l6 EGVrX AND THE SOUDAN.

arrangement which the latter was by no means pleased with. The

guards went on with the column, which paraded outside Gakdul

and started at 2 p.m., and consisted of 3 troops 19th Hussars, ist

division of naval brigade, with one Gardner gun, half battery

(3-7 pounder screw guns) royal artillery heavy camel regiment,

Guards camel regiment, mounted infantry camel regiment, 100

Sussex Regiment, and transport and medical service; in all about

1500 men and 2300 camels. A mere handful of men to be

exposed to the fierce onslaught of probably 10,000 or 12,000

savage opponents, who, as it afterwards was discovered, had been

assembled at Abu-Klea, where they had taken possession of the

wells. So far from the approach of Sir Herbert Stewart's force

being unknown or unsuspected by those whose knowledge of it was

least desirable, the column had scarcely started from Gakdul when a Remington rifle was found on the rocks, near where the men had " formed up," and as they got out to the desert recent

horse tracks were seen a little off the road to Metammeh, so that

there was no doubt of the advance being known. In about ten

miles' march, which occupied rather more than three hours, fifteen

camels succumbed, and it was then time to halt and bivouac for

the night, for they had to start at daylight next morning—the

reveille sounding at 3.30 and the start just at dawn, about 5.15. The march was over a tract of loose sand, and after above four

hours' march the advance halted for the stragglers at the Jebel-el-

Nus, an isolated hill of sandstone which made an admirable land-

mark. Many of the camels were falling from want of food and

from overwork. Recent tracks of horses were seen, showing that some of the enemy's scouts had been on the look-out, and in the

distance three or four of their camel men had been observed; but

no news was brought in to our main column by the hussars, who

were scouting in advance, and none of the messengers sent out

had returned. The column, having plodded on till five o'clock in

the evening, camped for the night at Jebel Sergain, where the

camels were tied down and preparations made for a probable

attack, so that the wretched beasts could not move to get a meal

of the savas grass which grew plentifully in the neighbourhood,