98 THE WAR IN THE SOUDAN.

Tudway, which was momentarily piled up on a sunken rock close into the bank. Most of the men were on shore with a hawser, and the few who remained on b< ard were labouring to pole the obstinate craft out into the stream. Suddenly and without further warning than a fierce roar and a savage crackling of dry twigs, the mimosa bushes and rank growth of shrubs that lined the bank became enveloped in a mass of flame, which speedily com¬ municated itself to the sail and rigging of the nuggar. The native captain and his satellites, after one glance at the bushes and another at the blazing sai1, promptly seized their little sleeping mats and a bag or two of dourra, which constituted their whole interest in the concern, and disappeared over the stern with an invocation to the prophet and the Seyd el Bedawee—a saint of great renown on the Nile. In this climate everything is so dry and so hot as to,be ready to burn on the smallest provocation. Thus, wherever a spark fell, and sparks fell in plentiful showers, a little fire promptly declared itself, and although all on board worked manfully to extinguish these ever incessant flames, it soon became apparent that the only chance of saving the ammunition, the men’s kits and other objects on board, would be to clear the boat of all she contained. This was promptly done. The men formed a line from the ship to the shore, and the bales and boxes were handed to them by those on board, whose position was rendered disagreeable by the imminence of the fall of the two huge spars from aloft. The spars fell, and were soon followed by the heavy mast, but, as all were prepared for the event, no one was injured.

“The fire on the bank soon burned itself out; it extended for about half-a-mile and was stopped by a barren nullah, the tempting trees on the other side of which were wholly beyond its reach.

“ The natives came back when all was over and renewed their occupations as though nothing had happened, being utterly indifferent to the scornful epithets showered on them by the soldiers, which, indeed, they did not understand.”

As will be seen, it wasno pleasure trip this : the labour wras toi’some ami excessive, the dangers extreme. The heat and glaring sun by dav and the eld and sleeplessness by night had told a good deal on the men. All super¬ fluous fat was worked off, and they were described as being hard as nails and fit for anything. But indeed their clothes suffered more than their wearers. The constant rowing, hauling, portaging, shoving, and wading, had reduced the former to mere rags ; “the trousers,” writes a correspondent, “as might have been expected fared the worst. I saw a man rowing the other day who had none left, not even the waistband.”

To give a succinct and detailed account of the passage up the Nile is im¬ possible. The various regiments and parts of regiments started at different times, and owing to the offer of a prize of £100 by Lord Wolseley, made the