OLD SERVANTS OF OURS. 45 The natives had, so far, only brought an odd baggage-camel or two for sale ; and for these, though not worth over twenty to thirty dollars apiece, they asked fifty or sixty. We had decided, that, in order to visit the Base country, it would be needful to buy our own camels, as the people had such a wholesome dread of the whole tribe, that we knew it would be hopeless to endeavour to hire camels and drivers to take us there.

We found the governor of Cassala very polite. He was a small, insignificant-looking man, who spoke French fairly well, and seemed to give more energy to the management of his affairs than most of the Soudan officials we had previously encountered.

On leaving Cairo, we had telegraphed to Pere Picard, one of the priests belonging to the Roman-Catholic mission at Keren (or, as the jlace is more usually called, Sanheit), asking him to send to Cassala certain servants that he had found for us the winter before. On our arrival we found a small army already assembled, four being old hands, and several having accompanied them on the chance of being employed. We were glad to see Salee, a most excellent tracker, who had proved his usefulness the previous year, among the number. The Abyssinians had come down, during the summer, near to Keren ; and one of our old retainers had had a father, and another a brother, killed by them.

The afternoon after our arrival at Cassala, the doctor informed us that he considered Jules' condition to be most critical ; his pulse was very feeble, and he had been obliged to give him egg, milk, and brandy, beaten up together, to try and keep up his strength. This was the first intimation we received of his being in a really critical condition ; we had all hoped, that, as the dysentery had stopped, he would soon regain his strength, as he was of a naturally robust constitution. We had been