242 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

means. It was felt, however, that the general advance of the expedition could not take place till the arrival of the whale-boats.

On the 20th of September the headquarters of the mounted infantry and some 2S0 officers and men embarked on board nine nuggars which lay ready for them at Sarras, and though they knew that they had before them many days of hard work in tremendous heat or under a scorching sun, they were by no means disheartened, but cheerfully looked forward to the journey in open boats as a real change from the noisy, close, and dusty quarters at Wady Haifa. On each nuggar there were 40 men with all their stores, rations, and ammunition for 90 days, and about ten camel saddles. One boat had a tent awning and was kept in case it should be wanted as a floating hospital; only Major Gough, the adjutant of the corps, and the surgeon being on board. In illustrating the temper and the cheerful alacrity of the British soldier, and his readiness to make the best of whatever situation he may be placed in so long as he is actively engaged, it is among the distinct records of the expedition that in the 300 miles' journey from Sarras to Dongola, the frequent stoppages and the "necessity of towing the boats for distances varying from 400 yards to three miles was regarded by both officers and men as a great relief from the tedium of sitting in the boats exposed to the scorching glare of the sun. No one could move on board a boat, and if a man dared to stand up the reis or native captain declared with frantic gestures that the vessel would be wrecked, and that he could not steer if anyone prevented him from seeing forward. The towing and hauling were therefore regarded as pleasant changes. A correspondent with the expedition wrote : — " On these occasions the different boat parties displayed great spirit of rivalry, and some most exciting struggles for best place animated each band of trackers. The officers were quite as interested in the result as were their men, and it was amusing at more than one difficult point in the latter part of the voyage to see Colonel Sir Herbert Stewart, the new commandant of Dongola, and members of his staff, with coats off and shoes full of black mud, hauling, in the midst of the soldiers and the native crews,