COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS AT SUAKIM. Desperate Fighting. (FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT) London, March 26.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 102, 16 May 1885, Page 5

COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS AT SUAKIM. Desperate Fighting. (FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT) London, March 26.

The nows of tho first brush botwoen Sir Gorald Graham's troops at Suakim and Oaraan Digna'e Arabs was not altogother reassuring. The prolonged action fought on Friday last; can in no sonso bo callod a victory for Iho Arabs, who soem to have retained possession of tho field in which tko fighting took place. The reports of tho correspondents are, as usual, rather confusing, but it is not difficult to imagine what took place. " Loaving Suakim," writos the ''Telegraph " correspondent, " aftor daybreak with his whole force, excepting the Shropshire General Graham at half-past eight reoccupiod Baker's old zoroba, in a sheltered valley between two hills. The position was further strengthened by tho construction of four sandbag redoubts, and leaving the Surrey Regiment, with two Krupps, in tho camp, and placing one Gardner in each redoubt, General Graham advanced tnrough the pass into the wide plain, encircled by hills, in the centro of which stands the village of Hasheen. The Indian contingent deployed and 'advanced on the villago, supported by- -the Guards 'in square in their roar. , On either flank the cavalry were skirmishing over the bush-covered plain, whilo groups of tho cneny, in uumbors from ten to a hundred strong, wore swarming all round, on the slopes of the hills, in the thick undergrowth in the valley, and among tho mimosa bushes scattered ovortho plain. A hill immediately in front of the lino of march hold by the Arab? was cleared by tho Marines, Berks, and Sikhs. Tho Arabs fell back, onty to rally on the left of the hill. A charge was ordered by the Bengal Lancers, \\ hen a disagrecablo incident took place. The Atabs, instead of flying, stood their ground with extraordinary boldness, and charged tho cavalry as they advanced. A small body of the rebels, about forty in number, turned upon their pursuer?, and charged with tho utmost bravery. An old sheikh, mounted upon a camel, led tho Arabs on, waving his spear frantically, and his followers, nothing loth, rushed around tho Ben^aleso flank, getting to their rear. When the collision camo they practised tho same tactics as at El Teb, throwing themselves on tho ground and slashing at the horses' legs with thoir swords. After a sevoro hand-to-hand fight, the Lancers were obliged to fall back, losing four of their men, whose horses were hamstrung by tho onemy, and whose bodies could nob be recovored As the Bcngaleso wont back tho rebels gathered apain liko a cloud bohind them, and the Indians were fai-rly chased homo. For a moment itseomed as if a vast confusion must ensue, but matters were soon righted. The "Daily Chronicle" correspondent gays : — Diroctly the Arabs caw a slight turn in their favour they acted upon it like a streak of light, and -were among the Indian^ liko a fla^h, loaving the Bengalese no time to re-form. It is certain that English cavalry would never have lost thoir heads as the Indians did. Captain Thomson, acting as cawJiy biignde-major, made ■i determined attempt to rally the Ben£ale=e, and had the narrowest shave of hi.s life in so doing. Calling upon his mon to stop, and setting them the example, ho was sot upon by a few natives, who hamstrung his horse. Man and beast fell to the ground together, and Captain Thomson, being pressed under the horso, was only saved from death by the gallantry of one of his men, who sprang ovor him and warded ofl' tho thrusts until further asMst.uice ay rived, and Thomson was oxtricated. The enemy did not attack in ono solid body, but in isolated parties, so that, in fact, a series of fights were going on at the same time. Thore were several bodies of about fifty Arabs in each, with a shoikh to direct their movoments ; and it was one of these parties that lirst got round tho Bengalese flank. The enemy soon closed up, and, starting forward in clo<?o pursuit of the rotiring cavalry, rounded the hill, and there, all at once, came upon the Guards' Brigade drawn up in a square. There were SOO riflemen and 3,000 spearmen. "With a veil they went straight at the square, without hesitation, but in the face of the withering fire which met them they nevor succeeded in getting nearer than fifteen or twenty yards of the line of bnyonots. Nothing could surpass the steadiness of the Guard.^ They tired as coolly as on a field day. I even heard them (says one correspondent.) quietly joking along the ranks up to the moment of the charge. All the same the Guards had to fall back, and the "Daily Chronicle" correspondent says : — To give the Bengalee an tppor tunity of re-forming, the Guards' square slowly fell back, firing all the timo upon tho robols. Gradually the fire bocamo more effective. The Marines, who still occupied thoir position on the hillocks, covered tho rotrogrado movement of tho Guards' square, pouring a steady firo upon tho Arabs. In an instant, however, tho natives regainod tho hill, from which tho Berkshire men had previously dislodged thorn, and at once opened fire upon our men. It was at this moment that Captain Dallison, of the Guards, was killed, together with a private, while two others were wounded. The wholo forco then fell gradually back for somelittlo distance, when the Surrey men, who were holding the entrenched camp, and who had guns to protect the position, opened fire From the hillock on which the General and his staff wero stationed, and soon shelled the enemy from the hill which he had occupied. While this was going on on the left, on the extremo right rear of the main forco another party tried to break through in the direction of the redoubts which the 70fch were constructing, making way between them and the hillork upon which the General with his staff had taken up their position. The sth Lancers, 20th Hussarn, Mounted Infantry, and a troop of the Indian Lancers swooj c 1 down upon them and almost rx terminated the band, most of them being ehot down by the carbines of the cavalry, who swept over them as they lay on the ground endeavouring to repeat their former .'uccessf ul tactics. Only seven of the whole body made their escape. This work was net performed without loss. Major Robertson, of the Bengal Lancers, and Major Harvey, of the sth Lancers, were both severely wounded, while SergeantMajor iNicboils, who was only that morning I promoted to that rank, was killed, as were four privates. Seven privates were wounded. General Ewart had a narrow J escape, as his horse was killed under him. While this brilliant charge was being mado, the artillery opened a heavy fire upon two large bodies of the enemy, of which one, gome 2,000 strong, was retreating in front, while the other, of double that strength, was on our left roar, having arrived on the scene of action from Tamai. At about one o'clock the Second Brigado and the Indian Infantry were ordered to iaXl back ugon the Guards^ and. «»t twa

o'clock the whole force began their march back towards the hill occupied by the 70th llegt. Thelndian Brigade this time formed the advance. They were followed by the 40th and Marines, while the Guards, still in square, with the Artillery, ambulance, and transport in their centre, brought up tho j rear. The position was by no means a ploasant one, for the en«my swarmed around us. and the square, encumbered with its impedimenta, had to fight its way over ground covered with dense bush, the Arabs closing in on all sides, but chiefly in the rear and left flank. For half an hour the Scots Fusilieis and Coldstreams had to endure a very heary fire from the almost invisible enemy, halting every two hundred yards to fire volleys into the scrub. At three o'clock the force reached the first ridge, where tho 70th had now completed the redoubts and zerebas. Here a halt was made for lunch, which was served out with great celerity to the troops, in half companies. Tho soldiers wore much exhausted after marching and fighting for nine hours and a half under tke blazing sun, and a long halt was given them before they started for camp. Leaving the 70th, with two guns and four Gardners, to hold tho redoubts, the whole force now sot oil on their return march, in the same order. The enemy showed everywhere splendid courage, but pathetic ignorance of tactics. As skirmishers no force I have ever seen (says the " Daily Telegraph " correspondent) in action is their equal. They cover ground j as if by magic, and moreover do not understand the meaning of being beaten. ' < The estimates of the enemy's loss vary from 400 to 1,200 men ; the numbers engaged about 14,000.

The Killed and Wounded. Sir Gerald Graham's telegram to the Secretary of State for War gives the following list of casualties in yesterday's action at Hasheen : — KiiiLhD. — Scots Guards. — Captain Dallisou, Private Ashley. 5th Lancers. — Troop Sergeant - Major Micholl.s, Private Fdwards. !)th Lunrers (Bengal). — Ono non-com-missioned officer, four sowars. Wolwued. — Surgeon-Major Lane, Array Medical service, severely ; Scots Guards, six men ; Coldstreams, eight men ; (Jronadiers, eight men ; Berkshire, two men ; 5th Lancers, Major Harvey, scvorcly, two men slightly; Uth Bengal C 'a v f vry, Major Kobertson, severoly, seven sowars ; 15th Sikhs, one man • 70th S'.c us two men.