202 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

tions had probably been decided, it was not till the last days of August that the public generally was aware that Lord Wolseley himself was on the way to take the chief command.

That there was to be an advance by the Nile was, however, obvious enough, for orders had already been given for the construction of some hundreds of small boats resembling whale-boats, by which the troops were to be conveyed; and it was rumoured that 500 Canadian boatmen were to be enlisted, whose experience of the rapids would enable them to navigate these vessels past the Nile cataracts.

The engagement of these Canadian "voyageurs" was said to have been due to Lord Wolseley's experiences on the Red River, and they were promptly enlisted for the special service required of them. As labourers or rowers to assist in navigating the boats, 300 Kroomen from the west coast of Africa were also engaged, and were expected to arrive at about the same time as the Canadians, in the first week in October. The voyageurs were engaged in various parts of Canada, and, under the command of Colonel Denison, embarked on board the Ocean King at Quebec, whence they went to Sydney, Cape Breton, for coal. Some of the men got ashore there and delayed the voyage because they could not be found : but they reached Alexandria on the 7th of October after ao-ain coalino- at Gibraltar. The vessels which these men were to navigate were chiefly the small boats already mentioned; but there were also some hundreds of Nile boatmen engaged for the tug-steamers, dahabeeahs, Nile nuggars, like half a wralnut shell in shape, luggage-steamers, launches for officers and special service, and the steam yacht or stern paddle launch for the general and the staff; a vast and diversified flotilla, which was to make the passage of the Nile in detachments, following the two or three steamers and some boats and nuggars which had already got over the second cataract. The command of the whale-boats was, of course, divided according to the detachments, Colonel Alleyne and Major Dorward (in charge of the engineers) taking the direction ol two of the divisions, the latter being in command of the five boats appointed to pioneer duty, and these reached Ambugol only