The infantry fired steadily and stolidly, without hurry or excitement, for the enemy were far away and the officers careful.  Besides, the soldiers were interested in the work and took great pains.  But presently the mere physical act became tedious.  The tiny figures seen over the slide of the backsight seemed a little larger, but also fewer at each successive volley.  The rifles grew hot—­so hot that they had to be changed for those of the reserve companies.  The Maxim guns exhausted all the water in their jackets, and several had to be refreshed from the water-bottles of the Cameron Highlanders before they could go on with their deadly work.  The empty cartridge-cases, tinkling to the ground, formed a small but growing heap beside each man.  And all the time out on the plain on the other side bullets were shearing through flesh, smashing and splintering bone; blood spouted from terrible wounds; valiant men were struggling on through a hell of whistling metal, exploding shells, and spurting dust—­suffering, despairing, dying.  Such was the first phase of the battle of Omdurman.

The Khalifa’s plan of attack appears to have been complex and ingenious.  It was, however, based on an extraordinary miscalculation of the power of modern weapons; with the exception of this cardinal error, it is not necessary to criticise it.  He first ordered about 15,000 men, drawn chiefly from the army of Osman Sheikh-ed-Din and placed under the command of Osman Azrak, to deliver a frontal attack.  He himself waited with an equal force near Surgham Hill to watch the result.  If it succeeded, he would move forward with his bodyguard, the flower of the Arab army, and complete the victory.  If it failed, there was yet another chance.  The Dervishes who were first launched against the zeriba, although very brave men, were not by any means his best or most reliable troops.  Their destruction might be a heavy loss, but it would not end the struggle.  While the attack was proceeding, the valiant left, consisting of the rest of the army of Osman Sheikh-ed-Din, might move unnoticed to the northern flank and curve round on to the front of the zeriba held by the Egyptian brigade.  Ali-Wad-Helu was meanwhile to march to the Kerreri Hills, and remain out of range and, if possible, out of sight among them.  Should the frontal and flank attacks be unhappily repulsed, the ‘enemies of God,’ exulting in their easy victory over the faithful, would leave their strong place and march to the capture and sack of the city.  Then, while they were yet dispersed on the plain, with no zeriba to protect them, the chosen warriors of the True Religion would abandon all concealment, and hasten in their thousands to the utter destruction of the accursed—­the Khalifa with 15,000 falling upon them from behind Surgham; Ali-Wad-Helu and all that remained of Osman’s army assailing them from Kerreri.  Attacked at once from the north and south, and encompassed on every side, the infidels would abandon hope and order, and Kitchener might