Meanwhile the bombardment—­no longer watched with curiosity—­continued with accuracy and precision.  The batteries searched the interior of the zeriba, threshing out one section after another, and working the whole ground regularly from front to rear.  The zeriba and palisades were knocked about in many places, and at a quarter to seven a cluster of straw huts caught fire and began to burn briskly.  At a quarter-past seven the infantry were ordered to form in column for assault.

The plan of the attack for the army was simple.  The long, deployed line were to advance steadily against the entrenchments, subduing by their continual fire that of the enemy.  They were then to tear the zeriba to pieces.  Covered by their musketry, the dense columns of assault which had followed the line were to enter the defences through the gaps, deploy to the right, and march through the enclosure, clearing it with the bayonet and by fire.

At twenty minutes to eight the Sirdar ordered his bugles to sound the general advance.  The call was repeated by all the brigades, and the clear notes rang out above the noise of the artillery.  The superior officers—­ with the exception of Hunter, Maxwell, and MacDonald—­dismounted and placed themselves at the head of their commands.  The whole mass of the infantry, numbering nearly eleven thousand men, immediately began to move forward upon the zeriba.  The scene as this great force crested the ridge and advanced down the slope was magnificent and tremendous.  Large solid columns of men, preceded by a long double line, with the sunlight flashing on their bayonets and displaying their ensigns, marched to the assault in regular and precise array.  The pipes of the Highlanders, the bands of the Soudanese, and the drums and fifes of the English regiments added a wild and thrilling accompaniment.  As soon as the advance masked the batteries, the guns were run forward with the firing line, in order effectually to support the attack.  The deployed battalions opened a ceaseless and crushing fire on the entrenchment, and as the necessity of firing delayed the advance of the attacking columns, the pace did not exceed a slow march.

The Dervishes remained silent until the troops were within 300 yards.  Then the smoke-puffs spurted out all along the stockades, and a sharp fusillade began, gradually and continually growing in intensity until the assaulting troops were exposed to a furious and effective fire.  From 250 yards up to the position losses began to occur.  The whole entrenchment was rimmed with flame and smoke, amid which the active figures of the Dervish riflemen were momentarily visible, and behind the filmy curtain solid masses of swordsmen and spearmen appeared.  The fortunate interposition of a small knoll in some degree protected the advance of the Lincoln Regiment, but in both Highland battalions soldiers began to drop.  The whole air was full of a strange chirping whistle.  The hard pebbly sand was everywhere dashed up into dust-spurts.  Numerous explosive bullets, fired by the Arabs, made queer startling reports.  The roar of the rifles drowned even the noise of the artillery.  All the deployed battalions began to suffer.  But they and the assaulting columns, regardless of the fire, bore down on the zeriba in all the majesty of war—­an avalanche of men, stern, unflinching, utterly irresistible.