While the cavalry charge was in progress Gregory had moved along the line of the Egyptian brigades with General Hunter. Suddenly, from behind the hills where the Khalifa had fallen back with his defeated army, a column of fully twelve thousand men, led by the banner-bearers and emirs, poured out again. A strong body sprang forward from another valley and made for the south-eastern corner of Mac-donald's brigade, which had moved almost due west from the position it had occupied in the zareba, while the large force that had chased away the Egyptian cavalry were seen returning to attack him in the rear. General Hunter, who was riding between Macdonald's and Lewis's brigades, which were now a good mile apart, exclaimed to Gregory, who happened to be the nearest officer to him, " Ride to Macdonald and tell him to fall back if possible!" Then he turned and galloped off to fetch up reinforcements. But the need was already seen, the sudden uproar had attracted the attention of the whole army, and the Sirdar instantly grasped the situation. The moment was indeed critical. If Macdonald's brigade were overwhelmed it might have meant a general disaster, and the Sirdar at once sent orders to Wauchope's brigade to go at the double to Macdonald's aid.
Fortunately Colonel Long, who commanded the artillery, had sent three batteries with Macdonald's brigade. Collinson's brigade were far away near the river, Lewis's were themselves threatened. It was evident at once that no assistance could reach Macdonald in time. When Gregory reached him the Dervishes were already approaching.
" It cannot be done," Macdonald said sternly, when Gregory delivered the message; "we must fight!" Indeed, to retreat would have meant destruction. The fire would have been ineffective, and the thirty thousand fierce foes would have been among them. There was nothing to do but to fight.
Macdonald had marched out with the 11th Soudanese on his left, the 2nd Egyptians in the centre, and the 10th Soudanese on the right—all in line; behind, in column, were the 9th Soudanese. The last were at once brought up into line to face the advancing enemy. Fortunately, the Sheik Ed Din's force was still some little distance away. The batteries took their place in the openings between the battalions, and the Maxim-Nordenfeldts were soon carrying death into the advancing foe, while the Martini-Henry with which the black and Egyptian troops were armed mowed them down as by a scythe. The Soudanese battalions fired, as was their custom, individually, as fast as they could load; the Egyptian battalion by steady volleys. Still the enemy pressed on, until they were within two hundred yards of the line. The emirs and other leaders, Baggara horse and many spearmen, still held on until they fell a few feet only from the steady infantry. The rear ranks of the Dervishes now began to fall back, and the desperate charges of their leaders grew feebler; but Ed Din's division was now within a thousand yards. Macdonald, confident that the main attack was broken, threw back the 9th Soudanese to face it, and wheeled a couple of his batteries to support them.
The already retreating Dervishes, encouraged by the arrival of Ed Din's division, returned to the attack. The 11th Soudanese swung round to aid the 9th in their struggle with Ed Din's troops. The charges of the Dervishes were impetuous in the extreme. Regardless of the storm of shell and bullets they rushed on, and would have thrust themselves between the 9th and 11th had not the 2nd Egyptians, wheeling at the double, thrown themselves into the gap. The Dervishes pressed right up to them, and bayonet and spear frequently crossed; but in a fight of this kind discipline tells its tale. The blacks and Egyptians maintained their lines steadily and firmly, and against these individual effort and courage even of the highest quality were in vain. The ground being now cleared, the gun-boats opened with Maxim and cannon upon the rear of the Dervishes. The camel corps coming up, each man dismounted and added his fire to the turmoil; and finally three of Wauchope's battalions arrived, and the Lincolns, doubling to the right, opened a terrible flank fire. The Dervishes broke and fled, not, as usual, sullenly and reluctantly, but at full speed, stooping low to escape the storm of bullets that pursued them.
Zaki had throughout the day kept close to Gregory, ready to hold his horse when he dismounted; but, quick-footed as he was, he was left behind when his master galloped across to Macdonald. He was up, however, in the course of a minute or two, and Gregory was glad to see him, for the horse was kicking and plunging at the roar of the approaching enemy, and was almost maddened when to this was added the crash of the batteries and musketry.
"Put my blanket round his head, Zaki," Gregory said when the black ran up; " wrap it round so that he cannot see. Hold the bridle with one hand and stroke him with the other, and keep on talking to him; he knows your voice. I don't want to dismount if I can help it, for with my field-glasses I see everything that is taking place, and I will tell you how matters are going."
For the moment it seemed as if the surging crowd streaming down must carry all before it, but the steadiness with which the 9th Soudanese moved into their place on the flank of the line, and the other regiments remained as if on parade, soon reassured him. The terrible slaughter that was taking place in the ranks of the Dervishes soon showed that in that quarter at least there was no fear of things going wrong, but he could not but look anxiously towards the great mass of men approaching from the north. It was a matter of minutes. Would the present attack be repulsed in time for the position to be changed to meet the coming storm? Occasionally Grego^ looked back to see if reinforcements were coming. Wauchope's brigade was visible over the tops of the scattered bushes. The movements of the line showed that they were coming on at the double, but they were farther away than Ed Din's host, and the latter were running like deer.
He felt a deep sense of relief when the 9th Soudanese were thrown back, performing the movement as quietly and steadily as if on a di^ill-ground, and two batteries of artillery galloped across to their support. He had hardly expected such calm courage from the black battalion. As to the bravery of the Soudanese troops there was no question. They were of the same blood and race as their foes, and had shown how bravely they could fight in many a previous battle, but he was not prepared for the steady way in which they worked under such novel circumstances; and although they too must have known that every moment was of consequence, they moved without haste or hurry into the new position, scarcely glancing at the torrent which was rushing on towards them.
Not less steadily and quietly did the 11th, considered to be the crack regiment of the brigade, swing round, and as calmly and firmly did the Egyptian battalion — composed of the peasants who, but twenty years before, had been considered among the most cowardly of people, a host of whom would have fled before a dozen of the dreaded Dervishes—march into the gap between the two black regiments and manfully hold their own. And yet he could not but feel sorry for the valiant savages who under so awful a fire still pressed forward to certain death, their numbers withering away at every step until they dwindled to nothing, only to be replaced by a fresh band, which darted forward to meet a similar fate; and yet, when he remembered the wholesale slaughter at Metemmeh, the annihilation of countless villages and of their inhabitants, and, above all, the absolute destruction of the army of Hicks Pasha, the capture of Khartoum, the murder of Gordon, and the reduction to a state of slavery of all the peaceful tribes of the Soudan, he could not but feel that the annihilation of these human tigers and the wiping out of their false creed was a necessity.
When the last shot was fired he dismounted and leant against his horse, completely unnerved by the tremendous excitement that had been compressed into the space of half an hour. Zaki was in ecstasy at the victory. The ruthless massacre of so many of his tribesmen, the ruin of his native village, and the murder of his relations was avenged at last. The reign of the Dervishes was over; henceforth men could till their fields in peace. It was possible that even yet he might find his mother and sisters still alive in the city but a few miles away, living in wretched existence as slaves of their captors. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. He would have liked to help to revenge the wrongs of his tribe, but his master needed him: and moreover, there was no place for an untrained man in the ranks of the Soudanese regiments. They were doing their work better than he could. Still, it was the one bitter drop in his intense joy that he had not been able to aid in the conflict. He expressed this to Gregory. " You have had your share in the fight, Zaki, just as I have had. I have not fired a shot, but I have been in the battle, and run its risks, and so have you. Each of us has done his duty, and we can say for the rest of our lives that we have borne our share in the great battle that has smashed up the power of the Khalifa and the rule of the Dervishes."