into their first charge.
Knee to kpee, they swept on till they
we're but 200 yards from the enemy.