258 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

we must save them. It is needless to say more to British soldiers and sailors."

As we have already noted, Dongola had nothing to distinguish it in the way of picturesque situation or interesting buildings and monuments. The bazaar was only fourth rate; and there were few attractions notwithstanding the residence in the town ol the mudir (who had been made a pasha by order of the khedive), and his resplendent Turkish, Circassian, and Albanian officers, who, according to the wont of their countrymen, had pretty well milked the cow of Egypt, were to be seen gorgeously attired, while the mudir himself was in religious seclusion and wore a comparatively shabby uniform decorated with tarnished lace and two or three sizes too big for him. Sir Herbert Stewart, the English commandant, had been two days in Dongola el Ourdeh before he could obtain an interview with the mudir, who had all along held somewhat aloof and behaved with an assumption of superiority which was supposed to be the effect of his aiming at a reputation for saintliness, and caused his protestations of sincerity and loyalty to be suspected.

The interview between his highness and the English commander took place just before the celebration of the feast of Kourban Bairam, however, and this was the occasion of a very ceremonial reception of all the notables at the government house, the court-yard of which was lined with the black troops and Bashi-Bazouks who had fought at Debbeh and at Korti, and after the reception these soldiers heartily greeted their pasha. Of course the holiday was signalized by sports and observances of various kinds, and equally of course the former chiefly consisted of galloping wildly about on horses and firing guns or beating tom-toms. Our officers and soldiers took a prominent part in them as observers. The mudir had apparently had a faint notion that he would be the commander of the British forces at Doneola, and that the Nassif-Khcir steamer, which he visited on its arrival, would be for his especial use; but he was gently allowed to discover that he had miscalculated his authority to exercise more than the civil governorship, and it must be conceded that he took the discovery