ON THE BANK OF THE NILE. 69 the top of the ridge, and to their great disappointment they could not see the Nile, which was still at a little distance. There was the line of green vegetation and the clusters of houses forming the villages, one of which was on their route; but night was falling, and it was thought better to avoid a place, where some of the enemy might be in ambush, and to strike the river at once, so a slight detour was made dovin a shallow ravine, at the end of which was a part of the belt of cultivated fields containing pease, mimosa, and patches of dhurra. Colonel Wilson, Lieutenant Stuart-Wortley, and other officers went forward to find a place suitable for encampment, leaving the square at the end of the ravine, and though it was now dark they succeeded. The first consideration was to gain a spot on the bank where men and horses could obtain the priceless luxury of an ample drink of water; and this was, in fact, the first desire of the explorers themselves—an unstinted draught that would alleviate what they felt was almost quenchless thirst. They were soon back, however, and the square reached the river about half an hour after dark, the wounded being taken to the best ilace that could be found on the bank, the men going down in companies to drink, and the camels being turned into the fields of pease, there to luxuriate in a fresh and juicy meal. It was an excellent position, sheltered by two hills and so protected that a picket and guns could have defended it against any force that the enemy could send; and it was afterwards regretted that a regular position was not established here instead of at Gubat or Abu-Kru, to which the square afterwards moved. As soon as the men had had a good drink the sappers were employed to cut bush to form a seriba, and pickets were posted on each side of the ravine by which the river had been approached. The men, however, were dead beat, and as they went up from their drink at the river, numbers of them simply fell to the ground and were instantly asleep, so that there was some difficulty in rousing them and getting them into their places for the night. They had found water, and luckily that (except rest) was all they seemed for the time to care about, for very few of them had taken any rations or even so much as a mouthful of biscuit. With 150 rounds of