SAFELY BACK 131 '‘Well, will you sit down, Mr. Hilliard,” the General said, "and give us a full account? In the first place, what you have learned, and in the second, how you have learned it.”

Gregory related the conversations he had heard among the soldiers, and then that of Mahmud’s brother and the commander of the Dervish cavalry. Then he described the events of his journey there, his narrow escape from capture, and the pursuit by the Dervishes at Abu Klea; how he gave them the slip, struck the Ambukol caravan road, had a fight with a band of robber Arabs, and finally reached the Egyptian camp.

" An excellently managed business ! ” the General said warmly. " You have certainly had some narrow escapes, and seem to have adopted the only course by which you could have got off safely. The information you have brought is of the highest importance. I shall telegraph at once to the Sirdar that there will assuredly be no advance on the part of Mahmud from Metemmeh, which will leave him free to carry out the plans he has formed. I shall of course, in my written despatch, give him full particulars of the manner in which I have obtained that information.”

" It was a very fine action,” Macdonald agreed. " The lad has shown that he has a good head as well as great courage. You will make your way, Mr. Hilliard,—that is, if you don’t try this sort of thing again. A man may get through it once, but it would be just tempting providence to try it a second time.”

"How, Mr. Hilliard,” the General said, "you had best go to your quarters. I will ask the surgeon to attend to you at once. You must keep quiet and do no more duty until you are discharged from the sick list.”

Ten days later orders were issued that the brigade under Macdonald, consisting of the 3rd Egyptians, and the 9th, 10th, and 11th Soudanese, together with a mule battery, were to move forward the next day to Kassinger, the advanced post some ten miles higher up the river. This seemed only a preliminary step, and the general opinion was that another