he yell of an attacking foe, the steadiest troops may be
thrown into confusion, and a panic, once afoot, stops only with the
destruction or dispersal of the whole force. Nevertheless, so paramount
is the necessity of attacking at dawn, with all the day to finish the
fight, that in spite of the recorded disasters and the known dangers,
the night-march is a frequent operation.

For more than two hours the force advanced, moving across smooth swells
of sand broken by rocks and with occasional small bushes. Several
shallow khors traversed the road, and these rocky ditches, filled with
a strange, sweet-scented grass, delayed the brigades until the pace
was hardly two miles an hour. The smell of the grass was noticed by
the alert senses of many, and will for ever refresh in their minds
the strong impression of the night. The breeze which had sprung up
at sundown gradually freshened and raised clouds of fine sand, which
deepened the darkness with a whiter mist.

At nine o'clock the army halted in a previously selected space, near the
deserted village of Mutrus and about two miles from the river. Nearly
half the distance to Mahmud's zeriba was accomplished, and barely four
miles in the direct line divided the combatants; but since it was not
desirable to arrive before the dawn, the soldiers, still formed in their
squares, lay down upon the ground. Meat and biscuits were served out to
the men. The transport animals went by relays to the pools of the
Atbara bed to drink and to replenish the tanks. All water-bottles were
refilled, pickets being thrown out to cover the business. Then, after
sufficient sentries had been posted, the army slept, still in array.

During the halt the moon had risen, and when at one o'clock the advance
was resumed, the white beams revealed a wider prospect and, glinting
on the fixed bayonets, crowned the squares with a sinister glitter. For
three hours the army toiled onwards at the same slow and interrupted
crawl. Strict silence was now enforced, and all smoking was forbidden.
The cavalry, the Camel Corps, and the five batteries had overtaken the
infantry, so that the whole attacking force was concentrated. Meanwhile
the Dervishes slept.

At three o'clock the glare of fires became visible to the south,
and, thus arrived before the Dervish position, the squares, with the
exception of the reserve brigade, were unlocked, and the whole force,
assuming formation of attack, now advanced in one long line th