MERAWI IN 1897 " and of anything to which he took a fancy, and he and his men " paid unwelcome attentions to our women. Now your Excellency " comes with your honourable Pashas, and you ask us for nothing, " and you take nothing from us ; our women no longer run to the " fields, for they are not afraid, and all our men are here, and they "are your servants." Then, after many wishes for the long life and success of the General, he said, " You shall take Omdurman, " you shall kill the Khalifa, and you shall marry his mother ! " The General's reply to the last portion of the prophecy was inaudible, but as if to emphasize the shekh's remarks a very goodlooking donkey, which had been solemnly looking on for some time, began to bray loudly, and the meeting between the General and the shekh ended with a laugh in which every one joined.

Now, although the British authorities were fully occupied with work, they managed to find time to assist me in carrying out the examination of the antiquities in and about Merawi, which I had been sent out to make by the Trustees of the British Museum. I was well acquainted with all that Cailliaud, Hoskins, and Lepsius had done, and a preliminary visit to Gebel Barkal convinced me that the complete excavation of the site would require more time and cost more money than I had at my disposal. After consultation with Colonel Wingate, it was decided that we should explore the ruins of Piankhi's temple (see pages 145 ff.), and clear out any portions which seemed promising, and attempt to open one of the pyramids at Gebel Barkal. It was estimated that this work might be done in three months, and as no one except the Sirdar knew how long the Frontier Field Force was going to remain at Merawi, it was clearly unwise to begin work on too ambitious a scale.

This conclusion arrived at, Slatin Pasha summoned the Shekh Muhammad Wad Ibrahim from the other side of the river, and informed him that the Sirdar had given me permission to make excavations near his village. Muhammad replied that the Sirdar had already told him that I was coming to do this work, and that, if God willed, I should find the untold treasures which the ancient kings of the country had hidden in the pyramids. He and the men of his village would take care that nothing was stolen, and as for himself he was the faithful servant of the Sirdar, and of his Excellency Salatin Pasha. It 201