68 THE DOWNFALL OF THE DERVISHES properties and went on our way. Yet all night long the lightning flashed incessantly, showing up every bush and rock on the river bank as clearly as at noonday.

Nasri Island had been converted into a vast depét for stores. All the people who were obliged to remain at this station throughout the campaign seemed very depressed. There was nothing whatever to do out of work hours except to prowl along the river bank, on the chance of slaying a goose or catching a fish. One of the officers came on board,. and, in answer to our query as to his welfare, said he felt ‘‘a bit cheap,” as in addition to being soaked to the skin as he lay in bed, he had been stung by two scorpions during the night. As the Zamaz’s condensers had gone wrong, and the engineer seemed to have lost his head altogether, we tied up to the bank until 2 a.m., and four more hours brought us to Wad Hamed, where the Sirdar’s forces were to be finally concentrated before the march upon Omdurman. | We thoroughly enjoyed the week’s sojourn at Wad Hamed, as the camp seemed healthy, and along the Nile there were many charming