Before  daylight  on  the  19th  the  Egyptian  force
moved  to  attack  Kerma  ;  but  it  was  soon  found
that  the  enemy  had,  during  the  night,  shipped  him-
self bodily  to  the  opposite  bank  and  retired  six
miles  to  Hafir.  Preceded  by  the  gunboats,  which
came  under  a  hot  fire  from  mud-forts,  the  infantry
came  into  action  along  the  shore  with  their  yelling
foes  on  the  opposite  bank,  where  1500  black  rifle-
men from  Dongola  gave  not  very  efiective  support
from  bank  and  palm-tops  to  the  Dervish  spearmen.
Our  gunboats  steamed  close  in,  and  the  North  Staff  ords
on  board  dosed  the  trenches  with  gun  and  rifle  fire.
Wingate  and  Hunter,  in  a  small  stern-wheeler,  moving
in  for  a  reconnaissance  at  close  quarters,  ran  aground
in  a  shallow  cul-de-sac,  and  passed  a  very  uncom-
fortable quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  boat  could
back  out  under  a  spray  of  ill-directed  bullets.
The  Dervish  guns  made  better  practice  against  the
other  three  steamers,  which  being  holed  several  times
were   drawn    off.      Colville,   among   others,   having


202         LIFE  OF  LORD  KITCHENER     chap.xxiv

been  hit,  Lieut.  D.  Beatty,  R.N.,^  was  now  senior
Naval  Officer,  and  at  his  instance  a  daring  mancBuvre
was  carried  out,  all  three  boats  going  full  speed  ahead,
running  the  gauntlet  of  the  batteries  on  shore  and
steaming  straight  for  Dongola.
Bishara  was  already  wounded,  and  although  his
men  stuck  pluckily  to  their  trenches  under  the
assiduous  attentions  of  our  little  field-guns,  his  Der-
vishes, under  cover  of  night,  bolted  back  to  Dongola,
abandoning  their  boats,  crammed  with  grain  and
other  stores,  and  leaving  Kitchener  free  to  proceed
towards  Dongola  without  risk  to  his  communications.
