ON THE ROAD TO KHARTOUM. 485 never make the fellaheen good fighters. A British officer of the highest distinction in the Egyptian military service confirmed this belief of mine not long ago by expressing the following views in my presence : — " The Egyptian soldier has many good merits ; his one fatal defect as a soldier is that he has not the love of killing which animates all good troops on the field of battle. Fighting is distasteful to him apart from its dangers. He has no wish to be killed, and no wish to kill others. The result is that when it comes to charging the enemy or storming a position, he does not rise equal to the occasion ; but under ordinary circumstances, and when led by officers in whom he has confidence, he can be trusted to stand under fire."

I believe the substantial justice of this statement would be admitted privately, if not publicly, by most officers in a position to form a trustworthy opinion of the Egyptian soldiery from personal experience. I should say my informant added that his remarks did not apply to the black regiments in the Egyptian army, who, as a body, were born soldiers, fond of fighting for fighting's sake, and eager to kill not only in order to protect their own lives, but out of the lust of slaughter, which comes to all martial races when their blood is up.

I have dwelt upon this aspect of the Egyptian army, not so much on account of its military interest.