124 GORDON AND THE MAHDI.

by! other The! com! men the! Hussars,! under M'Calmont! on the fti! & from! tin.! same the l--:i\! up! from ! the! n ach i! soonafterwards!

arrang H xnents with! Thenatives! very! or-!! the sale and! sheep, aud! so 'I hos 1 ot! been a! the '■"!i! men « Iu! from the!

rowing! the i<.'! been laiddown,so that Lord Wolseley was able to corl respond with his subordinates in the rear, and busy activity prevailed on all sides:stores were landed and collectedin themagazines; fatigue-partiescould be seen marchinghereand there; theCamelCorps weresubjected to constant drill,beingtaughthow to form square, while thesteadinessof theanimalswastestedinavarietyof ways. However, theybehavedadmirablythrough themost trying ordeals;barely raisingtheir heads or blinkingevenwhen the Hussars dashedpast them in athundering charge.

LORD WOLSELEY COMMUNICATING WITH THE GENERALS BY TELEGRAPH.

The festivities of Christmas-tide came right welcome in the midstof all the hard work. Mistletoe and holly were certainly wanting among the palm groves where the troops were encamped, but the traditionalpudding had beenprovided,and the men didamplejustice to this savoury but indigestiblecompound. Early in the morning onChristmas day, there was a grand parade, and at half-past seven the chaplains held asemi-choralservice, which was followed a few hours afterwards by the administration of the holy communion. In the evening Lord Wolseley andhis staff attended a camp-fire "singsong," at which several men of the different arms gaveproof of their vocal accomplishments, both in the sentimental and the comicline. Before the concert began, however, Colonel Swaine stepped forward and announcedthat the Commander-in-Chiefhadjust received a telegram of good wishesfrom the Duke of Cambridge and theMarquis of Harrington. This telegramwas then read aloud,and received with hearty cheers. It ran as follows:"Our united bestwishes to yourself and troops at this festival season. Maysuccess attend your efforts." As soonas the Christmas festivities wereover, the preparations for an early advance werevigorously resumed. Lord Wolsele}' had decided to form two separatecolumns — one commanded by Major-General Earle and the second by Brigadier-General Sir Herbert Stewart. The former force, consisting of the Staffordshire regiment,the Duke ofCornwall's regiment, theBlack Watch, two companies of the Gordon Highlanders, a squadron of the 19th Hussars, the Egyptian Camel Corps, and the auxiliary native troops of the Mudir of Dongola— the whole numbering 2200 men, with 1800 camels, 400 horses, and six screw guns— was to proceed up the Nile to punish the Monassir tribe for the murder of Colonel Stewart. It was then to advance on Abu Hamed and open the desert roadbetween that place and Korosko, whence allnecessary stores wouldbe forwarded. On the other hand, General Sir Herbert Stewartand COOKING THE CHEISTMAS PUDDING FOE THE HEAVIES,