The whole of Lewis’s brigade now swung to the right and attacked the village; MacDonald’s, coming up at the double in line of battalion columns, deployed to the left, inland, round the shoulder of the mountain, and, bearing away still more to the left, advanced swiftly upon the rocky ridge.  The ground in MacDonald’s front was much broken by boulders and scrub, and a deep khor delayed the advance.  The enemy, though taken at obvious disadvantage, maintained an irregular fire; but the Soudanese, greatly excited, pressed on eagerly towards the breastworks.  When the brigade was still 200 yards from the ridge, about fifty Dervish horsemen dashed out from among the rocks and charged the left flank.  All were immediately shot down by a wild but heavy independent fire.  With joyful yells the blacks broke into a run and carried the breastworks at the bayonet.  The Dervishes did not await the shock.  As soon as they saw their horsemen—­among whom was the Emir Hammuda himself and Yusef Angar, Emir of the Jehadia—­swept away, they abandoned the first ridge and fell back on another which lay behind.  The Soudanese followed closely, and pursued the outnumbered enemy up one and down the other side of the rocky hills, up again and down again, continually shouldering and bringing round the left of the brigade; until at last the hills were cleared of all except the dead, and the fugitives were running towards the river-bank.  Then the scattered battalions re-formed facing west, and the panting soldiers looked about them.

While MacDonald’s brigade was storming the hills, Lewis’s had advanced on the village and the Dervish camp.  The Arabs from their loopholed houses made a stubborn resistance, and the 4th battalion by the river-bank were sharply engaged, their commanding officer, Captain Sparkes, having his horse shot in four places.  Encouraged by their enormous superiority in number and weapons, the Egyptians showed considerable zeal in the attack, and their conduct on this occasion was regarded as a very happy augury for the war, of which this was the first general engagement.

As Lewis’s brigade had swung to its right, and MacDonald’s had borne away to the left, a wide gap had opened in the centre of the attack.  This was immediately filled by Maxwell’s brigade, so that the whole force was now formed in one line, which curved and wheeled continually to the right until, by the time the rocky hills had been taken, all three brigades practically faced west and were advancing together towards the Nile.  The Dervishes—­penned between the river and the enemy, and unable to prevent the remorseless advance, which every moment restricted them to narrower limits—­now thought only of flight, and they could be seen galloping hither and thither seeking for some means of escape.  The position of the Desert Column would have enabled the XIIth Soudanese, by moving down to the river, to cut off this line of retreat; but the foreshore of the river at the southern end of Firket is concealed from a landward view by the steep bank, and by this sandy path the greater number of the fugitives found safety.