Graham guardian., 1898-11-11

y
fancied the Macedonian pbaianx
was alive again. Left and front
and right and rear the masses ate
up the desert-l2,000 unbroken
tast and fearless warriors leaping
round 5000.
Now began the fercest fight Of
that fierce day. The Khaltfa
brought up bis own black banner
again; his stanchest die-ha drove
it into the earth and locked their
ranks about 1t. The green nag
danced encouragement to the Al
lah battallons of Wad
Helu and the Shlekh-ed Din. 1t
was victory or paradise now.
For us il was victory or SHREDDED
flesh and bones, unburied, crack
ling under the red slippers of Bag
CARA viotors. 1t was the very crux
aud crisis of the fgat, and the cock
pit Of the fight was Macdonald's.
The British might avenge his brig
ads; it was his to keep it and to-
kill of the attack. To meet 1T he
turned his front through COM
plete half.circle; facing successively
south. west aud north. Every
taciician in the army was delirious
10 his praise; the ignorant cores
pondent WAS content to watch the
man and his blacks. "Cool as on
parade" jsan old phrase; Macdonald
Bey was very much cooler. Be-
meath the Strong, square-hewn face
you could tell that the brain was
working as if packed In ice. He
sat solid on his horse, and bent his
black brows toward the green flag
and the RemiDgtons. Then he
turned to a gaIIoper with an order,
and cantSred easily up to a battal-
ion commander. MaglcalIythe rifles
hushed, the singing powder smoke
wispcd away, and the battallons
we're rapidly threading back and
forward, round and round, in and
out, as if 1t were a figure cf dance.
In two minutes the brigade was to-
gethcr again in new place. The
field IN front was Fastening toward
us in a Whitley brown cloud of der
wishes. An order. Macdonald's
jaws gripped and hardened as they
spurted out again, and the Whitley
brown cloud quiverod and stood
still. He saw everything; knew
what to do; knew how to do it; did
it. At tho fire he was ever brood
ing watchtully behind his firing
line; al the cease Gre he was in.
stantly in front Of IL all saw him
and knew that they were being
nursed to triumph.
His blacks Of the Ninth, Tenth
and Eleventh, the historic tightin g
regiments Of the Egyptian al imy,
were worthy Of their chief. The
Second Egyptian br.gaded with
them and lighting in The line, were
worthy OF their comrades, and of
their. own reputation as the best
disciplined battalion in the world.
A few had feared that the blacks
would Oe too forward and the yel-
lows too backward; except that the
blacks, as always, looked happier,
there was no difference at all be
tween them. The Egy ptians sprang
to the advance at the bugle; the
Soudanese ceased 10 ire in an in
stant silence at the ougle. They
were losing men, too, for, though
eyes were ciamped on the dnrvish
charges, the deryish ire was brisk
Man after man dropped out behind
the friug line
And the Dcrvishesy The honor
of the fight must still go with the
men who died. Our men were per-
feet, but the Dervi3h9s were superb
beyond perfection. II was their
largest, best and Orayest army that
ever fought against us for Mahdisml
and it died worthily of the huge
empire that Mahdism won and kept
so long, Their ufemsn, mangled
by every kind Of death and tor
ment that man can devise, cluug
round the black tiug and the greer,
emptyjng their poor, rotten, home.
made cartridges dauntlessly. Their
spearmcn charged death at every
every minute hopclsssly. Their
horsemen led each attack, riding
into the bullets till nothing was
left bat three horses trottlng up to
our hne, heads down, saying, "For
goodies sake, let US in out of
this" Not one rush, or two, or
ten-but rush on rush, company on
company, nevor stopping, though
all their view that was not unshak
en- enemy was the bodies of the
men who had rushed before them.
A dusky line got up and stormed
forward; it bent, broke up, fell
apar. and disappeared. Before the
smoke had cleared another line
was bending and storming forward
in the same track.
1t was over. The avenging
squadrous Of the Egyptian cavalry
swept over the field. The Khalifa
and the Sheikh,ed-Din had galloped
back to Omdurman. Ala Wad.
Helu was bone away on an angareb
with a bullet through his thigh
bone. IaIlub lay dead under his