232 WITH THE CAMEL CORPS UP THE NILE.

time, and keep up with a column on the march for 100 miles or more, subsisting on dry grass and one drink half-way. Naturally the beef suffers somewhat in quality and quantity ; but though it may not always be equal to prime cuts from the sirloin, a fresh meat ration, such as it is, is very acceptable occasionally, as a variety from the eternal " bully." Our beasts were no exception, and only had one failing, which I hope is not common to all Soudanese cattle : every night they used to butt away, or climb over, their thorny zeriba, and employ their keepers all day in looking for them.

Our other animals, the camels, were allowed to do pretty well what they liked, as a slight recompense for their previous sufferings. We had been allowed about eighty altogether (to some 220 men), and of these twenty at a time were kept tied up in case of emergency ; the others roamed all over the country during the day ? and were driven in at night. Even after three days there were visible signs of improvement ; most of them began to fill out a bit, and got to look quite happy, but I grieve to say that Potiphar was an exception. He never seemed to stop eating, yet his