THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN the Pharaohs when they made a raid into the Sudan. We passed Kaddin and Fareg, the site of the Sirdar's advanced out-post in i8g6, and then crossed the desert to Kabodi, thus cutting off a great bend of the river. A run of three hours brought us to Kerma, the terminus of the Haifa Hne, and we arrived about noon in a sand-storm. A strong wind was blowing, and the air was so full of sand that the sun was almost invisible ; but for the heat and the sandy air the day had all the appearance of a " gray day" in England. There was neither station nor shed for the train to pull up at, and we stopped about fifty yards from the point where the rails came to an end. After a short time the Sildani soldiers loomed in the sandy air, and, telling me that they had been sent to fetch me by Captain Oldfield, proceeded to take my luggage and self into this officer's tent. Captain Oldfield rose from his table, and welcomed me cordially. His first words were, " What have you done with the bag of papers for the Sirdar ? " then, " Will you have a bath and breakfast ? " The precious bag being duly forthcoming, he pounced upon it and put it in a safe place, and then quickly dropped into his ordinary character of a courteous, but much harassed, British gentleman in the Egyptian Army. What Captain Pedley was at Aswan Captain Oldfield was at Kerma, and as transport officer his duties were multifarious, and his work was never done. Whatever time a steamer arrived from Merawi, whether by day or night, it had to be loaded at once, and despatched forthwith ; telegrams by the dozen came to tell him what to load in the steamers, and what not to load, and he was responsible for all the food and stores which were consigned to him until he had passed them on to the south. And all this with the thermometer at ii8° in the tent 1 At Kerma I had the pleasure of meeting Count Calderari, who had been deputed by the Italian Government to report to them on the military operations which were taking place in the SMan, and subsequently we lived in neighbouring huts at Merawi for many weeks.

When I arrived at Kerma a number of barges were being loaded, and Captain Oldfield hoped to have been able to lash them to a stern-wheeler, and set them on their way south the same day, and myself with them ; but this was found to be impossible, and 98 1