AN EPISODE AT METEMNEH

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1513, 6 March 1885, Page 2

AN EPISODE AT METEMNEH

For the following extract of the battle of Metemneli we are indebted to the interesting account in th-* 'Sydney Morning Herald": — "Now over all the Arab hosts the vultures have gathered in a cloud. Now sheiks may be seen curvetting in front, fraudishing hand swords ; now a hundred banners are uplifted, dusky green aed golden-lettered ; now there is a movement along tbe whole line. They are coming. Yes, there is a yell from below that is answered bva shriek from

i above, for every vulture knows tlu»t J note of war. The many colored banners stream out, the stones fly, the solid earth shakes. The steel-cresfcek wave of 14,000 men comes on. Do you see the white-lined square move, steadily, surely, as a great ship moves to her helm ?' Do you see the curved head of that Arab host strike its angle not its front, and the three hundred rifles pour their first volley into its hollow side? There is a deeper and a broken hollow then. Horsemen fell backward. Footmen by scores make the familiar death leap. The whole force reels backward and swings round upon the left side of the square where the re-formed head is once more charging. Burnaby is there in merrier mood than ever in his life before ; for his sword drips and his Ward is powder singed, and the tumult in his ears is glorious in its strength. He has forced a long straight sword from a tall shiek's hand, and lias cloven his turban and his skull ; he sees through the black skins and the white smoke something that looks like a erusadier's chain armour; he is disposed to dash .' at it, but must not move. There is !

irtiuuh" with tha <jc*i

ic, soiua

tumult. Ah, thoy -ire in. A broken side. ' Strike now :out of them ; back with them ! ' And they hurled thmu back. But the last went down, he dashed up that long keen sp«ai , and Burnaby went down upon him and grappled him. and poured his heart's blood over a bright brown face that laughed at him as bp d'ed."