THE RECONOUEST OF THE SOUDAN. 133 fearof anight attack, General Gatacre,in order to practise his division in what they would presently have to do, insisted on both officers and mensleeping fully equipped with their arms beside them. The Egyptian division, camped next to the British in long lines of grass and palm-leaf shelters, had an easier time and less stringent orders for the present. The north end of the camp was occupied by the artillery and transport lines. Along the river front byday and night boats were busily- unloading stores brought up from the depot at Nasri Island.

borders of Upper Egypt— besides their own tribal weapons, were armed with Remington rifles, supplied by the Egyptian Government. They were to operate on the east bankof the river, but a few of the Jaalin, who knew the country well,were to be employed as scouts with the Sirdar's army on theother bank.

On August 23rd, the day before the 21st Lancers marched in with the artillery and baggage convoy, the Sirdar held a great review of his army on the level desert behind the camp. It was a magnificent sight. The troops, British, Egyptian,and Soudanese, formeda long line nearly two miles from flank to flank, the men in splendid condition,and all completein armamentandequipment. SirHerbertKitchener rode down the line,accompanied by his staff. There rode with him the Italian and German military attaches, Captains Calderari and Von Tiedemann, the latter an African explorer of some note. Both expressed their admiration of the army that now stood ready to move on to Khartoum.

Onthe oppositebank of theriverMajorStuart-Wortley w-as busy getting into shape his little army of friendly Arabs. The Jaalin, eager to avenge the massacre of Metemneh, were the most numerous tribein camp, but several others were wellrepresented,notably the Ababdeh, the tribefrom the deserts east of Assouan and Haifa, and the bordersof the Batn-el-Hagar, who had done us such good service in every campaign since our advance began. Another tribe who musteredstronglywere the Shukhriyeh,from the upper Atbararegion. Their chief was a remarkable man, the Sheikh Amara Wad Abu Sin. His father had been Mudir, or native governor of Khartoum under Gordon,and perished with him in the night when the place was stormed by the Mahdi. Wad Abu Sin was himself for several years a prisoner in Omdurman, and duringthis time was a companion inmisery with Slatin,who was his friend. The Sheikh escaped from captivity in 1892, and eagerly acted upon Colonel Wingate's invitation to him to bring his tribesmen to join in the advance on Khartoum.

Keppel'sgunboats lay anchored on the brown rapid-flowing river. Across the Nile could be seen the camp of Stuart-Wortley's friendlies. To thesouth rose theShabluka Hills— alreadyin the possession of our advanced cavalry. The first stage of the-campaign— the concentration— hadbeen accomplished withouthitchoraccident. The next move wouldbe to a second concentration campopposite themountainof JebelRoyan, at the other end of the Cataract, the most southerly of the Shabluka Hills. Three days would suffice to complete this second stage of the advance,and then the army wouldbe within forty miles of the enemy's stronghold,and a fight might be expected any day. The friendlies— Arabs of the Soudan and the