Major Wortley then ordered the Jaalin to attack.  These—­formed in a long column, animated by the desire for vengeance, and being besides brave men—­moved upon the village at a slow pace, and, surrounding one house after another, captured it and slew all its defenders; including the Dervish Emir and 350 of his followers.  The Jaalin themselves suffered a loss of about sixty killed and wounded.

The village being captured, and the enemy on the east bank killed or dispersed, the gunboats proceeded to engage the batteries higher up the river.  The howitzer battery was now landed, and at 1.30 began to bombard the Mahdi’s Tomb.  This part of the proceedings was plainly visible to us, waiting and watching on the ridge, and its interest even distracted attention from the Dervish army.  The dome of the tomb rose tall and prominent above the mud houses of the city.  A lyddite shell burst over it —­a great flash, a white ball of smoke, and, after a pause, the dull thud of the distant explosion.  Another followed.  At the third shot, instead of the white smoke, there was a prodigious cloud of red dust, in which the whole tomb disappeared.  When this cleared away we saw that, instead of being pointed, it was now flat-topped.  Other shells continued to strike it with like effect, some breaking holes in the dome, others smashing off the cupolas, all enveloping it in dust.

All this time the Dervishes were coming nearer, and the steady and continuous advance of the great army compelled the Egyptian cavalry to mount their horses and trot off to some safer point of view.  Colonel Broadwood conceived his direct line of retreat to camp threatened, and shortly after one o’clock he began a regular retirement.  Eight squadrons of Egyptian cavalry and the Horse Artillery moved off first.  Five companies of the Camel Corps, a Maxim gun section, and the ninth squadron of cavalry followed as a rear-guard under Major Tudway.  The Dervish horsemen contented themselves with firing occasional shots, which were replied to by the Camel Corps with volleys whenever the ground was suited to dismounted action.  From time to time one of the more daring Arabs would gallop after the retreating squadrons, but a shot from a carbine or a threatened advance always brought the adventurous horseman to a halt.  The retirement was continued without serious interference, and the boggy ground of the Khor Shambat was recrossed in safety.

As soon as the Egyptian squadrons—­a darker mass under the dark hills to the westward—­were seen to be in retirement, the 21st Lancers were withdrawn slowly along the sandy ridge towards the rocks of Surgham—­ the position whence we had first seen the Dervish army.  The regiment wheeled about and fell back by alternate wings, dropping two detached troops to the rear and flanks to make the enemy’s patrols keep their distance.  But when the Arab horsemen saw all the cavalry retiring they became very bold, and numerous small groups of fives and sixes began to draw nearer