2 34 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

provisions, clothing, furniture, water-condensing apparatus, and innumerable fittings and appliances.

All was soon ready, however, and Mr. Charles Lucas, jun., and Mr. Basil Ellis started for the seat of war in the same mail steamer, from Brindisi, that was to carry General Sir G. Graham. This arrived at Alexandria on the 26th of February, and they immediately went on to Cairo, where, however, the general was detained for a short time because of an accidental injury to his ankle, which prevented him reaching Suakim till the 1 2th of March, when he arrived in the Lydian Monarch with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. At that time the arrangements for the troops under Lord Wolseley, during the summer, were to make Dongola the headquarters, the main body of the force remaining in camp at Korti ; the mudir's troops to be stationed at Merawi, with, perhaps, the Black Watch, a troop of hussars, and two guns. Two movable columns were to be formed ready to take the field at any moment, one of them consisting of General Dormer's brigade ot three battalions of infantry, a troop of hussars, and four guns, to be encamped near Debbeh; the other, under the command of General Brackenbury, to be posted somewhere between Debbeh and Handak; and the heavy camel corps to be encamped opposite the Hannek Cataracts. The troops were to be provided with huts of mud and reeds, as in the summer months the heat, already increasing, would be insupportable.

For some time previously the rebels, though they had ceased to make night attacks on Suakim, had showed amazing audacity in creeping down the gullies at night and filling up the trenches of the advanced works after the fatigue parties had retired for the day. It was therefore determined to lay some small mines outside the line of the advanced redoubts; but even these were unavailing, for the Arabs contrived to enter the works without exploding them. Lieutenant Askwith of the engineers, who was charged with the mining operations, therefore went out to examine and make some alterations in them, when that which he was examining exploded and blew him to pieces. This accident caused much sorrow in the camp, for the officer had been remarkable for his zeal and energy, and had taken an active part in all the work performed by the engineers since the departure of General Graham's former expedition. But another series of attack.s exhibiting still greater audacity and cunning on the part of the enemy soon began to disturb the camp, the plan and disposition of which was not such as to secure it against night surprises. The formation of the camp placed the Guards brigade, consisting of the Coldstreams, Scots Guards, and Grenadiers, in rear of the west redoubt, a small fort which formed the most advanced post on the Suakim-Berber road ; behind them was the Berkshire Regiment, and on the left of the Guards brigade was a large unoccupied gap; then came the camps of the Shropshire and East Surrey