By half-past seven in the morning, the British had seized the bridge over the Fresh Water Canal, and general elation spread across the army. Jack looked to his right, where British and Indian cavalry swept across the desert on what remained of the enemy’s left flank. Already demoralised, the Egyptians scattered, so Arabi had no cohesive force on the north side of the canal. Three companies of the Black Watch pushed on another five hundred yards and captured many of Arabi’s remaining cavalry horses and equipment as they sheltered in a village.
Jack focussed his field glasses on MacPherson’s Indian brigade, which had advanced at speed. The Bengal cavalry put in a final charge that finished any Egyptian resistance on that side of the canal. Half an hour after the British seized the bridge, t
