192 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN Ah! Major Hilliard,” that officer said as he came up, “I am glad to see you. I heard that you had been captured by the Dervishes and killed, but I suppose, as I see you here, that it was only the usual canard.” “No, sir. I was captured, but, as you see, no-t killed, though it has been a pretty close thing. This is a note, sir, that General Hunter requested me to give you.”

Colonel Lewis read the order. “ The women are down over there, a couple of hundred yards away,” he said. “ I will send a sergeant and four men with you. If you will point out Mahmud’s wife, I will see that she is made as comfortable as possible.”

“ Thank you, sir I It is to her I owe my life, and I am most anxious to do all I can to repay the debt.”

“You came along through the other brigades; do you know what their losses have been? ” “ The British losses are not heavy, sir, considering the fire they have been exposed tOi Macdonald’s brigade suffered most, I believe.”

“ Yes ; I saw one of the officers just now. It seems they came down upon Mahmud’s picked body-guard, and these fought desperately. They found Mahmud in the usual attitude in which the Dervish emirs await death when they are conquered. He was sitting quietly on his mat, with his arms laid down beside him, and was, I should imagine, somewhat surprised at finding that he was not cut to pieces at once.”

“ I am glad he was not, sir, for he certainly behaved well to me. It was through the influence of his wife, I admit, but in sparing me he really risked serious disaffection among his followers, and at last gave way only to coercion.”

The sergeant and men had now come up, and Gregory went off with them. Three or four hundred women were seated on the ground together, with half a dozen Egyptian soldiers standing as sentry over them. More or less closely veiled as they were, Gregory could not distinguish Fatma among them ; and indeed, except when he first reached her in