Two days later, on Sunday, March 22nd, a second engagement took place,
very much more serious than the first, and much more important in its
result. General Graham had decided to form a zareba eight miles out on
the road to Tamai, in order to make a depot for water and stores,--more
especially the former,--preparatory to an advance in force on that
place; it was intended to leave troops in this zareba, and on the return
of the main body to form and occupy a smaller zareba between it and
Suakin. The force selected for the purpose of effecting this object
consisted of one squadron 5th Lancers, Naval Brigade with four Gardner
guns, detachments of Royal Engineers, Berkshire Regiment, Royal Marines,
and company of sailors with four Gatlings, some Royal Engineers, Madras
Sappers, 15th Sikhs, 17th Bengal Native Infantry, and 28th Bombay Native
Infantry, and one squadron of Hussars, and was under the command of
General Sir John McNeill; General Hudson of the Indian force being
second in command. The convoy which these troops had to protect
consisted of about 1000 camels carrying water and supplies, as well as a
large number of mules and horses--no easy task in a country covered with
dense bush, which afforded concealment to an enemy who were absolutely
fearless. The column started at 6:30, and its troubles soon began, for
no sooner was it fairly within the bush than the difficulty of keeping
the transport together became apparent, and the rate of progress was
necessarily so slow that Sir J. McNeill saw that it would be impossible
to carry out the programme of building and occupying the two zarebas
before night, and therefore decided to form one only on an open space
that the troops had reached about 10:30 a.m. Up to this time no sign of
the enemy had been seen, but all precautions were taken to prevent a
surprise. The force was drawn up as follows: the Indian troops occupied
three sides of a hollow square, the open side being towards the bush
through which the column had just come; outposts of infantry, and beyond
them of cavalry, were placed in advance on the three sides; and the road
to Suakin in the rear was patrolled by the Lancers, and all the convoy
was drawn up in the square. All hands at once proceeded to form the
zareba. The idea was to form a zareba with its north-east corner
pointing to Suakin, and its south-west to Tamai, and at each of these
corners to form a minor zareba or redoubt to contain two Gardner guns
apiece, and to leave these garrisoned by the Berks, the marines, and the
bluejackets, who would thus be able to guard the main zareba, all sides
of which could be swept by their fire. The work proceeded merrily, and
by three o'clock was nearly finished. At that time the marines had got
inside the north-east zareba, and half the Berkshire were having their
dinner outside, behind the camels, which, by this time having unloaded,
were filing out of the square at the rear of the open side; the other
half of the Berkshire were busy cutting bush, leaving their arms piled
in the south-west zareba, with half the bluejackets and the two Gardner
guns, and the central zareba was nearly completed.
Suddenly a yell was heard, some cavalry videttes came galloping in, and
in a moment 5000 Arabs were rushing upon the unclosed square.
The outposts got together and stood back to back, forming rallying
squares which the enemy could not break; the Berkshire men who were
cutting bush rushed back to the zareba where the small naval brigade was
suffering severely, for the guns not being in position the enemy got
into the square, but so quickly did the Berks men follow them and
recover their weapons, that, though 124 Arabs got into the square no
Arab came out again. The other half of that regiment formed square, and
with a steady fire kept the Arabs at bay, and eventually gained the
north-east zareba without losing a man. But amongst the transport
animals the state of affairs was very different. The 17th Native
Infantry fell back before the rush, and the enemy, following their
retreat, dashed into the central zareba among the transport animals,
cutting and slashing in every direction, and in a few moments a general
stampede ensued; camels, mules, and horses made one wild rush for Suakin
followed by triumphant Arabs, who in their turn were met and routed by
the Bengal Cavalry and 5th Lancers. At the first rush a number of the
enemy succeeded in getting into the north-east zareba, the east side of
which was at the moment undefended, and for a few minutes the marines
were in a dangerous position, but while the front rank continued to fire
on the enemy on their side, the rear rank faced about, and, fighting
back to back, soon cleared the zareba of the enemy and lined the open
side. After about twenty minutes the bugle sounded "Cease fire," and as
the smoke cleared away, the enemy were seen streaming away. Thus ended
the fight. It was indeed a soldiers' battle, and but for the steadiness
and heroism of the individuals it would have proved another Isandlana.
The enemy's loss was very heavy, and the power of Osman Digna utterly
crushed; but the cost to the British was heavy, for the losses of
British and Indian troops was 600 in killed and wounded, and a large
proportion of the transport train was destroyed.