110 GORDON AND THE MAHDI.

peditihn. Between Wady Haifa and Muhrat wells they went by rail;between Muhrat Wells and Ambukol,by camel; between Ambukol and Tangour and thence to Sarka Matto by convoys of whaler boats; from Sarka Matto to Khaibar, and thence to Hannek, and from Abu Fatmeh to Korti, by native boats and by whalers. AnEnglish officertook charge of a number of whaler boats, usually ten,manned either by Dongolese kroomen, orEgyptiansoldiers; and withthemhewent up and down his section of the Nile, it being his duty to see that there was no loitering and no waste of labour. At the places of portage (Tangour two miles, SarkaMatto four miles, Khaibar one and a half miles, Hannek four miles) the stores were disembarked and carried on camels. The station-commandants looked sharply after the nuggars, and paid the British soldier that went in each store boat a sum of money in inverse proportionto the length of time in which he made thevoyage.* Corps, already stationed at Assouan, up the Nile-The camel corps, which had been formed in accord. ance with hisinstructions at anearly stage, numberedin all some 1500 men, and consisted of detachmentsof the HouseholdCavalry, the other mounted regiments,andthe foot-guards, each forming a separate division— heavy cavalry, light cavalry andguards, witha fourth regiment of mounted infantry. The ideaof forming such a corps was by no means novel, having been borrowed from Napoleon I., who, when in Egypt, organized a similar force,mounted ondromedaries,part of whichsurrendered inMay, 1801, to General Sir JohnDoyle's brigade. This French DromedaryCorps,it appears, wouldmarch ninety miles in a day over the desert, without provisions or water. The practice,when inaction, was for the animals to lie down, and for the men to get behind them andfire overthem. The troops detachedforaverysimilarservice, by Lord Wolseley's orders, reachedAlexandria on Oct. 7, andat onceexchangedtheir usualuniforms forred flannel tunics, corduroy knee-breeches and serge leggings, with whitepith helmets and puggarees. The accoutrements weresomewhatheavy,as theyincludedarolled cloakonthe rightshoulder,aleathercartridge-beltontheleftone, atin CHAPTER XIV.

Formation of the British camel corps.— The idea borrowed from NapoleonI.— Uniform and accoutrements of the Corps.— Variety of objects each camel had tocarry.— The first mount.— Discomforts of camel riding.— Lord Wolseley starts for Dongola.— Reports about Gordon and the Mahdi.— Consul Hansal's singular uniform.— His letters from Khartoum.— The Mahdi's European prisoners.— Gordon is defeated.— The Mahdi besieges Khartoum in person.— His sanctuary and his miracles.— Treachery inKhartoum.— Epidemics among the rebels.— Lord Wolseley arrives at Dongola.— His reception by the Mudir, whom he decorates with the order of St. Michael and St. George.— ManSuvreswith the camel corps.— Eagerness of the troops to advance.

ONE OF THE GUARDS' CAMEL CORPS.

mess-trap, a water-bottle, a brown leather ammunition bandolier, with fifty rounds of ammunition, and a rifle pocket,inwhichthebuttof the weaponwas secured. The arms were theMartini-Henry rifle andbayonet,inlieuof the ordinary cavalry carbine. In addition to rider,accoutrements, and weapons, it was decided that each camelshould also carrythe halfof atent, withthreedays' provisions and water for his master, as well as food for himself. As soon as the menreached the front an effort was made to teachthem how to ride their camels, which wasby no meansan easy task. -Soon after Lord Wolseley arrived at Wady Haifa early in October, he ordered the Gordon Highlanders, the Essex Regiment,the 19th Hussars, and the Camel * The Nileroute to Khartoum.— Tic Times, April 8.