FLAG-WAGGING. 39 and one from Gakdul to Korti and back grand total about 1220 miles, not counting extras. During the whole time he only had a sore back three times ; but I must say when I saw him last the poor beast had holes in his side you could put a cocoanut in.

This long digression about the habits of camels has led us from the point ; let us return. Another mode of employing ourselves was by flag-wagging to each other. We had learnt the signalling alphabet, and one of us sitting backwards on his camel sent messages with primitive flags to the others at the rear of the column. The camel of the signaller never objected to the proceedings, even when his rider was sitting backwards. In the latter case he was generally led by a certain youthful nigger from Darfur, a slave who had escaped from his masters at Wady Haifa and joined us. One morning his enraged owners overtook us, and claimed him ; however, our commanding officer, R , made a magnificent speech about there being no slavery under the British flag, sent the Arabs to the right-about, and took possession of the boy himself, who became