226 WITH THE CAMEL CORPS UP THE NILE.

leave Gakdul next day for the wells at Abu Haifa, and encamp there pending Buller's arrival.

These wells were only some ten miles off, and from the description of them given in Fowler's map they sounded like Paradise large open pools of water, plentiful vegetation, dhoum palms in hundreds, green grass growing all around, etc., etc. Although we had learnt that all beauties of nature in this part of the globe were to he taken cum grano maxima salts, still we felt that any variation from the eternal black rocks and yellow sand would be a relief, and looked forward to it accordingly.