THE FINAL ADVANCE 213 brigade followed, and two days afterwards the camp was entirely evacuated and the whole of the stores well on their way towards El Hejir. On the previous day two regiments of Wortley’s column of friendly natives also marched south.

The Sirdar and head-quarters, after having seen everything off, went up in a gun-boat, starting at nine in the morning.

As usual the Soudanese troops had been accompanied by a considerable number of their wives, who were heavily laden with their little household goods, and in many cases babies.

They trudged patiently along in the rear of the columns and formed an encampment of their own half a mile avay from the men’s, generally selecting a piece of ground surrounded by thick bush, into which they could escape should Dervish raiders come down upon them.

The stores arrived in due course. One of the gun-boats, however, was missing—the Zafir, with three gyasses in tow, having suddenly sunk ten miles north of Shendy owing to being so deeply loaded that the water got into the hold. Those on board had just time to scramble into the boats or swim to shore. No lives were lost, though there were many narrow escapes. Among these were Commander Keppel and Prince Christian Victor, who were on board. Fortunately, another steamer soon came along and took the gyasses, with the ship-wrecked officers and crew on board, and towed them up to El Hejir.

It had been intended to stay here some little time, but the Nile continued to rise to an altogether exceptional height, and part of the camp was flooded. At five o’clock, therefore, the Egyptian brigades started, with the guns on their right and the steamers covering their left, while the cavalry and camel corps were spread widely out in advance to give notice of any approaching Dervish force. As usual the soldiers’ wives turned out, and as the battalions marched past, shouted encouragement to their husbands, calling upon them to behave like men and not to turn back in battle. The presence of the women had an excellent effect on the soldiers, and in