62 WITH KITCHEITEK IN THE SOUDAN bread, and there is a certain amount of tea, but nothing like enough for a thirsty climate, especially when— which is sometimes the case—the water is so bad that it is not safe to drink unless it has been boiled ; so you had better take up four or five pounds of tea.”

“ I don’t take sugar, sir.” “ All the better ; there is no better drink than tea poured out and left to cool, and drunk without sugar. You might take a dozen tins of preserved milk, as many of condensed cocoa and milk, and a couple of dozen pots of jam. Of course you could not take all these things on if you were likely to move, but you may be at Dongola some time before there is another advance, and you may as well make yourself as comfortable as you can ; and if, as is probable, you cannot take the pots up with you, you can hand them over to those who are left behind. You will have no trouble in getting a fair-sized case taken up, as there will be water carriage nearly all the way. A good many fellows have aerated waters sent, up, but hot soda-water is by no means a desirable drink not to be compared with tea kept in porous jars, so I should not advise you to bother about it. You will want a waterbottle; get the largest you can find. It is astonishing how much water a fellow can get down in a long day’s march.

Oh! as to your boots, get the uppers as light as you can the lighter the better ; but you must have strong soles—there are rocks in some places, and they cut the soles to pieces in no time. The sand is bad enough ; your foot sinks in it, and it seems to have a sort of sucking action, and very often takes the sole right off in a very short time. I suppose you smoke ? ” “ Cigarettes, sir.”

I should advise you to get a pipe in addition, or rather two or three of them. If they get broken or lost in the sand there is no replacing them; and if you don’t take to them yourself you will find them the most welcome present you can give to a man who has lost his. I should advise you