WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN m against his horse, completely unnerved by the tremendous excitement that had been compressed into the space of half an hour. Zaki was in ecstasy at the victory. The ruthless massacre of so many of his tribesmen, the ruin of his native village, and the murder of his relations was avenged at last. The reign of the Dervishes was over; henceforth men could till their fields in peace. It was possible that even yet he might find his mother and sisters still alive in the city but a few miles away, living in wretched existence as slaves of their captors. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. He would have liked to help to revenge the wrongs of his tribe, but his master needed him ; and moreover, there was no place for an untrained man in the ranks of the Soudanese regiments. They were doing their work better than he could.

Still, it was the one bitter drop in his intense joy that he had not been able to aid in the conflict.

He expressed this to Gregory. You have had your share in the fight, Zaki, just as I have had. I have not fired a shot, but I have been in the battle, and run its risks, and so have you. Each of us has done his duty, and we can say for the rest of our lives that we have borne our share in the great battle that has smashed up the power of the Khalifa and the rule of the Dervishes.”

CHAPTEE XV KHARTOUM T HEKE was no pause or rest for the troops who had been fighting for so many hours in the heat of the African sun. It was all-important to occupy Omdurman before the remnants of the Khalifa’s army reached it, and as it was known that the Khalifa himself had returned there, it was hoped that he might be captured. It was ten o’clock when Macdonald’s brigade fired their last shot. In half an hour the troops went forward again.