THE FINAL ADVANCE 205 Thank you very much, sir ! I don’t think that I shall find any work hard after what I have been doing for the past four months.”

‘‘You have got your horse?” “Yes; he is in good condition, for I have had no riding to do for some time.” “ Well, you had better get him on board one of the gyasses we shall tow up to-morrow. All our horses will embark this evening. We shall be on board at daybreak. Our private camels are going with the marching column; you had better put yours with them. No doubt they will join us somewhere. Of course your kit will be carried with us.”

It was a delight to Gregory to be on the water again. There was generally a cool breeze on the river and always an absence of dust. He was now half-way between seventeen and eighteen, but the sun had tanned him to a deep-brown and had parched his face, thus adding some years to his appearance, so that the subalterns of the newly arrived regiments looked boyish beside him. The responsibilities of his work had steadied him, and though he retained his good spirits his laugh had lost the old boyish ring. The title of Bimbashi, which had seemed absurd to him seven months before, was now nothing out of the way, for he looked as old as many of the British subalterns serving with that rank in the Egyptian army.

Returning to the little hut that Zaki, with the aid of some of the blacks, had built for him, he gave his orders, and in a short time the camel—a very good one, which he had obtained in exchange for that which he had handed over to the transport—started with its driver to join those that were to carry up the baggage and stores of General Hunter and his staff. These were in charge of a sergeant and three privates of one of the Soudanese battalions. Gregory had got up a case of whisky, one of bottled fruit, and a stock of tea and sugar from Berber. No tents could be carried, and he left his tente dahri at the stores with his canteen, taking on