THE FINAL ADVANCE 217 riors at the camp. Confident as the officers of the expedition were in the ability of their men to repulse any assault that might be made in the daylight, it was felt that such an attack would cause terrible loss, and possibly grave disaster, if delivered at night. The enemy might not be discovered until within a few yards of the camp, the swish of the rain and the almost incessant crash of thunder would deaden the sound of their approach, and long before the troops could leap to their feet and prepare to receive them calmly, the Dervishes would be upon them. As the latter were enormously stronger in numbers, the advantage of superior weapons would be lost in a hand-to-hand fight, and in the inevitable confusion, as the troops in reserve would be unable to open fire while ignorant of the precise position of friends and foes. The Khalifa, however, was relying upon prophecy.

It was at Kerreri that the infidel army was to be utterly destroyed, and he may have thought that it would be tempting fate were he to precipitate an action before the invaders reached the spot where their doom had been pronounced.

Even more miserable than night was the hour before dawn. Lying still, drenched to the skin as they were, Kature prevailed, and the men obtained some sleep ; but when they rose to their feet and threw off the sodden blankets, they felt the full misery of eight hours’ drenching ; they were cold now as well as wet, and as they endeavoured to squeeze the water from their clothes, and to restore circulation by swinging their arms, but few words were spoken, and the rising of the sun, which was regarded as a terrible infliction during the day, was eagerly looked for. Ko sooner did it appear above the horizon than the spirits of the men rose rapidly, and they laughed, joked, and made light of the inconveniences of the situation. An hour later their clothes were nearly dry. By that time they were all well on their way, the brigades as before marching in echelon—Wauchope’s brigade on the left, Littleton’s farther to the right but more to the rear, the three Egyptian brigades farther out on the plain.