GORDON AND THE MAHDI. 99 was at Assiout that one began to realise the magnitude ance by a short line of rail some eight miles long, to Shellal,the port on the southern side of the rapid, while some few of them wererowed and towedthrough a narrow tortuous passage, past the historicisle of Philæ, wheretheriverbedisstrewnwithrocksandbouldersof dark granite. Once past the first cataract it wasall fairsailing for the boats as far as Wady Haifa, a couple of hundred mileshigherup theNile. For a timetheypassedbetween lofty sandstonecliffs of stem and forbiddingaspect, after which the river glided gently over a bed of goldensand, withbut a strip of verdure and a few doum palms on either bank whence the eastern and western deserts stretchedinall their glaringsterility.

of the undertaking inwhich Great Britainhadembarked. An almostinterminableprocessionof barges went up the riverunder sail,carrying casesand sacks containing all kinds ofprovisions andstores. On thebankneartheport weremilesofheavilyladentrucks whichhundredsof coolies were busy unloading, accompanying* themselves all the ,/ -O' J. »/ O time with a monotonous tuneless repetitionof some few words, withoutwhich, wrote an onlooker, they seemed quite unable to work.

OnreachingAssouan,over 300mileshigherup theliver, and justbelow the first cataract or rapid of the Nile,the row-boats were mainly placed upon trucks for convey-A DOUBTFUL CHARACTER IN THE CAMP AT ASSOUAN,