228 WITH KiTCHENEil Ilf THE SOUHAN They kept along the bank until they reached a spot where the river had overflowed. Here the camels drank their fill. A little grain was given to them, and then they were turned loose to browse on the bushes.

“ There is no fear of their straying, I suppose, Zaki ? ” “Ho, master; they are always turned loose at night. As there are plenty of bushes here they will not go far.”

After another meal they both lay down to sleep, and as soon as it was light Zaki fetched in the camels and they continued their journey. In an hour they arrived at a village. The people were already astir, and looked with evident apprehension at the seeming Dervishes.

“ Has a party of infidels passed along here ? ” Gregory asked the village sheik, who came out and salaamed humbly.

“ Yes, my lord, a party of soldiers with some white officers came through here three days ago.”

“ How many were there of them ? ” “ There must have been more than a thousand of them.” “ Many more ? ” “Hot many; perhaps a hundred more. Your servant did not count them.”

“ Had they any cannon with them ? ” “Ho, my lord; they were all on foot. They all carried guns, but there were no mounted men or cannon.”

“Where is Fadil and his army that they thus allowed so small a force to march along unmolested ? ” “ They say that he is still near the Hile. Two of his scouts were here the day before the Turks came along. They stayed here for some hours, but as they said nothing about the Turks coming from Kassala, I suppose they did not know they had crossed the river.”

“ Well, we must go on and see where they are. They must be mad to come with so small a force when they must have known that Fadil has a large army. They will never go back again.”

Without further talk Gregory rode farther on. At each