STATE OF THE CAMP. 249.

their champagne, which produced a curious effect in our unaccustomed heads. On the loth, Lord Wolseley announced his intention of inspecting us, and did so, without many words, except that we were to stay up the Nile all the summer, and would probably advance again in the autumn.

The camp at Korti had assumed enormous dimensions during the ten weeks we had been away. What with the camps of the regiments who had arrived since the 3<Dth December, and the quantities of stores that had been pouring in, it was hardly recognisable. We had left it a snug little place among palm trees, dhurra-fields, and mimosa bushes ; and now, behold, it was more like the Long Valley at Aldershot than a bit of the Nile. The camel lines were a mass of dust, the whole place was decidedly not as sweet as it was, and civilisation in the shape of a couple of Greek merchants had begun to intrude itself. It was time to mqve ; the question was where to ?

It was soon given out that directly the remainder of the desert force arrived (the river force having arrived on the nth), the whole expedition would be