THE SECOND BATTLE,

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

THE SECOND BATTLE,

A Convoy Stampeded. The fighting on Sunday was more serious than was anticipated. The Arabs took the offensive, and attacked tiir zereba five miles from Suakim. They were driven oft', but thoy did immense damago to our camels, killed great numbers of our camp followers, and inflicted a loss on our fighting men of 26 killed and 33 wounded. The correspondents of the " limes," "Daily Telegraph," and "Daily Chronicle" were present at the fight. The correspondents of the " Standard " and "Daily News" were left behind at Suakim. The best account is that of the " Daily Telegraph." Following our usual custom, we compile a narrative from the telegrams of all the specials in the morning papers: —

The Advance and its Object. On Sunday morning 1 he second move of the campaign was commenced, tho object being to form a /.ereba eight miles out, on tho Mte of that occupied by General Giahanf^ force on the occasion ot their advance against Tainai last year, and known as liakoi'f /ereba. The force told off for this servico was under the command of General McNeill, and comprised the 49th (tho Berkshire), the Marines, the Indian Infantry, the Naval Britradc, with a section of theGardncr mulo battery, and a squadron of the 20th Hunsargi. The Naval Brigade was commanded by Captain Domville, who had with him threu oflicer£>, forty bluejackets, and four Gardnor guns. The force paraded at live o'clock and moved off at once. No fighting was anticipated, and it was intended that when thczeieba was constructed the Indian Infantry should return, leaving the 40th Marine? and Naval Brigade to garrison the post. They advanced slowly in two. squares, tho Berks and Marines leading, the Indian contingent, with the camels,

in the rear. Water tanks and transport were taken for two days' occupation ot zereba. No molestation was offeied, and after our men had marched about six miles they encamped. (Jeneral Graham (says the " Daily Telegraph ") expected the Hrst zereba to be built rive miles away, and the second at a distance of eight miles ; but General McNeill, finiding it impossible to advance, in consequence the camels breaking down and no fresh ones being available, stopped about six miles fcom tho Suakim entrenchment, and, General Hudson concurring, began to build a zcreba, "with cornor redoubts, in which were placed machine guns.

The Zerefoa Attacked. The " Times " corespondent says : — The intoniion of constructing two zerebas with sandbag redoubts was partially called out. (Other correspondents only speak of one /.croba. ) The Berkshiro Regiment had commenced moving into their xercba ; the Marines were commencing to dig their trench and hadpilod arms ; dinner and water had been sorved out to the men, and the whole force was preparing to intrench for the night, the camels being outside the zerebas, and all seeming perfectly quiet, when suddenly some men of the Indian contingent came rushing in with shouts that the onemy was upon us. According to the "Daily Telegraph" correspondent, "At four the Indians were fast falling in to start. I saw the 17th Bengal Native Infantry in marching order, and behind them a mob of camels, mules, and camp followers. 1 turned my head to look if my horse were all right, intending to ride back into Suakim with the convoy, when suddenly from the bush all along the face of the zereba fronting Tamai burst out a clamour of savage cries. The air was filled with murderous yells, and the next instant, as if driven forward by some blind instinct of disaster, tho whole assemblage of transport animals plunged forward upon the zereba. The scene was indescribable. There was a multitude of roaring camels apparently heaped one upon another, with strings of kicking and screaming mules, entangled in one moving mass. Crowds of camp followers were carried along by the huge animal wave — crying, shouting, and fighting. Ail these together surged up on the zereba, any resistance being utterly hopeless. This mass of brutes andterrified nativessweptall before ifc. In tho meanwhile the Arabs had glided and crept in all directions among the legs of the animals, and within about one minute and a half they were on us. I saw a soldier within six feet of me speared before I could mount my horse. The Hadendowas then, as if by magic, swarmed out of the bush upon thezereba. Unfortunately, our own Soudanese coolies were indistinguishable fromtneenemy,andthusinanyofourinenlo8t thbre lives, ignorant of any daDger, by mistaking foes for friends. Cries, shouts, yells, and deafening shrieks, combined with a furious rifle fire and a rush oi stampeded camels, made up a bewildering din, but our troops stood as firm as rocks " The "Daily Ciumucie. '" u$a ; Tbs attack of the rebels

was conceived and carried out with all the astuteness of a Red Indian tribe. They sprang from behind the bushes, from behind inequalities of ground, and seemingly from the very ground itself, as if by magic. How so many of them could have got so near us without being perceived is a mystery,

A Hand-to-Hana Fignt. The " Times " says :— The enemy burst from the thick bush, and dashed headlong without firing a shot at the water transport undor the charge of Captain De Cosson, who had just time to jump his horse into , the Marines' zereba when it was shot through the head. Captain de Cosson, however, escaped. A scene of indescribable confusion ensued. The enemy actually penetrated the zereba, but were checked by the splendid, steady tiro of two companies of Marines. All the troops rallied in small parties at the corners of tho zereba. Men of the Berkshire Regiment, Marines, Indians, and blue- jackets were all mingled together, back to back, and fighting with desperate tenacity ; and, indeed, the moment was so critical that, had there been the least flinching, a great disaster must have been the consequence. For half-an-hour the fire, the din, and the confusion were terrific, and none but steady troops could have stood the fearful tension of themoment. Looking from thebackofmyhor.se, I could seesmall isolated parties outside the zerebas fighting desperately back toback. The "Daily Telegraph" correspondent says : — Having stampeded i tho transport, the enemy passed round, attacking the zereba on all sides. The j Berkahires, however, took up their position very coolly, and poured volleys steadily and rapidly into the advancing foe. On the other side the Marines took the Arab charge with the utmost pluck, punishing their assailants severely, while the Naval Brigade, after great difficulties, owing to the rush of animals through the zereba, got into action with the Gardners, and peppered the enemy hard. Having shaken off the obstructive incubus of the transport, the Indian infantry held their own so gallantly that Britain should be proud ol her Eastern doldiers. Tho "Daily Chronicle" says: — The Marines hold thoir own when ongaged hand-to-hand with the Arabs, and gained their formation as speedily asany. They had ' a few minutes of hot work. A desperate sheikh, waving a banner, wasVight upon them with a horde of followers before the square was formed. But the Marines were equal to the emergency, and bayonet and bullet proved too much for the Arabs. The ground was cleared, and the sheikh, scorning to fly, died fighting with his last gasp. The banner was secured by the Marines, and was afterwards borne into the redoubt as a trophy. The 17th Loyal Poorbeahs fought splendidly from beginning to end. They were as hard pressed as the Marines in the early stages of the fight, and although they suffered some loss betore they gained a position to repel all attacks, no troups could have behaved more gallantly under try exceptionallying circumstances,

Beating off tho Enemy. The first wild rush was checked, says the " Daily Chronicle," tho British square was quickly rendered intact, and we could again breathe Ireely. Then a merciless rain of leaden hail u as poured forth from all sides by our men. The (Gardner guns in the newlyconstructed redoubt were brought into play, but again the rcbols came on like a vast cloud brandishing their spears and rushing upon certain death, for after tho fiistsudden onslaught, when they $%>i right into our lines they never got within several yards of our f-qu.ire Unfortunately, after a few rouiul>, two of the Gardner gun'* -became jammed, and weiu for a time disabled, but the remaining two were splendidly served and did fearful execution. The rebels could nofc hold out against this terrible tire ; they vanished back among the bushes and s-tole away behind the hillocks. All serious lighting was over, though for f-ome time after the enemy kept up occasional shots from a distance. The (jardncr guns and our small arms aloo kept firing so long as any traco of the rebels covld be observed within range. The enotny numbered fully 4,000.

Hamstringing tho Camels. The Hadenriowas, evidently counseled all too well, soon discovered our weakness, and falling upon the transport, they hamstrung and mutilated all the camels and mules they could reach. The poor brutes are now hobbling about on their knees in all directions over the desert. The Arabs also fell upon the camp followers, cutting them up right and lett. The damage done to the transport material is immense. Camels and mules were hametrung by scores, and the camp followers cut up badly, for the Arabs while attacking the zereba also spread over the country, intercepting the native fugitives. The Hussars brought in many wounded, and conveyed the unfortunate camp followers, doing excellent work, threatened all the while by a camel force, which watched us viglilantly, As I rode through the desert I saw it dotted in every direction with runaway horses, camels, and mules.

The Alarm at Suakim. The " Standard " correspondent says : — About seven o'clock, large bodies of the enemy wore observed moving across the plain from the direction of tho Hasheen Wells. They seemed to be directing their course so as to place themselves between our camp and the forces which had gone out. The day passed on quietly until, at half-past two o'clock, a heavy musketry fire was heard across the plain, and it was evident that our force was seriously engaged. The Grenadior Guards and the Scots Fusiliers were at once called under arms. The Coldstreams had marched at noon with a convoy to the Diberet redoubts. In a very few minutes the two regiments were in line, and started at once with the artillery and cavalry to the assistance of the force of Baker's zereba. They had gone but a short distance when they met groups of stragglers, Indian camp followers, transport and commissariat men, escaped mules, and camels, all rushing in a state of panic and confusion for the camp For a time great anxiety was felt as to 'vhat had taken place at the outposts, but this was presently allayed by a message flashed by heliograph from General McNeill. "The enemy has attacked us in large force. Our squares are all right. Our loss is slight, that of the Arabs very heavy." The Guards only went out four miles, being recalled as s6on as the repulse of the enemy and the safety of the force was known, and marched back to camp. Buteven in that distance they came across several bodies of the followers and transport men, killed in their flight. It is therefore to be feared that the number which fell in the first half of their flight tnwards the camp must be considerable. The Indian Brigade will not return to-night, but will remain with the 49th and Marines, in case the attack should be renewed