The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-10-08

and gathered an impetus, which, If it
had not been for the opportune arrival Of
the Lincolns in support, would have car
ried them on to the bayonets of the Brit
ish vanguard.
AS it was, although decimated at every
yard of the continuous stream of lead
from front and flank, they faltered on till
only mere handful of dismounted men
remained to plant the black banner in
the sand and die around it. 1t may be
said that round this banner Mahdism
died.
Within few moments the dead bodies
OF the Dcrvishes were heaped up around
the now torn and battered flag. Finally
not more than three of its intrepid de-
tenders were left, and they linked arms
that they might die together fighting
Two of the three were shot, whereupon
the one survivor, flourishing his spear,
advanced against thousand rifles 1t
was an inspiring spectacle. To the credit
Of the British officers be it said they
forbade any one to fire upon the solitary
warrior
The war correspondents who saw the
battle agree that the finest display of in
dividual heroism was made by the khali-
fa's son, the famous Emir Yakub. Never
did man show more supreme contempt
for DEATH He rode at the head Of a
thick, dark crowd of horsemen and re-
peatedly tried to get to close quarters.
Over and over again these horsemen
galloped straight to our line, wheeled
round and thundered along our fare
raising dense clouds of dust as they went
and leaving trail of dead and dying
men. At one moment merciless rifle
poured into their flank and rear but
they stopped, and scorning to get out OF
range, gathered in a dense mass round
Yakub's standard and proudly faced the
rain of lead.
A great body of white clad footmen,
screaming hoarsely the name of Allah
and brandishing huge spears, ran at full
speed across the open ground Tor no
other purpose, apparently, than to die
with their leader. Rifle and Maxim fire
and shell from field guns swept through
the mass and moved them down, and
not one man out of ten reached Yakubs
standard There they stood with the
few surviving horsemen still shouting
fierce defiance until not one man was
left standing. So far flar, asking quar-
ter they simply hugged Death.
The day after the battle Gen. Kitchen
er, with an escort and u body Of troops,
went across the river TO Khartoum to do
honor to the name of the illustrious
martyrcd general, "Chinese' Gordon.
When they returned to Oindurman the
Union Jack was flying over Gordon's
grave.
The scene of the death Of Gen. Gordon,
once a fine stone building, now shattered
and crumbled, was the palace at
Khartum, formerly the scat of govern
ment Of the Soudan. Here Gordon was
slain as he stood at the top of the stair
way confronting a wild mob of the
mahdis followers The first one of them
to reach the top pierced Gordon through
and through.
Gen. Kitchener had planned the ccrc-
monies in honor of Gordon with fine SOL
dierly appreciation Of what was fitting
under the circumstances Dctachments
of all the British and Egyptian regiments
were drawn up in firing lines around
three sides of a quadrangle, facing the
front of the ruined palace, the blacks on
the right, the British on the left
From the battered tower rose two flag
staffs with halyards, which were in
charge of Lieut.. Stanley. r. NJ; Capt.
Watson, A. d. c.; Maj. Milford and the
sirdar's Egyptian aide-d -dc-camp. Gen.
Kitchener, who stood with his staff In
side the quadrangle, suddenly raised his
hand the band of the grenadiers played
God Save the Queen and the Khe-
divial hymn, and at that moment the
British and Egyptian ensigns were run
up side by side. The srdar then called,
"Three cheers for the queen" and then
three cheers for the khcdivc The Union
Jack shook itself and streamed out
strongly on the breeze. The guns Of the
Melik doomed salute of twenty one
guns.
The next part of the ceremony had
special reference to Gen. Gordon. The
British band played the dead march in
Saul" and the Egyptian band the
march from Handel's. "Scipio" in MEM
ory of their dead. -Four chaplains-Ro-
man Catholic, Presbyterian. Anglican
and Methodist-advanccd and faced the
sirdar, and alternately read the burial
service, the gunb0at on the river all the
while pcaling minute guns. The service
over, the pipers of the CamerOns and
Seaforths walled a lament, and the band
of the Egyptians followed. The burial
rites having been consummated, the
troops were dismissed.
Those who afterward wandered through
Gordon's garden found it still green with
palms and acacia. orange. lemon. pomc-
granate and fig trees and sugarcane. 1t
was vivid and refreshing scene after
the arid stinking condition of Omdur-