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diff --git a/old/51520-0.txt b/old/51520-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4074088..0000000 --- a/old/51520-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8929 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Downfall of the Dervishes, by Ernest N. Bennett - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Downfall of the Dervishes - or The Avenging of Gordon - -Author: Ernest N. Bennett - -Release Date: March 21, 2016 [EBook #51520] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DOWNFALL OF THE DERVISHES *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, John Campbell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=. - - A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}. For example, C^o and L^{td} - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - More detail can be found at the end of the book. - - - - -THE DOWNFALL OF THE DERVISHES - -[Illustration: - - _Art Photogravure C^o. L^{td}._ - -_Lord Kitchener of Khartoum._ - -_From a Photograph by Bassano._] - - - - - THE DOWNFALL OF THE DERVISHES - - OR - - THE AVENGING OF GORDON - - BEING A PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF THE - FINAL SOUDAN CAMPAIGN OF 1898 - - BY - - ERNEST N. BENNETT, M. A. - - FELLOW AND LECTURER OF HERTFORD COLLEGE, OXFORD - - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR "THE WESTMINSTER GAZETTE" - - - WITH A PORTRAIT, MAP AND PLANS - - - LONDON - METHUEN & CO. - NEW YORK - NEW AMSTERDAM BOOK COMPANY - 1899 - - - - - TO - MY FRIEND - H. R. H. - I DEDICATE THIS LITTLE BOOK - - - - -PREFACE - - -In the following pages I have aimed at furnishing some account of -the interesting experiences which fell to our lot during the recent -campaign in the Sudan. - -My best thanks are due to several friends for the assistance they -have rendered me, and I feel especially grateful to H.H. Prince -Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein and Major Stuart-Wortley, -C.M.G., for their very kind help in supplying me with much additional -and interesting information about the work of the Gunboats and the -Friendly Tribes. - -I must also acknowledge the courteous permission accorded me by the -Editor of the _Westminster Gazette_ to use in the compilation of -this book some of the letters which I had previously contributed to -the columns of his newspaper. - - ERNEST N. BENNETT. - - HERTFORD COLLEGE, OXFORD, - _1st November 1898_. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - - FROM CAIRO TO THE ATBARA - PAGE - Correspondents' Permits--Academic Obstacles--Fellow-Passengers - to Alexandria--French Animosity in - Egypt--Indifferentism of Egyptian Natives--An - Interesting Dinner--Preparations for the Campaign--Egyptian - Magic--A Native "Medium"--Ali buys - a Sword--Departure from Cairo--A Matrimonial - Quarrel--Rumours about the Khalifa--Discomforts - of the Night Journey--The Luxor Hotel--Malevolent - Spiders--Karnak--By Rail to Shellal--Imbecility of - Ali's Brother--Hospital Arrangements--Dreariness - of a Nile Voyage--Cheerfulness of Tommy Atkins--A - Classic Tale of Horror--Death of a Soldier--From - Wady Halfa in a Cattle Truck--Abu Ahmed--First - Night at the Atbara--Chequered Career of the _El - Tahra_--Life at Atbara Camp--The Plagues of Egypt - up to Date--Perverse Camels--Failure of our - Attempts to overtake Lancers 1 - - - CHAPTER II - - FROM THE ATBARA TO WAD HAMED - - A Crowded _Ghyassa_--A Talking Mummy--Slatin Pasha--Animal - Life on the Banks--The Pyramids of Meroe--Work - for Archæologists--A Gaalin Sheikh--A - Dervish Deserter--Abu Klea--A Sandstorm--Arrival - at Wad Hamed--We meet the Sirdar--Types of the - War Correspondent--Entomology--Insect Life in the - Sudan--Desert Circulating Library--Fly-fishing in - the Nile--Military "Fatigues"--Fugitives from - Omdurman--Our Camp Life at Wad Hamed--Thirst - in the Tropics--How we Dined--Good-bye to - Wad Hamed 56 - - - CHAPTER III - - THE WEEK BEFORE THE BATTLE - - Embarkation of Friendlies--The Shabluka Cataract--Our - Delay at Rojan Island--First Glimpse of Omdurman--The - Evening Ride from Hagir--The Joys of - Good Health--Sudanese Wives--Importance of the - "Drink Camel"--An Adventurous Greekling--Mr. - Villiers' Bicycle--Um Teref Camp--Sudanese Music--The - First Dervish--Scorpion v. the "Father of - Spiders"--A Cavalry Reconnaissance--A Rainy - Night--Within Twenty-five Miles of Omdurman--Deserted - Villages--A Disappointing Capture--Seg-et-Taib--The - Water Question--Corpses in the River--The - Khalifa's Army in Sight--The Ridge of Kerreri--Sururab--Gunboats - at Work--Troublesome - Donkeys--Sniping--A Tropical Downpour spoils our - Rest--Mr. Villiers and Myself stung by Scorpions--Chasing - Hares on the March--Cavalry Scouts on - Kerreri--Howitzers in Action--Skirmishing with the - Khalifa's Cavalry--Waiting for the Dervish Advance--The - Khalifa halts--The Evening before the Battle--The - Perils of a Night Attack--False Alarms 105 - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN - - A Comfortable Breakfast--All ready for the Dervishes--Egyptian - Cavalry engage the Enemy--Gunboats to - the Rescue--The Joy of Battle--Here they come!--A - Splendid Spectacle--The Dervishes open Fire--The - First Shell--A Dervish Battery--Effect of our - Shell Fire--Wounded Men--Curious Tricks played by - Bullets--Maxims at Work--A Dervish Cavalry - Charge--Persistent Sharpshooters--The Army leaves - the Zeriba--The Lancers' Charge--Mutilation of the - Dead--Wounded Horses--Killing the Wounded - Dervishes--Renewal of the Fight--Steadiness of the - Sudanese and Egyptians--Final Repulse of the - Enemy--Dreadful Effects of our Fire--Men falling - out--We halt beside a _Khor_--Regimental Music--Escape - of the Khalifa--Death of Hon. Hubert - Howard--A Champagne Dinner in the Street--The - End of Mahdism 156 - - - CHAPTER V - - GUNBOATS AND GAALIN - - The Sirdar's Fleet--Difficulties of Navigation--The Loss - of the _Zaphir_--Concentration of Friendlies at Wad - Hamed--Their Love for Firearms--Rout of a Dervish - Detachment--Gunboats shell the Kerreri Ridge and - Riverside Villages--Some Faint-hearted Friendlies--Gallantry - of the Gaalin--Tuti Island--The Shelling - of the Mahdi's Tomb--Gunboats silence the Forts--Lyddite - Shells--Maxim Fire upon the Fugitives--Gunboats - proceed up the River--The Fate of Gordon's - old Flotilla 203 - - - CHAPTER VI - - AFTER THE BATTLE - - The Mahdi's Tomb--A Wounded Man lands under False - Pretences--Villiers' Bicycle in Omdurman--Loathsome - Streets--The Arsenal--Dervish Ammunition--The - "Man-stopping" Bullet--Awful Effects of Modern - Rifle Fire--The Gordon Memorial Service--Varieties - of Loot--A Tommy's Quaint Mistake--Enrolment - of Dervishes under the Khedive's Flag--Charles - Neufeld--The Austrian Sisters--Slatin Pasha in - Camp--Good-bye to Omdurman--We strike on a - Sandbank--Our Sleeping Arrangements--Failure of - Attempts to move Gunboat--A Soldier Drowned--A - Dead Egyptian--We get off the Bank--Loss of my - Luggage--Cross goes to Hospital--Delays on Homeward - Journey--Mohammedan Divorce Laws--A - Camel dies from the Bite of an Asp--A Good Dinner--From - Alexandria to Marseilles--Announcement of - Cross's Death--The Future of the Sudan 222 - - - - -MAP AND PLANS - - - THE NILE FROM THE ATBARA TO KHARTUM _Facing page 104_ - - THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN (TWO PLANS) _Facing page 202_ - - PLAN OF OMDURMAN AND KHARTUM TO ILLUSTRATE - THE OPERATIONS OF THE GUNBOATS AND THE - FRIENDLIES _Facing page 214_ - - - - -THE DOWNFALL OF THE DERVISHES - - - - -CHAPTER I - -FROM CAIRO TO THE ATBARA - - -Towards the end of last July I heard to my great joy, from the editor -of the _Westminster Gazette_, that a permit had been granted me to -act as his special correspondent during the forthcoming campaign in -the Sudan. Sinister rumours had been afloat for a long time to the -effect that the utmost difficulty would be experienced in securing -such permission, and several officials at the Foreign Office had -warned applicants that even in the event of a formal pass beyond Wady -Halfa being accorded, there would be no certainty that correspondents -would be allowed to proceed actually to the front. The baselessness -of these apprehensions was amply shown by subsequent events. War -correspondents in the recent campaign had little to complain of on -the score of any curtailment of their liberty of movement, though the -Sirdar's subsequent refusal to take any pressmen to Fashoda may have -provoked some unreasonable criticism. - -A day or two after the receipt of the Sirdar's permit I happened to -meet at dinner an old college acquaintance, Mr. Henry Cross, who -had rowed five in the 'Varsity boat of 1888. When I told him of my -intended visit to the Sudan, he was all eagerness to join me; but as -he was utterly inexperienced in the sort of travel that would fall -to our lot before Khartum was reached, I did my best to dissuade -him from making any rash resolves of the sort on the spur of the -moment. The daily round of a war correspondent's life amid a charming -environment of scenery and climate is simply delightful, when to the -joys of an open-air existence and abundant exercise there is added -the pleasant excitement which springs from a risk of danger. Such -delights as these I had experienced during the Cretan troubles in -the spring of 1897, but from what one knew personally of tropical -travel, and what one gathered from various accounts of the Sudan, -one realised that the forthcoming campaign would be in the Lancer's -words, already become historical, "no bloomin' picnic." Accordingly -I laid before Cross graphic and horrible pictures of sandstorms and -sunstroke and the other unpleasantnesses which one might expect to -meet amid the torrid plains of the Sudan. Would that my advice had -been acted upon and his bright young life preserved! As it was, -my friend secured a permit through the editor of the _Manchester -Guardian_, and rapidly made his preparations for departure. Our last -meeting before we left Charing Cross was at Bletchley Junction, -and over some railway tea and a couple of buns we made our final -arrangements. - -The great difficulty which I had to surmount before leaving England -arose from a gigantic heap of examination papers which went far -towards filling up my college rooms. The limits of time imposed by -the authorities who preside over the destinies of University and -other examinations appear sometimes to the fevered imagination of the -anxious _employé_ to be strongly flavoured with the ancient Egyptian -spirit of "bricks without straw." Under time pressure of this kind -one's ethical system becomes quite distorted. How heartily one gets -to hate the good little boys and girls who write four or five pages -of cram! With what satisfaction one surveys the work of the stripling -whose indifference or ignorance has curtailed the product of his -mental training within the more reasonable limits of a few lines, to -be marked after a single synoptic glance! However, with the aid of -several hirelings, whose unskilled labour sufficed to execute the -merely clerical portion of my task, I contrived to break the back of -this obstacle to my happiness. The penultimate batch was finished -at the Charing Cross Hotel, the final lot completed just before our -train steamed into Folkestone. - -I shook off the dust of these papers from my garments, and stepped -upon the steamer's deck a free agent. Away with lectures and pupils -and essays, the solemnity of the Senior Common Room, and the -good-humoured toleration of the smart undergraduate! Farewell for -many a week to dear Oxford--with its scouts and "bedders"--porters -and proctors--bursars and battels! Just as I was leaving the walls -of the college a copy reached me from a continental professor of -his _Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha_, to which I had furnished a slight -contribution some months ago. "Pray accept this trifle," I said to a -sorrowful friend, "for your own edification during the 'Long'; I am -now going to another region rich in apocryphal acts, to wit, those of -the war correspondent." - -There is no need to dwell upon the trite journey to Alexandria. -Such a subject may well be left to the pen of the tourist, who, -under the capable management of Dr. Lunn, enjoys at the same time -economic and religious satisfaction, and travels at reduced fares to -further the reunion of Christendom. The Messageries steamer which -conveyed us from Marseilles carried, as is generally the case, -scarcely any passengers, except a conglomerate mass of human beings -at the foc'sle, and very little freight. Nevertheless, thanks to the -enormous subsidy furnished by the French Government, these half-empty -steamers invariably afford good accommodation and excellent -food. On board our boat were Major Mitford and Lieutenant Winston -Churchill. The latter gentleman was going out to be attached to the -21st Lancers, and in the intervals of campaigning conversation and -graphic accounts of his recent experiences on the Indian frontier, -he supplied us with luminous information as to the principles and -practice of Tory Democracy. Another fellow-passenger with whom I -was privileged to enjoy a good deal of pleasant conversation was an -Egyptian Bey of high official rank. As we neared Alexandria, he told -me a great many interesting facts about the bombardment of 1882. He -was present during the engagement, and ridiculed the ground which was -alleged at the time for the action of our ironclads. Sir Beauchamp -Seymour had been ordered from home to "prevent the construction of -fresh fortifications at all costs," and when a number of Arabi's -levies were seen to be shovelling some spadefuls of sand upon the -wretched mounds which stretched towards Ras-el-tin, the concentrated -fire of our warships opened upon the whole line of so-called -"fortifications." The Egyptian artillerymen did their best, although -some of their heaviest guns were not fired from ignorance of their -mechanism; nor was the assistance rendered them by a host of men, -women, and even children, of much practical utility. My friend -told me he saw one of these amateur gunners endeavouring to load a -breech-loading Krupp by shoving a shell wrong way about down the -mouth of the gun! The shell, of course, stuck fast, and its base -projected from the muzzle. - -We reached Alexandria by August 2nd, on which day was fought, exactly -one hundred years before, the Battle of the Nile. The words which -were used to describe this achievement, "It was not a victory, it -was a conquest," might, exactly one month afterwards, have been -well used of another British triumph before the walls of Omdurman! -But whereas the Mahdist enemy has vanished never to reappear, our -ancient adversaries, the French, are still in Egypt with all their -traditional eagerness to thwart and injure us--an eagerness which -seems to be increased, if possible, by their realisation of the -fact that their power in Egypt is gradually waning. I learnt from -an authority of the highest standing that in a list of official -appointments made from day to day there is a marked decrease in the -number of French names, and of course a corresponding increase in -English ones. It is certain, too, that the vast majority of educated -Egyptians are coming to realise clearly the injury which is inflicted -on their country by the obstinacy and perversity of the French, -whose policy is one of sheer obstruction to any measure of progress -suggested by the British advisers of the Khedive, however reasonable -its conditions and beneficial its results. The present scheme of new -irrigation works at Philae, which will bring thousands of fresh acres -under cultivation and increase the revenue enormously, has, needless -to say, received the most violent opposition from the French. How -long are we going to tolerate this absurd political farce? When will -a British Government have the courage to inform the world that we -officially recognise what is already a _fait accompli_, and intend -to remain in sole and permanent possession of a country for which we -have done so much? - -Several amusing stories are told in Cairo of the animosities which -often exist between Englishmen and Frenchmen as individuals. Some -time ago, a naval lieutenant in uniform entered the Bar Splendid, -near the Esbekiyeh Gardens, and called for some refreshment. Three -Frenchmen entered simultaneously, and as the lieutenant raised the -glass to his lips his arm was jogged so roughly that half the liquor -was spilt. He turned to the three Frenchmen, but as they did not -look at him he concluded that the occurrence was a mere accident due -to his neighbours' clumsiness, but unnoticed by them. He therefore -raised his half-filled glass once more, and this time actually -saw one of the Frenchmen deliberately jog his arm. Justly furious -at this uncalled for insult, the Englishman, who was an excellent -"bruiser," laid about him with such vigour and dexterity that in a -twinkling two of his assailants were sprawling on the sanded floor -of the restaurant. He turned to the third. "No, you're too small," -said he, and forthwith seizing the diminutive Gaul by the back of -his collar, he slid him under one of the tables, and, leaving the -trio in their undignified positions, he walked quietly out of the -café and reported the occurrence to his superior officer. Next -day, three Frenchmen, whose features were somewhat discoloured and -bedraggled, rang the bell at the lieutenant's quarters with a view -to "demand satisfaction." But on the doorstep stood the lieutenant's -servant, a huge bluejacket, who informed the visitors that a British -officer could not cross swords with persons of their inferior social -standing. As the Frenchmen were persistent and noisy, the sailor -exclaimed, "Well, it was my master's day yesterday, but, strike me -blue, it's mine to-day!" and with that he cleared for action by -rolling up his sleeves. The sight, however, of his brawny arms, -coupled with a vivid recollection of _le box_ as practised by the -British, appeared to impress the three would-be duellists, and they -speedily withdrew. - -We stayed for several days at Shepheard's, where the semi-comatose -servants gradually awoke from the lethargy which overtakes them out -of the season, and did their best to make us comfortable. The general -torpor which seizes upon Cairo during the hot summer months was -broken during our stay by the incessant despatch of troops to the -front. Every afternoon detachments of infantry and cavalry marched -briskly through the streets towards the station with drums and fifes, -and "Auld Lang Syne" was played as the train steamed away. It was -curious to notice how infinitesimal was the interest which seemed -to be aroused in the passers-by. The Egyptian natives scarcely took -the trouble to glance at the columns as they marched past in full -war kit and brown kharki uniforms. A little knot of Europeans, whose -smallness served to emphasise the emptiness of the hotel, would step -out upon the verandah--where, by the way, the temperature was nearly -100° in the shade--and follow with their eyes the passing battalions; -but otherwise no interest whatever seemed to be aroused by their -departure. The fact is, that it never occurs to Egyptians of the -lower classes that they have any share or lot in what is perpetrated -by the powers that be. They are, as Aristotle expressed it, "slaves -by nature," and centuries may roll by before any other political -sentiment is instilled into this most conservative of nations than -that of fear and acquiescence. At the same time, this lack of -interest is certainly not prevalent to the same extent amongst the -educated and enlightened sections of Egyptian society. Whatever may -be the divergency of opinion _à propos_ of various questions of -internal reform, or larger problems as to the ultimate government -of the country--whatever be the diverse opinions on topics such as -these amongst the educated natives--there is a practically unanimous -approval of two enterprises now in hand--the new _Barrage_ of the -Nile, and the recovery of the Sudan. - -The social life of the upper classes in Egypt is gradually yielding -to European influences. Much has been accomplished in this direction -during the space of a single generation. Egyptian gentlemen, whose -fathers wore the turban and loose native dress, now get their tweed -suits and patent leather boots from English firms. The position of -women too is steadily improving as education advances, and home -life, to the dismay of the "Old Egyptian" party, is being slowly -but steadily revolutionised in the direction of greater freedom and -independence for the ladies. Some time ago I received a most kind -invitation from an Egyptian Pasha to dine with him. I dressed and -drove off to his house, thinking, of course, that I should merely -share a _tête-à-tête_ meal with His Excellency. What was my surprise -to meet in a kind of drawing-room the Pasha's wife and three charming -daughters, who all spoke English, French, German, and Arabic with -fluency! An excellent dinner was served, towards the end of which -a strange compound made its appearance in a large tureen. I was on -the point of declining this delicacy, when it flashed upon me that -the mess of pottage must be meant for plum-pudding, and had been -prepared expressly in my honour. It was even so. As I ladled some of -the pudding into a soup plate I expressed my keen satisfaction at the -appearance of this British dish; and I think that my enthusiastic -remarks led the family to believe that the staple article of diet in -English households was plum-pudding, served at all meals all the year -round. After dinner we returned to the drawing-room, where the Misses -Pasha played admirably a variety of selections from Grieg and Brahms, -and finally, "God Save the Queen," at the close of a very pleasant -evening, which gave me a vivid impression of the advancement which -is being gradually effected in the home life of the more enlightened -Egyptians, though, of course, the liberty enjoyed by my kind hostess -and her accomplished daughters is as yet the exception rather than -the rule. - -Our few days in Cairo were fully taken up with preparations for -the campaign. One consequence of the inrush of officers and -correspondents was a dearth of horses. The neighbourhood had been -ransacked for animals, and if the demand continued it seemed as -though Ammianus' prediction, slightly altered, would become true of -Cairo, "_Creditur jam equos defuturos esse_." The price of riding -horses advanced by leaps and bounds, and as the Government had been -offering from £20 to £25 for them, I thought myself lucky when I -learnt from my friend, Mr. A. V. Houghton, that he had kindly secured -me a passable steed for £17, 10s. Beasts outworn, with irregular gait -and hair in scanty tufts, were being purchased by despairing voyagers -in default of better horseflesh. - -Then came the choice of servants, and many of the individuals who -offered themselves were quaint enough. Before the final selection, -batches were paraded before me from time to time, some of whom were -alleged to be bilingual, nay, even trilingual; but in most cases a -little _viva voce_ examination revealed the fact that their English -consisted of little else than half a dozen "swear words"; others -again were persons with a "past," and so unsuitable for the future. -In Egypt one can rarely put any trust in written "characters," for -such documents, either forged or secured from former servants, can be -purchased in the bazaars at so much a dozen, the price, of course, -varying according to the social status of the master whose signature -they are alleged to bear. All that a disreputable Arab in search of -employment has to do is to ask the shopman for a testimonial to the -zeal and honesty of "Ali" or "Mahmoud," according as his name is one -or the other. After one's choice had fallen upon a comparatively -blameless Ethiopian from Dongola as cook, and a Cairene Egyptian as -_säis_, the rejected candidates were dispersed by the jubilant pair -amid a babel of imprecations heaped upon each others' relatives dead -and alive. Finally, the grateful cook came to me in the evening, and -amid the laughter of my friends, solemnly presented me with a worked -cholera belt, which, he declared, his swarthy daughter had expressly -knitted for my comfort in the Sudan. With many blushes I accepted -this useful present. - -Our stores were purchased from Messrs. Walker of Cairo, a veritable -firm of Egyptian Whiteleys, from whom one can buy anything, from -condensed milk to a trotting camel. It is on occasions like this that -a bachelor, unaccustomed to anything like a quantitative analysis -of the food he consumes from day to day, deplores the absence of -feminine assistance. He knows _what_ he wants but not _how much_ -of it. Acting under the prejudiced advice of a chocolate-coloured -shopman, we laid in large quantities of things comparatively useless, -and neglected the weightier matters. For example, our rice gave out -after three weeks, while we had enough pepper to last us a lifetime. - -We were altogether very busy in Cairo, and had little time for any -side issues. This was a pity, as my companion wished to visit the -pyramids, the mosques, and so on, while I personally wanted to -see something of the magical practices which still prevail to a -considerable extent in Cairo. - -Egyptian magic was, of course, famous in antiquity. The author of -Exodus speaks of it, and, at a later date, Celsus, the able opponent -of Christianity, declared, strangely enough, that Christ worked all -His miracles by means of magic which He had learnt in Egypt! I have -heard on excellent authority that necromancy is still practised in -Cairo, and if our departure could have been delayed I should have -done my best, with the aid of some Egyptian friends, to be present -at one of these _séances_ for the evocation of the dead. Another -species of magic consists of gazing into ink in order to see pictures -prophetic of the future. This practice is, after all, simply a -form of the katoptromancy or crystal-gazing which was used for -divination in the remotest antiquity, and still yields results full -of psychological, if no longer of supernatural, interest. Scripture -appears to contain several references to the curious phenomena which -frequently exist in connection with crystal-gazing. The Hebrew -divination by Urim and Thummim, and by cups, of which we read, was -almost certainly based on this ancient practice; and at a still later -period St. Paul compares our imperfect conceptions of what lies -beyond things temporal to the perplexing images which can be "seen -through a mirror in a riddle" (δι' ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι). -Mr. Lane's delightful book, _The Modern Egyptians_, contains an -account of the ink-gazing which is still carried on by young boys. - -I should like to add to these remarks on Egyptian magic a most -curious account which I had first-hand from an official who was high -in the favour of the late Khedive, Tewfik Pacha. During the critical -weeks which immediately preceded the bombardment of Alexandria, my -informant was suddenly summoned to an immediate audience with His -Highness. Several matters of vital importance were discussed between -the Khedive and his Minister, and the latter went home pledged to -the utmost secrecy with respect to what he had learnt. Soon after -entering his house, his wife mentioned to him that during the course -of the afternoon she had heard from another lady of a wonderful -medium, whom she had asked to call that evening. After a short time -the medium in question, an extremely old woman of the very poorest -class, arrived, and the Minister laughingly promised his wife to test -the genuineness of the visitor's gifts. When admitted to his presence -the old creature almost immediately fell down in a kind of fit, and -to his amazement he heard proceeding from her lips in strange tones, -quite unlike her normal voice, the very words spoken to himself -two hours before by the Khedive under pledge of the most stringent -secrecy! - -Shortly before leaving Cairo my cook Ali appeared before me with a -huge two-handed Dervish sword, which he had purchased out of his -own money for twenty piastres. The creature had already the day -before begged me to buy him a rifle for defensive purposes, as I was -quite unable to eradicate from his mind the belief that his kitchen -utensils and himself might at any moment during the next six weeks -be exposed to an attack from a frenzied rush of Dervishes. I could -not see my way to gratify his wishes in this respect. To have a cook -bending over the fire with a belt full of cartridges, or walking -round one's tent with a loaded rifle--these were indeed added terrors -to the perils of a Sudan campaign. He was, however, permitted to wear -the gigantic sword, as I thought it might come in handy for cutting -wood or opening tins of meat. - -We were not sorry to get out of Cairo. The moist heat which prevailed -in the town clogged all the pores of the skin and was extremely -trying. Just before we left, a detachment of the Grenadier Guards -entrained for the front. These fine fellows were marched from -Abbasseeyeh to the station--no great distance--in the hottest part -of the day, between twelve o'clock and two. When they reached the -station the perspiration was streaming from their faces, and they -were kept at "attention" to prevent them from drinking water in -this condition. But the heat had already begun to tell in several -cases; three men fell prostrate, and quite a number were attacked by -violent sickness. The drainage, too, of the city was in a deplorable -condition. The old native system had been recently abolished, and -during the period of transition sanitation was in a state of chaos. -Which things are an allegory! In consequence probably of the escape -of sewage into water-pipes, enteric fever and diphtheria were far -from infrequent, and quite recently two young officers of the 21st -Lancers had succumbed to these fatal diseases. - -When we arrived at the railway station in the evening _en route_ for -the South, we found our servants already there. But how transformed! -Ali and the _säis_ had exchanged their native cotton garments -for brand new suits of yellow kharki, purchased at my expense. -From some association of ideas in connection with the forthcoming -campaign, they were "got up" in a pseudo-military fashion, with -brass buttons and shoulder straps. As Ali the cook stood before us -in his ill-fitting garments, with an enormous crusading sword in one -hand and a kitchen colander and soup ladle in the other,--a kind of -walking allegory of Peace and War,--we laughed so much that we could -scarcely ask for our tickets. At the last moment a native rushed into -the station closely pursued by his wife. The man was evidently bent -on securing a seat in the train, but his better half disapproved of -this, and as he was getting into the carriage she suddenly struck a -violent blow at his hand luggage. It was a most effective stroke. -The bundle he carried exploded like a shell, and its contents lay -scattered in hopeless confusion over the platform. Long before the -baffled husband could collect the _disjecta membra_ of his travelling -kit, the train steamed off into the darkness, and he was left to -settle matters with his triumphant wife. - -We rapidly left Cairo behind us, and with it the joys and comforts -of civilisation. It was a positive relief to feel that we had now -commenced in real earnest to travel the twelve hundred miles which -separated us from our final goal far away in the Sudan. Still, at the -time of our departure from Cairo, no certainty was felt that there -would be any fighting at all. Rumours were persistently current that -the Khalifa and his forces had retreated from Omdurman. It would, as -somebody said, be simply a case of _cherchez la femme_. If the women -and children became panic-stricken and retired, it was certain that -the Dervishes would lose heart and make a poor show of resistance. -Take, for instance, the case of Berber. Here a vigorous defence -might reasonably have been expected, but it was afterwards found that -an exodus of the women brought about the total evacuation of the -town, which our advancing forces thus occupied without any fighting -whatever. Still it was too early to speculate on the amount of -opposition our troops were likely to encounter. Whether there would -be one or more sharp struggles before we found ourselves face to -face with the ramparts of Omdurman; whether even then those ramparts -would be held by Dervishes driven to bay and fighting with their old -desperate courage, or we should bivouac in a deserted city--all these -things, we felt, lay verily on the knees of the gods! - -Our first taste of discomfort was provided by the night journey to -Luxor. Soon after leaving Cairo the motion of the train raises an -almost continuous cloud of dust, which penetrates into the carriages, -scheme one never so wisely. One may put the glass windows up or -merely raise the wooden venetians according as one prefers the -alternative of being almost asphyxiated by too little air or stifled -by too much dust. Even with the windows up the dust insinuates -itself into the compartment somehow; and if one can sleep through the -night one finds next morning a thick layer of dust over everything, -and reflects with astonishment and dismay on the condition of one's -lungs and internal economy in general. The train was not a "troop -train" in the special sense, but it contained a good many officers. -It is worth noticing, by the way, that Egyptian officers, even of -high military rank, travel second class with British sergeant-majors -and warrant officers. As no horse boxes would be available for the -conveyance of our animals for two days, we were compelled to stay a -couple of nights at the Luxor Hotel. The dreariness of this hotel out -of the season was still more marked than at Shepheard's. Outside, -all blistered by the heat, hung the quaint notice, as a warning to -that species of knicker-bockered tourist who shoots gulls from the -Clacton cliffs, "_Il est défendu de chasser dans le jardin_." The -servants shuffled listlessly about, the long corridors were covered -with dust, and forlorn notices about church services which were no -longer served, and trained nurses who had vanished, were almost the -only outward and visible signs of the past season, with its crowded -_table d'hôte_, the vulgar chatter of American globe-trotters, and -the irritating atmosphere of valetudinarianism. - -At the hotel we met two hard-worked transport officers, Captain Hall -and Lieutenant Delavoy, busied night and day with the incessant -despatch of stores and ammunition to the front. People are often -apt to forget to what an extent the success of a campaign is due to -the honest work of the Army Service Corps and transport officials. -Upon these departmental troops fell the onerous labour of forwarding -for many weeks all the stores required for the feeding of some -twenty-three thousand men and several thousand animals. - -Our recent campaigns in the Sudan have been unique in military -history from the fact that the army's line of communication with -its base was ultimately over twelve hundred miles in length. Every -ounce of food, with the exception of a little fresh meat occasionally -obtained along the line of march, had to be conveyed from Cairo by -river, rail, or camel. The best thanks of the public are due to the -indefatigable labours of the transport officers and men, many of whom -were not brought by their work within the area which will be covered -by the forthcoming medal. - -As we sat at dinner in the cool of the evening under the palms -and tamarisks, somebody chanced to look under the table and saw a -number of large yellowish tarantulas waltzing about our feet. A -panic ensued, and the meeting rose as one man and got upon chairs, -until these repulsive insects were driven away by the waiters. The -incident forcibly recalled the famous congress of ladies which was -convened to demonstrate the Superiority of Woman over Man, and was -broken up by a small box of mice opened by a son of Belial in the -audience. These horrid spiders, whose bite is very painful, and, -in the case of young children, occasionally fatal, seemed to be -ubiquitous at Luxor; nor did they even respect the sanctity of our -bedrooms. Medical psychologists tell of a case in which a gentleman -suffering from hallucinations declared that he saw "pink pachyderms" -in his bath, but was unable to secure a specimen owing to the -rapidity of the creature's movements. But I had much rather see a -pink pachyderm--which may after all be merely subjective--inside my -tub than a brace of tortoiseshell tarantulas, whose objectivity is -undoubted, racing round and round the bath and cutting off one's -retreat. - -We took the opportunity afforded us by our enforced wait at Luxor to -visit the temples. No tickets were demanded, no touts clamoured at -one's heels and interfered with one's reflections. We rode to Karnak -in the moonlight, and after dismounting we were suddenly mobbed by -scores of dogs, who came rushing upon us from the Bedawin houses -near the ruins. The animals became so menacing and approached so -close that I was compelled to use my revolver. The pariah doggie in -Egypt does not seem to be quite like his Constantinople cousin, who -is probably descended partly from the jackals who accompanied the -Turkish armies from their Asiatic settlements. The puppies of these -pariah dogs are, by the way, the dearest little creatures in the -world, with rough woolly coats like tiny bears. - -There is absolutely nothing in the world to compare with the -temple of Karnak in point of magnificence and grandeur. When one -gazes on the colossal pillars, the huge pylons, and the rows and -rows of sculptured sphinxes, it would be alike difficult and -painful to believe that all this mighty effort, this outcome of -the blood and sweat of thousands, could after all be based on a -mere delusion and groundless enthusiasm. On the contrary, one may -wonder whether the full force of the religious motive which raised -these giant structures has not been to some extent lost in later -ages. At anyrate, it seems certain that in the West our religious -consciousness has never been marked by that intense appreciation of -God's omnipotence which underlay the creation of such stupendous -monuments. On the contrary, there seems to be a tendency in modern -Christianity to anthropomorphise the Deity into the official Head of -a scheme of charity organisation, to which the belief in a future -life, so powerful a factor in the ancient religion of Egypt, is -attached as a subsequent phase of subsidiary importance. As the race -grows less and less disposed to endure physical pain and discomfort, -we clamour more and more for tangible and material blessings, and -refuse to be comforted by any contemplation of the problematic -joys of another world. There is something to be said for this point -of view, and much evil has undoubtedly been done by the reckless -bestowal on suffering humanity of "cheques to be cashed on the other -side of Jordan." Still, if this process continues, it is difficult -to realise how, in the conduct of future generations, any place can -be found for a religious and supernatural, as distinct from a merely -ethical, obligation. - -The railway journey from Luxor to Shellal, a village on the river -bank just above the first cataract, where the railway terminates, -ought to have taken about eight hours, but it took over sixteen. -All the trains have third-class carriages or rather trucks, and an -excellent object lesson in Oriental procrastination was afforded at -the moment when the train started. All night long crowds of natives -had been sleeping on the ground just outside the station with all -their curious goods and chattels--beds and bundles and babies--around -them. Scarcely one of them made the slightest effort to get on board -the train until the whistle went, and then a terrific scramble -took place. "Gyppies" of all sizes, sexes, and ages rushed wildly -down the line, trying to hurl their baggage into the carriages -and then climb up after it. This went on for some three hundred -yards, and despite the increasing speed of the train most of these -procrastinating creatures contrived to find some sort of place on -it. If they failed, they simply went to sleep again till the day -following, when they tried again. - -The traffic on this line was enormous, and the rolling stock -available could scarcely bear the unusual strain put upon it. We were -repeatedly stopped on the way by a variety of accidents. First of all -a carriage got off the rails; then an axle became red hot from lack -of grease, and set fire to the woodwork; and finally a train in front -of us left the metals, and a long interval elapsed while two lengths -of rail were taken up and straightened. The line has, from motives -of false economy, been laid in a miserably inefficient manner, and -an official casually informed me that trains ran off the rails about -three times a week. One of the most difficult things to deal with -was the transport of horses and mules. Sometimes one saw a loose box -filled with sixteen mules all kicking together, and on the steamers -accidents continually happened amongst the crowded horses. - -As we ran past Assouan down to the water's edge at Shellal, the -graceful temple of Philae in midstream was flooded with an orange -glow from the setting sun. Along the bank a forest of slender masts -and lateen sails stood out against the sky. Across the river the -strange rocks, bared of all earth and vegetation and polished smooth -by the flying sand, have assumed the oddest shapes, and look for all -the world like the primeval work of some Titanic infant at play. - -The sight of a luggage van at a terminus was enough to drive any -inexperienced voyager to utter despair. When we arrived at Shellal -the moon had not yet risen, and the feeble light of a few lanterns -was all we had wherewith to disentangle our separate lots of luggage -and stores from the general _mélange_. The chaos of luggage was -fearful. Under the weight of two of our store cases an officer's -sword had been bent almost into the prophetic pruning hook, and a -band-box belonging to our one lady passenger had, with all that it -contained, been squashed absolutely flat. Everybody had to see after -his own possessions or he was lost. Later on, as the boat steamed off -from Shellal, an officer who had entrusted the embarkation of his -horse to his _säis_ was horrified to see the man calmly sitting on -the bank smoking a cigarette with the horse beside him. - -During our stay at Shellal we slept in the garden of a shabby -one-storeyed house, dignified with the title of the "Spiro Hotel." -This was run by one of those ubiquitous Greeks who invariably turn -up in the East where there is any chance of making money. All along -the line of advance to Omdurman we were accompanied by Greeks, who -trafficked in bread, fresh meat, and the like. Like the Irishman -and the Jew, the Greek seems to flourish the more the further he is -removed from his native country. - -By this time our horses had caused us such signal inconvenience, -and it was becoming so difficult amid the congested traffic to find -room for them, that Cross and I determined to do without our mounts. -Accordingly, we sold one to an officer at a slight profit, and sent -the other back to Cairo. If British officers could march on foot to -Khartum from the point where rail and river failed us, why shouldn't -we? If one is taking part in a campaign where there is a probability -of a reverse, a sound horse may be useful; but one felt on the -present occasion that, if any running away was to be done, it would -not fall to our lot. - -At Shellal a brother of Ali's, called Mahmoud, suddenly turned up -from some quarter or other, and we annexed him at a moderate rate -of pay. His was the most unskilled labour I have ever witnessed. He -generally drove the tent pegs into the ground sloping inwards, and -with the notches inside instead of out! When he loaded a camel, he -would place a Gladstone bag on one side and a heavy box of stores on -the other, and then looked quite surprised when the camel rose and -the whole structure fell with a crash to the ground. At times like -these his imbecile features would be illumined with a fearful smile, -and if we rebuked his folly and menaced him with punishment, his grin -became broader and broader. When on one occasion I smote him with a -thorn stick, his mirth became so uproarious that we abandoned all -hope of his reformation, and merely gave Ali orders that in future -his brother's activities were to be strictly confined to the hewing -of wood and drawing of water. - -A large base hospital, with two hundred beds, had been established at -Assouan, and throughout the line of advance strenuous efforts were -being made to cope with any demands upon the medical service. It is -generally admitted that at the Atbara fight the medical arrangements -were not as complete as they might have been, and considerable -confusion is said to have been produced by the inadequacy of the -accommodation for the wounded. This time, however, Surgeon-General -Taylor had arrived on the scene, and throughout the campaign there -was no cause for complaint. In addition to base hospitals at Assouan, -Atbara, Rojan Island, and elsewhere, each brigade had no less than -five field hospitals attached to it. The National Aid Society -proffered its assistance, undertaking to send its own transport; but -the Sirdar refused the offer, with the idea probably that an army in -the field ought to supply its own medical requirements. Some of the -officials of the Society were, I heard, incensed at this refusal; -for they alleged, with some reason, that during a campaign nobody -"goes sick" unless he is practically too ill to move about, and -that the voluntary assistance rendered by the Society may be of -the greatest service to a large number of devoted men who, despite -their sufferings, are too keen and patriotic to enrol themselves -on the sick-list--the only means of securing treatment from the -Army Medical Corps. Just before we embarked, a batch of invalided -men passed northwards on their way to Cyprus, where the climate is -comparatively cool in August. Sunstroke was beginning to claim its -victims; a sergeant and a private of the Northumberland Fusiliers had -already succumbed to the heat, which, amid the rocks of Philæ, was -driving the quicksilver up to 110° in the shade. The Nile was still -rising perceptibly day by day, and in one spot I saw hundreds of tons -of Government stores--reserve supplies for ten thousand men--which -would have to be moved, as the waters gave promise of reaching an -abnormal height this year. Scores of natives found employment about -the landing-stage as porters, and were perpetually fighting over the -division of the luggage and the _bakshish_. I noticed four of these -men, during a frantic struggle on the river bank, collapse into the -water, where they still continued their combat of words and blows, -even when occasionally submerged-- - - Quamquam sunt sub aqua sub aqua maledicere tentant. - -We journeyed towards Wady Halfa in the old stern-wheeler _Ibis_, -which was crowded with officers of the Lancashire Fusiliers, and -as it towed a large barge on either side full of the rank and file -of the 2nd Battalion, we made slow progress. There is but little -incident to chronicle on a Nile voyage, and it is difficult to -understand why, even in winter, people select the Nile as the river -_par excellence_ for steamboat tours. The eye falls continually -upon bleak hills and dreary sand plains on either bank, relieved -only by occasional patches of _dhurra_ and date palms, while the -monotony which hangs like a pall over everything Egyptian--landscape, -architecture, sculpture--becomes in time most oppressive and -wearisome. The fact is, that were it not for the social pleasures -one may, or may not, derive from several weeks' sojourn on one of -Cook's steamers, nobody except a few souls really interested in the -antiquities of Upper Egypt would undertake this voyage. - -The Tommy Atkinses were packed like sardines on the barges, but -seemed to be in excellent spirits throughout the voyage. They -continually talked about the coming battle, and were as keen as -possible to get a sight of the Dervishes. All this arose, of course, -from sheer love of adventure and fighting, for the campaign could -scarcely be regarded as undertaken in defence of "our hearth and -home," and was only indirectly waged for the sake of our country. As -we advanced up the river the soldiers grew more musical day by day. -Local lyrics from the North alternated with Moody and Sankey hymns, -and occasionally some very fair attempts at harmony helped to beguile -the tedium and discomfort of the voyage. In one respect the result of -the "territorial system" in our British regiments is not altogether -good. Numerous little _coteries_ exist amongst the men enlisted from -the same families and districts, and the result is that the bonds of -discipline between non-commissioned officers and privates tend to -become relaxed. I noticed, for instance, to my surprise, that some of -the sergeants were sitting down on the deck playing cards with the -men--a species of _camaraderie_ which is certainly not desirable. - -A few hours before we reached Assouan the ruins of Kumombo had come -in sight. This town, the ancient Ombi, was once, if we may trust an -unknown imitator of Juvenal, the scene of a strange and horrible -fight between the residents and some malevolent visitors from -Denderah, a hundred miles farther down the river. The cause of the -encounter has quite a modern flavour about it--each town imagined it -had secured the sole and exclusive means of Salvation-- - - Inde furor vulgo quod numina vicinorum - Odit uterque locus, cum solos credat habendos - Esse deos quos ipse colit. - -The pious citizens of Ombi worshipped the crocodile. At Tentyra -this ugly beast appeared on the dinner-table, and was devoured with -all the added relish which would arise from cooking and eating the -deity of a hostile sect. The Tentyrites, in fact, specialised in -crocodiles. Plunging into the river they climbed upon the saurians' -backs--so Pliny tells us,--and when the crocodile opened his jaws -they neatly placed a cudgel across his back teeth, and so steered -their captive to the shore. After landing they stood round in a -circle and swore roundly at the crocodile, and this scolding so -alarmed the timid monster that it "threw up" all the bodies it had -eaten, which thus secured a respectable funeral. - -Our four days' journey by river from Wady Halfa was only twice -broken, once by an hour's halt at Korosko to send off telegrams and -take on board some chickens and fresh limes. The other halt was a sad -one. A young private of the Fusiliers, after a brief illness, died -of internal hæmorrhage, caused, possibly, by lifting heavy luggage. -There were, of course, no hospital arrangements on board the crowded -barges, but his comrades placed the sick man in as cool a spot as -could be found, and tended him as well as they could. But the case -was hopeless, and on 11th August the poor fellow died. The steamer -drew up beside the bank, and a section of the dead man's company -speedily dug a grave in the dry sand. The colonel read the burial -service, and after a little heap of stones had been piled above the -grave, soon to be obliterated by the drifting sand of the desert, -we steamed on our way southwards. Amid the excitement of battle and -sudden death, one looks with something akin to indifference as men -are struck down by shell-splinter and bullet--it is all part of -the day's work, and all must take their chance. But amid quieter -surroundings the feelings have freer play, and we all felt, I think, -that there was a peculiar element of sadness about this young -soldier's death. As the end approached he lay half conscious in a -corner of the deck, unmindful of all that passed around him--the -swirl and rush of the torrent, and the ceaseless chatter of his -comrades. - - His eyes - Were with his heart, and that was far away-- - -away, perhaps, in the far-off Lancashire village where his boyhood -was spent and his friends awaited his return. - -On 12th August universal dismay was caused on board by the news -that our supply of ice had given out. The Arab _restaurateur_ was -promptly kicked for his gross negligence, but this did little -good. The weather was stifling hot, and unless we wished to drink -lukewarm soda water some means had to be devised. The best thing -to do if one cannot secure ice in the Sudan is to put one's bottles -into a canvas bucket, full of water. The sides are slightly porous -and the consequent evaporation brings down the temperature of the -contents. Otherwise, merely placing the bottles in straw cases, and -then immersing them up to the neck in water, serves to keep the -drink fairly cool. The _restaurateur_, who charged us no less than -eight shillings a day for food, really deserved the kicking which -he received, for ever since the commencement of the voyage he had -consistently dropped one course a day from the dinner, so that if -the journey had been prolonged much further, our dinner promised to -become a negative quantity. - -We were not sorry to leave the _Ibis_ at Wady Halfa, and the -Tommies must have been delighted to get, even for an hour or so, -an opportunity of stretching their limbs. The train, consisting of -a number of horse boxes and open trucks, stood waiting for us, and -after a brief delay we steamed off for our thirty-six hours' run -across the open desert to the Atbara. Cross, Major Stuart-Wortley, -and I found ourselves ensconced in a covered cattle-truck, half full -of baggage; but we got our beds out, and speedily made ourselves as -comfortable as possible under the circumstances. In the middle of -the truck stood a big "zia," and we managed to have this filled with -decent water before we left--a sensible precaution, as only two wells -exist along these three hundred and fifty miles of desert railway; -and when three men have to cook and "wash up" and cool their drinks, -not to mention a succession of personal ablutions, the possession -of a big "zia" full of good water is a great alleviation of the -cattle-truck's discomforts. - -In the old days of vacillation and weakness, which ended in the -surrender of the Sudan, and thus spread untold miseries over -thousands and thousands of square miles, the selection of Wady -Halfa as the frontier of Egypt was made in defiance of the best -expert opinion on the subject. But if the advice of, at anyrate, -one of the experts consulted by the Conservative Government of the -day had reached England a little earlier, it seems very probable -that El Debbeh, the obvious and natural frontier post under the -circumstances of the time, would have been chosen instead of a spot -two hundred and fifty miles farther north. The advice in question -was, I believe, given to Lord Salisbury on a Monday; but as the fate -of the Government was already sealed, and it was known that the -Thursday following would see the Ministry out of office, there was -no time to effect the proposed change, and Wady Halfa was thus left -as the temporary frontier town of the Khedive's loyal provinces, and -an enormous tract of country, which would have been protected by a -garrison at El Debbeh, was left to Dervish control and devastation. - -As we neared the end of our journey the train again skirted the Nile, -and whenever we halted crowds of natives grouped themselves along the -line, either to sell eggs and dates or simply to stare. The railway -is still a source of never-ending wonderment. The simple unmechanical -minds of these Arabs seem to regard an engine as a being endowed with -life and will-power; and quite recently a village sheikh near Berber -protested to a railway official against the cruelty of forcing a -small engine to draw a long line of heavily laden trucks. All these -people are really ex-Dervishes, and I noticed a fair number of the -genuine "fuzzy-wuzzies" amongst them. One of their sheikhs came up -and informed us that when we got to Omdurman the Khalifa would fight -like _Sheitan_ (the devil). These natives appeared to vastly enjoy -the blessings of peace. How vividly impressed they must have been by -the constant succession of trains passing across the desert, laden -with fighting men and countless tons of stores, visible evidences of -the power and wealth of the conquering _Inglizi_! - -As we approached Abu Hamed, the scene of the sharp, brief fight last -year, we noticed some object roll along the side of the line; and -when the train pulled up we learnt that a non-commissioned officer -had fallen off one of the carriages. In a few minutes the missing -Fusilier picked us up, walking along quite coolly without having -sustained a scratch. On a subsequent journey another poor fellow was -not so lucky, for he fell off in the same way, and was instantly cut -to pieces by the wheels. - -The sun was setting as we neared Berber, and in the distance across -the river the outlines of "Slatin's Hill" stood sharply out against -the sky. This was the spot where the fugitive took shelter at a -critical moment when pursuit seemed close upon his heels and -capture imminent. On our own side of the stream the train ran slowly -through the scattered suburbs of Berber, and one realised how, as on -every occasion during the Khalifa's attempts to oppose our advance, -the Dervishes had blundered, by selecting Abu Hamed for the fight -instead of Berber. At the latter place there were fully five miles -of detached mud-huts extending inland from the river. Not a particle -of cover would have been available for an attacking force, and the -expulsion of a resolute body of Dervishes from the shelter of these -mud walls would have cost us dear. - -When the train finally crawled into the vast area covered by the -Atbara camp, it was quite dark, and, amid the confusion, Cross and -I, with two officers, thought it best to sleep as we were on the -ground beside the railway. However, as bad luck would have it, a -heavy shower of rain descended upon our devoted selves just as we -had fallen off to sleep, and the downpour was followed by a strong -wind from the river, which covered our quaternion with a thick layer -of sand and dust. A more unpleasant night it would be difficult to -imagine, as, beside the dust and wet, it was extremely difficult to -breathe amid the clouds of sand. At last I could stand the discomfort -no longer, and, jumping up, I seized my bed and bolted for an -enclosure hard by. Here my onset was suddenly barred by the bayonet -of a sentry, who brought his rifle down to the "charge"; but a little -explanation secured a passage for myself and my half-soaked bed, and -I found an empty tent, to which my three companions came running like -rabbits. - -We enjoyed a few hours' sleep before dawn, and then reported -ourselves to Colonel Wingate and General Rundle, the commandant. We -learnt from the former that the 21st Lancers and some gunners had -crossed the river that day with the intention of making their way -by land to the proposed camp just north of Shabluka. As these were -the last troops who would ascend the left bank of the river, it was -imperative that the two camels which we had purchased for our stores -should proceed at once by the same route; and as this route promised -to be an interesting one, Cross and I determined to accompany our -beasts of burden on foot in the absence of our horses. Accordingly -we secured an order for the transport across the river of ourselves, -our servants, camels, and stores in the old paddle-boat _El Tahra_. -This ancient tub had a rather peculiar history. She had fifteen years -ago formed one of the Government flotilla on the upper Nile. When the -evacuation of the Sudan took place an Egyptian battery fired half a -dozen shells into her and sank her at Rafia to prevent the Dervishes -from making use of her. The _El Tahra_, however, was destined for -something better than this inglorious fate, and she was raised, -patched up, and throughout the recent campaign performed much useful -service. Amongst her more notable achievements was the embarkation of -the officers and crew of the ill-fated _Zaphir_ after they were left -stranded on the bank without an ounce of baggage. The scars inflicted -by her former masters were quite visible, as the big holes torn by -the shells had been neatly covered with iron plating. - -Orientals are wonderfully good at renovating old vessels. A few years -ago I crossed from Galata to Scutari in a vessel which twenty years -ago had been condemned as unseaworthy by our Board of Trade. She -was then bought for a mere song by a Turkish company, which began to -patch her up. In the middle of this process the venerable craft broke -her back and fell in two; but the Orientals were not discouraged. -They set to work again and put the fragments together, and the result -of their zeal and patience has now been steaming to and fro between -Europe and Asia amongst the choppy waters of the Sea of Marmora for -several years. - -The prospect of speedily leaving the Atbara camp behind us was a -pleasant one. The place was absolutely detestable; no one had a good -word for it. The air was full of flying clouds of dust raised by an -interminable succession of blasts from the river. Often before one -could get a cup of coffee to one's lips it was coated with a layer of -dust. In order to keep the eyes from being inflamed one was driven to -wear huge goggles or a gossamer veil over the face. - -In addition to the moral training which is alleged to result from -all forms of worry and vexation, our discomforts during the campaign -frequently possessed an exegetical value. One realised more forcibly -than hitherto the meaning of some of the "Plagues of Egypt." Nile -boils are only too well known amongst the hapless officials who dwell -along the banks of the river. Again, as the ancient narrative speaks -of the dust as the vehicle of malignant forms of insect life, so now -bacilli are spread broadcast by this means. When we woke up in the -morning and shook an inch of dust from our blankets, we were lucky -not to find in addition that our mouths and throats were ulcerated; -and men suffering from enteric fever and other internal inflammations -found their recovery retarded, and often, I am afraid, prevented, -by the penetrating dust which they were compelled to swallow and -breathe, however fast tents were tied up or windows fastened. - -Another abomination was the plague of flies. At meals one made a -sweep to get rid of these beasties and then a rush to convey the -food to one's lips; but even in this brief space a couple of flies -often found time to get their beaks into the morsel and so perished -miserably. Tobacco was useless against these Sudanese flies; they -seemed to enjoy the fumes. The only way to circumvent them was to -sacrifice a little jam on a bit of bread and put it aside to attract -the vermin. In a twinkling bread and jam had become invisible. -Nothing was to be seen but a thick bunch of greedy flies jostling -each other like people at an "early door." - -On 16th August, owing to a series of those vexatious delays which -are inseparable from Eastern travel, we did not get our two camels -to the water's edge until nearly six o'clock, and even then the -perverse beasts absolutely refused to get into the barge which was to -convey them to the other side. At length we tied their legs together, -and then dragged and shoved them over the plank by main force. How -utterly one loathes a camel sometimes! Its disposition is morose and -malignant even from its birth; it is full of original sin, and any -affection lavished upon it is quite wasted. In a word, the camel is a -hopelessly depraved beast-- - - Monstrum nulla virtute redemptum. - -The other day I came across a magazine article by a writer who -claimed to know all about camels, and he spoke sympathetically of -the "soft, purring sound" which issued from the animal's lips. What -an amazing euphemism for the horrid guttural snorts with which the -peevish brute protests against any attempt to control its movements -or put a load upon its back. There is no chivalry in the camel's -breast. It will bite a pound of flesh out of you as you lie asleep, -or if you are riding will suddenly turn round as you are admiring the -scenery and nibble your legs. - -At length the obstinate creatures were ferried over the river, but -before they were loaded and ready to start it was already dark. On -the bank I met Howard for the first time since his Balliol days, and -he most kindly offered to lend me his second horse if I cared to ride -after the Lancers; but as Cross had no horse I decided to stay with -him. - -As Cross, Howard, and myself stood there in the brief twilight, how -little we dreamt that I alone of the trio should live to return from -the campaign! No thought of coming disaster overshadowed us as we -laughed and chatted together. It is not always so. I have personally -known three cases in which brave men, accustomed to the perils of -battle, suddenly experienced a vivid presentiment that they would be -struck down in the approaching fight, and in each case a bullet found -its mark in their bodies. - -Howard rode off, and then Cross and I set out to overtake the column -already encamped thirteen miles away. The general lie of the ground I -knew. If we followed the telegraph lines we should reach the village -of Abu Selim, and thence a sharp turn to the left would bring us to -the Lancers' camp beside the Nile. Starting as we did at seven, we -hoped to reach our goal by midnight, and then a few hours' sleep -would have intervened before a fresh move forward at four next -morning. But the scheme fell through. None of the servants knew the -way in the dark; there was no moon, and the starlight was not strong -enough to show the telegraph posts. We struggled on in the uneven -scrub, pushing through mimosa thorns and falling over logs of palm -wood, while our servants struck matches to look for the hoof-marks of -the cavalry. After two hours of this wearisome work we had advanced -less than three miles, and we saw that the enterprise was hopeless. -We sat down on a stump and reviewed the situation. Neither of us -had been overfed that day. Cross had had some cocoa at dawn, a cup -of bovril at midday, and tea and bread at four o'clock. My own diet -had been the same as his, minus the afternoon meal. I have a great -belief, personally, in the hygienic value of temporary starvation, -but as we sat there in the dark, Cross paid scant attention to my -eulogies upon the utility of emptiness, and very wisely voted for -our immediate return to the starting-place. I did not like to give -up our scheme, but there was not much in the way of alternative, -so after a noisy palaver with our servants, reinforced by three -suspicious-looking Arabs, who emerged from the bush, we finally sent -one camel and two servants along the bank, and after another two -hours' floundering through the scrub, found ourselves again opposite -the junction of the Atbara and Nile. We felt that the stores would -probably pick up the column sooner or later, but as for ourselves, -it would be foolish to be wandering about the west bank, nearer the -Dervish country, without military escort. Woe betide any stragglers -who chanced to fall into the hands of the Dervishes at present! The -best thing to do would be to empty five chambers of one's revolver -and keep the sixth for one's self! - -One of the suspicious-looking Arabs walked back with us and showed us -a dear little hut made of wattled branches, which would shelter us -for the night. Our guide turned out to be a native who had suffered -at the hands of the cruel Mahmoud just before that scoundrel was -defeated and captured at the battle of the Atbara in the spring. He -bared his arm and showed us a hideous wound, now healed over, where a -Dervish spear had cut through his flesh from shoulder to elbow. The -poor man had lost his wife and child--slain, both of them, by the -savage Baggaras. This incident, one among thousands of the same kind, -may give one some idea of the cruel sufferings to which whole tribes -were abandoned by our cowardly evacuation of the Sudan. We had put -our hand to the plough, and then drew back. - -We had a good square meal, washed down by a bottle of claret, the -solitary survivor of four. Its three companions had fallen from the -camel's back, and lay shattered on the ground, with their life-juice -ebbing fast. That night I dreamt that I was shooting rabbits amongst -bracken in Essex, and suddenly awoke, to find myself covered with a -quantity of vegetable matter. Everyone has experienced the curious -feeling of hopeless bewilderment which occasionally comes over a man -when he wakes in the dark amid fresh surroundings, and wonders where -on earth and what on earth he is; whether he is in this world or the -next. I found ultimately that the camel had literally eaten us out of -house and home, for it had ambled up in the night and devoured the -wattled branches of our hut to such an extent that the sides and roof -suddenly collapsed upon our sleeping forms. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -FROM THE ATBARA TO WAD HAMED - - -Early on the morning of the 17th our old friend the _El Tahra_ came -in sight, and we hailed her and crossed again to the Atbara. Next -day, with the rest of the correspondents still remaining in the camp, -we embarked on board a native _ghyassa_ which was towed up the river -by the gunboat _Tamai_. We were thoroughly crowded and uncomfortable -on this miserable barge, and even when we stepped on to the lower -deck of the gunboat the dirt and confusion was indescribable. The -first night I attempted in the dark to get a little exercise in this -way, but I fell over a live goat into the middle of a dead sheep -newly slaughtered, and resolved to do without any further exercise -until I landed. - -The Arab servants were quite happy amid these horrid surroundings, -and according to their wont would sit about in groups telling -stories till the small hours of the morning. One of their tales, -I learnt, concerned a mummy which arose and talked to the Bedawin -who unearthed it. In view of certain evidence which has lately been -forthcoming, it is just possible that some substratum of truth may -have underlaid this weird story. The evidence to which I allude is -contained in the following account, which is alleged to be authentic. - -A short time ago an Englishman who was travelling in Mexico happened -to discover a mummied body of which the extremities were missing. He -carried off his find to the home of a Mexican friend whose guest he -was, and after dinner showed the mummy to the master and mistress -of the house. The case with its contents was placed on the billiard -table, and the trio sat on a couch some distance off, when suddenly -a voice seemed to issue from the box. The Englishman turned to his -host to compliment him on his supposed ventriloquism, when he saw -that both the Mexican and his wife were deadly pale, and the lady in -a fainting condition. He rushed to the case on the table and declares -that as he stooped over it he heard articulate speech issue from -the mummied form inside! The voice, however, was only momentary, and -after a time his host informed him that already before he entered the -room the sound had been heard by his wife and himself proceeding from -the box. - -This mummy is now, I hear, in England, and one authority who has -been consulted suggests that the employment of the Röntgen rays -might perhaps reveal in the mummy's interior some mechanical device -employed by the ancients to produce the semblance of the human voice. -That some contrivance of this kind was known in antiquity seems -almost certain. Priestcraft sometimes caused the statues of gods to -talk, as, for example, the famous statue of Memnon amongst the ruins -of Thebes. In the case before us some vibration may have started -this venerable clockwork into renewed activity, just as nowadays the -pressure of infantile fingers causes the mechanical doll to squeak -and gibber, or cry "Papa," "Mamma." - -At length Colonel Wingate took pity on our abject position in the -_ghyassa_, and we were permitted to leave the society of "Gyppy" -officers and native servants, and have our meals on the upper deck. - -The gunboat conveyed the Staff of the Intelligence Department, -including Slatin Pasha. The long years of hardship endured at -Omdurman have left few traces on Slatin; he is always in excellent -spirits, and a most kind and unselfish travelling companion. He -told me that he was utterly weary of the Sudan, and would, like -many others, be heartily glad to see the last of campaigning in -these torrid regions. He told me, too, many interesting things about -Omdurman and the prisoners still in the Dervishes' power; and how the -Austrian mission-sister had been compelled to marry a Greek by the -Khalifa on the quaint ground that it was indecorous for an unmarried -lady to reside at Omdurman without adequate protection. - -The Nile becomes much more interesting above the Atbara, and the -banks in places are clothed with dense vegetation. We stopped -several times to take in wood for the engine, and at one of our -halting-places, Zeibad, during a ramble on shore, I found the -bushes full of little doves (_turtur Senegalensis_), and a flock -of wild geese got up, offering a fine shot had one carried a gun. -A few hundred yards away I noticed a line of huge Marabout storks. -The plumage of these birds is very striking, and I have heard it -suggested that when on one occasion during the Atbara campaign a -correspondent rode back to camp in hot haste with the report that he -had been chased by Dervishes, he had really fallen in with a line -of Marabout storks, and mistaken their mottled plumage for Arab -"gibbehs." Farther along the bank we skirted a huge marsh--a perfect -paradise for a sportsman: teal, duck, and snipe rose in vast coveys; -on a tall bush a large fishing eagle was perched, which paid scant -attention to the steamer; while at the foot two small crocodiles or -very large water-lizards lay basking in the sunshine. On every side -a multitude of cranes, secretary birds, and the sacred ibis stalked -solemnly about in dignified silence. The whole formed a charming -picture of animal life undisturbed by the presence of man--every -creature working out its own perfection in "delight and liberty." - -The voyage was full of interest. By day we wrote up our diaries, took -photographs of interesting bits of river scenery, or occasionally -got a shot at a wild duck or goose, which formed a welcome addition -to our larder. About half-way to Shabluka we sighted the curious -pyramids of Meroe, thirteen or fourteen in number. These seem to -be often irregular in shape, and are not nearly so large as the -pyramids of Ghizeh or Sakhara. They stand all solitary in a waste -of sand and rock, strange enigmatic relics of a vanished race. The -region of Meroe once formed a kingdom in itself, which succeeded the -Ethiopian kingdom of Napata, lower down the river. The dynasties of -the Meroitic kings attained considerable power, and were able to -retain their independence when the rest of Egypt became subject to -foreign control. Meroe was formerly a flourishing centre for caravan -and river-borne trade, but this seems to have disappeared by the -Christian era, for in Nero's time it is described as a desolate -wilderness, and this fact seems to render untenable the belief that -the Queen Candace mentioned in the Acts was the sovereign of Meroe. -From the time of Justinian to the 14th century Meroe was absorbed in -the kingdom of Dongola, whose inhabitants professed the Jacobite form -of Christianity. Quite recently I heard that an altar had been found -somewhere in the Meroe region with an inscription to Isa (Jesus), who -still lives in the tradition of the country as a great Sheikh. Now -that the Sudan has been opened up, and travellers need not fear a -compulsory experience of the Khalifa's hospitality at Omdurman, one -of the first steps which English archæologists ought to undertake is -the investigation of the countless ruins, tombs, inscriptions, and so -forth, which exist south of Wady Halfa. No one, for instance, has yet -deciphered the script which is met with amongst the ruins in the Wady -Ben Naga. Lepsius explored these ruins in 1844, and published some of -the curious inscriptions in his _Denkmäler_; but until a bilingual -inscription is discovered which will, like the Rosetta Stone, furnish -a clue to this mysterious writing, Egyptologists will continue to -sigh over its inscrutable characters. Professor Sayce had asked me -to bring back some "squeezes" and photographs from the Meroitic -inscriptions; but, alas, on the return journey the squeeze paper and -photographic apparatus were lost by the capsizing of some _ghyassas_, -and so I could do nothing in the cause of palæography. - -A short distance past the pyramids we caught up a curious procession -wending its way along the bank. A famous Gaalin sheikh, Hamara Wad -Abu Sin, was journeying southwards to join the Anglo-Egyptian forces. -This important ally led the way on foot, followed by a retainer armed -with a Remington. Then came a baggage camel carrying the personal -luggage of the chieftain, and the rear was brought up by two men and -two boys. When the gunboat got opposite the old sheikh, he at once -jumped into the river and swam to us, followed by one of the small -boys, who kept his master's bundle of clothes out of the water. Wad -Abu Sin is head of the Shukryeh tribe, and is noted throughout the -Sudan for his personal bravery. His father was _mudir_ of Khartum -under Gordon, and he himself was a prisoner in that town until he -managed to escape through Abyssinia. It was touching to see the old -man's joy at meeting Slatin, his fellow-sufferer under the cruel -tyranny of the Khalifa. - -At Magyrich, on the western bank, we found the Lancers encamped in a -beautiful palm grove, and Cross and I were especially glad to see our -camel with the two servants, who had evidently managed to pick up the -column. Some distance lower down than Magyrich we had already passed -two little groups of Lancers. One batch of twelve stood on the bank, -and asked us to take them on board, as their horses had broken down; -the other party consisted of only two men, whose comrade had just -died of sunstroke, and been buried by the survivors under a mimosa -bush. - -At 5 a.m. a man swam to the boat from the shore, who turned out to -be a deserter from Omdurman. He stated that when he left two of the -Dervish boats were on the point of starting to the South, in order, -perhaps, to fetch grain, and that the Khalifa was at present with his -army, at the outermost of the Omdurman lines of defence, about three -miles to the north of the town. This seemed to confirm the general -belief, which was afterwards verified, that the decisive battle would -not be fought in front of the Kerreri ridge, some ten miles north of -the capital, but in front of Omdurman itself. - -The sight of Metemmeh was full of interest. On the opposite bank lay -the ingeniously constructed forts of Shendy, with solid mud walls, -thirty-five feet thick. Miles back beyond Metemmeh, in the desert, -lay Abu Klea, and between the two the hamlets of Abu Kru and Gubat. -The fighting which we were destined to experience before Omdurman was -as nothing compared with the desperate struggles in 1885, when the -gallant column of British troops fought its way through overwhelming -numbers from Abu Klea to the Nile. Englishmen may well be proud of -this splendid feat of arms, unexampled as it is in the history of the -Sudan campaigns. Major Stuart-Wortley, who was present at the series -of fights from Abu Klea to the Nile, pointed out to me the mud-hut -to which Sir Herbert Stewart had been carried. How pitiful to think -that the lives of this gallant leader and many another brave man were -sacrificed in vain! Instead of helping to save the beleaguered city -and rescue Gordon, the dearly-won victory of Abu Klea only seemed -to hasten the destruction of Khartum. The Mahdist forces were so -incensed by the sight of their wounded comrades brought back after -the battle, that they demanded to be led at once to the assault, and -captured the town almost without resistance. - -We heard, by the way, at Nasri that all the graves of the gallant -men who fell in the fighting from Abu Klea to Metemmeh had been -desecrated by the Dervishes, and that the white bones lay scattered -over the desert. One exception, however, had been made. The -resting-place of Sir Herbert Stewart had not been molested. - -The above news was, I believe, embodied in several telegrams, but was -struck out by the Press Censor, as it was thought likely to cause -pain to many in England whose relatives had fallen in the Abu Klea -campaign. Afterwards, too, some doubts were thrown upon the truth -of the report; but even if the story was well founded, it matters -little. Of our valiant dead we may surely say, in the immortal words -of the Athenian statesman, "They received each one for himself the -noblest of all sepulchres. I speak not of that in which their -remains are laid, but of that in which their glory survives.... For -the whole earth is a sepulchre of famous men: not only are they -commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an -unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone, but in the hearts of -men." - -The evening before we reached Nasri Island we were suddenly overtaken -by a terrific sandstorm. Two vast columns of sand rose straight up -from the desert and swept rapidly towards us. The sky was black with -clouds, birds ceased to sing, and the grasshoppers chirruped no -more, as all living creatures, from ourselves downward, prepared for -the coming terror. The _Tamai_ at once tied up to the bank, and we -waited for the hurricane. Suddenly it came rushing upon us. Everyone -clutched books, camp-chairs, cameras, plates, bottles--whatever lay -within reach--and sat tight, while the gunboat heeled over beneath -the shock. The storm was shortlived; streams of sunshine broke -afresh through the clouds, and birds and insects came forth from -their hiding-places, and rejoiced that the tyranny was overpast. We -speedily collected our scattered properties and went on our way. Yet -all night long the lightning flashed incessantly, showing up every -bush and rock on the river bank as clearly as at noonday. - -Nasri Island had been converted into a vast depôt for stores. All -the people who were obliged to remain at this station throughout the -campaign seemed very depressed. There was nothing whatever to do out -of work hours except to prowl along the river bank, on the chance -of slaying a goose or catching a fish. One of the officers came on -board, and, in answer to our query as to his welfare, said he felt -"a bit cheap," as in addition to being soaked to the skin as he lay -in bed, he had been stung by two scorpions during the night. As the -_Tamai's_ condensers had gone wrong, and the engineer seemed to have -lost his head altogether, we tied up to the bank until 2 a.m., and -four more hours brought us to Wad Hamed, where the Sirdar's forces -were to be finally concentrated before the march upon Omdurman. - -We thoroughly enjoyed the week's sojourn at Wad Hamed, as the camp -seemed healthy, and along the Nile there were many charming bits of -scenery. In fact, in some places where the enormous breadth of the -river was broken up into narrower channels, one might almost imagine -oneself on the Thames. The banks were clothed with the bright green -foliage of the nebek and mimosa bushes, which afforded shelter to -innumerable birds. The thorns of the nebek are worse even than those -of the mimosa; they curl inwards, and are very strong. Nevertheless, -the camel rejoices exceedingly when it can seize a mouthful of this -prickly tree, and the yellow berries are not to be despised by human -beings when they are really hungry. There is, however, one feature -which is sadly lacking even in the nicest bits of Nile scenery; there -are no flowers. - -After we had pitched our tents amongst some mimosa scrub, during -which process our barefooted servants leapt about like cats on -hot bricks, we were informed that the Sirdar would receive the -correspondents in his tent. Bennett-Burleigh had arrived in the -meantime, having stolen away from the Lancers' camp and the other -correspondents, and ridden forty miles that day--a fine performance, -if not strictly in accord with military discipline. We thereupon -collected our little cohort of fifteen, and went off to meet the -General. I did not enjoy the interview, which was as barren of -results as it was humiliating. The only parallel to it which I can -think of is that of a row of curates before a brusque and autocratic -bishop. During the brief commonplaces which passed between us, the -general impression conveyed to me was the immeasurable condescension -of our chief in even deigning to address the representatives of -a Press which has never failed to extol even to the verge of -exaggeration the achievements of the Anglo-Egyptian Army and its -leader! How deep the gulf which appeared to separate the Egyptian -commander-in-chief from the civilian correspondent! In short, I -should advise anybody who cannot put his pride in his pocket to avoid -the rôle of amateur war correspondent in Egypt. The professionals -are, I suppose, to some extent inoculated by this time, and cling to -the delusion that correspondents during a campaign are treated like -officers. - -At the same time, I am bound to confess that if I were a -commanding officer I should not be favourably impressed with the -_genus_ "correspondent" as a whole. There is sometimes a blatant -self-conceit and vulgar swagger about a war correspondent which is -very irritating, while in other cases intolerance of discipline -and incessant attempts to override military regulations for mere -private ends have gone far to justify Lord Wolseley's _dictum_ that -correspondents are "the curse of modern warfare." Of course there -are delightful exceptions to this sort of thing to be met with in -a war correspondent's camp. Some of the men who engage in this -most delightful occupation are good fellows in every sense of the -phrase,--brave, generous, and clever,--and it is a privilege to enjoy -the companionship of men like Steevens, Scudamore, Villiers, and -others whom I could name. - -Altogether, the little _kosmos_ of our camp was full of interest, -as the types of war correspondent one meets with vary considerably. -There is the rough man who glories in his roughness, scorns luxury, -and doesn't wash. An excellent fellow in his way, he yet renders -himself more unhappy than he need be by his unstinted devotion to -discomfort. To imitate an ancient Eremite by never changing one's -shirt when you can purchase one for 2s. 11¾d., and to sleep on the -ground when you have got plenty of money to buy a valise bed, may -have certain charms when the weather is fair and you haven't got -fever; but when rain is falling upon you, as it knows how to fall in -the tropics, or you would give half your income for a little shade -from the midday sun, which has got you by the back of the neck and -made you limp and listless--it is then that the swashbuckler and old -campaigner theory breaks down. - -In signal contrast with the above type, one finds the war -correspondent who makes himself as comfortable as possible. His -editor does not grudge the supply, nor he the expenditure, of large -sums of money. He puts on a clean shirt every day, and has his boots -polished in the heart of the desert. He wears beautiful cummerbunds, -and is all glorious within; his underclothing is of wrought silk. -When less fortunate mortals drink muddy water this Sybarite calls for -a whisky and Rosbach, and finishes off a dinner of five courses with -a glass of excellent liqueur. But, after all, why shouldn't a man -make his camp life as pleasant as possible as long as his comforts -don't interfere with other people's? Indeed, so far from this being -the case, the "comfortable" correspondent--as far as my experience -goes--is often a really kind and generous fellow, who never grudges a -friend a share in his good things; and as to his picturesque costume -and careful toilette, a man preserves his self-respect all the better -when he is clean and nicely dressed. The hospitality, too, which, -when camels and servants abound, can be generously dispensed to -agreeable and communicative officers, is a most valuable factor in -the success of a war correspondent's career; its quality is like that -of mercy--it blesses him that gives as well as him that takes. - -Another type meets us in the veterans, the self-constituted _doyens_ -of the pressmen, who claim to regulate the camp and lay down the law -generally. Some old persons of this sort, on the strength of their -own antiquity and their experience of half a dozen campaigns, are -loud in their denunciation of all "interlopers," as they are pleased -to call all gentlemen who pay their own expenses and do literary work -in connection with the campaign. - -Again, all campaigners must know the type of correspondent, -who, ignorant of any language except his own, and speaking that -imperfectly, ill-treats his servants when they fail to understand his -orders. Such persons as this are either too stupid or too lazy to -master even a few common words of the vernacular, yet they imagine -that for £2, 10s. a month they can secure an accomplished linguist -as a servant! "Untwist that knot; not that knot, that other knot! -Great Scot! You," etc. etc. The poor Arab boy stands perplexed and -fearful--he cannot understand this bewildering utterance, and becomes -helpless or makes a bad shot and begins to open a tin of marmalade -or lay the table. Then "thud, thud," as a heavy stick falls on the -servant's bare flesh, or the wretched boy emerges from the tent, his -face streaming with blood from a cowardly blow by his master's fist. -I have known an Arab servant to be followed for yards and beaten most -cruelly with a heavy stick, because, owing to a breakdown of the -telegraph, he was unable to forward a message sent by his master. -The boy was absolutely blameless in the matter, but his master would -not listen to a word of explanation, and the sound of the brutal -strokes he showered upon the servant were audible far away. The -foul abuse bellowed at servants frequently made our camp a disgrace -to the zeriba. Everybody in the East swears at his servants, but -still--whether the proposition be ethically sound or not--there is a -gentlemanly way of swearing--brief and incisive, and not intended to -reach the ears of others than the delinquent. - -Moreover, if one treats one's Arab servants with kindness and -firmness withal, they generally do their best, and often become quite -devoted to their master. When after the battle Mr. Villiers was lost -for some time, and fears were entertained about him, his servant was -full of genuine distress and anxiety. If, on the other hand, no tie -exists between master and servant except fear of the _kurbash_ and -the loss of the paltry wages, what can one expect in the way of zeal -and devotion? - -The yells and screams of fury which commenced at daybreak, and often -made night hideous in the correspondents' camp, were never heard -amongst the officers, who surely had infinitely more to put up -with in the way of discomfort than we had. In short, disgust was -often the prevailing sentiment with which one could contemplate our -own camp, and it was a delightful relief to get away for a quiet, -pleasant chat with one's officer friends. - -There are other types also. The "new hand," some peaceful-looking -journalist who has never fired a shot in his life, even at a bunny, -stands before the door of his tent clad in all the trappings with -which Messrs. Silver adorn the noumenal war correspondent of their -imagination. Every strap in the brand new kit is in its place, and -the poor man is so festooned with cameras and field-glasses and -revolvers and haversacks that respiration must be difficult, as he -bumps along on his gee-gee in an enormous helmet. He cannot ride, to -walk he is ashamed. Yet, if the "new hand's" enthusiasm for a war -correspondent's career is not disillusioned by the stern realities -of a Sudan campaign, he will appear in our next "little war" as an -old hand, and will be all the happier for having left behind him the -outfit dear to the war correspondent of comic opera, and donned a -less intricate but more effective costume. - -Once more, there is the non-journalistic amateur, who, in order to go -through the campaign, has secured a permit to act as a correspondent -for some newspaper. As I was myself a humble member of this class, I -will refrain from criticising its merits and defects, though later on -a brief tribute may well be paid to the memory of two of its members, -who, alas, did not return--Cross and Howard. - -Now, concerning war correspondents enough has been said. Let no one -be offended by fair criticism and good-natured banter-- - - Quicquid agunt homines, votum, timor, ira, voluptas, - Gaudia, discursus, nostri est farrago libelli. - -At the same time it seems likely that the day of the highly paid war -correspondent, with _carte blanche_ to spend as much as he likes, is -almost over. Scores of capable men with a 'Varsity education would -be delighted to do war correspondent's work for a tithe of what is -paid to some of these gentlemen; and as agencies like Reuter supply -excellent telegrams, there is no crying need for additional "wires." -At least one of our leading newspapers was quite uncertain for a long -time as to whether it would send a special correspondent to the -Sudan or not, and an editor remarked to me that the copy sent was -often scarcely worth the outlay. "We don't want to read," said he, -"how our correspondent was bitten by mosquitoes, or left his pyjamas -behind him." - -As my friend Professor Poulton of Oxford had kindly bestowed upon -me a small net and a "killing bottle," I resolved to collect some -butterflies and insects for the University Museum, and made frequent -excursions outside Wad Hamed camp for the purpose. But ill-luck -pursued my untrained efforts at practical entomology. The only thing -the bottle came within measurable distance of killing was myself, -for it got broken almost at the start, and my cook, thinking the -strong-smelling concoction at the bottom was some form of curry -powder or seasoning, had carefully annexed the _débris_ of the -bottle, and was proceeding to use it for culinary purposes, when I -seized the stuff and hurled it into the river. - -The butterfly net also fell upon evil days, for the donkey which -carried it began to roll one evening before its load was removed, -and the apparatus was utterly smashed. The stick and brasswork I -reluctantly left on the field, but the green gauze served to protect -one's eyes and complexion when sandstorms swept through the air. - -In consequence of these disasters my entomology had to be carried out -with ruder implements--to wit, a bath towel and a thick stick. If -a butterfly settled on the ground I stalked it carefully, and then -fell upon it with the towel; but I often rose from the earth with -no butterfly, and nothing in my hands except half a dozen mimosa -thorns. Incensed at failure, one struck at the gaudy insects as -they fluttered past, and sometimes succeeded in braining a few; but -as I gathered up the scattered remains I trembled to think of the -Professor's sarcasms upon the condition of my Sudanese specimens. -The natives used to gaze upon my pursuit of butterflies with looks -of amusement and surprise. What could the Englishman want with these -worthless insects? Were they his totems or fetiches? did he collect -them for gastronomic purposes, or as material for magical rites? I -sometimes offered some trifling _bakshish_ for butterflies, but the -Arabs could never be brought to realise that I wanted variety and -quality as well as quantity. On one occasion a struggling mass of -fifteen or twenty common white butterflies in a matchbox--all exactly -the same--was triumphantly brought me by a small boy. I liberated the -unhappy prisoners, and rewarded the boy with one penny and a severe -lecture.[1] - -As to the other insects in my collection, many of these were so -appallingly ugly and malignant in appearance that one had to pull -oneself together to attempt their capture. A soda-water bottle had -been filled with whisky amid the protests of Cross, who thought this -a waste of good liquor, and when some grisly insect with a striped -body, projecting eyes, and aggressive antennæ appeared inside the -tent, something like this conversation used to take place:-- - -E. N. B.--"Do you mind catching that harmless lepidopt, Cross, while -I hold the bottle?" - -H. C.--"I think, somehow, that you're better at catching those -beasts than I am; give me the bottle." - -As I had decreed death as the penalty for any creeping thing which -invaded our tent, the noisome creature was, as a rule, gingerly -secured and forced into the spirit, where it speedily died of -_delirium tremens_. Nothing is more unpleasant in tropical countries -than to have a winged insect of great size and energy enter one's -tent in the dark. _Omne ignotum pro terribili_: suddenly the Unknown -makes its presence felt by rising up from the ground with a loud -buzz; it necessarily strikes against the tent pole or the canvas, and -immediately collapses with a thud on the bedclothes or one's face; -and then, after a brief interval for recovery, it recommences its -clumsy gambols and aërial flights. - -Our stock of literature in the Wad Hamed camp was of amazing variety. -We established by usage a sort of Desert Circulating Library, and -novels, old magazines, and even newspapers of venerable antiquity -were eagerly sought for and exchanged. My own parcel of books on -board the _Tamai_ consisted of Whyte Melville's _Holmby House_, -_The Juggler and the Soul_, by Helen Mathers, and a penny edition -of _Quentin Durward_. I was surprised on one occasion to find a -Scotchman engaged in reading Horace's _Satires_ in a new translation -by Mr. Coutts. He knew nothing of the original Latin, but had -purchased the volume, and was wading through the archaic material -with apparent relish. Possibly the jokes of antiquity may have -succeeded in striking that chord in a Scottish temperament which is -so often unresponsive to contemporary humour! Whenever one got a -periodical of any sort, such as _The Wide World_, one did not toy -with it in a dilettante fashion. Every line of it was read from cover -to cover, and even the advertisements of life assurance offices were -perused with some degree of interest amid this comparative dearth of -intellectual pabulum. - -One evening, in an interval of leisure before dinner, I strolled -along the Nile to see if I could add a little fresh fish to our -_ménu_. I had with me one of the excellent rods made for a few -shillings by Slater of Newark-on-Trent, which pack up into very -small compass, and can easily be carried in a hold-all or Gladstone -bag. The river was much too muddy for fly fishing, and one of my -officer friends remarked that the fish would have to jump a foot out -of the water before they saw the fly. Nevertheless I tried a few -casts with a Zulu and a nondescript chub-fly, and after a couple -of rises managed to land a curious fish of the carp (?) tribe with -long barbules, which is called by the Arabs "Abu Shenab" (Father of -Moustaches). There is another very common fish in the Nile of the -bream species. It is shaped like a pair of bellows, and has about the -same flavour when cooked. - -It is always worth while to try a cast or two on unknown waters in -the course of one's travels. This spring I was fortunate enough to -get some excellent sport from a few hours' fly fishing in the Waters -of Merom and the Jordan. The latter river simply teems with fish of -seventeen different species, some of which, including the "Father -of Moustaches," are found elsewhere only in the Nile--a fact which -seems to indicate a connection between the two streams at some remote -period. - -Sir Francis Grenfell told me that a friend of his had landed some -huge fish at the junction of the Nile and Atbara, and during our -stay there a native caught a fish weighing nearly a hundred pounds, -which was served up, I believe, at the Guards' mess. When the Nile -gets lower, some splendid sport might be enjoyed with these monstrous -fish. In fact, when one fishes in a stream like the Atbara, there is -a delightful uncertainty about the nature of the prospective catch. -One never knows what is coming up. That keen sportsman, the late -Sir Samuel Baker, fished in this stream with a live bait 2 lbs. in -weight, and landed fish up to 180 lbs.! On one occasion he tells how -something seized the bait, and would not budge an inch. The dead -weight on the line was tremendous, and Sir Samuel says it felt "as if -the devil himself had got hold of the hook." At last, after placing -his feet against a rock and pulling, something moved upwards in the -water which looked for all the world like a cart wheel. Finally, up -came a huge water-tortoise, which gave one plunge, and broke away -with the hook and several yards of line. - -By day the vast area occupied by the two British brigades, and -various battalions of Sudanese and Egyptians, was full of ceaseless -work, accompanied by a perfect babel of sounds, as fatigue parties -hurried in various directions, and long strings of native labourers -carried loads or hauled at ropes, with their monotonous sing-song -recitation of Koran fragments. The Gregorian chant, which secures the -exclusive devotion of some Churchmen, is doubtless an approximation -to the music of the primitive Church, but solely because that Church -happened to find its earliest home in the East, where no other type -of music has ever been known or appreciated. But there is no more -reason why an Englishman should feel bound to sing ugly Gregorians -than that he should chant the psalms in loose cotton garments without -his boots. In either case the "local colour" is quite un-Western. - -In this, as in all other Sudan campaigns, some difficulty was -experienced by the officers in keeping the soldiers from becoming -almost amphibious creatures. If he had his own way, Tommy Atkins -would have spent the greater part of his time in floundering about -the muddy river. The spirit of sport, so deeply ingrained in the -Englishman, found few outlets during the campaign; but now and then, -in order to witness a good swimming race, Mr. Atkins would gladly -cast a large lump of his rations--bread or biscuit upon the waters. -Arab urchins swim admirably, with that quick hand-over-hand stroke -which primitive tribes always employ; and they judge their distances -so accurately that they rarely miss a crust, even where the stream is -running at the rate of many miles an hour. - -But the troops were, as a matter of fact, always far too busy to get -much time for relaxation, in or out of the water. It is astonishing -that the authorities should have found it necessary to assign such -an enormous amount of work to the officers and men during the -concentration at Wad Hamed. On some days the British troops had no -less than twelve hours' fatigue work! Take, for example, the casual -record of one day's round of work, got through by a certain battalion -in the heat of a Sudan August. The troops were on parade from 4.30 -to 8. They then returned to the camp, and, without being allowed any -breakfast, were set to cut grass. Ten minutes were then allotted for -the morning meal. The next item was wood-cutting, and the digging -of trenches for camp purposes. This fatigue continued till the -midday dinner, and from two o'clock to dark the men were practised -in loading camels. Next morning reveille sounded at four, and then, -although the battalion was on the point of leaving the camp, they -were actually ordered, before their departure, to cut a number of -tree-stumps out of the ground! I do not mention these facts with any -intent to dispute their utility or expediency. The British soldier -does, under normal conditions during peace, infinitely less work -than falls to the lot of his continental brethren. When the Russian -soldier has finished his parades he is set to build walls and make -roads, while Atkins is disporting himself in the cricket or football -field. So it is perhaps not undesirable that our men should learn the -meaning of really hard work occasionally. But it was pleasant to see -how cheerfully the Tommies bore it, at anyrate outwardly; for I never -heard a word of grumbling or "grousing," as they phrase it. Moreover, -from a hygienic point of view, their round of heavy fatigues most -certainly agreed with them. Wonderfully little sickness prevailed in -the ranks, in spite of the fierce heat and the indifferent water, -though the wear and tear removed every ounce of superfluous flesh, -and reduced our men to the condition of those "lean and wiry dogs" -which Plato regarded as a model in the selection of his Republican -warriors. - -The Sudanese, on the other hand, grumbled a good deal. Their -conception of military discipline and obedience are somewhat -rudimentary, and manual labour is distasteful to them. The discontent -which was caused in their ranks by what they deemed excessive fatigue -work culminated finally in a number of desertions. In Wad Hamed -alone there were, I believe, no less than twenty cases of desertion, -and three at least of the scoundrels were recaptured and shot. The -deserters were doubtless making off southwards to join the Khalifa, -for the life of a Baggara Dervish in prosperous times--a mere round -of eating, sleeping, and fighting--would form an ideal existence in -the eyes of an animal like the average Sudanese soldier. - -On the other hand, a constant stream of fugitives began to reach the -camp from the south; in Wad Hamed there were some thirteen hundred -deserters from the Khalifa's dominions. Many of them came down the -river, a motley herd of women and children, with a sprinkling of men -all packed together in native barges. What these poor creatures lived -on I do not know, but I strolled amongst some hundreds of them one -evening, and they all seemed in excellent spirits and quite convinced -that this time, at anyrate, they had put their money on the right -horse. The presence of these uninvited guests caused considerable -embarrassment to the Army Service Corps, but the authorities did -the best they could for them, and in a big camp there are always -a good many pickings which the refugees and vultures might share -between them, though our feathered visitors had rather a pull over -the other bipeds, as they rose betimes, and, according to the ancient -adage, the early bird got the "bully" beef. This beef, by the way, -was always to be picked up. It was issued to the men, for greater -convenience of transport, in 3-lb. tins, which were trisected with a -hammer and chisel for three rations. But, as the men soon got tired -of the meat, and it speedily, after being opened, became uneatable -from the heat, vast quantities of it were thrown away; and I noticed -that the line of railway was often marked for hundreds of yards with -tins of "bully" beef more or less full, which were speedily pounced -upon by Arabs; if any village chanced to be close at hand. - -Occasionally the soldiers got rations of fresh meat, and, what was -almost more welcome, fresh bread, with now and then the additional -luxury--oh, blissful moment!--of a little marmalade. Once a week, -too, a tot of rum was served out, and happy was the orderly whose -task it was to convey the rum rations to his superiors; for the -officers rarely drank the fiery spirit, and when it was given back -it was not wasted. This small weekly allowance was the only strong -drink which Tommy Atkins imbibed throughout the campaign. The deadly -effects of alcoholic excess in a climate like that of the Sudan -are, of course, well known, and in a previous campaign the danger -of allowing the men the use of intoxicants had been so unpleasantly -demonstrated in the case of a certain British battalion, that the -Sirdar very wisely established a system of "total prohibition" -amongst the rank and file. Some rascally Greeks brought casks of -whisky and beer to the Atbara, but the authorities soon discovered -their little game. Most of the alcohol was sent back to Cairo, and -of the remainder, some was put under the military seal and the rest -simply emptied into the sand! - -At Wad Hamed officers and correspondents alike enjoyed a life of -comparative comfort and refinement, which was necessarily impossible -in our subsequent camps during the final week of the campaign. On -ordinary days we woke about five o'clock, when Ali brought us a mug -of cocoa and a biscuit. The biscuit supplied to the Egyptian troops -was of a dark brown colour, and hard as a brick. On leaving Wad -Hamed, Ali went by mistake to the wrong canteen, and brought us a bag -of "Gyppy" biscuit, on which Cross and I subsisted for several days, -and were thankful at the end that we had only lost one tooth each in -that period. The British biscuit was much nicer, comparatively white, -and quite free from "weevils"; for I used to shake my biscuits to -see if I could extract one of these insects, which I much wished to -see. No weevil ever emerged, and I am under the impression that this -insect, which figures so prominently in tales about pirates and "sea -dogs," must be a semi-fabulous creature, to be placed under the same -category as the basilisk and the Barometz lamb. - -After dressing we generally strolled about the camp on the banks -of the river for an hour or so, and then we were quite ready for -breakfast, which ordinarily meant porridge, sardines, bread or -biscuit, marmalade, and tea. As at this time of the day one could -generally secure a little hot water or the remaining contents of the -teapot, I used to devote some time to shaving. This operation was -quite an ordeal in the Sudan. Lather manufactured from muddy Nile -water spread a layer of fine sand over one's face, which speedily -blunted the best steel, and towards the end of the campaign I might -as well have used a piece of hoop iron as try to make my razors work -with cold water. With warm water the torture was somewhat less acute. - -Perhaps it is worth while mentioning in connection with our biscuit -supply that any traveller or explorer who cannot secure flour as he -proceeds, can easily make certain of having a continual supply of -decent bread by the following means. Let him order a quantity of -thick, flat cakes to be made of ordinary bread dough. When these are -thoroughly baked they must be gradually dried either by artificial -heat or by the sun, if its rays are strong enough, until every -particle of moisture is dried up. Bread thus desiccated will last -for months, and when it is wanted a lump is sprinkled with a little -water, and one finds nice spongy bread for breakfast instead of the -hard and monotonous biscuit. Mrs. Theodore Bent first taught me this -bread-lore, and when I explored Sokotra in company with herself and -her husband, we took several sacks of these flat cakes, and were in -consequence never without nice fresh bread. - -In the interval between breakfast and midday we got through a good -deal of work in the way of letter-writing or telegraphing. If one -had nothing to do oneself there was always a certain psychological -interest attaching to the study of one's fellow-correspondents and -their mysterious movements. One of them, after a successful prowl -for news, would appear walking towards his tent with an air of -_nonchalance_ intended to conceal his eagerness to find telegraph -forms. He would dive within the canvas, and then dispatch a servant -with a telegram, which five hours afterwards would be received in -London, and next morning would be read by thousands of eager eyes; -for surely no Sudan campaign has ever possessed a quarter of the -interest which, for some reason or other, the present one has aroused -in the British public. Of course all telegrams had to be brought -to Colonel Wingate and receive his official _visé_ and approval -before being put upon the wires. The utmost precautions were taken -throughout the campaign against any bad faith on the part of the -operatives. All the clerks employed in this service were bound over -in sureties of £240 not to divulge the contents of any telegram. This -was found necessary, inasmuch as during the last campaign several -important telegrams--so I was informed--between the Sirdar and Sir -Francis Grenfell were revealed to others than the lawful recipients. - -After a light lunch about 12.30, everybody, soldier and civilian -alike, lolled about in shirt-sleeves or went to sleep well under -cover of his canvas. Outside the sun blazed down in fury on the -desert, till the rocks became too hot to be touched, and the -rarefied air quivered over the yellow sand. To walk twenty yards in -the open without a helmet might mean death, and even inside one's -tent the heat which penetrated a double roof of thick green canvas -was so intense that a wet towel was very welcome as a protection -for the head. Whenever the surrounding temperature exceeds that of -the surface of one's body there is always a risk of sunstroke, and -it is amazing that during the heat which has prevailed in England -during August and September few people took the trouble to protect -their heads by any additional covering beyond a straw hat. In fact, -Surgeon-Major Parkes states that he had come across many more cases -of sunstroke in England than in Africa, where he had spent many years -amid the vicissitudes of travel and exploration. Furthermore, a -"spinal pad" is almost of as much importance as a good helmet against -sunstroke, yet in the Sudan the use of the spinal pad supplied by -the Government was rather the exception than the rule, and men -walked about in the tropical sun with a helmet on their heads while -their back was protected only by a flannel shirt. Sunstroke acts in -different ways. I have seen the quartermaster of a P. and O. in the -Red Sea suddenly drop as if he had been shot; but, in most cases, -the initial stages--loss of appetite, nausea, and headache--give one -full warning, and if the patient can at once get under some shade -and secure medical assistance, the "touch of the sun," which has -upset him for the time being, passes away without leaving any effects -behind it except a general lassitude for some time. - -About four o'clock the hottest part was over, but the danger of -sunstroke was, if anything, greater, because the oblique rays of -the sun fell upon one's neck, unless, indeed, as was the case with -the rank and file, a "curtain" was attached to the helmet. Nearly -everybody drank tea about this time. There is a kind of notion -abroad that this beverage serves to cool one, but the general effect -produced in the Sudan seemed quite the reverse. Any perspiration -left in one's sebaceous follicles after the genial warmth of the -Sudan had kept us in a sort of natural Turkish bath for six hours, -was elicited by the warm tea, and one realised how easy under such -conditions it would be to lose every particle of one's existing body -in even less than the seven years indicated by medical statistics, -and thus, on good Bishop Butler's showing, secure, together with -revaccination, a frequently recurring proof of one's immortality. - -After tea we were amply compensated for the discomforts of the day -by the delights of a tropical evening. The air was deliciously cool, -and the soft tints of sunset coloured all the landscape. Everyone -recovered his temper, and such pleasures and duties of social life -as survived in the desert occupied our attention from this hour -till bedtime. Men dropped in to see each other all over the camp, -and there was a general atmosphere of "Have a drink, old chap." The -amount of fluid one can consume in these tropical regions is amazing. -Nobody, of course, who has any common sense thinks of drinking much -alcohol in the heat of the day. Lime juice and soda is often taken -at lunch, while some claret or sauterne, or a whisky and Rosbach, -are common beverages in the evening. It is often very difficult -indeed--especially when one is on the march--to keep such luxuries -cool, but the ingenious "sparklets," which were brought out to the -Sudan in thousands, will always, if fairly good water can be got, -provide one with a decent drink, as the sudden liberation of the -compressed gas cools the water as well as aërates it. - -It is worth while being really thirsty and hungry to understand the -pleasures of drink and food. Our English meals follow each other -with such regularity and diversity that one seldom realises what it -means to crave for food and drink as a primary instinct. But oh! the -joy of a deep draught of cool water after long hours of abstention -in the desert, or, what is almost as bad, a long course of brackish -water--saline water, which quenches one's thirst for the moment only -to increase it by the after-taste. Once when I was travelling with -Mr. Bent, I remember how I was walking in a stony ravine after six -days of nothing but brackish water; suddenly, to my delighted vision, -a little brook of limpid water appeared running down to the sea. One -threw oneself flat upon the bank and drank, and drank, and drank! -Hunger is much more easily endured than thirst, and Æschylus did well -to class amongst the most joyful of human experiences the sight of -running water to a thirsty traveller-- - - ὁδοιπόρῳ διψῶντι πηγαῖον ῥέος. - -At the same time, indiscriminate drinking is a tiresome habit, -which can be shaken off with a little practice and determination. -The inexperienced traveller in the East always carries a huge -water-bottle, from which he is continually drinking copious draughts; -but after a few months he learns to drink at meal times, and not to -encumber himself with his water-bottle on every occasion when he is -away from the tent. Education and self-control go largely hand in -hand. Officers stand hunger and thirst much better than the rank -and file, who, in the Sudan, exercised very little self-control in -the matter of drink. Whenever they could get it, the soldiers were -perpetually dipping their tin mugs in the large "zias" or "fantasias" -provided for their use. - -Just before the evening shadows cooled the air too much and made -a chill possible, we spread our india-rubber baths on the ground -and enjoyed the refreshment of a good "tub." The Nile water was so -saturated with mud that when one stood in one's bath upon a thick -precipitate of sand the sensation recalled the seaside paddling of -one's childhood. - -The tropical twilight was all too brief, and darkness fell suddenly -like a pall upon the landscape. Then out came candlesticks and -lanterns, and the one substantial meal of the day made its -appearance. The quality of our _cuisine_ varied considerably. At a -stationary camp like Wad Hamed we sometimes purchased fresh meat -from an enterprising Greek called Loisa, but this was always very -lean and tough, and these fleshpots of Egypt had few charms for us. -The Arabs devour any sort of meat, whatever be the condition of the -beast which supplies it. Two days after the battle of Omdurman, Ali -appeared before the tent with a wretched kid in the last stage of a -rapid decline. He knew I disapproved of loot, and declared that he -had purchased the animal, and intended to fry the liver for me for -to-morrow's breakfast. As the poor kid was far too ill and weak even -to stand on its legs, I declined the suggested dainty. There were -quite enough bacilli prowling around in Omdurman without incurring -the risk of trichinosis. In less than an hour I saw our quaternion -of servants with several guests enjoying a ghoulish banquet off the -remains of the invalid animal. - -Sometimes we had splendid dinners of tinned curry, preserved -pine-apple, and other delicacies; and except on the evening of the -battle, nobody, as far as I know, ever went without his dinner if he -was well enough to eat it. Occasionally, if there was a downpour of -rain or other cause which rendered cooking difficult, we sank to this -sort of level-- - - Potage à la Khalifa. - -(Ingredients--a morsel of emaciated goat with some onions; simmer as -long as possible. Sufficient for two. Seasonable, when one is very -hungry.) - - Bully Beef au naturel. - - Jam. - - Biscuit à discrétion. - - Whisky. Sparklets. Lime juice. Nile water. - -On the 26th of August we were told to hold ourselves in readiness to -embark on the _Metemmeh_ next morning. The Gyppy troops and Sudanese -had already gone, and a general exodus of the British battalions -was taking place. On the evening before our departure I strolled -once more along the river. Scarcely a sound broke the silence; -the busy scene of the day's restless activity was still. The rows -and rows of tents and mountainous heaps of baggage had vanished -like magic; little remained to show that for more than a week some -twenty-two thousand men had lived and moved within this vast area. -Here and there various relics of the encampment lay scattered -about,--soda-water bottles, empty tins, old newspapers, the framework -of blanket tents, and so on,--but the only permanent structure which -marked, and perhaps still marks, the site of the abandoned camp was a -wattled hut which Howard's servant built for him, as his master had -arrived at Wad Hamed without a tent of any kind. An army of vultures -had spread over all the space within the zeriba, and seemed to be -having a good time amongst old sardine tins and fragments of offal -and similar dainties. - -The glow of a tropical sunset was falling on the Nile; yet, beautiful -as it was, the scene lost something from the dead level of the -surrounding prospect. For an ideally beautiful effect of the kind one -needs mountains as well as water. Who, for example, that has ever -seen it, can forget the play of moonbeam and starlight on the lake-- - - When the blue waves roll nightly on deep Galilee? - -It was strange to think that within a week the campaign would be -ended, Gordon avenged, and the Crescent flag flying over the ramparts -of Omdurman--the final goal of all this vast congeries of men and -stores, guns and ammunition. As the postal connection with the -outside world was now to cease until the capture of Omdurman, many -letters had been sent off on the previous day, and for several of -the writers the message which sped home was a final one. Later on, -when the battle had been fought, a man whom I knew showed me a letter -which he was sending off to his widowed mother to tell her that he -had come safe through the fight and was on the point of returning -home. This note reached its destination a day after the receipt -of a telegram announcing his death from fever! Surely it would be -difficult to meet with a sadder and more pathetic instance of the -vicissitudes and uncertainty of human life! - - -FOOTNOTE: - -[1] A brief list of the entomological specimens brought back from the -campaign is given on p. 253. - - -[Illustration: - - THE NILE - from the Atbara to Khartum. - Scale 1 : 1,500,000. - -_R. V. Darbishire 1898._] - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE WEEK BEFORE THE BATTLE - - -We said good-bye to Wad Hamed on 26th August. Cross and I had, -with several others, selected to go by river rather than by land, -as this would afford us an opportunity of seeing the cataract of -Shabluka, which had become a household word in the army because -of the possibility of Dervish resistance at this point. The rest -of the correspondents accompanied the two British brigades toward -Beled Hagir, our next camping site, just south of the cataract, and -opposite Rojan Island. - -As we were leaving Wad Hamed about forty Gaalins arrived on the -bank, and were embarked on the _Metemmeh_. These friendlies were -wonderfully spick and span, with nice clean clothes. Some of them -were equipped with large Dervish swords, while others had only -sticks, which they carried with a jaunty air at the "shoulder," in -anticipation, no doubt, of the Remington rifles which would be issued -to them before the fight. They were accompanied to the bank by a fine -old sheikh in flowing snow-white robes, and their farewells to the -venerable chieftain were very impressive. In the Sudan people are not -content with a single handshake. When one group is saying good-bye to -another the interchange of courtesies and caresses is interminable. -One man falls on the other's neck, without actually touching his -face or shoulder,--rather after the manner of a stage kiss,--and -then handshaking goes on _ad libitum_ all round, the same two people -often clasping and unclasping their hands half a dozen times or more, -according to the degree of intimacy. - -The Shabluka cataract, through which the flooded Nile rushes with -amazing violence, lies in a gorge which has evidently in remote -ages been torn through the limestone ridge by the river. A width of -a thousand yards is here suddenly compressed into a hundred yards, -and in the face of the terrific current which is thus produced, our -gunboat could barely forge ahead at the rate of one and a half -miles an hour. It is an open secret that the new gunboats built for -the Nile service by Thorneycrofts are regarded as failures by naval -experts. One of them, the _Sheikh_, can only make two miles an hour -against the ordinary Nile current in August. - -Even in the moonlight one could realise the amount of damage which -might have been inflicted by an effective occupation of Shabluka, -upon a force advancing up the river. When we passed the forts, -constructed, after the manner of Dervish engineers, on a level with -the water, we found them deserted, and their guns had been removed. -But if the enemy, who were posted here up to last May, had maintained -their position, we should have been compelled to halt and drive them -out of it from the land side, for none of our slow gunboats could -have forced the gorge had it been lined with artillery. - -We arrived at Rojan Island before daybreak on the 28th, and were -aroused out of sleep in the dark by the pleasing intelligence that -an order had arrived from the Sirdar that we were to be turned out -of the gunboat, bag and baggage, as the vessel was wanted for other -purposes. Floundering about in the semi-darkness we got our luggage -together as well as we could, and in less than twenty minutes found -ourselves sitting on the river bank with our few goods and chattels -round us. It would not have taken the gunboat five minutes to land -us at Hagir on the opposite bank; in fact, after marooning us on the -island, it actually touched at the camp on its return down the Nile. -This was one of several instances in which, during the campaign, -correspondents were treated with an utter disregard of consideration -or even ordinary courtesy. It often seemed as if the Sirdar or his -subordinates went out of their way to cause all the inconvenience -they could to the representatives of the press. Certainly if this -conduct was merely due to oversight or thoughtlessness, it was -bad enough; if it was intentional, it was based upon a petty and -ungenerous abuse of authority. On the present occasion we were left -for seven mortal hours on this treeless island, although the _El -Tahra_ was lying off Hagir, and could easily have been sent across -the river for us. When at last the old ferry-boat came blundering -across, the official in charge, who seemed, from his manner, to have -caught the Sirdar's mental attitude towards correspondents, brusquely -refused to take us over to Hagir, because no one had given him orders -to do so. Consequently the _El Tahra_ left us and recrossed to the -camp with her precious commander, although one of our number was -suffering severely from the sun, and lay prostrate on the ground. As -all our baggage was on the other side of the river, having been sent -on by camels, we had absolutely nothing to protect us from the heat -as it grew fiercer and fiercer every moment, so we simply sat on the -ground and grilled in the sun. The misery of such an experience is -very real indeed when the thermometer stands at 115° in the shade! As -one lies amid a dreary waste of sand and rock, - - sub curru nimium propinqui - Solis in terra domibus negata, - -with the pitiless rays of noontide beating down upon one's head, -visions of iced cups and other delights rise like a mental mirage and -mock one's misery! The thoughts stray far away in fantasy from the -unlovely landscape, and rest upon an English tennis lawn, beside the -cool Cherwell or under the cedars of the Wadham Gardens--the pleasant -game, the refreshment of shade and drink which follows it! - -As there was absolutely nothing else to do on the island--and it is -always a good thing to engage in some more or less arduous work when -one is inclined to take a pessimistic view of one's surroundings--I -scrambled up to the top of Gebel Rojan, a rocky hill about three -hundred feet high. From this Pisgah height one could trace far -away to the south the faint outlines of the hills of Omdurman, our -Promised Land! Below, on the desert plain, three Egyptian battalions -were marching forward, their right flank guarded by squadrons of -cavalry. The rifle barrels and steel scabbards glinted brightly in -the rising sunlight, and the columns themselves looked like sinuous -lines of ants threading their way through the scrub. - -We were all very bad-tempered when the _El Tahra_ returned once more; -but this time, mercifully, the steamer was no longer in the hands -of the punctilious sapper, with his combination of red tape and -rudeness. The new commander ventured upon the independent exercise of -his own common sense, and most kindly conveyed us across the river -without further ado. Whether he was subsequently reprimanded by the -authorities for this act of ordinary politeness I do not know. - -By the time we had landed from the steamer, and the servants had -discovered the whereabouts of our camels and luggage, it was nearly -two o'clock, and the camp had practically broken up. The native -battalions had left early in the morning, as I had seen from the -summit of Gebel Rojan, and had been followed by General Gatacre's -division. The Sirdar and his staff, the Intelligence Department, -the correspondents, and the baggage were to leave at four o'clock; -so there was barely time to get a scratch meal before we saw to -the loading of our camels, and again set out on our forward march -towards Omdurman. Both Cross and I had intended to walk, but Steevens -and Maud most kindly put a couple of their extra horses at our -disposal. The animal I rode was a polo pony from Cairo, in excellent -condition and full of "go." It hated to be alone for a moment, -and if in the scrub it found itself separated from the rest of the -column, either in the rear or on the flank, and the rein was at all -loose, it would suddenly, without any warning, make a clean bolt to -rejoin its companions; and when a borrowed horse tears at full gallop -through mimosa bushes and over the rough sandy soil intersected with -_nullahs_, one is precious glad to be able to return it to its owner -in the evening without a couple of broken knees or worse. - -The air was delightfully cool, with a pleasant breeze from the river, -and this evening ride from Hagir will remain in one's memory as one -of the pleasant experiences of the campaign. The comparative novelty -of our surroundings, and the certainty that now at length we were -within measurable distance of the enemy, filled one with elation -and banished all the petty worries of the morning. As long as one -enjoyed good health, nothing could be more delightful than the simple -pleasures of our open-air existence, with all its hard work and -good-fellowship. But when fever or dysentery gets hold upon a man, -all the glamour of the campaign fades away, and one is forced to -realise all the sordid discomforts of the march. During the recent -advance upon Omdurman many a case of unobtrusive heroism occurred, in -which men, officers and privates alike, refused to avail themselves -of the field hospitals, which would have taken them for the time -being from their battalion, and preferred to march along with the -rest, though their heads were racked with pain and their strength -at vanishing point from fever. If a campaigner could secure from a -fairy godmother or other supra-mundane agency one supreme blessing, -he ought most certainly to ask for health. Yet there is one danger to -which the healthy man is exposed. He finds it difficult, sometimes, -to sympathise with others less fortunate than himself. To many who -enjoy vigorous health there is something positively irritating in a -sick man. It is a painful trait in some characters, and is a survival -possibly of that terrible instinct which leads almost every species -of lower animal to finish off those of their number who become -sick or maimed. I have known a man who experienced this peculiar -irritation in the presence of comrades who were ill, behave in the -most unselfish and generous way to the same men when they were in -sound health; and while he had to force himself, as it were, to show -sympathy with an ailing man, he would fetch water in his helmet for a -wounded donkey, and feel ready to weep at the sight of a dying horse. - -As we rode along the edge of the Nile, well ahead of the crowd of -camels and the Lancer escort of the Sirdar, in order to avoid the -blinding clouds of dust which they raised, we noticed at intervals -along the line of march bands of Sudanese women. These faithful -creatures had managed by some means or other to accompany their -husbands to the front. Although unrecognised officially, and in -consequence not accorded any means of transport, they had contrived -to cross the Nile as stowaways, hidden under forage or flour sacks; -and they were now trudging slowly along with large bundles on -their heads, and in some cases a brace of babies slung over their -shoulders. When they arrived at the camp they cooked their husband's -food, mended his clothes, and introduced a general flavour of -domesticity into the rough camp life. The husbands seemed to be -very kind to their wives and children, and the Sudanese portion of -the camp was dotted with little family groups, each of them formed -under a tree and surrounded by a miniature zeriba. In fact, domestic -life has such charms in the eyes of the Sudanese warriors, that -they become quite depressed and morose if their women-folk are left -behind. The recent revolt in Uganda is alleged by some to have been -largely caused by the refusal of Major Macdonald to allow the wives -of the soldiers to accompany them on the advance northwards--a -refusal which, if it actually occurred, would most certainly run -counter to the military traditions of the Sudan. - -During the earlier part of the day's march Mr. Scudamore's "drink -camel," _i.e._ the animal which carried his stores of alcohol and -soda water, occasionally came to a sudden halt and toyed with the -branches of a nebek or mimosa thorn. At such times his master showed -great kindness and forbearance; he did not urge on the hesitating -beast with gibes and blows, but calling several of us round him, -quietly dismounted and relieved the camel's load by "drinks all -round." How touching an example of humanity towards poor dumb -animals! Let the traveller and explorer, then, always remember that -when the whisky mule halts, it is a kindness to lighten his burden; -if after some hours he jibs and refuses to proceed, fate has clearly -marked out that spot for the site of the camp! The whisky mule must -not be left behind! - -On the occasion of one of these halts I was astonished to see -a diminutive boy in very ragged clothes walking along with two -half-plucked pigeons in his hand and a large bag over his shoulder. -After mounting I rode beside him and found that he was a Greek. His -father and mother kept a small café in Cairo, and the boy, who was -only fourteen and very small for his age, had actually traversed some -twelve hundred miles by land and water in order to sell cigarettes -to the army. This adventurous urchin, Anastasios by name, became a -great pet with the Tommies, who bought his cigarettes and supplied -him with enough fragments of bully beef and biscuit to keep him going -throughout the campaign. As I spoke some Greek, I saw a good deal of -the boy subsequently, and succeeded in getting him allowed a passage -from Omdurman on board the _Metemmeh_; but at Atbara Camp some of -the officials rather needlessly refused to give him a place amongst -the baggage in the open trucks, and when I last saw the imp he was -being led away by a zaptieh, or native policeman, after a desperate -attempt to override authority and hide himself and the remainder of -his cigarette boxes under a heap of luggage. - -During our advance by land from Hagir, Mr. Frederick Villiers' -bicycle was much in evidence. It is astonishing to what a number of -uses this versatile machine may be put in peace and war alike. An -Oxford professor, whose metaphysical researches are combined with -military enthusiasm and the study of minor tactics, has given to -the world a treatise in which is demonstrated with logical acumen -the value of the bicycle as a weapon or rather implement of defence -against a charge of cavalry. The academical tactician suggests, I -believe, that when the enemy's horse are galloping down upon you -their charge may be broken and rendered futile by the terrifying -aspect of a line of cyclists holding their machines in the air and -rapidly spinning the wheels round! No war-horse, it is maintained, -could face this fearsome spectacle, and utter discomfort would -overtake the charging squadrons! What a pity our 'Varsity cyclist -corps were not posted in front of the zeriba at Omdurman to obviate -the necessity of bullets when the Baggara horse came thundering down -upon us! - -But the bicycle can be put to more regular uses in a campaign. -A correspondent, for example, who went through the whole of the -Greco-Turkish War was mounted on his machine, and published a book, -which, under the title of Ὁ Πόλεμος ἀπὸ Ποδηλάτου ("The War from a -Bicycle"), had a great sale in Athens. Still, despite their badness, -roads do exist between Larissa, Velestino, Domoko, etc., whereas in -the sandy, stony deserts of the Sudan the road is a very open one -indeed, and ill adapted for wheeled traffic. In consequence of this, -Mr. Villiers' bicycle, which was of a dull green tint, was usually to -be found in the charge of his servant, who had acquired considerable -skill in controlling the movements of his master's donkey with -one hand and his master's machine with the other. Certainly this -lugubrious-looking bicycle bore the battle and the breeze wonderfully -well, and the maker ought to secure a splendid advertisement out of -it; for tyres which can pass unpunctured through the terrors of the -mimosa scrub, and refrain from bursting under the rays of a Sudan sun -in August, may fairly be recommended for "strong roadster" work in -the country lanes of England. - -It was almost dark when we reached the camp, which has been called -by everyone, as far as I know, "Um Teref," though this is incorrect, -for "Um Teref" is the name of the village on the opposite bank of -the river. Though it was difficult in the twilight to see far ahead -of our column, there was no possibility of mistaking the whereabouts -of the camp, for the wild music of the Sudanese bands was already -in full swing. The first thing these black troops do when they get -into camp is to strike up some of their unearthly tunes, and in the -absence of more normal appliances they have been known to fashion -old tin biscuit boxes into a species of wind instrument. Just as I -got within the zeriba, a squad of these blacks were giving hot chase -to a curious animal, which had been put up in the bush. The hunted -creature ran between my horse's legs; it had a fine brush, with -mottled fur, and looked like a wolverine or some beast of that kind. - -The area required for some twenty-two thousand men, with hundreds -of camels, horses, and mules, was enormous, and we rode hopelessly -about in the gathering gloom, trying to find the space allotted -to correspondents. After a couple of hours' search we at length -succeeded in finding our camels and getting our tents pitched, and -then we did full justice to whatever sort of dinner the ingenuity of -our cooks could contrive for their hungry masters. The camp was an -extremely pretty one, and in places the vegetation by the river banks -was quite luxuriant. Bushes of all kinds, especially the "Dead Sea -apple," were dotted about; and as these prevented one from seeing -more than a hundred yards around, it was difficult to realise the -vast size of the camp. A zeriba had, of course, been formed, and just -behind it thousands of troops lay all night under arms, ready to -repulse any Dervish attempt to surprise the camp by a sudden rush. - -Next morning a rumour got about that during the darkness a Dervish -had crept up to the zeriba and thrown his spear over with a shout of -defiance, and the veritable spear was produced by a sentry of the -Lancashire Fusiliers as a proof of the story's genuineness. The story -was substantially true, for whilst the troops were engaged in forming -the zeriba a Baggara cavalry scout, who, for some reason or other, -found himself within the enclosure, suddenly dashed at a gallop out -of the bush, knocking over several astonished Fusiliers, and hurling -his spear at them as he disappeared in the darkness. - -Scorpions proved most troublesome in all our camps, but they were -especially numerous at Um Teref. In some places they simply swarmed, -and both officers and men, and, still more, native servants, suffered -from their painful stings. Those, like myself, who slept on a -raised bed--_e.g._ the "Salisbury" bed, made by Silvers--were not so -much exposed to risk as the possessors of the "Wolseley Valise"--a -mattress which lies on the ground, and forms a most inviting -hiding-place for creeping things innumerable. The pain experienced by -a European from a scorpion's sting is very acute while it lasts, but -passes off in a few hours. The natives were continually stung, and -one of the correspondents had attained a great reputation from the -skill with which he scarified the affected portions of native bodies, -prior to the application of Scrubb's Ammonia. One poor fellow--a -private in the Lancashire Fusiliers--was stung by a scorpion in three -places along his spine, and speedily died in a state of coma. - -Another insect pest was a huge yellow spider of loathsome aspect and -malignant disposition, called by the natives "Abu Shebek" (Father -of Spiders). This creature was frequently captured and conveyed to -some regimental mess, where it was forced to engage in single combat -with a scorpion. These adversaries were, as a rule, pretty evenly -matched, and the "Warwickshire Pet," a monstrous spider, appeared to -be invincible until it was matched against the "Cameron Slogger," a -redoubtable scorpion, who vanquished his opponent after a desperate -struggle amid loud cheers from the victorious mess. - -In the ordinary course of events we should have moved on from Um -Teref at daybreak on the 29th, but owing to a succession of storms on -the Nile the full complement of gunboats and _ghyassas_ laden with -stores and baggage had not yet arrived, and so the order to march -was countermanded, and we remained in the zeriba for another night. -The extra day, however, was not as pleasant as it might have been -amongst the shady trees, for the violent wind which was retarding -the progress of the gunboats swept incessant clouds of dust over the -camp all the morning. Later in the day, however, the wind sank, and I -enjoyed a delightful ramble along the river beyond the zeriba. Here I -found, amongst other treasures, an enormous brick-red beetle, which -clung to a tree with such pertinacity that I had to cut away a piece -of the branch and boil it and the beetle together before the latter -would abandon his hold and be duly pickled in the whisky. - -Early in the morning some squadrons of Egyptian cavalry and the -Camel Corps had left the camp to make a reconnaissance, but none -of the correspondents were permitted to accompany this force. They -did not, however, lose much, for the cavalry brought back scarcely -any information, beyond the news that fresh tracks had been seen of -Dervish horsemen retreating southwards towards Omdurman. - -On the morning of the 30th we were up by 4 a.m., and the camels -were loaded by lantern-light. Nobody was sorry to rise, for, acting -under orders, we had all struck our tents the night before to save -time in the morning, and, as bad luck would have it, a storm of rain -and lightning burst over the camp about midnight. There are few -things more disagreeable than to have rain pouring down upon one as -one sleeps, or tries to sleep, in the open. When the first heavy -drops begin to fall everybody knows what is to follow, and various -execrations are heard all around in the darkness, as the suddenly -awakened sleepers put some garments on, hide others under the pillow, -and do their best with a mackintosh to turn off the rain and keep -it from collecting in pools under their backs. The Arab servants -are always in the lowest depths of depression when it rains. Their -thin cotton garments soon get soaked through, but I felt somewhat -reluctant to lend them any of my wraps, as on a previous occasion, -during a tropical downpour, I told two Somali servants that they -might cover themselves with my waterproof, and during the night they -each rolled in a different direction, and split my splendid red-lined -mackintosh into two portions. These two Somali boys, by the way, -whenever a heavy shower overtook us in the daytime, always did their -very best to keep their heads dry. They would dash off and thrust -their shaven pates under a rock or inside an old packing-case, and -seemed to be comparatively indifferent about the rest of their black -bodies, which lay exposed to the weather. - -When we left the camp _en masse_ at five, the rain gradually ceased, -and the sun rose in splendour across the Nile. The spectacle -before us was magnificent. Column after column of infantry--black, -chocolate, and white--advanced in perfect order, and squadrons -of cavalry scouted on the flanks and far ahead, searching out -every patch of scrub which might conceal a force of Dervishes. The -Sirdar and his staff advanced in front, and the numerous halts and -consultations which were made showed how carefully and cautiously -the army was advancing. The troops were actually marching in battle -order, ready at any moment to close into square formation if the -enemy appeared; and one realised, as never before during the -campaign, that we were really in a state of war. Our Lancer scouts -had at length come into touch with the enemy, and had even fired a -volley at one of several parties of Dervish horse who were sullenly -retreating through the bush towards Kerreri. - -We were already well within twenty-five miles of Omdurman. Along -the line of march we came across several large Dervish villages, -abandoned by their inhabitants within the last day or two. In the -hurry of flight angaribs (native beds), calabashes, and even a -little food had been left behind. In some spots the fires which -had cooked the last meal of these unfortunate villagers were still -smouldering, and, either from accident or design, several of the -huts had been destroyed by fire. The ground was strewn with fragments -of earthenware cooking-pots, which the poor creatures had carefully -broken up before they fled away to the dubious protection of the -Omdurman walls. Close beside one of the deserted huts a tiny donkey -stood and gazed upon us--the sole surviving occupant of the village. -One of the servants, with a keen eye for loot, immediately annexed -the little donkey; but I refused to take it, as I thought it would -be happier amid its native surroundings, where it could eke out a -precarious living amongst the herbage on the river bank. As I rode -past several of the huts I noticed inside some strips of leather -rudely embroidered with cowries, which had been used to suspend a -gourd of water. The workmanship was so rough that I did not think -this loot worth taking, though several Lancers thought differently, -for I afterwards saw similar trophies hung over their saddles. - -Towards the middle of this day's march a rather amusing incident -occurred. A small party of Lancers scouting in one of the deserted -villages suddenly came across an Arab clad in a fine _gibbeh_, with -a long spear in his hand. Here, at last, was a living Dervish within -five yards! He made no effort to escape, and was at once surrounded -and taken prisoner. On his being searched, five Maria Theresa dollars -were discovered in the folds of his clothing, and the triumphant -Lancers returned to the Sirdar and his staff with the proud -consciousness of having captured the first real Dervish prisoner of -the campaign. After a modest rehearsal of their achievement, they -begged that in memory of the event the _gibbeh_, dollars, and spear -of the captive might be handed over to themselves. No objection -being raised, the prisoner, who, throughout the affair, had looked -not at all alarmed, but only rather bored, was again led off to -be interrogated by the Intelligence Department, when the exultant -Lancers learned that the captive was one of Colonel Wingate's best -spies, and after doing some excellent work in front had been quietly -waiting to rejoin our forces! The five dollars had to be unearthed -from the depths of the Lancers' pockets, and the imitation Dervish -again strutted proudly about with his coat of many colours and his -broad-bladed spear. - -The army advanced over the uneven ground in excellent order. The -long lines, now lost in the hollows, now broken for the moment by -impenetrable masses of thorn bush, kept their formation marvellously -well; and often, as they appeared over the crest of a sandy ridge, -the line was as perfect as on a field day at Aldershot. As regards -actual pace, the Sudanese blacks can easily outmarch the Tommies, and -would invariably have been well in the van if the _échelon_ formation -had not been carefully preserved. - -The day's march on the 30th was not more than some eight or nine -miles. We halted for the night beside the river at a spot exactly -opposite a village called Merreh on the other bank. At some -little distance inland, on our right front, a hill rose up called -Seg-et-taib, and, for convenience, the camp has been generally named -after the hill. Trees and bushes grew abundantly within our zeriba, -and along the margin of the Nile large clumps of bright green grass -were greedily devoured by the ponies, which, like all Oriental -riding-horses, lashed out viciously at each other whenever their -tethering ropes allowed it, and sometimes fought and tore each other -with their teeth like tigers. The river banks at Seg-et-taib were -rather difficult of access, as strips of marshy land ran in every -direction parallel to the stream. Everyone who reached the water on -foot was covered with black slimy mud up to his knees; and as we rode -through the bog our horses sank up to their flanks in the soft ooze, -but managed somehow to flounder through it without rolling over with -their riders. A pleasant spot beneath some trees was assigned for -our camp, but when we reached it we found a bevy of Sudanese ladies -already in possession. A little _bakshish_, however, solved the -difficulty, and the fair ones withdrew, after cleverly tying up pots -and pans and babies within the folds of their voluminous garments. - -At Seg-et-taib my companion Cross, who had been far from well for -some days past, and suffered especially from sleeplessness, became -so ill that I went off in search of his friend, Surgeon-General -Taylor, who throughout Cross' illness was invariably most kind and -thoughtful. This officer at once came to see the patient, and ordered -him to be placed on one of the hospital barges which were being sent -up the river to accompany the advance of the army. This was a great -relief to my mind, as our surroundings were most uncomfortable for a -sick man. We had left behind a good deal of baggage at Wad Hamed, and -all our tent except the outer fly, which afforded us only a feeble -shelter from sun or rain. On the hospital barges, of course, the -invalided men could get proper attention and diet--things practically -impossible in our rough camp life; and although I felt rather -solitary in the absence of my tent companion, I had every hope that -the illness which had attacked him would be speedily checked under -medical treatment. - -During the latter portion of the advance upon Khartum, internal -disorders of various kinds were extremely common. Some of the -medical staff ascribed these derangements to the use of tinned -meat; but after all, the evidence of experts in England seems to -show conclusively that the virulent poison called "ptomaine" is so -rare, that the chance of injury from tinned meats is practically -infinitesimal. Others maintained, with greater probability, that the -drinking water was at fault. The native servants, to save themselves -trouble or a slight wetting, invariably filled their buckets from -the water close to the bank. Anyone who is acquainted with Oriental -habits can realise the peril of drinking such water as this, fouled -as it was by hundreds of horses, mules, and camels, and taken from a -river which is treated as a vast sewer by all the inhabitants along -its banks. - -The water question was, indeed, a big one throughout the campaign. -Some filtered the muddy water as it was, but the process was a -very tedious one, for the Birkfeld filter became choked with mud -after about a pint of water had passed through it, and then all its -internal arrangements had to be cleaned. The native servants were so -stupid at any work of this sort, that one generally had to do one's -filtering for oneself; and the exercise was so vigorous that, by -the time one had filtered a pint, one was thirsty enough to drink -a quart. Another method was to precipitate the mud to some extent -by a few grains of alum; but there are hygienic reasons against the -employment of this astringent in drinking water. The safest plan is -to let the mud settle, and then boil the water. Yet, even if the -water is boiled, one is never secure from bacteria, for fresh germs -may enter it as it cools. Moreover, it is impossible to boil _all_ -the water required for camp purposes; and if a servant "washes up" -the plates and cups in unboiled water, or one plunges one's head into -it, there can be no absolute guarantee against the intrusion of an -evil bacillus into one's system. The only hope is that one's internal -zeriba, so to speak, is well guarded by a valiant line of those good -bacilli whose chief delight--so bacteriologists tell us--is to gather -round the malignant invader and do him to death. Water taken from the -middle of the stream was said to be perfectly wholesome, but even -here the mud held in solution acted as an irritant. There was another -little thing, too, which rather set one against any Nile water at -the Atbara camp, to wit, the fact that almost every day a corpse or -two of the Dervishes killed at the fight--when the Atbara was nearly -empty--were caught up by the flooded stream, and carried down visibly -into the Nile. Still, these bodies were almost mummified from the -heat; so perhaps there was not much danger, after all, to be feared -from their presence in our water supply. - -We again advanced with the utmost caution from Seg-et-taib. The -cavalry searched the scrub, and two gunboats steamed slowly up the -river in support. A party of the Lancers had climbed the hill of -Seg-et-taib, and from this point the Khalifa's forces were at length -seen by British eyes. A vast camp had been pitched about a mile and -a half from the river, in order, probably, to avoid the shells of -the gunboats. It stretched along the Wady Shamba, some three miles -in front of Omdurman. The alignment of the white tents was perfectly -visible with a good glass, and groups of Baggara horsemen were dotted -about the plain in front of the Dervish infantry. No incident worth -recording occurred during this day's advance along the plain, except, -perhaps, a rather gruesome find in one of several deserted villages -through which we passed. On the ground lay the corpse of one of -our native spies; the body was shockingly mutilated and partially -charred, so the poor wretch would seem to have been cruelly tortured -before death. Some six or seven miles ahead of us rose the bleak -ridge of Kerreri like a vast barrier across the line of our advance. -Here it was that the Khalifa had doubtless intended to await our -onslaught, but either his heart failed him at the last moment or the -rapidity of our advance upset his plans. Yet, in refusing to take his -stand on the hills of Kerreri, the Khalifa was acting in opposition -to the sentiment of his followers, who trusted in a prophecy of the -Mahdi, to the effect that one day Kerreri should be the scene of a -great victory over the infidel invaders. "It was called," writes Mr. -Bennett-Burleigh, "'the death-place of all infidels'; and thither at -least once a year repaired the Khalifa and his following, to look -over the coming battleground, and render thanks in anticipation for -the wholesale slaughter of the unbelievers, and the triumph of the -true Moslems." - -_À propos_ of Kerreri, it may be worth noticing how misleading were -the accounts of this prospective battlefield which had appeared in -some newspapers, and how incorrect the maps were. One account stated -that along the _wady_ to the north of Kerreri white quartz stones lay -so thickly on the ground that at night-time the place appears to be -covered with snow. This description was simply absurd. There were -red quartz pebbles, but one came across very few white ones. Again, -the maps led one to suppose that the whole of the aforesaid _wady_ -was densely overgrown with mimosa, whereas I did not see a bush of -any kind whatever as we crossed the gentle declivity leading up to -the ridge. - -We had now arrived at the last camp which we occupied before leaving -Kerreri. Sururab was the least pleasant of all our halting-places, -and we pitched our tents on a bare piece of stony ground utterly -devoid of vegetation. - -Suddenly, after lunch, as we sat under the shade and chatted, there -came borne to our ears the dull booming of artillery. The gunboats -which had accompanied us had advanced beyond Sururab, and were -hard at work shelling the Kerreri ridge, which was occupied by a -Dervish outpost. The sound of the guns was faint, and as the vessels -were some eight miles ahead of us, and the intervening ground was -uneven, we could not, alas, see the effect of their fire, though we -afterwards learnt all about it. - -The space which was allotted to the correspondents at Sururab was so -confined that one could scarcely walk five yards without stumbling -across a camel or tripping over a tent-rope, and the donkeys brayed -so loudly that sleep was difficult. It was intensely annoying to -hear one ass lead off with a full-voiced bray, which died away in -spasmodic gasps. Almost immediately a brother donkey would lift up -his voice and utter a similar succession of notes, and then groups of -donkeys would join in the music, and a species of antiphonal braying -between the _decani_ and _cantoris_ donkeys ranged on either side -of one's tent would continue till one became absolutely savage, and -wished, like Balaam, that one had a sword in one's hand. If an ass -is permitted to get well on with its braying, you cannot stop it; -when in full voice it takes not the slightest notice of a good-sized -stone. I sometimes heard one of my correspondent colleagues call his -servant in the darkness, and say, "Hassan, take that moke away--right -away into the desert--or I'll kill it." The servant would seize the -offender and lead it, still braying, several hundred yards away. But -just as he got back again, the banished animal, dismayed to find -itself alone, would send forth an anxious bray of diabolical energy, -which reached the long ears of its companions, and made matters worse -than before. - -At Sururab, as before, precautions were taken against night attack. -The order went round that lights were to be extinguished and tents -struck. Everyone lay down to rest as he was, in his clothes, and -officers slept with their swords and revolvers buckled on. Most of -us, I think, expected that the enemy, if they refrained from attack, -would at anyrate harass us by "sniping" into our camp during the -darkness. Nothing would have been easier, for, with the exception of -a few native spies, every soul in the army was within the zeriba, and -there was a quantity of scrub just along the river north of the camp -which would have afforded excellent cover for Dervish sharp-shooters. -Against "sniping," little, as a rule, can be done. No form of -retaliation is possible if the "snipers" are well concealed; one -simply has to sit still and take one's chance. Of course in our own -case, camped as we were in an absolutely flat plain, not commanded by -any rising ground, the risks from sniping were not considerable. In -the frontier wars of India, on the contrary, an appalling number of -casualties frequently result from the desultory fire of the hillmen -securely posted amongst the rocky heights above the camp. - -As it happened, our evening at Sururab was scarcely troubled at all -by Dervish bullets. A few rifle shots came from the scrub, and a -bullet whistled overhead as I was chatting with Villiers--the first -one of the campaign! I heard two revolver shots during the night, -but these were accidental, and came from inside the camp. One of the -bullets unfortunately penetrated the thigh of a Warwickshire private, -but he ultimately recovered. - -No one, I think, who experienced the subsequent wretchedness of the -night at Sururab is likely to forget it. There was a threatening look -about the clouds as the sun went down, but we struck our tents and -lay down to sleep hoping for the best. About ten o'clock, however, -we were awakened by heavy drops of rain splashing on our faces, and -then down came the torrent! I had, most fortunately, left my tent -loose upon the ground, so, after putting on my mackintosh, I dragged -a portion of the waterproof tent over me. The exclamations of many -of my colleagues around me showed that they were not so comfortably -bedded. Some had not brought waterproofs with them; others had -packed their tents over night. There is an undeniable satisfaction -during a heavy shower in feeling that one is on the right side of -a window pane, and witnessing the hurried passage along a street -of dripping pedestrians; and as I heard the rain beating down upon -the tent canvas drawn over my bed, I experienced the same sort of -selfish complacency. Clothed as I was in a kharki suit and boots, -and covered over with a blanket, a mackintosh, and the waterproof -canvas, I felt as if I was being boiled alive; but still I was safe -from any moisture _ab extra_. Nemesis, however, was close upon -me in my splendid isolation. I made a slight movement of my hand -under the rug, and instantly felt a sharp prick in the palm. At -the same moment, on the inside of the canvas within six inches of -my face, appeared a large scorpion. I had evidently disturbed the -beast, which stung me and then ran up the canvas. I felt perfectly -horrified for a moment. The idea that the scorpion might run over -my face was sickening. Fancy the effects of a scorpion's sting -in the eye! With a sudden sweep of my arm I dashed the whole tent -covering, scorpion and all, off the bed. Anything in the rain line -was better than scorpions as bed-fellows. All this time the pain in -my hand increased. I tied a piece of string tightly round the wrist -and sucked the wound hard, and then waited for the agony which I -fully expected. Fortunately, however, the pain in an hour's time or -so gradually wore off, and I think the scorpion must have stung me -through the blanket, and so failed to penetrate the hardened skin of -one's palm to an appreciable depth. We were now nearly all in the -same plight. Everybody in the camp, with few exceptions, was soaked -through that night. One general officer told me that, as he found -himself lying in a large pool of water which had collected under his -back, he got up and spent the night sitting in a camp-chair, without -getting a wink of sleep,--a cheerful experience, forsooth! It is -amazing that our men escaped fever after experiences such as these. -During the Emin Relief Expedition, it was noted that every wetting, -whether from wading a stream or a downpour of rain, invariably -resulted in fever to man and beast alike. - -Despite the soaking rain, I dropped off to sleep, but was awaked -about one o'clock by a commotion on my left. Mr. Villiers had also -been stung in the neck by a scorpion, and was in great pain. He told -me the sting felt like a red-hot knife plunged into his flesh, and -the whole of his left side became temporarily paralysed. His faithful -servant rubbed some ammonia into the wound, and after somebody had -given him nearly a bottle of raw whisky, he managed to get to sleep. - -Reveille sounded at 4 a.m., and we all rejoiced to see the dawn. -The rain still fell in sheets, but notwithstanding the inclement -weather, Mr. Scudamore was sitting and calmly shaving himself before -a looking-glass, with a piece of waterproof over his shoulders. -The dripping servants emerged from their nooks and crannies in the -lowest depths of depression, and the camels snorted with increased -petulance as they floundered through the mud to be loaded. The camel -hates wet almost as much as his masters. I have often been amused at -their cat-like unwillingness to put their feet into quite shallow -water. This is due, I believe, to the fact that the animal's feet, if -wetted, have a tendency to crack in the sun and become very painful. - -How servants contrive to light fires with slush all round and rain -pouring down in torrents I cannot imagine, but Ali brought me a cup -of hot cocoa and some biscuit--a delicious meal when one is draped in -soaking garments. - -Villiers awoke from the heavy sleep into which the raw spirit -had driven him, and he and I set out to march with the troops, -who were now streaming from the zeriba. He still suffered from a -semi-paralysis of the left side; but despite this and a general -weakness caused by the virus, he kept up on foot with the infantry -battalions. - -September 1st, drizzling rain and thick mud! The familiar -collocation, helped out by an occasional covey of sand-grouse in lieu -of partridges, brought one's thoughts back to the joys of English -stubble and turnip-field left four thousand miles behind us! As the -sun rose higher in the sky the rain gradually ceased, and as we dried -our spirits rose. The bushes along the line of our march were full -of many beautiful birds with vivid plumage, and a valuable collection -might probably have been put together if anyone had had a light -gun and time to use it. Every now and then, too, a hare would dart -up from its "form" and race across our front, pursued by two small -regimental doggies. These hares, like many other species of animal -in the Sudan, have assumed the colour of their sandy environment -most marvellously. It is almost impossible to see them sitting. They -have ears of extraordinary length, and are altogether odd-looking -creatures. They did not run as well as their British cousins, and -occasionally one was caught by a dog or clubbed by a Sudanese -soldier. I never tasted the flesh, but an officer told me he found it -very good eating. - -Long before we reached Kerreri we saw the figures of several Lancer -scouts silhouetted against the sky-line along the summit of the -ridge. Our cavalry had, as usual, pushed on ahead through the scrub -and climbed the hills. Some of them rode up the lesser slopes -towards the east and west, while others, leaving their chargers -below, clambered up the steep crags in the middle. As Lieutenant -Montmorency and another officer reached the top a Dervish suddenly -fired a "right and left" at them from a huge elephant gun; but -fortunately he missed with both barrels, and then bolted. With the -exception of this man, who seemed to be a sort of "caretaker" in the -empty camp, there was not a Dervish to be seen. The shell fire of -the gunboats had rendered the ridge untenable. In every direction -lay the _débris_ of a deserted camp. Some of the fires were still -smoking, and here and there were dotted the small wattled shelters -which the Sudanese Arabs rejoice to make. In one place a feeble sort -of entrenchment had been commenced, but speedily abandoned. - -By this time the dampness of the early morning had been succeeded -by blazing sunshine. The march was the longest and most tedious one -of the campaign, and scarcely a sound we heard except the muffled -tramp, tramp, of thousands of men traversing the sand. Suddenly, -as we were crossing a dried-up water-course in the Wady Suetne, a -little to the north of Kerreri, the roar of a heavy gun reached our -ears from the south--then another, and another! A general murmur of -satisfaction ran along the ranks. The tired men brightened up, and -stepped out with renewed vigour, while the Sudanese almost broke -into a run from excitement. Major Elmslie's Lyddite battery had got -into position, and was shelling the city from the other side of the -river. As I was a free agent, I ran as hard as I could up the rough -slopes, and reached the crest of the ridge. Little could be seen from -the lower slopes, but from the summit a splendid spectacle presented -itself. The terrible fifty-pounder shells had found the range, and -were playing havoc with the walls and public buildings of Omdurman. -Nothing can resist Lyddite. Thick walls were pierced like brown -paper, and the stones hurled high in the air amid clouds of dust -and flame. A shell had torn a vast hole through the lofty dome-like -structure which covered the Mahdi's sepulchre, the gilded top of -which had been carried clean away. The effect of the shells upon the -wretched people who chanced to be near to the Mahdi's tomb at the -time of the bombardment was truly awful, as I saw with my own eyes -two days afterwards. - -Below on the vast plain, which, broken only by the mass of Gebel -Surgham, stretched from Kerreri to the outskirts of Omdurman our -cavalry were manœuvring with the Baggara horse "very prettily," as -one of the generals remarked. Our regiment of Lancers, three hundred -and twenty all told, would ride pluckily towards the dense masses -of the enemy, and then withdraw as lines of riflemen advanced to -meet them, or large bodies of mounted Baggaras attempted to cut off -their retreat. The Khalifa's entire army, incensed by the bombardment -and by the galling fire which our dismounted troopers took every -opportunity of pouring into them, were now moving forward to attack -and annihilate the infidels. - -With Wauchope's Brigade in front, the infantry and artillery crossed -the ridge sloping down to the river. On the left was the village of -Kerreri, guarded by an ancient redoubt, and here we imagined would be -the site for the camp. But orders were given to continue the march, -so we trudged more than a mile farther, to the deserted hamlet of El -Genuaia. Without further ado, mimosa branches were cut and a zeriba -was formed on a small scale round the village. The heliograph from -the top of Gebel Surgham was flashing incessantly, and keeping the -Sirdar well informed of the whereabouts and progress of the enemy's -advance. The Lancers too came trotting in, having done their best -to delay the onset of the Dervishes. "We expect," said Colonel -Wingate to me, "to be attacked in half an hour." Meanwhile fatigue -parties dragged the bushes on the southern face of our zeriba much -farther away in the direction of Omdurman, and the result was a vast -zeriba extending along the Nile from El Genuaia to a small village -called--so I gathered from the maps--Geren Nebi. The length of the -rough semi-circle must have been over nine hundred yards. Nearer -Geren Nebi it enclosed a number of mud-huts, which were ultimately -used for hospital purposes; and between this part of the zeriba and -our original site, there was a gentle declivity terminating in a -small inlet of the Nile, with thick black mud along its margin. A -little beyond this inlet, towards the south, the plain shelved down -to the river, and within the hollow thus formed the majority of the -baggage animals and native servants were posted. The cover thus -afforded must have been excellent, for I do not think that a single -baggage animal was killed throughout the fight. On the extreme left -of our line lay a gap between the end of the zeriba and the river, -left purposely, I presume, in order to admit the cavalry. Not to go -into more detail than needful about the position of our troops--the -line began on the left side with the 32nd Field Battery R.A., and -an Egyptian battery of twelve-pounder Maxim-Nordenfeldts. Next in -order came the two British Brigades with two Maxim batteries, and the -remaining two-thirds of the zeriba was held by the various native -battalions. Towards the northern side of the zeriba an Egyptian -battery was posted on a little mound of sand. The British infantry -were protected solely by the zeriba, but in front of the native -battalions under Colonels Lewis, Maxwell, and Macdonald ran a shallow -trench. Colonel Collinson's brigade was posted as a reserve inside -the zeriba some distance to the rear of Macdonald's division. - -Ammunition boxes lay in rows behind each company, bayonets had been -fixed, and everyone looked eagerly over the plain for a glimpse of -the advancing Dervishes. For some reason or other, which has never -been adequately explained, the Dervishes did not advance to the -attack that afternoon. The Khalifa's army, after marching forward a -couple of miles, came to a sudden halt, and subsequently withdrew -to its camp for the night. None of the Emirs in the enemy's lines, -with the exception of the wily Osman Digna, had had any previous -experience of British methods of warfare. Still, some at least of -the Dervish leaders must have passed a night of anxiety, full of -gloomy anticipations of coming disaster. The brave Wad-Ed-Nejumi, -just before the battle of Toski, addressed the followers whom he had -led across the terrible Bayuda desert, and warned them in simple, -soldierly words that each one must be prepared on the morrow to meet -his Maker. Thoughts such as this were surely, one would think, enough -to keep the Khalifa and his generals awake that night with the awful -sense of responsibility! Not that the Moslem fighting man, whether -of high or low degree, has any fear of death itself. From what I -have seen of him in action, I should imagine that the contingency of -death never enters into his head as a factor of the fight which need -be regarded. Absolutely convinced as he is of a future existence in -which bravery and devotion will be rewarded, the Dervish faces the -muzzles of Maxim guns with a sword in his hand. It is civilisation -which sets Death upon his throne of terror. The greater the sum of -life's enjoyments the greater the dread of losing them, and as the -nervous organism of mankind becomes relaxed and softened by the -æsthetic and sentimental influences of social progress, physical pain -is accentuated in reality, and dreaded all the more in anticipation. -The ordinary belief in a future life amongst Christian peoples -is, for the most part, so nebulous and indefinite that it fails -altogether as a mainspring of action amid the risks of battle. Thus, -unless other sentimental or utilitarian considerations can step in to -fill the gap, _e.g._ patriotism, or the preservation of hearth and -home, the Christian is invariably at a disadvantage in contending -with his Moslem enemy. Look at the spectacle presented by the -Ottoman Empire, in which millions of Christians have been dominated -for centuries by a small but valiant minority of Osmanlis. - -When it was known that the Khalifa's army had postponed the attack, -a general feeling of disappointment pervaded the whole zeriba. The -men, both white and black, had been as keen as possible; we had all -been waiting for the enemy, and he hadn't come! We were robbed of -our show, and it was positively annoying to hear, instead of the -warlike commands which had prefaced the afternoon, the pacific order -for fatigue parties to leave the zeriba and cut wood for cooking -purposes! What awful bathos! From Khalifa to kitchen utensils, from -battle and murder to bully beef and biscuit! - -Few of the twenty-three thousand men who passed that night within -the zeriba are likely to forget it. We felt certain of a battle on -the morrow, for all doubts as to whether the Khalifa would stand and -fight, or flee away into the uttermost parts of the Sudan, were now -set at rest. The two armies actually lay encamped within five miles -of each other on an almost dead level! The whole of our force, from -the Sirdar downwards, was fully conscious of its strength and its -ability to resist the Dervish assault in the morning. But what if -the Khalifa resolved after all to attack our zeriba under the cover -of night? When one remembers the thinness of our extended line, -our miserably inadequate defences, the stealthiness and rapidity -of the Dervish infantry, the impossibility of accurate fire in the -darkness, the preponderating numbers of the enemy and their splendid -valour,--when one thinks of these and other things which may not be -discussed _coram populo_, one cannot be sufficiently thankful that -the Khalifa refrained from attacking us on that memorable night! Had -such an assault taken place, I feel _absolutely certain_ that of the -brave fellows who in the morning advanced unflinchingly against the -most terrific fire of the century's warfare, a vast number would have -broken through the zeriba in the darkness. The result would have -been terrible beyond words! The cut and thrust of the Dervish sword -and spear, with the cross fire of our own men, might have ended in a -fulfilment of the Mahdi's prophecy, instead of a decisive and almost -bloodless victory for the British arms! - -With the exception of sentries, who were doubled, the troops were -allowed to sleep, though their rest was broken by several alarms -during the night. Two friendly Arabs had been sent out beyond Geren -Nebi with orders, in the event of a Dervish onset, to raise the -peculiar trilling cry which one hears in a higher key from Sudanese -women. Suddenly the trilling sound was distinctly heard, the men -were instantly roused, and our spies came racing in at full speed, -and jumped clean over the zeriba! They pretended that the Khalifa's -army was close upon their heels, but no Dervishes appeared. In all -probability these worthless creatures had been alarmed by some -"sniping" shots from the river bank, or else thought it would be more -agreeable inside than outside the zeriba, and so resolved to get back -and spend a comfortable night. The alarm over, our men lay down once -more; and now a note of comedy was added to the anxiety, for in the -dark a camel, with its forelegs tied together, suddenly ran _amok_ -through the camp, leaping with clumsy bounds over the officers' -_angaribs_, and causing much confusion and laughter. - -During the earlier part of the evening an order had been passed -round that all lights were to be extinguished in five minutes; but, -as usual, a number of people were selfish enough to disobey orders, -and incur the risk of Dervish sniping, rather than get into bed by -starlight. As a matter of fact, a number of shots were fired into -the camp from the Surgham ridge, and some desultory sniping from the -bushes beyond Geren Nebi sent occasional bullets whistling over the -sleeping camp. - -Before I fell asleep, I was astonished to see Cross walking up from -the bank. He seemed much better, and said that he had been terribly -worried all day by the thought that, after all, he might not be -present at the battle. The floating hospital in which he lay was -moored at an island opposite the zeriba, and it seemed doubtful at -one time whether the barge would be moved over to our side. "If it -hadn't," said Cross, "I had made up my mind to swim across the river -to you." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN - - -On 2nd September we rose from our broken slumbers in the dull grey -light of daybreak, and by the time the first sunlight had flushed the -surface of the Nile everybody was hard at work over his breakfast. -When one knows that within an hour or two the normal routine of -regular meals may be rudely interrupted by the exigencies of a whole -day's fighting, it behoves one to eat at least as substantial a -breakfast, if it can be got, as one does in London before catching a -morning express to Edinburgh. Certainly it is impossible to imagine a -more agreeable prelude to a battle than that which we experienced in -our zeriba. There was plenty of time for a really comfortable meal, -without being interrupted by an unpleasantly early visit from the -Dervishes. - -As Cross and I strolled up towards that part of the line held by -the British, I stopped for a few minutes at the huts which had been -converted into temporary shelters for the wounded. Everything was in -its place, and the _angaribs_ and stretchers ready for prospective -employment. Having just emerged from the floating hospital, Cross was -naturally very weak, and one of the medical staff, having noticed -this, gave him a dose of _sal volatile_. Every British soldier -carried on him a little packet of medical requisites for "first aid -to the wounded." The packet was a marvel of condensed utility--lint, -bandages, medicated silk, and other things, all compressed into a -tiny parcel about three inches square. - -By the time I reached the British portion of the zeriba the men were -all in their places, with reserve companies in position a little to -the rear. Every officer had seen to the working of his revolver, -and all the Tommies had opened the breech of their Lee-Metfords and -tested the magazine action--a very necessary precaution amongst the -sand and dust of Egypt. The two batteries on the extreme left were -drawn up, with the grim muzzles of the fifteen-pounders and the -Maxim-Nordenfeldts pointing towards Gebel Surgham. Case upon case of -shells lay ready to hand, and a number of these missiles were spread -out on the sand close beside the gun-carriages. - -Long before the advancing Dervishes came within range and sight of -our infantry, the Egyptian cavalry, some two thousand strong, had -left the northern side of the zeriba, and with the Camel Corps had -come in touch with a large body of the enemy under the Sheikh Ed-Din. -The Dervishes, certainly not less than fifteen thousand in number, -immediately advanced against the Khedival cavalry, expecting, no -doubt, an easy victory over the Egyptians: how often in the past -had the fellahin horsemen fled in utter rout before them! But now -the despised Egyptians retreated in excellent order, dismounting -and firing volleys as steadily as on the parade ground at Cairo. -The Camel Corps were blundering slowly along, scarcely able to keep -ahead of the native spearmen, and were threatened every moment with -annihilation. In fact, throughout the day's fighting, no troops were -exposed to more serious risk than the cumbrous Camel Corps. The -cavalry acted splendidly, halting repeatedly under a hot fire until -the camel men came up. Captain Ricardo of the 17th Lancers, who was -attached to the Egyptian cavalry, told me that he never wished to -command better troops than the "Gyppies" showed themselves to be -under these trying circumstances. Nevertheless, many saddles were -emptied by Dervish bullets, two field-guns had to be temporarily -abandoned, and it would have fared very ill with this gallant corps -if they had been compelled to rely solely on their own efforts. As -it was, the Egyptian battery posted on a knoll at the north-west -corner of the zeriba had got the range of the Kerreri ridge -accurately, and as the triumphant Dervishes appeared amongst the -rocks in full pursuit of the retreating cavalry, round after round -of twelve-pounder shells burst amongst them. At the same moment -the Melik and Sultan had trained their quick-firing guns upon the -Dervishes, and did splendid execution amongst the crowded ranks. -Under this combined fire the enemy wavered, but not for long. They -tried to dodge the projectiles and advance more cautiously under -cover of various rocky gullies amongst the broken ground. It was like -a terrible game of hide-and-seek. The white gibbehs, hidden for some -minutes behind the hill, suddenly reappeared by fresh exits from the -ridge; but shells met them at every turn, and finally the fanatics, -balked of their prey, sullenly withdrew beyond the hills altogether -with most of their wounded, leaving some twelve hundred of their -number dead or dying on the field. - -Inside the zeriba we were all alert and ready. Breakfast was over, -and we simply waited for the enemy. I looked down into the hollow -beside the river where the baggage camels, camp followers, and -servants were stowed away in safety, and saw Ali grasping his -enormous sword. The faithful creature came up and informed me that -he intended to devote his attention exclusively to the defence of -my person during the coming fight. I gently restrained the vaulting -ambition of my cook, and pointed out to him the value of less -ostentatious heroism--the protection, for example, of the camels -from bullets, and the groceries from theft. Having shaken off this -enthusiast, I walked along the zeriba to a point some way below the -Lincolns. A large number of the Tommies had never been under fire -before, _e.g._ the Guards and the Lancashire Fusiliers, and there -was a curious look of suppressed excitement in some of the faces, as -they stared over the desert to catch a glimpse of the enemy they were -at last destined to behold, after many long marches by day and false -alarms by night. Now and then I caught in a man's eye the curious -gleam which comes from the joy of shedding blood--that mysterious -impulse which, despite all the veneer of civilisation, still holds -its own in a man's nature, whether he is killing rats with a terrier, -rejoicing in a prize fight, playing a salmon, or potting Dervishes. -It was a fine day, and we had come out to kill something. Call it -what you like, the experience is a big factor in the joy of living: -one speaks φωνᾶντα συνετοῖσι. Lower down the line the Sudanese showed -their white teeth as they grinned with delight at the prospect of -slaughter. - -Suddenly the Lancers came trotting over the ridge between Gebel -Surgham and the Nile, while several officers galloped across the -plain and reported to the Sirdar that the Khalifa's forces were now -rapidly advancing. The signallers from Gebel Surgham had come in by -this time, and the cavalry, after a temporary halt beyond Geren Nebi, -entered the zeriba by the gap beyond the batteries, and there waited -ready for future emergencies. - -"When they do show themselves," said an artillery officer, "we'll -give them beans," and "beans" they certainly got! Even as he spoke, -a long white streak far away in the distance suddenly spread itself -over the yellow sand; the longed-for moment had arrived! "Here they -come!" was on everybody's lips, and a rustle of excitement ran down -the ranks. - -True enough, on either side of Gebel Surgham, and then on towards the -western slopes of Kerreri, line upon line of Dervish infantry and -cavalry appeared. Gigantic banners fluttered aloft, borne on lofty -flagstaffs. The rising sun glinted on sword blades and spearheads -innumerable, and as the mighty host drew nearer, black heads and -arms became visible amongst the white of the massed _gibbehs_. And -now, too, a dense volume of sound came rolling over the desert as -the fanatical Arabs raised continuous shouts of defiance, mingled -with chants to Allah and the Prophet--their final battle-cry before -the inevitable death awaiting them--the veritable requiem song of -Mahdism! In the clear morning air the pageant was truly magnificent, -a splendid panorama of some forty thousand barbarians moving forward -all undismayed to do battle with the largest army which Great -Britain has placed in the field for forty years. So marvellous -a picture--once seen, never to be seen again--must surely have -impressed itself indelibly upon the memory of all who witnessed it! - -Our men stood unmoved within the zeriba. Suddenly a cloud of white -smoke massed itself along the enemy's front, and one realised that -the Dervishes had opened fire on us. The Khalifa's forces possessed -eighteen thousand Martinis and a still larger number of Remingtons, -captured from the ill-fated army of Hicks Pasha and the various -garrisons of the Sudan. But as none of the Dervishes understood the -sighting of their rifles, and many of them had actually knocked off -the back-sights as a useless encumbrance, their opening volleys at -over two thousand yards, being fired point blank, were useless. They -simply wasted ammunition; for most of the bullets of course struck -the sand hundreds of yards in front of us, and comparatively few got -as far as the zeriba. No response came from our silent ranks for -another five minutes. Then at 6.20 a roar came from the batteries on -the left, and a shell shrieked through the air and burst about twenty -yards in front of the formidable line advancing against the southern -face of the zeriba. Almost simultaneously the other batteries opened -fire on the dense masses of the enemy advancing round the western -slopes of Surgham, and still farther away towards the ridge of -Kerreri. - -The battle had now commenced in dire earnest. As the enemy rapidly -advanced, bullets of all sizes and shapes soon began to whistle over -the zeriba from the Martinis, Remingtons, and nondescript weapons of -the enemy. A battery, too, which they had placed on the western slope -of Surgham, fired at the portion of our line held by the Camerons -and Seaforths. More than forty rounds were fired from these Dervish -field guns, but the shells did little, if any, damage, as, although -the fuses were beautifully timed and the projectiles burst at an -excellent height above the ground, the range was too long, and they -all fell short. Moreover, after the fight some fragments of these -shells were picked up and found to be made of very thin brass casing; -so that the damage they could have inflicted, even had they reached -our lines, must have been inconsiderable. As it was, they burst like -maroons at the Crystal Palace, with a loud report and little else. - -Our own artillery had very soon found the range accurately. The -British fifteen-pounders and the short Maxim-Nordenfeldts of the -Egyptian gunners were admirably worked, and the precision of the -shell fire was marvellous. Scores of shrapnel burst just over the -advancing line, and other shells struck the ground under their feet, -tearing huge gaps in the ranks and throwing up clouds of earth and -stones. The division of the enemy nearest to the zeriba was advancing -over the ridge between Surgham and the river, and with a good field -glass I could see the fearful havoc played by the fire of our guns. -Beneath the descending shower of bullets from a well-placed shrapnel, -a little crowd of men would fall torn and bleeding upon the sand, -and sometimes a shell splinter would crash into a horse and hurl the -animal with its rider to the ground. Despite this awful fire, the -brave Dervishes came steadily on down the slope, though the line of -their march was thickly strewn with dead and wounded. At length, to -complete their discomfiture, the enemy in this part of the field -came within long range of the rifles of the Guards, the Warwicks, -and other battalions lining the more southern face of the zeriba. As -withering volleys were poured into them, in addition to the incessant -shell fire, the remnants of this brave division seemed to realise the -hopelessness of a direct advance, and swerved to their left without -any disorder to join their comrades who had advanced round Surgham -from the west. - -The main attack upon our position had now fully developed, and it -was at this juncture that the Egyptian cavalry and the Camel Corps -regained the shelter of their comrades' trenches after their lucky -escape from Sheikh Ed-Din's spearmen. Thousands upon thousands of -Dervish infantry and cavalry advanced all along the line in a rough -semicircle, with frenzied shouts and a continuous but irregular fire -upon the western face of the zeriba. Towards the left centre the -Khalifa's black ensign stood out above the white _gibbehs_ and red -sashes of his bodyguard--that heroic and devoted band who rallied to -the last round their leader's flag, and died to a man in its defence! - -The din of battle was terrific. The roar of the artillery, the shriek -of shells, the crisp volleys of the Lee-Metfords, and the unceasing -rat-tat-tat of the deadly Maxims were so deafening that it was only -occasionally in brief intervals that one realised that bullets by -hundreds were flying around us. - -Other proofs, however, of this were soon in evidence. In every -direction the medical service men were to be seen carrying the dead -and wounded on stretchers to the rear. As I walked across the zeriba -with the Rifle Brigade, who were ordered to reinforce the line -facing west, three men were hit by Dervish bullets, and immediately -afterwards I saw a corporal of the Camerons shot clean through -the head. As I said above, comparatively few bullets were heard, -but every now and then a man fell to the ground. Colonel Money's -horse was shot under him; he secured another mount, and in a few -minutes his second horse rolled over, pierced by another Dervish -bullet. Shortly afterwards, as I was watching the Maxim fire, a -Highlander suddenly fell over two yards to my left. He was, I think, -shot through the upper part of the arm; but what amused me was the -self-conscious, shamefaced look which came over his face when the -stretcher arrived. He looked sheepishly round to see if anybody -noticed it, and was evidently quite ashamed of being carried off! - -It was interesting to hear various occasional remarks which were -made as flying bullets whistled overhead or made a splash in the -loose sand of the zeriba. After a little experience in being under -fire the ear gets to appreciate the relative distances of these -invisible messengers, but the tendency at first is to imagine that -the passing bullet is much nearer to one than it really is. I -remember hearing a young soldier remark as a bullet whizzed over -us, "By Jove, that nearly got me on the head!" whereas the missile -was yards up in the air. It is, indeed, always satisfactory under -such circumstances to note the whizz of bullets through the air; -for, of course, if you hear the missile, it can't do you any harm. -Some of the Dervish bullets played the oddest tricks. My friend, -Captain Maclachlan of the Camerons, suddenly felt his side drenched -with water, and, looking down, found that his water-bottle had been -pierced from side to side. I found that this little anecdote had -already reached England when I arrived, and had, moreover, been duly -improved upon; for an old lady in the train spoke in sympathetic -tones of the providential escape of the poor invalid officer who had -been saved from a bullet as he lay in bed by the _hot water bottle_ -applied to his side! Another bullet passed through an ammunition -pouch, cutting eight cartridges in half just between the lead and the -cordite without exploding a single one. In another case, a Dervish -bullet bored a hole through the helmet of the man in front, tore the -shoulder-strap from the man behind, then wounded a sergeant in the -leg, and finally dropped harmlessly on the toes of a private in the -rear. - -Between the two Highland battalions was posted a battery of Maxims -under Captain Smeaton, whom I had seen in Crete a year and a half -ago. Just behind the Maxims a detachment of Engineers did excellent -work in organising the ammunition supply. One is always glad to -hear the conduct of this fine corps appreciated, for frequently the -sappers, from the nature of their work, are not sufficiently noticed -in the literature of our "little wars." They did much excellent work -at the Atbara, with scarcely a word of subsequent recognition from -the Press; and here in the Omdurman zeriba they were posted in the -middle of the fighting line, and took their chance as well as anyone -else. - -The Maxims poured forth an unceasing stream of bullets. A belt of -cartridges was fixed, and instantly began to glide through the breech -mechanism; then ta-ta-ta-ta-ta--the belt was empty and thrown aside -to make way for another. It was not difficult to see how the gun was -doing its terrible work, for if the aim became unduly depressed, a -screen of dust and sand was thrown up in front of the enemy's line, -and the only thing needed was a trifling elevation of the barrel. - -There is a sort of fascination about a Maxim in full swing. Water is -placed round the barrel in a metal casing, in order to keep the steel -from becoming red hot. As it is, in three minutes after the water is -poured in it boils furiously, and steam rushes out of the valves. -Still, as long as the barrel is in contact with water of any kind, -all goes well. In the midst of the Dervish attack the water suddenly -gave out in Captain Smeaton's battery, and the machinery would -speedily have ceased work from overheating but for the ready help of -the men who stood by, and immediately emptied their water-bottles -into the empty tubing. The Maxims, thus refreshed, continued their -work, and up to 8.30 a.m. no less than ninety thousand rounds of -ammunition had been fired from these weapons alone. - -About seven o'clock a marvellous attempt to break our lines was made -by the enemy. The Dervish leader in the centre--perhaps Yakub, the -Khalifa's brother--actually dispatched a body of about one hundred -and fifty cavalry against the British position. That any sane man -could be guilty of such criminal folly is almost incredible. The -devoted band galloped towards the zeriba over the open desert in -the very teeth of Maxims and Lee-Metford volleys! Needless to say, -not one of these brave fellows got within five hundred yards of our -lines. The Maxims and rifles rained bullets upon them, the murderous -sheet of lead mowed them down, and they simply vanished from sight. -One heroic leader struggled on in front of his comrades, until he -too, with his beautiful Arab charger, went down like the rest, -and lay there, a silent witness to the magnificent valour of the -Khalifa's followers. Not one man in twenty returned from this wild -charge, which, for the utter recklessness of its bravery, must be -almost unexampled in military history. - -The interchange of shots continued until about 8.30, by which time -the Dervish forces had been practically annihilated, with the -exception of two or three large masses, which had retreated in -excellent order behind the hills on the south-west and north-west. -In fact, during the last half-hour of this portion of the engagement, -the actual rifle fire of the Dervishes had been confined almost -exclusively to a small body of sharpshooters, who had ensconced -themselves in a sandy hollow some nine hundred yards away on our left -centre. These riflemen, being sheltered from the hail of bullets -which whizzed over their heads, continued to make very fair practice -on our ranks for some time. At last a shell from Major Williams' -battery pitched right into the middle of their retreat. What exactly -happened I do not know, but, at anyrate, we were troubled by no more -bullets from _that_ quarter. Throughout the fighting up to this point -I never saw a Dervish _run_; whenever he retreated he simply walked -off the field. I noticed many of the wounded struggle to their feet, -attempt to walk away, and then fall to rise no more as merciless -volleys again struck them to the ground. - -As the Sirdar appeared to think that all danger from Dervish attack -was now past and over, the entire army received orders to leave -the zeriba and march in _échelon_ straight on Omdurman. Meanwhile, -however, the Lancers had advanced over the ridge towards the river, -with orders to harass the enemy and head them off from Omdurman as -far as possible. The troopers trotted off in excellent spirits, glad -to get a chance of some fighting after their forced inaction under -cover during the assault upon the zeriba. - -And now occurred the most graphic and sensational bit of fighting in -the whole battle. A continuous stream of Dervishes was traversing the -plain between Gebel Surgham and the suburbs of Omdurman. But before -the Lancers had advanced far upon the flank of these fugitives they -noticed what appeared to be a body of some two hundred spearmen, who -were partly under cover of a low ridge of sand. These Dervishes soon -showed that they had rifles as well as spears, for a hot fire was -opened upon the cavalry. A charge was at once ordered, and the line -of Lancers galloped down upon the enemy. Before they had reached -the hollow, however, they saw beyond the riflemen a considerable -body of Dervishes, whose presence, thanks to a further inequality -in the ground, had not been revealed till that moment. I have heard -it said that, previous to falling foul of these partly concealed -Dervishes, the Lancers had advanced without any scouts being thrown -forward who might have easily discovered how the land lay. Again, -even when the white mass of men, some fifteen deep, suddenly rose -up before the eyes of the cavalry, there would have been absolutely -no shadow of discredit in retiring; for cavalry are not ordinarily -required to charge unbroken infantry, nor was this course rendered -necessary by the Sirdar's orders. There can be little doubt that if -our men, immediately on sighting the large compact body in the rear -of the riflemen, had withdrawn, dismounted, and poured volleys from -their carbines into the massed ranks of the enemy, they would have -inflicted far greater damage upon the Dervishes, with scarcely any -appreciable loss to themselves. This course was not taken. So far -from halting and retreating, our gallant Lancers quickened their -chargers' pace, and hurled themselves boldly against the double -rampart of fighting men. Colonel Martin led the way, riding well -ahead of his regiment, and, without attempting to use his weapons, -forced a passage through the dense masses in front of him. He did -not, I believe, receive a scratch during this perilous exploit, -though it was almost a miracle that he escaped with his life. A -friend of mine who took part in this famous charge told me that as -the cavalry galloped forward they were met by a perfect hail of -bullets from the riflemen in front, which ought to have emptied -many a saddle, but for the most part flew harmlessly overhead. As -is usually the case in desperate fighting, none of the men who came -safely through the charge appeared to know much about its details. -My informant told me that he noticed an officer--probably Lieutenant -Grenfell--standing a little on one side and fighting with a ring -of Dervishes, three of whom suddenly turned upon himself. As they -advanced he realised that he had better make some use of his weapons, -so whipped out his revolver and shot the foremost Dervish. After this -his horse struggled onward past the rest of the assailants. Until he -had shot this man, he had quite forgotten to draw either sword or -revolver! - -The outer line of the enemy was soon broken up by the impact of -the cavalry, and the riflemen tumbled head over heels amongst the -horses' feet. But much greater resistance came from the two thousand -Dervishes at the back. The confusion was terrible. Lances are not -of much use in a crowd, and if our troopers had used their sabres -they would have suffered less from the heavy sword blades which were -hacking their bodies and hamstringing their horses. If any man was -unhorsed he was as good as dead. The furious Arabs leapt upon him -and slashed at his face till his features disappeared and his flesh -hung in strips. Lieutenant Clerk's charger stumbled and fell forward -as it breasted the edge of the _nullah_, but most fortunately its -master kept his seat, and managed to get through the _mêlée_ unhurt. -This officer was on September 2nd far too ill and weak for any sort -of military duty, but he pluckily kept to his regiment till the day's -arduous work was over, and was then obliged to go into hospital worse -than before. The fighting through the brief period of this charge--a -few minutes all told from beginning to end--was wild and fierce. The -Lancers never flinched in the face of an enemy six times as numerous -as themselves, and, doing what they could with the clumsy lances, -forced a path for their squadrons through the crowd in front. On -the other hand, the Dervishes rejoiced, no doubt, to get to close -quarters with the hated infidels after all the futile attempts and -cruel losses of the morning. Their eyes gleamed with fury as they -crowded round the hated Englishmen, and showered spear thrusts and -sword cuts upon man and beast alike. The cross-handled Dervish sword -is terribly heavy, and the long straight blades of several which I -picked up had been freshly ground for subsequent employment upon the -person of Tommy Atkins. The large Dervish spear, too, when properly -handled, is a most formidable weapon, and if a thrust is driven well -home into the body, the wound from the broad iron head is so wide and -deep that a man has little chance of recovery. - -My readers have all read in the newspapers of some of the many acts -of heroism and narrow escapes which were crowded into the space of -a few minutes. They have heard how gallantly men like Lieutenant -Montmorency and Private Peddar, who had fought their way unhurt -through the Dervishes' line, turned back to save their wounded and -dismounted comrades--how Major Wyndham, when his horse fell dead -beneath him, managed with the help of his friends to push his way -through the press and escape the death which overtook almost every -other Lancer who was unhorsed. - -The enemy's line was completely broken up by the cavalry, and about -seventy of the Dervishes were killed or wounded. But when the Lancers -formed up some three hundred yards on the other side of the hollow, -it was evident from even a cursory glance that the gallant charge -had cost them dear. Lieutenant Grenfell with twenty troopers were -missing, and of the fifty wounded men many were streaming with blood -and scarcely able to keep their saddles. No less than one hundred -and nineteen horses out of three hundred and twenty were killed or -hopelessly wounded, and in some cases the faithful creatures, who -had carried their masters safely through the fight, just managed to -rejoin the ranks and then fell dead. - -After the charge Colonel Martin ordered his men to dismount and fire -volleys at the enemy, who still held their ground. The magazine fire -of the carbines speedily dispersed the Dervishes, and the victorious -Lancers returned to the scene of their charge and recovered the -dead. All the bodies had been horribly mutilated; the faces were -quite unrecognisable, and the flesh of the neck and shoulders was -scored and lacerated in every direction with sword cuts and spear -thrusts. - -Indignation against the Dervishes for such mutilations may easily be -exaggerated. Sickening as it is to gaze upon a comrade's features -hacked out of all human semblance, one cannot forget that the men -who did the deed had seen thousands of their brethren slain by -our awful fire without a possibility of retaliation. It is worth -remembering, too, that the mutilation of the human body is not -the exclusive monopoly of barbaric peoples; anyone who has seen -the effects of shell fire--bodies ripped open, jaws torn off, -and kindred horrors--may find it difficult to differentiate very -markedly between the accursed usages inseparable from every system of -warfare--civilised and barbarous alike. - -While the Lancers had met and engaged the enemy beyond Gebel -Surgham, the whole of the infantry, artillery, and baggage-train -had left the zeriba and advanced in _échelon_ upon Omdurman. The -British battalions led the way on the left; on the right marched the -Egyptians and Sudanese--Maxwell's brigade in front, Lewis's next, -and Macdonald's bringing up the rear. I joined Lewis's men, and as -the line of our advance led us over the ground covered by a portion -of the attack, we speedily found ourselves amongst dead and dying -Dervishes. The first of these I came across was the brave leader -who had led the charge of the Baggara cavalry. He and his horse -were quite dead--both of them riddled with bullets. His spear lay -beside him, and was seized by a Sudanese soldier as a present for -his _bimbashi_. As we marched towards Gebel Surgham, and further out -upon the plain, the efficacy of our shell and rifle fire became more -apparent every yard we advanced. In every direction rows and clusters -of white _gibbehs_ and black bodies lay scattered over the sand. - -Here and there, too, horses were stretched motionless, or else tossed -restlessly to and fro, unable to rise. I cannot account for the fact, -but the sight of a wounded horse is much more painful to myself, -and, I know, to many other men, than the sight of a wounded man. As -one walks over a battlefield one gazes with indifference or vague -curiosity on mangled heaps of human bodies, but where one sees a -horse cruelly torn by a shell splinter, raising and drooping its head -upon the sand, with terror and anguish in its beautiful eyes--such a -sight as this must fill the heart of any lover of animals with pain -and pity. - -Our native battalions were soon busily engaged in killing the -wounded. The Sudanese undertook this task with evident relish, and -never spared a single Dervish along their path. On our left front, -at the foot of the Surgham slope, where the opening shell fire of -the batteries on the left had covered the hillside with dead and -wounded, a large number of servants and camp followers were also -busy. These harpies, intent solely on loot, had armed themselves with -various weapons. Some carried clubs or spears, others had managed -to secure old rifles. They advanced with great caution, and I saw -them fire repeatedly into bodies which were already quite dead, -before they dared to rush in and strip the corpse of its arms and -clothing. These cowardly wretches ought most certainly to have been -prevented from carrying on this irresponsible shooting. They fired -anyhow, without looking to see who was in front, and their bullets -continually ricochetted against the rocks. One of these bullets -passed quite close to the front of our brigade as we advanced, and I -heard that an officer was wounded by another. - -The barbarous usage of killing the wounded has become traditional -in Sudanese warfare, and in some cases it must be looked upon as -a painful necessity. The wounded Dervishes--as I saw with my own -eyes, and on one occasion nearly felt with my own body--sometimes -raised themselves and fired one last round at our advancing line. On -one occasion a wounded Baggara suddenly rose up from a little heap -of bodies and stabbed no less than seven Egyptian cavalry troopers -before he was finally dispatched. Still, when all has been said in -defence of this practice, it is certain that in many cases wounded -Dervishes, unarmed and helpless, were butchered from sheer wantonness -and lust of bloodshed. The whole formed a hideous picture, not easy -to forget. - -Some of the wounded turned wearily over, and paid no attention to -our advance. For many of them, indeed, the bitterness of death was -already past. They lay in the scorching heat, with shattered bodies -and shattered hopes, awaiting the final thrust of the merciless -bayonet. Many of them were doubtless good as well as brave men. They -had trusted in Allah that he would deliver them, but their prayer had -been in vain. There are few experiences in this world more cruel than -the sudden extinction of religious hope, and the dying thoughts of -some of these Dervishes must have been exceeding bitter. - -As I tramped along with Lewis's brigade towards Omdurman, we were -suddenly aware that something had gone wrong on the right flank and -rear of the column. The "ispt," "ispt" of bullets was heard in every -direction, and men began to fall. Turning round, I soon saw what had -happened. The enemy had actually renewed the fight, and an orderly -attack was being made on Macdonald's brigade by the large Dervish -force under Sheikh Ed-Din, which had retreated under the fire of -the gunboats at the beginning of the engagement, and held itself -in readiness behind the Kerreri ridge for this flank attack. At the -same time several other bodies of Dervishes appeared to the west of -Surgham, and also from behind the low hills straight in front. - -The brunt of this fresh attack fell upon the rear brigade. Colonel -Macdonald did not lose a moment. His blacks were at once formed into -two lines, meeting at an obtuse angle, and a steady fire was opened -on the enemy, who advanced with marvellous rapidity. Towards the left -centre, the black standard of the Khalifa rose again to view, and -behind this, and on either flank, line after line of infantry swept -once more over the undulating desert. - -This was the only portion of the fight in which any part of our -position was seriously threatened, and during this second battle--for -it practically amounted to this--the Sudanese and Egyptian infantry -had most of the fighting to themselves. Right well they fought--one -native brigade against some twenty-five thousand Dervishes. Any -wavering or panic on the part of these battalions would have been -fatal, for during the really critical period of the fight they were -quite isolated. Lewis's brigade--their nearest support--was at -least nine hundred yards away, and most of the British columns were -actually out of sight, advancing along the river a mile and a half -in front. The men of the brigade, which comprised the 9th, 10th, and -11th Sudanese and the 2nd Egyptians, were armed with Martinis; and -the smoke of the black powder they used interfered to some extent -with the accuracy of their fire, which always tends, in the case of -native troops, to become rather wild as the excitement of battle -grows upon them. Thus it happened that the enemy managed to get to -much closer quarters with us than previously. Their foremost ranks -sometimes seemed to advance within one hundred and fifty yards of the -Sudanese, and when a perfect flood of Sheikh Ed-Din's infantry was -let loose from the Kerreri slopes upon Macdonald's rear, some of the -Dervishes, despite the withering rifle fire, actually ran up and used -their spears against our men, until they were bayoneted or shot down -at the very muzzles of the rifles. Another brilliant attempt was made -by the Khalifa's cavalry to break the Sudanese lines, and some of the -horsemen got within a few yards of the line before they were shot -down in detail. One determined standard-bearer, with nothing in his -hands except his flagstaff, struggled on heroically to within a dozen -yards of the blacks before he fell, riddled with bullets. - -Efforts had, of course, been made all along the line to lend -assistance to Macdonald in his one-handed struggle. The gunboats had -joined with his own three batteries in shelling the dense masses -under Sheikh Ed-Din, while on the left other batteries had galloped -up, and now from the northern slopes of Surgham poured round after -round of shell upon the indomitable enemy. Three battalions, too, of -the 1st British Brigade had come up at the double, and the Lincolns -had been dispatched to aid in the final dispersion of Ed-Din's -Dervishes amongst the rugged slopes of Kerreri. - -Still, valuable as this help was in completing the rout of the -Dervishes, and driving them off finally beyond the hills to the -west, there is no doubt that the repulse of the enemy was already a -_fait accompli_ long before the British battalions had wheeled to -the right and traversed the long distance--at least one and a half -miles--between their position near the river and the rear of our -advance on the right. Colonel Macdonald had proved once more his -sterling qualities as a leader. The Sudanese had shown that they -could stand absolutely steady under a prolonged fire as well as rush -impetuously to an attack. The "Gyppies," who in the old days of El -Teb and Hicks Pasha's disaster threw away their rifles and were -butchered as they fled or knelt to beg for mercy--these very Fellahin -soldiers, now disciplined and taught the value of self-respect by -British officers, fired regular volleys and stood firm as a rock -against the stream of Dervishes which threatened every moment to -engulf them. - -I noticed, by the way, one very smart bit of fighting during the -movement in support of Macdonald. The brigade under Colonel Maxwell -advanced almost directly upon Gebel Surgham, and a number of Sudanese -were ordered to clear the hill of Dervishes. Up went the blacks like -monkeys. The whole eastern slope of Surgham was dotted with little -white puffs of smoke as the lithe creatures leapt from boulder to -boulder and drove the enemy before them. At the top of the hill the -surviving Dervishes, under the Emir Osman Azrak, made a desperate -stand, but were killed to a man. - -It was not till nearly midday that "Cease fire" again sounded, and -the victorious march to Omdurman was resumed. Scattered bands of -Dervishes were to be seen in the distance, making westward to the -shelter of the hills. Upon the rear of these fugitives the Egyptian -cavalry was let loose; and as they galloped away to the right, and -cut up the stragglers, they felt, no doubt, that they were getting -some sort of compensation for their bad luck in the early morning. -Captain Smeaton lent me his field glasses, which were more powerful -than my own, and far away in front, on a ridge of rock, safe from -cavalry and rifle bullets, I saw a little band of Dervishes--some -sixty in all--painfully making their way to the west. With the -fine binoculars in my hand I could even see the faces of the poor -wretches, the majority of whom seemed to be wounded. Some limped -along unaided over the rough hillside, others were supported by -their comrades. How many hundreds, nay, thousands, of these wounded -Dervishes ultimately succumbed to the fearful injuries inflicted -by the "man-stopping" bullet, no one, I suppose, will ever know -accurately; but one may be tolerably sure that behind the hills many -a poor creature lay down to die. - -In handing Captain Smeaton's glasses back, I noticed that one of -the mules harnessed to the Maxims had just been struck by a bullet, -which passed clean through the animal's neck. The wounded mule, by -name Tommy, was evidently quite a pet amongst the gunners, and though -it looked rather anxious and depressed, it dragged the Maxim with -unabated vigour. - -In places, as we marched along, the ground was strewn thickly with -bodies, as the fire had struck the enemy down in little heaps. In -one spot I saw a ring of nine men and three horses, all evidently -slain by the explosion of a single shell. One Dervish, as I passed, -raised his face to mine with a ghastly smile, as if deprecating our -vengeance, and throwing his _gibbeh_ on one side, displayed an awful -wound. A shell splinter had struck the miserable man full in front, -and literally ripped his body open from side to side. Another man -lay face downward upon the sand, breathing bubbles through a pool of -gore, and actually drowning in his own blood! As a rule, however, the -features of the dead were not distorted. They lay as if asleep, with -a peaceful look upon their faces, and many of them were handsome men -of magnificent build. - -The sun by this time was terribly hot, and, after the excitement of -the fight, the fatigue of the day's work, and the absence of sleep -on the previous night began to tell upon the men. Several halts were -made, and at last a string of camels laden with _fantasias_ (metal -water tanks) made their appearance. The men crowded round, and filled -their bottles to the brim. The water was quite warm, but the troops -drank it with avidity. I filled my bottle, and then, plunging the -whole thing into a bucket, waited till evaporation should cool the -contents. Meanwhile I crawled under a Maxim carriage. The scanty -shade was perfectly delicious, and I should have gone to sleep but -for the mules, which became restless, and kicked out occasionally -with their hoofs in unpleasant proximity to my head. - -After half an hour's halt the onward march was resumed, and we saw -the troops in front about two hundred yards away actually marching -through a mirage of water, rocks, and bushes! Cross tried to -photograph the curious scene, but the result did not prove a success. -Why does one never get a decent photograph of a mirage in the desert? -Men still fell out of the ranks from sheer exhaustion. One would see -a soldier totter on for some yards, trying to pull himself together, -and then suddenly step to one side and sink down on the sand, saying, -"It's no good; I can't go on." On two occasions when this happened, -the exhausted man had drained the entire contents of his bottle, -which had been full an hour ago, and not a drop of water was to -be got from any of the soldiers near! I mention this to show the -utter lack of self-control in the matter of drink which prevailed -amongst the "Tommies." My own bottle was the only one within reach -that contained any water at all, and of course I did what everyone -else would have done, and divided what remained between the two -men, who seemed to be actually dying of thirst. They then got up and -managed to struggle on to Omdurman, their rifles being carried for -them by some of their comrades. A private of the Warwicks suddenly -dropped down dead from heat apoplexy, and was buried on the spot. The -comparatively mild sufferings of our own men turned one's thoughts to -the crowded heaps of wounded wretches left behind us in the desert -to the added tortures of that thirst which invariably accompanies -gunshot wounds. How many thousands, too, of women and children would -soon be weeping with all the wild lamentation of the East over the -brave men who lay in the sleep of death far away upon the plain! -Sorrow is the same all the world over--that dread factor in human -life--and the terrific carnage of the day's fighting had taken away -the bread-winner and protector from thousands of poor homes in the -Sudan, and doomed many a household to starvation. - -The battle was now to all intents and purposes over, and already -vast flocks of vultures were wheeling round and round over the -expanse of desert. Another halt was made on the edge of a _khor_ -on the outskirts of Omdurman. The water of this inlet was thick and -yellow, and in the shallower parts dead animals--horses, mules, and -donkeys--lay about in various stages of decay. Nevertheless, the -thirsty troops rushed down the bank and drank greedily of the foul -water. The want of self-control and common sense at this _khor_ may -quite well be partly responsible for the large number of typhoid -cases which subsequently occurred. As I thought that ten minutes more -of dry throat and parched lips were better than the chance of enteric -fever, I walked down to the Nile. Here I found Captain Ricardo, Lord -Tullibardine, and one or two others sitting under the scanty shade -of a mud-hut, where I joined them after some tremendous draughts of -running water, drunk out of a calabash which I had cut from the neck -of a dead Dervish. Lord Tullibardine kindly gave me some brandy to -flavour the water, and Captain Ricardo recounted the good deeds of -the "Gyppy" cavalry. Then we all lay at full length and indulged in a -little siesta. - -The bugles soon sounded the "advance," and the final order came -that the army was to occupy Omdurman forthwith. The weary troops -advanced once more, and we all waded through the muddy _khor_. The -water reached to our knees, and was very refreshing after the long -tramp over the hot sand. Alongside one of the battalions rode the -Presbyterian chaplain, mounted--oh tell it not in the Kirk, neither -publish it amongst the Elders--upon a looted pony! It was, I think, -a colt which I had seen earlier in the day standing unhurt amongst -a heap of dead Dervishes, and calmly nibbling some scanty blades of -desert grass. - -As we marched on through the apparently interminable suburbs of the -city, the regimental drums and fifes and the Highlanders' bagpipes -struck up some lively tunes. The effect of music at such a time was -simply marvellous: it put fresh heart and vigour into all of us. The -Sudanese, with broad grins on their shiny black faces, played the -various marching tunes of the British regiments, and were loudly -cheered by their white comrades. All along the broad street which -runs through Omdurman to the central square we were greeted by bands -of women, who stood in clusters at the doors, and welcomed us with -curious trilling cries of joy. - -The Khalifa had escaped from the southern end of the town about an -hour before our foremost troops arrived, and had been followed by -a panic-stricken mob of men, women, and children, with camels and -donkeys. In spite, however, of this exodus, the advance battalions, -with the Sirdar and his staff, had met with some resistance from -Dervishes still concealed in the houses along the main street. Here -and there bullets were fired from windows and roofs across the line -of our advance, and troops had to be detailed to clear out these -dangerous assailants. Fortunately, a little light still came from the -setting sun, and the Sudanese were soon able to rid themselves of -their antagonists. Bullets had been repeatedly fired at the Sirdar -and his staff as they advanced, and a little further on destruction -nearly overtook them from the shells of our own field guns. The -Sirdar had ordered the 32nd battery to shell the Khalifa's palace, -and nevertheless saw fit to advance with his staff into the zone -of fire. Suddenly four shells burst in rapid succession above their -heads, close to the Mahdi's tomb and the great square. Everyone -hurried away to shelter, but Howard had already dismounted and -reached an upper room in the Khalifa's palace. Another shell screamed -over the houses, and as it burst a fragment struck Howard on the -back of the head, and killed him instantly--a tragic and untimely -death, when the perils of the day seemed over and rest nigh at hand! -Thus perished a man who was, I believe, absolutely fearless in the -presence of danger. He was my junior at Oxford, but I remember that -as an undergraduate at Balliol he was known for that reckless daring -and courage which in after years led him to seek for adventure in -Cuba, Matabeleland, and finally the Sudan. During the campaign in -South Africa Howard displayed signal ability as adjutant of his -corps; in fact, the splendid courage and unceasing energy which -marked his whole career gave every promise of ultimately securing for -him a still higher fame and distinction. As it was, his young life -was cut short in the very midst of his restless activity, and he -died as he had lived, eager to do his best, and utterly fearless of -everything except failure. - - "The untented Kosmos his abode - He passed, a wilful stranger-- - His mistress still the open road - And the bright eyes of Danger!" - -Our little band of fifteen had received, indeed, more than its fair -share of casualties in the day's fighting. In addition to Howard's -death, Colonel Rhodes had been shot through the shoulder, and another -correspondent had been slightly wounded in the face with a spent -bullet. - -The street fighting was over, darkness had fallen upon the city, and -the weary troops at length bivouacked for the night. In addition to -the wear and tear of the actual fighting, they had marched at least -fifteen miles, for the most part in the full heat of the sun. Many of -the men simply lay down as they were, and at once fell fast asleep. -After the army an apparently endless succession of baggage animals -filed wearily through the town. I gave up all hope of finding camels -and servants amid the general confusion, and betook myself to the -Camerons. The other correspondents went on, and, failing to discover -their baggage, had to sleep on the ground without food or blankets. I -fared much better. Inside my pocket was a small tin of potted meat, -and, as Captain Maclachlan had some biscuits, we intended to devour -these before going to sleep with our helmets for pillows. But a -joyful surprise was in store for us. By a great piece of good luck, -some of the regimental baggage camels happened to pass by, and these -were speedily annexed, with splendid results. My kind host invited -me to dinner, and what a meal we had! On a central packing-case, -which served as a _buffet_, stood several tins of "Suffolk pie" -and ox tongue, and for every man a biscuit or two. How delightful -it was to eat these tinned dainties--the only meat-food which had -passed our lips that day! Then came the crowning mercy. Maclachlan -unearthed a bottle of champagne from some mysterious source, and we -shared the generous wine between us. Our tumblers were the lower -halves of whisky bottles, cut round by string soaked in turpentine -and then set alight. We drank many toasts--the Sirdar, the Army, -Friends in England now Abed, etc. Our fatigues were all forgotten, -and we felt so amiable that I really think that if the Khalifa had -been within reach we should have sent him an invitation to join us, -and bring Osman Digna with him. This dinner-party in the open street -of Omdurman was one of the pleasantest I have ever attended--_olim -meminisse juvabit_! - -At length we wrapped ourselves in blankets for the night, and lay -down upon the sand. All around was heard the heavy, regular breathing -of strong men, utterly tired out by the excitement and labours of the -eventful day. With the exception of occasional shots from Sudanese -looters or Dervish "snipers" across the river, perfect stillness -reigned over the thousands of men who lay in the large open spaces of -the city. Not a sound broke the silence--the camp was asleep, and - - "All that mighty heart was lying still!" - -The moon had risen, and far away on the horizon gleamed the Southern -Cross, like that celestial symbol which inspired the Roman Conqueror -in his bivouac centuries ago, and helped to shape the destinies -of Christendom. _Per hoc vince_--good men of our victory's true -worth, and presage of our future work in these unhappy regions! The -day's carnage had indeed been cruel; blood had been poured out like -water; but there is a mysterious law in the working of Providence -which forbids the continued existence of systems which have ceased -to subserve the cause of progress. Mahdism has proved the most -shameful and terrible instrument of bloodshed and oppression which -the modern world has ever witnessed. It has reduced whole provinces -to utter desolation, so that tracts once smiling and fertile are -now but solitary wastes, the habitation of wild beasts. Thousands -upon thousands of homesteads have been laid in ruins, and the -innocent villagers outraged and tortured and murdered. As I entered -the Mahdi's tomb on the following morning, I saw a band of natives -casting stones with loud curses upon the spot where his body lay; -and scores of unhappy creatures who on the night of the battle -were liberated, after long years of imprisonment, lifted up their -hands, and with streaming eyes thanked God for the destruction of -their oppressor's rule. Mahdism has vanished, never to return, -and once more the arms of Great Britain have advanced the cause of -civilisation and "made for righteousness" in the history of the -century. - -[Illustration: - Battle of Omdurman. - First Dervish attack. - - Battle of Omdurman. - Second Dervish attack. - -_R. V. Darbishire 1898._] - - - - -CHAPTER V - -GUNBOATS AND GAALIN - - -No account of the recent campaign could be in any way complete if -it did not include some mention of the valuable assistance rendered -to the Sirdar and the Anglo-Egyptian forces by the gunboats and the -Friendlies. I have thought it better to keep this portion of the -narrative distinct from the rest, and to mould the present chapter -more or less into the form of a diary. - -The Sirdar's fleet at the end of the campaign consisted of the -following gunboats:--_Sultan_, _Sheikh_, _Melik_, _Fatteh_, _Nasr_, -_Hafir_, _Tamai_, _Metemmeh_, and _Abu Klea_. In addition to these -were the old unarmed _El Tahra_ and, up to 25th August, the gunboat -_Zaphir_. - -The navigation of the Nile was full of difficulty. The river charts -were bad or non-existent, and no _reis_, or native captain, could -really be trusted to keep his boat in the deep channels with any -certainty. Still, it must be remembered that the bed of the Nile is -continually changing its position, and what are deep holes one year -may be turned by next year's flood into shallow pools. On the whole, -it is astonishing that the river service was not frequently overtaken -by disaster. The engines on a boat like the _Tamai_ were always on -the verge of dissolution, the current was terrific, and all the -vessels--gunboats, barges, and _ghyassas_--were loaded down to the -water's edge. The barges, on which the troops were packed together -with barely room to turn themselves, were especially liable to -accident, as they were exceedingly top-heavy and loosely constructed. -I remember seeing a gunboat gently collide with one of these barges -as it lay, fortunately without any crew, off the bank at Wad Hamed. -The whole structure collapsed at once; the top platform fell off, and -in less than two minutes the remains of the barge and all its cargo -that would float were drifting rapidly down the Nile. - -One gunboat alone, the _Zaphir_, was overtaken by serious disaster. -It happened as follows: On 23rd August the _Zaphir_ left the -Atbara at 4 p.m. The officers on board consisted of General Rundle, -Prince Christian Victor, Lieutenant Micklem, R.E., Major Dodd, -R.A.M.C., and, in command of the vessel, Commander Keppel, R.N. -In the _ghyassas_, which were lashed to the gunboat, were packed -"details" of various native battalions. All went well for two nights, -although on the 23rd the _Zaphir_ tied up to the bank in the midst -of a violent storm of wind which suddenly swept over the river from -the desert. At 4.45 p.m. on the 25th of August the officers were -sitting on the upper deck taking tea, when Mr. Poole, the engineer, -suddenly asked Commander Keppel to come below at once. Prince -Christian meanwhile walked forward, and noticed that the ship lay -very low in the water, so much so, in fact, that the rapid current -was washing over the bows. As he walked back to General Rundle, -Commander Keppel rushed up from the lower deck and informed the -assembled officers that water had found its way into the hold, and -the gunboat might go down any moment; meanwhile, he had ordered the -engineer to make for the shore at full speed. On the receipt of -this startling information the officers walked to the side of the -vessel, and as they did so, the _Zaphir_, which was floundering in -a clumsy fashion towards the bank, suddenly gave a heavy lurch to -starboard, and seemed on the point of "turning turtle." A general -exodus of natives followed; servants, sailors, and "Gyppy" soldiers -sprang out of the nooks and crannies in which they hide themselves -on board, and, leaping into the stream, swam easily to the shore. At -the same instant General Rundle, Major Dodd, and Lieutenant Micklem -jumped from the deck on to the _ghyassas_ at the side. The _Zaphir_, -however, righted herself again, but as the fires had been put out -by the inrush of water, she drifted slightly and began to settle -down. An attempt to get a rope from the ship to the shore failed. -Prince Christian then jumped upon a _ghyassa_, and lastly, just as -the gunboat sank within thirty yards of the bank, Commander Keppel -followed his example. Most fortunately, someone had the presence of -mind to cut the _ghyassas_ adrift, otherwise they would certainly -have been dragged down with the vessel as she foundered. On the -return journey from Omdurman I noticed that part of the funnel was -still out of the water, and a twelve-pounder gun projected from the -stern battery a couple of feet above the stream. The whole party -bivouacked on shore that night in rather a destitute condition. -Nobody seemed to know how the leak was caused, but from the time the -inrush of water was noticed, at 5.40, only eleven minutes elapsed -before the vessel sank. A few stores had been saved, and off these -the shipwrecked officers made a meal. Everyone by good luck had -managed to land in his helmet, but otherwise the clothing of the -party was rather nondescript. Prince Christian, for example, had -nothing left except a pair of trousers and a canvas shirt. Next -morning the natives dived about the wreck and fished out some odds -and ends of clothing and baggage. At midday on the 26th, Major -Drage, D.S.O., happened to pass up the river in the _El Tahra_, and -conveyed the _Zaphir's_ crew to Rojan Island, where Commander Keppel -transferred his flag to the _Sultan_, accompanied by Prince Christian -and Major Dodd. - -On the day before the loss of the _Zaphir_, the "Irregulars" or -"Friendlies" had assembled at Wad Hamed. This motley corps was -composed of detachments from the following tribes:--Gaalin, Ababdeh, -Shukriyeh, Batahin, Bishariyeh, Mersalamieh, Gimiab, and a few -Hassaniyeh. All these tribes have for thirteen years been bitterly -hostile to the English and Egyptians, but, thanks to the impolitic -conduct of the Khalifa and the cruel devastation practised by his -generals, many of his adherents amongst these Arab tribes have been -alienated from the Mahdi's successor, and now look forward to an era -of peace and security under a settled government. By far the most -useful and important section of these Friendlies was furnished by -the Gaalin, a brave and warlike tribe, who fought gallantly against -the British at Abu Klea, Abu Kru, and Gubat in January 1885. In July -1897 Khalifa's army under the brutal Mahmoud--who was captured at the -Atbara, and is now imprisoned at Wady Halfa--suddenly, on their march -northwards, attacked the Gaalin, and butchered a large number of them -at Metemmeh. Ever since this treacherous massacre a deadly feud had -existed between this tribe and the Khalifa's government. - -As a fighting force the Irregulars, numbering about two thousand -five hundred, presented a rather quaint appearance. They were -armed with every imaginable weapon. Some had rifles, others were -equipped with old flint and steel muskets, elephant guns, ancient -muzzle-loading pistols, spears, swords, and daggers. Their methods -of locomotion were almost as varied as their accoutrements. Some -were mounted on horses, some marched on foot, others ambled along -on camels, mules, and donkeys. About twelve hundred Remingtons -were supplied at Wad Hamed for distribution amongst the tribes in -proportion to their numbers, and it was a proud day for many of these -picturesque ruffians when they secured one of these rifles. The -possession of guns always seems to exercise a peculiar fascination -over semi-barbarous peoples. A friend and myself once bestowed three -ancient Snider carbines, rubbed bright with Monkey Brand Soap, upon -a small Arabian potentate, who was delighted with the present and -had the rifles carried after him by three almost naked courtiers -wherever he went. We took good care not to give the monarch any -cartridges, but his attendants did not seem to mind the absence of -ammunition. What they liked was to swagger about with the Sniders, -and use them as a sort of glorified walking-stick with the muzzle -stuck into the ground. - -For the command of this extraordinary army the Sirdar had selected -Major Stuart-Wortley, whose military ability and almost unique -experience of Sudan campaigns marked him out as the proper man for -the work of impressing some order and discipline upon the rough and -turbulent material of the Friendly Contingents. Lieutenant Wood also -accompanied the force as staff officer. - -The Gaalin and the other Friendlies crossed over from Wad Hamed, and -were ordered to proceed along the river parallel to the advance of -the Anglo-Egyptian forces on the opposite bank. The various tribal -contingents marched separately under their own sheikhs, and presented -a most picturesque appearance across the river as their white-clad -columns moved in and out of the green bushes. They first came into -touch with the enemy on 29th August, when the village of Gaali was -found to be occupied by a small detachment of Jehadieh infantry and -Dervish cavalry. These were speedily routed by the Friendlies, who -attacked the small force before them in fine style, and captured ten -prisoners. - -On 31st August three gunboats--the _Sultan_, _Melik_, and -_Fatteh_--were ordered to advance up the river from Seg-et-taib and -shell the advance post held by the Dervishes on the Kerreri ridge. -Before midday the gunboats took up a position opposite Kerreri -village, and proceeded to enfilade the Dervish camp on the hill. Some -splendid practice was made, and great confusion was produced by the -twelve-pounder shells as they burst in rapid succession amongst the -enemy, who could be seen rushing about, collecting their property and -striking their tents. The camp was soon rendered untenable by our -fire, and as the Dervishes fled over the plain towards Omdurman, they -were followed by shells from the gunboats, which knocked over about a -dozen cavalry. - -On 1st September some excellent work was done by an effective -co-operation between the gunboats and the Friendlies. At 5.30 a.m. -the _Sultan_, _Sheikh_, _Melik_, _Fatteh_, and _Nasr_ steamed up the -right bank of the river and met Major Stuart-Wortley. It was arranged -that the gunboats should steam on ahead and shell the villages and -forts from the river, while the Friendlies advanced along the bank. -At 9.30 the vessels engaged and utterly destroyed a fort to the -south of Halfayah. The villages of Hejra el Sharg and Halfayah were -next shelled, and as a body of Dervish cavalry emerged into the open -ground, some forty or fifty of them were knocked over by shrapnel. - -On land, meanwhile, the Irregulars had not been idle. Notwithstanding -the shells of the gunboats, several of the villages south of Halfayah -were found to be held in considerable force by the enemy. Major -Stuart-Wortley drew up his men for the attack, but an unexpected -hitch occurred, as the Mersalamieh and Gimiab contingents posted in -front did not seem at all disposed to advance against the Dervishes, -who were waiting for them behind the shelter of numerous mud-houses. -Instead of rushing to the attack, they suddenly halted and danced -a "fantasia" instead! Major Stuart-Wortley did not waste time over -these faint-hearted warriors, but brought up his trusty Gaalin, who, -supported by the other tribes, gallantly attacked house after house, -and routed the enemy, killing a large number, including Isa Zachnieh, -a cousin of the Khalifa, and losing themselves over sixty killed and -wounded. - -The Gaalin made very little use of their rifles in the desperate -fighting which practically cleared the right bank of the Dervishes. -They loaded their guns and fired them into the air, calling upon -Allah to direct the course of the bullets! Then throwing their -Remingtons on one side, they gripped their broad-bladed spears, and -used them so effectively that after the fight the Dervish casualties -stood at three hundred and fifty killed, wounded none! At one moment -Major Stuart-Wortley and Lieutenant Wood were in great danger. A -troop of Baggara horsemen suddenly charged down upon the spot where -they were standing, and the Ababdeh Arabs who were with the two -officers, instead of waiting for the cavalry, simply turned tail and -fled. Immediately after this fighting round Halfayah, two hundred -and fifty Shukriyeh Friendlies were dispatched up the Blue Nile in -pursuit of the Dervishes who had fled. - -By 11.30 on the 1st, the fighting on the right bank was to all -intents and purposes over. Five hundred Gaalin and one hundred and -seventy-five British infantry, made up of details from the Guards, -Rifle Brigade, Highlanders, etc., were embarked on the five gunboats. -The original plan had been to land Stuart-Wortley's levies on Tuti -Island, but this was abandoned owing to the close proximity of the -Omdurman forts--a fact not disclosed on the Intelligence maps--and -the presence on the island of a large force of Dervishes. - -[Illustration: Plan of - -OMDURMAN and KHARTUM - -to illustrate - -The operations of the gunboats and the Friendlies. - - 1. Khartum. | 6. Mosque. - 2. Omdurman. | 7. Mahdi's Tomb. - 3. Gordon's House. | 8. Khalifa's House. - 4. Tuti Island. | 9. Khojali. - 5. Great Wall. | 10. Hejra el Sharg. - -_R. V. Darbishire 1898._] - -Meanwhile Major Elmslie's battery of howitzers had taken up a -position on the bank opposite the centre of Omdurman, and at 1.30 -opened fire on the Mahdi's tomb, at a range of three thousand one -hundred and fifty yards. The two first shells missed their mark, -but played havoc with the neighbouring buildings; the third -wrecked the apex of the dome, and carried away the gilded ornaments -which surmounted it. Later on three other shells crashed into the -structure, tearing enormous holes in the stonework, and utterly -destroying the whole of the interior. Subsequently the howitzers -abandoned their artillery practice on tombs and their violation of -the dead, and engaged in the more satisfactory demolition of the -Omdurman ramparts. Vast breaches were torn in the big wall which ran -along the river, and many of the principal buildings were utterly -destroyed. - -At 2 p.m. the gunboats, with the _Sultan_ leading, advanced farther -up the stream in order to shell the forts of Omdurman. As they -steamed slowly up past the city, the boats were met by a heavy shell -fire, and occasional volleys from Dervish riflemen. The enemy's -shells burst all round the boats, but they only succeeded in scoring -two hits the whole day, one of which splintered some woodwork on a -barge, while the other struck an iron mantlet at an angle and glanced -harmlessly off into the water. At such short range the Dervish -gunners ought most certainly to have made better practice, but the -fact is, that the aim of our quick-firing guns was so marvellously -accurate that it was almost impossible for the enemy to work their -artillery. Thanks very largely to the skill of two Royal Marine -sergeants, our fire silenced one battery after another. In some cases -actually two shells out of three penetrated the embrasures of the -forts, dismounting the guns inside, and doing terrible execution -amongst the Dervish gunners. - -While the twelve-pounder guns were demolishing the forts, the -Maxims were turned with deadly effect on the Dervishes who were -running about the banks. As two more forts in Khartum--one at the -juncture of the Blue and White Nile, the other close to Gordon's -palace--continued to fire upon us, the gunboats steamed past the -ruined city, and speedily converted these last defences of the enemy -into mere heaps of rubbish. At 5 p.m. the Friendlies were disembarked -on the right bank, where they remained with the howitzer battery and -the British detachment under Captain Ferguson of the Northumberland -Fusiliers. The five gunboats then returned and took up a position -off El Genuaia opposite to the zeriba. - -During the battle on the morning of 2nd September, the gunboats were -posted at both ends of the zeriba, and made themselves extremely -useful. As was mentioned above, the fire of these boats lying off -Kerreri village practically saved the Camel Corps from annihilation. -Throughout the rest of the fight, too, a galling shell fire was kept -up on the Dervish forces advancing from the north-west and, more -especially, from the south, over the sandy ridge between Surgham and -the Nile. - -Meanwhile the howitzer battery had again opened fire at daybreak, and -continued its work of destruction amongst the buildings of Omdurman. -The effect of the Lyddite shells was so terrible that the Khalifa -seems to have abandoned his plan of falling back behind the walls -of his capital. This was a most fortunate thing, so far as we were -concerned, for if, after the fearful slaughter of his troops in the -first half of the engagement, the Khalifa had retreated with ten or -fifteen thousand men inside the tortuous streets and crowded houses -of Omdurman, we should have had the utmost difficulty in driving the -enemy out, and could not, in all probability, have occupied Omdurman -on the evening of the 2nd. House-to-house fighting is always a -costly and dangerous business, and had it taken place, the prophetic -estimate popularly attributed to the Sirdar of "one thousand -casualties before Khartum is ours," might well have been realised in -fact. As it was, the Dervishes prepared to take their chance in the -open desert, rather than await our onset under a continual fire of -fifty-pounder shells which burst amid sheets of flame and clouds of -dust, and sent huge fragments for hundreds of yards, wrecking every -obstacle in their path. - -When the battle was over, the gunboats steamed up side by side with -the general advance, and were met at Omdurman by a hot rifle fire -from Dervishes concealed in the houses along the margin of the -river. The streets leading to the southern exit of the town were by -this time crowded with a mass of fugitives. In addition to mounted -Baggaras and Dervish infantry, a mob of inhabitants--men, women, -and children, dragging after them camels, horses, and donkeys laden -with goods and chattels--all this confused stream of human beings and -animals was pressing madly forward in panic-stricken flight. Orders -were given to fire upon the fugitives, and as the artillerymen on the -gunboats, from their raised position, could see well over the walls, -a deadly fire was opened upon the crowded thoroughfares. One street -especially, which led down to the river, was swept by a frightful -hail of Maxim bullets, which mowed the poor wretches down in scores. - -After taking part in the battle and the subsequent destruction of -fugitives, the gunboats proceeded, on the night of the 2nd, about one -hundred miles farther up the river, and returned to Omdurman on 5th -September with the report that they had seen no more Dervishes. - -During the fighting off Omdurman on the 1st, two of the Khalifa's -gunboats were destroyed. There was a pathetic interest attached to -old vessels like the _Bordein_ and _Ismailia_, as they had formed a -part of Gordon's little fleet in the old days of thirteen years ago! -The _Bordein_ had been despatched northwards by Gordon, but, like -the _Abbas_, had been wrecked. She struck on a rock in the Shabluka -Cataract, on 30th January 1885, and foundered, but was subsequently -raised by the Dervishes. When our gunners came within sight of the -vessel, voices were raised to save the old boat for Gordon's sake. -"Don't let us fire on the poor old _Bordein_!" But there is little -room for sentiment or loving-kindness amid the exigencies of warfare, -and under our fire the _Bordein_ was headed for the shore, and sank -as she reached it. - -A still worse fate overtook the _Ismailia_. In some way or other -she fouled one of the mines laid down by the Khalifa's engineers in -midstream; the mine exploded, and the _Ismailia_, literally hoist by -its own petard, was blown out of the water. Two other mines had also -been laid in the channel, near the right bank opposite Omdurman. The -ropes connecting these with the shore were afterwards found inside -the ruined forts, but all our attempts to explode them were futile. -The Dervish steamer which was subsequently captured by the Sirdar on -his way to Fashoda was, I believe, the solitary survivor of Gordon's -ill-starred flotilla. The _Talawahiyah_ had been sunk off Rojan -Island, on 29th January 1885, and was never recovered. The _Abbas_, -which set out from Khartum with Colonel Stewart and Mr. Power on -board,--the one last desperate attempt to reopen communications with -the North,--was wrecked at Hebbeh, between Abu Hamed and Kirbekan, -and now lies there, keel uppermost. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -AFTER THE BATTLE - - -On the morning of 3rd September our troops moved out of Omdurman and -encamped on the banks of the river some two miles to the north. The -moment I had finished breakfast I made for the Mahdi's tomb. The -interior was an absolute wreck. Vast quantities of stones and mortar, -torn away by the Lyddite shells, were heaped upon the floor, and of -the superstructure over the Mahdi's grave only the wooden framework -remained. Some pieces of tawdry drapery which had covered the tomb -lay on the ground, and these I brought away. Outside the tomb, a -little to the right, I came across a truly awful spectacle. One of -the terrible Lyddite shells had burst amongst some unfortunate Arabs -near the Khalifa's palace. Eight men lay dead in a ghastly ring, some -of them torn by horrid mutilations; but the curious point about some -of the bodies was that they were not lying flat, but were sitting on -the ground with fearfully contorted limbs and features. Could this be -due to the deadly fumes of the picric acid contained in the Lyddite? -The stonework of the tomb and the surrounding buildings was often -stained yellow by this chemical. Outside in the open street fragments -of Koran manuscripts were lying about in every direction. - -I then set out to find Cross and the other correspondents. It was -said that they were with the Staff, in strange and unwonted proximity -to the Sirdar's tent. However, as nobody seemed to know where the -Staff was, I wandered about for hours seeking my colleagues in vain. - -As I passed along the river a barge drew up alongside to land the -bodies of the British soldiers who had been killed. From some -misunderstanding a wounded man slid out of the boat amongst the -corpses, and began to walk up the bank, but was promptly sent -back with the reprimand--"D----n you, what do you mean by coming -ashore with this lot? You aren't dead!" Even amid such gruesome -surroundings it was quite funny to see the disappointed look of the -man as he returned to the barge to take his place under a separate -category. - -At last I came by accident upon Cross. The poor fellow was again -in a state of prostration, and was lying under the blanket-tent of -Captain Luther, R.A.M.C., in the camp of the Lancashire Fusiliers. -The officers of this battalion had been most kind to Cross, and as -the day was terribly hot he remained under the shelter of their -tents until the evening, when he rejoined me in our own camp. He -told me that on the previous night he had, like the rest of the -correspondents, failed to get any food, and had slept on the sand -without a blanket, though Steevens, with his usual kindness, had lent -him an overcoat when the night air became chilly. - -At length, after wandering up and down for miles in the blazing heat, -I discovered the whereabouts of our camp out in the desert to the -south-west of the town. All my colleagues were here except Villiers. -Nobody seemed to know what had become him, and as the hours passed -and he failed to turn up we began to get alarmed. His servant had -pitched Villiers' umbrella tent, and beside it stood the bicycle, -which was disfigured by an honourable scar, for the top of the valve -was gone, and Hassan declared that it had been carried away by a -Dervish bullet. I mounted the famous machine, intending to go for -a ride to the execution ground, where several fine gibbets were -standing, but as the back wheel was "buckled" I soon dismounted--with -the proud consciousness, however, of being the first cyclist in -Omdurman! - -The streets of the town were perfectly loathsome. In every direction -lay the decaying bodies of dead animals, and the stench was terrible. -Moslems, from a curious intermixture of humanity and cruelty, never -give a dying animal a _coup de grâce_, and they seldom take the -trouble to bury the carcass. Moreover, in some parts of the town one -could scarcely walk fifty yards without coming across the bodies of -men, and occasionally, I am sorry to say, those of women and little -children. At least five hundred dead people lay scattered about the -streets, some destroyed by Lyddite shells, but the majority pierced -with bullets. I saw some of these corpses lying in the shallow water -near the bank of the river, and as it seemed to be nobody's business -to bury them, it is not surprising that our Guardsmen and other -soldiers contracted the germs of enteric fever at Omdurman! - -Inside the Khalifa's arsenal there were many curious things--spears, -bows and arrows, coats of chain mail, machine guns, Krupps, various -kinds of ammunition, and other warlike apparatus, ancient and modern. -Three carriages of European make were also visible, which were said -to have been used by the Khalifa on state occasions, though these -vehicles could never have got beyond the main streets, for the simple -reason that outside the town no roads exist. - -Most of the Dervish ammunition used in the battle seems to have been -of home manufacture. All the Martini cartridges I picked up amongst -their dead were extremely well made of "solid drawn" brass, and -stamped with a Κ and a Π. I imagine that these letters may stand -for Khartum and Pentekachi, the unfortunate Greek who succeeded in -manufacturing gunpowder for the Mahdi, and was finally blown to -atoms by an explosion of the magazine. On a Martini rifle which I -secured from the battlefield, the Enfield stamp is still visible. -Some disgraceful facts were revealed at the time when Berber was -occupied, and the public documents fell into our hands, for, in -addition to various offers of assistance addressed to the Khalifa -from people in high positions at Cairo, some invoices were discovered -which showed clearly that a certain Manchester firm had supplied the -Khalifa with lead for the manufacture of bullets! It is difficult -to believe that an Englishman could sink so low as to supply his -country's enemy with munitions of war for the sake of filthy lucre! - -A new bullet, by the way, was used in the recent campaign. Its title -is sufficiently significant. It is called the "man-stopping bullet," -and simply means that an ordinary .303 Lee-Metford bullet is scooped -out at the end to the depth of about half an inch. When this missile -strikes an object the hollow nose instantly expands like an umbrella, -inflicting a tremendous shock, which was frequently not secured when -the ordinary solid bullet, with its enormous velocity (two thousand -feet a second at the muzzle), passed clean through an enemy's body, -but failed to administer a sufficiently crushing blow. At Krugersdorp -an ordinary Lee-Metford bullet was driven right through the brain -of a Boer; and so far was the tiny puncture from being immediately -fatal, that the Dutchman walked to church next Sunday--though it is -true that on the Sunday following he went there again in a coffin. Of -course this solid bullet, when it chanced to come in contact with a -bone, served its purpose well, and shattered the bone to atoms. The -first occasion, I believe, on which the Lee-Metford bullet was fired -into a human body was at the well-known Featherstone riots; and I -remember seeing a drawing made by a medical man at the time of the -foot of one of the rioters, which had been struck. Not only was the -lower part of the leg bone completely smashed, but almost every bone -in the foot had been broken more or less by the terrific force of the -bullet. - -_À propos_ of dum-dum bullets, man-stopping bullets, _et hoc genus -omne_, a good deal of false sentiment has been evoked in England -and France. The main object of a soldier in battle is to put his -opponent out of action, and it is found by experience that the -ordinary bullet does not adequately secure this result when employed -against barbarous or semi-barbarous enemies. A civilised combatant, -when he is struck by a bullet--even if the wound be a comparatively -slight one, say through the shoulder--almost invariably sits down -on the ground; but the nervous system of the savage is a far less -delicate organism, and nothing short of a crushing blow will check -his wild onset. Even in the Martini-Henry days scores of Dervishes -rushed upon the British troops at Abu Klea and elsewhere, with the -blood spurting from seven or eight bullet wounds, and then cut and -thrust with deadly effect until loss of blood told, and they fell -dead in or about the square. One of the two British officers who -lost their lives at the Atbara fight was killed by a large elephant -bullet, the hollow base of which had been filled with a fulminate. -This was an _explosive_ bullet, quite a distinct species from the -missile described above. - -The fire from our zeriba, which mowed the Dervishes down in rows and -heaps, must have been simply appalling. The ordinary metaphors of -"rain" and "hail" are scarcely adequate to describe the awful effect -of modern rifles and machine guns when their fire is steady and -concentrated. It is rather a wall of lead than a rain, which, as it -advances, sweeps everything instantly from its track. There must be -a limit to human endurance, one would think, even in the excitement -of battle, and the time may well come when human art will prove -superior to human courage and discipline, and civilised troops will -refuse to expose themselves to what may have become practically the -certainty of death or wounds, or, at anyrate, of enormous risk. The -educational and social forces at work in modern life certainly do not -tend to foster the old-fashioned virtue of unquestioning obedience, -or the consolations to be derived from religious faith. Yet it is -precisely these two things which alone have often enabled a leader to -count with confidence upon a response to his call when he summons his -followers to almost certain destruction--the surrender of life and -all that life holds dear. - -On 4th September, at 9.15 a.m., four gunboats conveyed the Sirdar -and various detachments of troops, with most of the correspondents, -across the Nile to Khartum. We moved alongside the quay in front -of the ruins of Gordon's palace, and the troops formed a rough -semicircle, with the Sirdar, his Staff, and the two foreign -_Attachés_ inside. Four chaplains took their stand with their faces -to the river, ready to conduct a memorial service. At ten o'clock the -Union Jack was run up from one of the flagstaffs which surmounted -the ruined façade of the palace, and almost immediately afterwards -the Crescent flag of Egypt was unfurled. The gunboat _Melik_ fired -twenty-one guns, but as no blank ammunition was forthcoming, -twenty-one shells were sent screaming up the Nile--a most unique and -realistic form of salute! After this hearty cheers were given for Her -Gracious Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Khedive. Then came a -brief and simple service to the memory of the brave man who, thirteen -long years ago, had so often stood on the very terrace which lay in -ruins before us, and, hoping against hope, looked northwards over the -desert--but in vain--for any sign of help from England! The air of -Gordon's favourite hymn was played, and as its cadence fell upon the -ears, one's thoughts recalled the words of the exquisite verses-- - - "I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless, - Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. - * * * * * - When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, - Help of the helpless, oh abide with me!" - -How truly must the spirit of these lines have been felt by Gordon, -that noble and sincere Christian, deserted by man, yet doubtless -sustained by the abiding presence of his Master in life and death. - -During our brief stay at Omdurman every variety of loot was hawked -about the camp for sale. Huge shields of hippopotamus hide, spears, -swords, old rifles, Mahdist coins, and other trophies of battle or -pillage, found ready purchasers. A negro paid me a visit who was -clad in chain mail, cut rather after the fashion of a dress coat. -There was, indeed, quite a flavour of the Margate sands about the -appearance of this Ethiopian, with his striped cotton trousers and -his metallic coat, the tails of which, like those of Burnand's hero, -"positively swept the ground." These suits of mail were beautifully -made of steel rings, and could be purchased for about twenty-five -shillings each; but they were very heavy and awkward things to carry -about. Everybody brought back a Dervish sword or two, which were -often very interesting. Some blades had the famous Ferrara stamp, -others were marked by the mail-clad figure which is said to belong -to the period of the Crusades, from which, at anyrate, the general -pattern of Dervish swords--a straight blade with a plain cross -hilt--seems to date. The pretty _gibbehs_, too, were brought home in -large numbers; there were nearly eleven thousand of them available -for selection on the sandy plain three miles away! The history of -the Dervish _gibbeh_ is rather a quaint one. The original garment -was, of course, the plain white cotton coat of the Arab; but the -Mahdi, who was somewhat ascetic--in theory, at anyrate, if not in -practice--ordered his followers to sew black patches upon their nice -white coats, as tokens of humility. But alas for human frailty, what -was intended to curb the spiritual pride of the faithful became a -direct incentive to the vainglorious adornment of their persons! -The ladies of Omdurman were strongly opposed to the dowdiness of -the black patches upon their husbands and lovers, and, under the -influence of the more æsthetic circles of Dervish society, the white -_gibbehs_ were gradually tricked out with gaudy squares of blue, red, -and purple. - -Many of the dead bodies in the field had rosaries round their necks, -usually made of box or sandal wood. Nobody paid much attention to -these ornaments, but from one point of view they are interesting. Was -the use of a row of beads for religious purposes borrowed from the -Christians by the Moslems, or _vice versâ_? Another curious relic was -an insulator from a Dervish field telegraph, which had been worked -between a point near Gebel Surgham and Omdurman during the battle. -Many of the dead Emirs wore watches, one of which was marked "Dent, -London." - -Our soldiers seemed to thoroughly enjoy the rest at Omdurman. They -had probably some very quaint ideas of our geographical surroundings -and the reason for our presence in the Sudan. On 4th September some -companies of Sudanese who had been sent up the river in pursuit of -the Khalifa were seen returning in the distance with a long string -of Dervish prisoners. There was great excitement amongst the British -troops; whole battalions ran wildly over the sand expecting to catch -a glimpse of the Dervish leader, and I heard one Tommy Atkins say to -his comrade, "'Urry up, Bill, come along; they've cotched the bloody -Khee-dive!" - -In addition to Dervish prisoners who were captured by the active -Sudanese, hundreds came in voluntarily and surrendered themselves. -Many were wounded more or less seriously, but of the rest a large -number were enrolled as soldiers of the Khedive! What amazing -versatility! On one day the Dervish rushes boldly against our shells -and bullets, and on the next he joins us as a comrade in arms! -Some of the French papers declared ungenerously that the Sirdar -had armed these Dervish allies in order to dispatch them against -Major Marchand. Such an act would under the circumstances have been -legitimate, and had these newly enrolled soldiers of the Khedive -been given a free hand, "the evacuation of Fashoda" would have been -ancient history by this time! But of course no such intention ever -entered the Sirdar's head. The brave Marchand certainly deserved a -better fate than to be wiped out by ex-Dervishes. - -The prisoners were released from their fetters on the night of -the battle. Amongst them were a number of jet black Abyssinians, -survivors of the sanguinary battle of Galabat. I saw Charles Neufeld, -and he looked very little the worse for his stay at Omdurman. A -great deal of English sympathy has been wasted on this person. The -harrowing stories we have read in the papers of the poor captive -languishing in hopeless captivity are sheer nonsense. On two separate -occasions Neufeld had the chance of escape, for a clever and -courageous Arab called Oman had been dispatched by the Intelligence -Department to rescue the captive. Neufeld, however, refused to leave -Omdurman unless he was accompanied by a black woman, with whom he -lived. This was obviously out of the question. So Father Rossignoli -was rescued instead, and brought safely to Assouan. - -An infinitely more pathetic case was that of the two Austrian -Sisters who had been compelled to marry Greeks. One of these, who -was childless, returned to Cairo; but the other, who had borne her -husband three children, elected--so I heard--to remain for good -at Omdurman. The poor woman felt that she could never face her -co-religionists at home after her vows of celibacy had been broken. I -remember as I walked along the bazaar on the morning after the fight -I noticed a European woman in Arab dress standing amongst a crowd -of natives. She looked wistfully and sadly at the British as they -passed, and I always regret that I did not speak to her. - -Slatin Pasha soon returned from his pursuit of the Khalifa. The -Egyptian cavalry had followed the tracks of the fugitive for thirty -miles up the river, but as the horses were dead beat and no forage -could be landed from the gunboat accompanying the pursuit, owing to a -long stretch of marshy ground, the squadrons were compelled to return -without the Khalifa. I happened to be strolling past Slatin's tent at -the time, and he called me in and told me how terribly disappointed -he was at the failure of the pursuit. He was kept very busy all the -time we were at Omdurman by continual visits from many old Dervish -friends and acquaintances. One day when I was with him a handsome old -Arab with a white beard came into the tent, and sinking down without -a word, bent his head over Slatin's shoulder and wept. At length -he found words to tell us that his only son had been killed in the -fighting. "Oh, Hassan," said Slatin, and could get no further--his -kind heart was too full of pity; and as he placed his hand on to his -old friend's shoulder and tried to soothe his sorrow, I turned away, -unable to bear the sight of the father's grief. - -As Cross grew no better, and there was little else to do in Omdurman, -I asked Colonel Wingate to allow us a passage on the first gunboat -leaving for the North. Accordingly, on the morning of the 6th, Cross, -René Bull, and myself embarked on the _Metemmeh_, and steamed away -down the river. Nobody was sorry to say good-bye to the repulsive -streets of Omdurman. - -Two barges packed with the rank and file of the Warwicks were lashed -to either side of the _Metemmeh_, which carried on board Colonel -Forbes and the officers of the battalion, together with Lieutenant -Clerk of the 21st Lancers. We were all in excellent spirits, and -fully expected to reach the Atbara in about thirty hours. As steam -and current bore us rapidly past the battlefield in the twilight, the -vultures circling over the distant plain and the broken zeriba by the -river's bank were the only visible signs which remained to tell of -our momentous victory. - -We were not destined to reach the Atbara in thirty hours! The sun had -set, and the _reis_ had been advised to tie up to the banks for the -night; but the obstinate fellow denied the necessity of any stoppage -for another hour or two, so we went tearing down the stream at a -tremendous pace. Dinner was just over--a curious meal, supported -almost entirely by voluntary contributions of tinned meats, rice, -jams, etc.--when, without a moment's warning, a tremendous shock sent -everything and everybody sprawling over the deck. Loud cries of "We -are going over" came from the river, and through the semi-darkness -one could see that the troop barge had been wrenched from its -lashings by the shock, and was heeling over in a terrible manner. -Everybody on board the gunboat shouted "Sit down," "Keep still"; and -it was very fine to see how the soldiers immediately obeyed their -officers, though for the moment they fully expected to be capsized -into the flooded stream. By good luck the detached barge righted -itself and remained fixed in midstream, about thirty yards from the -gunboat and the other barge. - -Nobody quite knew where we were or what had happened, but as it -seemed certain that we were not likely to go much further that night, -we all made preparations for going to sleep. The upper deck was -quite a small affair, and the space at our disposal was curtailed -by the presence of a large table and a number of camp chairs. Over -these few square yards of deck we had to dispose the recumbent forms -of some twenty-six human beings. The result was a sort of Chinese -puzzle. I had always heard that Nature, when she had any close -packing to do, employed the beautiful simplicity of the hexagon, and -suggested a trial of this system; but the theory, owing, probably, to -dissimilarities in our lengths and breadths, would not work at all. -We lay in wild disorder, but so tightly wedged together that it was -impossible to move about when one had finally secured one's berth in -this casual ward! A friend's boots gently reposed upon my pillow all -night, while my own feet were thrust against the ribs of a transverse -form below. - -When the sun rose next morning we saw that the incompetent _reis_ had -run us right on to a sandy island which is submerged when the Nile -is in full flood. The whole of that day was spent in endeavouring to -drag the gunboat and the barges off the sandbank. The _Nasr_, under -the command of Lieutenant Hon. H. L. A. Hood, happened to come along, -and did her best to help us, but the only hawser available snapped -like a thread from the strain put upon it, and the _Nasr_ departed. -The troops were then ordered to get into the shallows and try to push -the barges off. What had been foreseen by several of us happened! -The soldiers managed to shove one of the barges into deep water, -and then several of them, unable to check their movements, found -themselves out of their depths in the strong current. One poor fellow -was drowned under our eyes, and two others were just rescued in a -state of utter exhaustion by natives with life-belts. The whole thing -was a complete muddle, and we all felt angry at the incompetence and -obstinacy which had brought about the needless loss of life. - -Another night was spent on this depressing sandbank, and at dinner -we became aware that something dreadful had attached itself to the -vessel. We looked over the side, and from the space between the -gunboat and the left-hand barge emerged the body of an Egyptian -cavalry man. The corpse bobbed up and down on the swirling waters in -a horribly grotesque fashion. Its spurs had caught the woodwork of -the barge for a few moments and delayed its rapid passage down the -Nile. I remember we remarked, "Oh, it's only a dead Gyppy," and then -went back to our dinner. - -Next day we made a desperate effort to get afloat, and finally -succeeded. Instead, however, of being the first to reach Atbara Camp, -and to secure the earliest train service to Wady Halfa, we had had -the mortification of seeing the Seaforth Highlanders pass us the day -before. - -At Nasri Island I landed to get the tent and other baggage which we -had left behind us on leaving Wad Hamed, but was informed that the -five _ghyassas_ containing officers' luggage--and our own unfortunate -belongings amongst it--had capsized two days before. My precious -tent, two Gladstone bags, and a case of stores lay fathoms deep in -the Nile, and all the consolation I had was to draw up a pathetic -claim for compensation from the impecunious Egyptian War Office. - -By the time we arrived at the Atbara, Cross's illness had increased, -and his temperature had gone up to 100°. The army surgeon on board -the _Metemmeh_ advised him to stay in hospital at the Atbara for a -few days before proceeding to Cairo, and the officer in charge of -the hospital gave the same advice. I had already heard from another -medical man that he did not detect any traces of typhoid symptoms in -Cross; so one thought that he was merely suffering from the common -feverishness which comes from a "touch of the sun," and passes off -after a few days. I remained at the Atbara for a night, and then went -on with the Warwicks to Wady Halfa, leaving a servant with Cross, -who had arranged to follow by the next train in two days' time. - -The remainder of our homeward journey was comparatively uneventful. -The bad luck, however, which seemed to follow the Warwicks delayed us -for twenty-four hours on our journey to Wady Halfa, for the wretched -engines which dragged our cattle pens (first class) and baggage -trucks (third class) repeatedly broke down from overheating and lack -of grease. - -During a short wait at Shellal my servant called my attention to -a woman on the bank, who was apparently in great distress, and -told me that she was weeping because she had been divorced by her -husband. Such cases are often very cruel, for Mohammedan law allows -a husband to write his wife a bill of divorcement without pretext of -any sort. At the same time, he is bound to maintain her for three -months, and her dowry is restored. Many good Moslems deplore the -obsolete character of their divorce laws, which have outlived their -usefulness. Still, it must not be forgotten that in one respect -Moslem wives have for centuries enjoyed a privilege which was not -possessed by Englishwomen until a recent date, namely, the absolute -control of their own money and property. Female education, too, which -is increasing rapidly in the towns, and later on will spread to the -country districts, will doubtless serve to improve the status and -welfare of native women. Monogamy is already almost universal with -the fellahin, and is steadily gaining ground amongst the educated -classes. A good deal of false sentiment is often expended by good -people in England over the lot of their Mohammedan sisters, but they -may rest assured that women all the world over have the amelioration -of their condition very largely in their own hands. Further, a very -slight acquaintance at first hand with Oriental countries will show -one that Moslem home life is full of happiness, and that nowhere in -the world is greater devotion lavished by parents upon their children. - -At Luxor the blessings of civilisation met us again, in the shape of -a nice breakfast at the hotel and a big bath. Most of us had slept -more or less in our ordinary clothes for several weeks, and everyone, -from the Colonel downwards, wallowed joyfully in an unlimited supply -of warm water. As we sat at breakfast, someone told me that a camel -had died just near the hotel from the bite of an asp. The snake, a -little creature some eight inches long, was lying under the sand, -according to its wont, with its head just above the ground. The poor -camel trod on it, and was bitten in the foot. It speedily died, -swollen to nearly double its ordinary size, and the natives lit a -fire over its carcass. The Arabs dread the little asp terribly, -and its bite is nearly always fatal. A special antitoxin has been -prepared by the _Institut Pasteur_ from the serum of horses bitten by -poisonous snakes. A subcutaneous injection of ten cubic centimetres -of this fluid is alleged to be a sure specific against the bite of -any known species of venomous land-snake. But this preparation is -practically useless in the Sudan, as it loses its efficacy if much -exposed to light or to a high degree of heat. Nor has it, so far as I -know, ever yet been tried in the case of any human being bitten by a -deadly snake. I took some with me last year when exploring in Sokotra -with the late Mr. Theodore Bent, but despite the glowing accounts -of the efficacy of _dowa Inglizi_ and offers of large bakshish, -the faith of the natives was never robust enough to allow them to -voluntarily submit to a snake bite for experimental purposes. - -On the final stage of our railway journey from Luxor to Cairo, -Lieutenant Clerk and I shared a carriage between us, and were -extremely comfortable. Ali redoubled his efforts in the cooking line, -and for our final meal in the train, to which we invited a military -chaplain, the Rev. E. H. Pulling, we used up all our remaining tins, -and dined off _pâté de foie gras_, a curried blend of prawns and -chicken, and stewed apricots--a good instance of what a clever Arab -servant can turn out with a spirit-lamp and a couple of tin saucepans -in a crowded third-class carriage. - -After waiting four days in Cairo, and receiving a telegram from -the Atbara which gave me no cause for the least apprehension about -Cross's condition, I left Alexandra on the 17th of September -for Marseilles. On board I renewed my acquaintance with Major -Stuart-Wortley, and amongst the other passengers were Prince Francis -of Teck and Prince Christian Victor. Prince Francis had been very -ill throughout the latter part of the campaign, but during the fight -had risen from his bed, in spite of medical advice, and worked a -Maxim gun with good effect. - -We left Marseilles by the morning _rapide_ on the 21st, and as we -were crossing the Channel on the 22nd, Prince Christian handed me the -_Morning Post_, and pointed to a paragraph which announced the death -of Cross from enteric fever on the 20th. - -The news took away for the time being all the joy of one's return. -Twice I have been fated to lose my travelling companion by death -when the work was finished which we set ourselves to do. Cross was -an old Hertford man, who had rowed five in the 'Varsity boat of -1889, and had afterwards been appointed to an assistant mastership -at Bedford. He had always been very loyal to his old college, and -our successes on the river were largely due to his "coaching." We -shall all--seniors and juniors alike--miss him greatly. In spite -of constant attacks of illness from exposure to the sun, each of -which left him weaker than before, Cross had refused to return -from the front, and, as I said above, had actually dragged himself -out of hospital in order to be present at the battle. But while -his natural vivacity and vigour were to some extent impaired by -physical debility, he was always unselfish in the "give and take" -of camp life, and bore uncomplainingly the many discomforts which -are necessarily experienced by the sick during the advance of an -army. Still side by side with his courageous endurance of physical -suffering, and the coolness which he showed when under fire for the -first time, the central thought which occupied Cross's mind was that -of returning to his beloved work at Bedford. - - "His was a soul whose master-bias leans - To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes-- - More brave for this, that he had much to love!" - -The Sudan campaign, which, thanks to the Sirdar's wonderful genius -for organisation, has been so thoroughly successful, cannot be -regarded as in any sense final. Unless our recovery of the Nile -banks as far as Omdurman is followed by the possession of the -Bahr-el-Ghazal, we may almost be said to have laboured in vain. If we -stayed our hand at Khartum, or even Fashoda, the same remark which -Lord Salisbury passed on the French possessions in the Sahara, -that "the soil was rather light," would apply equally well to our -arid conquests in the Sudan. The so-called French occupation of the -Bahr-el-Ghazal must not be allowed to count for anything. Their utter -failure as colonisers in French Congo, Senegal, and even Algeria, -and the selfish tariffs with which they seek to exclude foreign -industry from the regions which they reserve for Frenchmen who -never come--these things deprive them of any moral claim to further -annexations of vast territories in the interior of Africa. Moreover, -the Bahr-el-Ghazal was indubitably a province of Egypt before the -Mahdi's revolt, and must be restored to the Khedive intact. Under -British control this fertile province will be able to develop its -splendid resources. Coffee grows wild, timber abounds, and thousands -of square miles are ready for the cultivation of corn, two crops of -which can be grown in a single year. In ancient days Egypt was the -granary of Europe. Rome and Byzantium were dependent almost entirely -upon the Alexandrian corn-ships. In fact, one of the most serious -accusations which could be brought against a citizen was that he -was carrying on intrigues for the stoppage of these vessels. This -actual charge was levied against the great Athanasius himself, and -the philosopher Sopater, who was accused of delaying the corn supply -by magical rites, was promptly decapitated by Constantine "because he -was too clever" (δι' ὑπερβολὴν σοφίας). There is no reason why the -Bahr-el-Ghazal, when connected by river and rail with the sea, should -not take its place as one of the great corn-growing countries of the -world. Again, an exploration of the Nuba region to the north of the -province may lead to the discovery of mineral wealth. At anyrate, -during an earlier campaign, a Dervish caravan was captured by the -forces under Sir Francis Grenfell, and amongst the merchandise was -found a large quantity of gold which had been dug out of the Nuba -Hills. - -But even when the possession and organisation of the Bahr-el-Ghazal -has become an accomplished fact, we find ourselves barred by a belt -of territory some two hundred miles across, from Uganda to the north -of Lake Tanganyika. Despite the vital importance of securing a -road between Uganda and Nyassaland, Lord Salisbury allowed Germany -to make the western frontier of its East African possessions -conterminous with that of the Congo State, and thus completely bar -our advance from north or south. But in this case what was lost by -the weakness of one Government may be recovered by the firmness of -another; and if this result be happily secured, the territories -regained to civilisation by Lord Kitchener's genius will be united to -our vast possessions in the South, and Mr. Cecil Rhodes' magnificent -idea of a British Empire in Africa, stretching from Cairo to the -Cape, will at length be realised in actual fact. - - - - -A BRIEF NOTE ON A FEW ENTOMOLOGICAL SPECIMENS BROUGHT FROM THE SUDAN, -22ND SEPTEMBER 1898. - - -I have handed over my small collection of insects to Professor -Poulton, F.R.S., of Oxford, who has had them set, and has kindly -supplied me with materials for the following list, which may possibly -be of some interest to any reader interested in Entomology. - - -BUTTERFLIES. - -Three specimens of _Limnas Chrysippus_, a Danaine butterfly, -found over all the warmer parts of the Old World. Of these three -butterflies, one is the brown type form (Wad Hamed); one the Alcippus -or Alcippoides variety, with white hind wings (Wad Hamed); one an -Alcippoides, with much less white (near Kerreri). - -Three specimens of _Belenois mesentina_. Two males (Zeidab and Wad -Hamed) are typical. The female (near Pyramids of Meroe) is darker -than usual. The specimen in the Hope Collection nearest to it comes -from Somaliland. - -One _Teracolus_. Very like _T. auxo_. The specimen is a male, small -and white, with orange tip to the fore wing (near Pyramids of Meroe). - -Three very small species of _Lycænidæ_. Two males and two females -(two, Kerreri; two, Rojan Island). - - -MOTHS. - -_Noctuæ._--One _Grammodes stolida_ (Battlefield of Omdurman), exactly -like the Hope Specimens from India. - -One dubious specimen, probably a species of _Pandesema_ (on gunboat -near Shabluka). - -_Bombycidæ._--One small female moth (Luxor), somewhat resembling -_Trichiura cratægi_. - -_Tineina._--Three small pale specimens (two, on gunboats near -Metemmeh; one, Wad Hamed). - - -NEUROPTERA. - -_Trichoptera._--A few species, very pale in colour (Luxor and Abu -Ahmed). - - -COLEOPTERA. - -One Cicindela. A very small and pale species, not represented in the -Hope Collection (Wad Hamed). - -One Buprestid, namely, _Sternocera irregularis_. A large brown -species, with irregular tufts of straw-coloured hair on elytra and -thorax (Um Teref). - -One Longicorn. A large black shining _Prionus_, not represented in -Hope Collection. - -Heteromera. Two species, as yet uncompared with Hope Collection. - -Two Lamellicorns, apparently _melolontha_, or very similar. - - -HEMIPTERA. - -One immature form of a large species, pale in colour. - - -HOMOPTERA. - -Fulgoridæ. One small pale species. - - -ORTHOPTERA. - -Gryllidæ. Two pale species. - -Acridiidæ. Two pale species. - - -HYMENOPTERA. - -One winged ant--dark, with sand-coloured patches. - - -ARACHNIDA--ARANEINA. - -Six species of spiders. One of these is a beautiful mimic of an ant. - - -The above list is necessarily imperfect. It had to be compiled -immediately for the publication of this volume, and there has been no -time to properly "work out" many of the species. It is interesting to -note the pale tint of so many of these Sudanese insects--a manifest -adaptation to environment, for purposes of concealment amid the -yellow sand of the desert. - - - - - PRINTED BY - MORRISON AND GIBB LIMITED - EDINBURGH - - - - - A CATALOGUE OF BOOKS - AND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF - METHUEN AND COMPANY - PUBLISHERS: LONDON - 36 ESSEX STREET - W.C. - - -CONTENTS - - PAGE - - FORTHCOMING BOOKS, 3 - - POETRY, 9 - - BELLES LETTRES, ANTHOLOGIES, ETC., 10 - - ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, 11 - - HISTORY, 11 - - BIOGRAPHY, 14 - - TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND TOPOGRAPHY, 15 - - NAVAL AND MILITARY, 17 - - GENERAL LITERATURE, 18 - - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 20 - - PHILOSOPHY, 20 - - THEOLOGY, 21 - - FICTION, 24 - - BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, 33 - - THE PEACOCK LIBRARY, 33 - - UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERIES, 34 - - SOCIAL QUESTIONS OF TO-DAY, 35 - - CLASSICAL TRANSLATIONS, 35 - - EDUCATIONAL BOOKS, 36 - - -FEBRUARY 1899 - - - - - FEBRUARY 1899. - - MESSRS. METHUEN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS - - -Travel and Adventure - -THE HIGHEST ANDES. By E. A. FITZGERALD. With 40 Illustrations, 10 of -which are Photogravures, and a Large Map. _Royal 8vo. 30s. net._ - -Also, a Small Edition on Handmade Paper, limited to 50 Copies, _4to. -£5, 5s_. - - A narrative of the highest climb yet accomplished. The - illustrations have been reproduced with the greatest care, and - the book, in addition to its adventurous interest, contains - appendices of great scientific value. - -ROUND THE WORLD ON A WHEEL. By JOHN FOSTER FRASER. With 100 -Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - The narrative of a bicycle ride right round the world, which - covered over 19,000 miles and occupied 774 days. The book is full - of adventure and incident, and contains as much matter as the - ordinary book of travel published at six times the price. - -THE HEART OF ASIA. By F. H. SKRINE and E. D. ROSS. With Maps and many -Illustrations. _Large crown 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - This is an account, historical, political, economical, and - descriptive of Russian Central Asia. The first part of the work - contains a concise history of Turkestan, etc. from the earliest - times. No such history has hitherto appeared in any European - language, and many untranslated Oriental works have been put - under contribution by Professor Ross. In the second part Mr. - Skrine gives a complete account of Russian Central Asia, with - all the latest statistics. Great attention has been paid to the - production of accurate maps, and the information contained in - this part of the book may be regarded as semi-official. - -THROUGH ASIA. By SVEN HEDIN. With 300 Illustrations from Photographs -and Sketches by the Author, and 3 Maps. _Two volumes. Royal 8vo. 36s. -net._ - - Extracts from reviews of this great book, which _The Times_ has - called 'one of the greatest books of the century,' will be found - on p. 15. - -CHITRAL: The Story of a Minor Siege. By SIR G. S. ROBERTSON, K.C.S.I. -With 22 Illustrations, 4 Plans, and a Map. A New and Cheaper Edition. -_Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - Extracts from reviews of this remarkable book will be found on - page 15. - -THREE YEARS IN SAVAGE AFRICA. By LIONEL DECLE. With 100 Illustrations -and 5 Maps. Second and cheaper Edition. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d. net._ - -THE CAROLINE ISLANDS. By F. W. CHRISTIAN. With many Illustrations and -Maps. _Large crown 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - This book contains a history and complete description of these - islands--their physical features, fauna, flora; the habits, and - religious beliefs of the inhabitants. It is the result of many - years' residence among the natives, and is the only worthy work - on the subject. - - -History and Biography - -THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF SIR JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS, President of -the Royal Academy. By his Son, J. G. MILLAIS. With nearly 300 -Illustrations, of which 10 are in photogravure. _Two volumes. Royal -8vo. 32s. net._ - -A limited edition will also be printed. This will contain 22 of -Millais' great paintings reproduced in photogravure, with a case -containing an extra set of these Photogravures pulled on India paper. -The price of this edition will be _£4, 4s. net_. - - In these two magnificent volumes is contained the authoritative - biography of the most distinguished and popular painter of - the last half of the century. They contain the story of his - extraordinary boyhood, of his early struggles and triumphs, of - the founding of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, now first given - to the world in authentic detail, of the painting of most of - his famous pictures, of his friendships with many of the most - distinguished men of the day in art, letters, and politics, of - his home life, and of his sporting tastes. There are a large - number of letters to his wife describing the circumstances under - which his pictures were painted, letters from Her Majesty the - Queen, Lord Beaconsfield, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Watts, Sir William - Harcourt, Lord Rosebery, Lord Leighton, etc., etc. Among them are - several illustrated letters from Landseer, Leech, Du Maurier, - and Mike Halliday. The last letter that Lord Beaconsfield wrote - before his death is reproduced in fac-simile. Sir William - Harcourt contributes his reminiscences of Millais, and Mr. Val - Prinsep has written a long and most interesting chapter to the - same purpose. - - Not the least attractive and remarkable feature of this book - will be the magnificence of its illustrations. No more complete - representation of the art of any painter has ever been produced - on the same scale. The owners of Sir John Millais' most famous - pictures and their copyrights have generously given their - consent to their reproduction in his biography, and, in addition - to those pictures with which the public is familiar, over two - hundred pictures and sketches which have never been reproduced - before, and which, in all probability, will never be seen again - by the general public, will appear in these pages. The early - chapters contain sketches made by Millais at the age of seven. - There follow some exquisite drawings made by him during his - Pre-Raphaelite period, a large number of sketches and studies - made for his great pictures, water colour sketches, pen-and-ink - sketches, and drawings, humorous and serious. There are ten - portraits of Millais himself, including two by Mr. Watts and Sir - Edward Burne Jones. There is a portrait of Dickens, taken after - death, and a sketch of D. G. Rossetti. Thus the book will be not - only a biography of high interest and an important contribution - to the history of English art, but in the best sense of the word, - a beautiful picture book. - -THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. By EDWARD GIBBON. A New -Edition, edited with Notes, Appendices, and Maps by J. B. BURY, -LL.D., Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. _In Seven Volumes. Demy -8vo, gilt top. 8s. 6d. each. Crown 8vo. 6s. each. Vol. VII._ - - The concluding Volume of this Edition. - -EVAGRIUS. Edited by Professor LÉON PARMENTIER of Liége and M. BIDEZ -of Gand. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - [_Byzantine Texts._ - -THE HISTORY OF PSELLUS. By C. SATHAS. _Demy 8vo._ - - [_Byzantine Texts._ - -A CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY OF ROME. By T. M. TAYLOR, -M.A., Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, Senior -Chancellor's Medallist for Classics, Porson University Scholar, etc., -etc. _Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - An account of the origin and growth of the Roman Institutions, - and a discussion of the various political movements in Rome from - the earliest times to the death of Augustus. - -A HISTORY OF EGYPT, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY. -Edited by W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, D.C.L., LL.D., Professor of -Egyptology at University College. Fully Illustrated. _In Six Volumes. -Crown 8vo. 6s. each._ - - Vol. IV. THE EGYPT OF THE PTOLEMIES. J. P. MAHAFFY. - Vol. V. ROMAN EGYPT. J. G. MILNE. - -ANNALS OF SHREWSBURY SCHOOL. By G. W. FISHER, M.A., Assistant Master. -With Numerous Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - -THE HISTORY OF THE MIDLAND RAILWAY. By CLEMENT STRETTON. With many -Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - Uniform with Mr. Grinling's 'History of the Great Northern - Railway.' - -A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF CYPRUS. By JOHN HACKETT, M.A. _Demy 8vo. -12s. 6d._ - - -Theology - -ST. PAUL, THE MASTER-BUILDER. By WALTER LOCK, D.D., Warden of Keble -College. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - An attempt to popularise the recent additions to our knowledge of - St. Paul as a missionary, a statesman and an ethical teacher. - -AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. By W. H. BENNETT, M.A., -and W. F. ADENEY, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - -Oxford Commentaries. - -General Editor, WALTER LOCK, D.D., Warden of Keble College Dean -Ireland's Professor of Exegesis in the University of Oxford. - - Messrs. METHUEN propose to issue a series of Commentaries upon - such Books of the Bible as still seem to need further explanation. - - The object of each Commentary is primarily exegetical, to - interpret the author's meaning to the present generation. The - editors will not deal, except very subordinately, with questions - of textual criticism or philology; but taking the English text - in the Revised Version as their basis, they will try to combine - a hearty acceptance of critical principles with loyalty to the - Catholic Faith. It is hoped that in this way the series may be of - use both to theological students and to the clergy, and also to - the growing number of educated laymen and laywomen who wish to - read the Bible intelligently and reverently. - -THE BOOK OF JOB. Edited, with Introduction and Notes, by E. C. S. -GIBSON, D.D., Vicar of Leeds. _Demy 8vo. 6s._ - - -The Churchman's Bible. - -General Editor, J. H. BURN, B.D., Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of -Aberdeen. - - Messrs. METHUEN propose to issue a series of expositions upon - most of the books of the Bible. The volumes will be practical - and devotional rather than critical in their purpose, and the - text of the authorised version will be explained in sections or - paragraphs, which will correspond as far as possible with the - divisions of the Church Lectionary. - - The volumes will be produced in a very handy and tasteful form, - and may be obtained in cloth or leather bindings. - - The first volume will be: - -THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE GALATIANS. Explained by A. W. -ROBINSON, B.D., Vicar of All Hallows, Barking. _Fcap. 8vo. 2s._ -Leather, _3s. net_. - - -Handbooks of Theology. - -General Editor, A. ROBERTSON, D.D., Principal of King's College, -London. - -AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE CREEDS. By A. E. BURN, -Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Lichfield. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - -The Library of Devotion. - -_Pott 8vo. Cloth 2s.; leather 2s. 6d. net._ - -_NEW VOLUMES._ - -A SERIOUS CALL TO A DEVOUT AND HOLY LIFE. By WILLIAM LAW. Edited, -with an Introduction by C. BIGG, D.D., late Student of Christ Church. - - This is a reprint, word for word and line for line, of the - _Editio Princeps_. - -LYRA INNOCENTIUM. By JOHN KEBLE. Edited, with Introduction and Notes, -by WALTER LOCK, D.D., Warden of Keble College, Oxford. - - This is edited on the same scale as 'The Christian Year.' Dr. - Lock has corrected the printed text by collating it with the MS. - in the Keble College Library, and has added an Introduction, and - an analysis and explanatory notes to each of the more difficult - poems. - - -General Literature - -The Arden Shakespeare. - -General Editor, EDWARD DOWDEN, Litt. D. - - MESSRS. METHUEN have in preparation an Edition of Shakespeare in - single Plays. Each play will be edited with a full Introduction, - Notes on the text, and a Commentary at the foot of the page. - - The first volume will be: - -HAMLET. Edited by EDWARD DOWDEN. _Demy 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - -The Novels of Charles Dickens. - -_Crown 8vo. Each Volume, cloth 3s., leather 4s. net._ - - Messrs. METHUEN have in preparation an edition of those novels - of Charles Dickens which have now passed out of copyright. - Mr. George Gissing, whose critical study of Dickens is both - sympathetic and acute, has written an Introduction to each of - the books, and a very attractive feature of this edition will - be the illustrations of the old houses, inns, and buildings, - which Dickens described, and which have now in many instances - disappeared under the touch of modern civilisation. Another - valuable feature will be a series of topographical notes to each - book by Mr. F. G. Kitton. The books will be produced with the - greatest care as to printing, paper and binding. - - The first volumes will be: - -THE PICKWICK PAPERS. With Illustrations by E. H. NEW. _Two Volumes._ - -NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. With Illustrations by R. J. WILLIAMS. _Two -Volumes._ - -BLEAK HOUSE. With Illustrations by BEATRICE ALCOCK. _Two Volumes._ - -OLIVER TWIST. With Illustrations by E. H. NEW. _Two Volumes._ - - -The Little Library. - -_Pott 8vo. Each Volume, cloth 2s.; leather 2s. 6d. net._ - - Messrs. METHUEN intend to produce a series of small books under - the above title, containing some of the famous books in English - and other literatures, in the domains of fiction, poetry, and - belles lettres. The series will also contain several volumes of - selections in prose and verse. - - The books will be edited with the most sympathetic and scholarly - care. Each one will contain an Introduction which will give - (1) a short biography of the author, (2) a critical estimate - of the book, (3) short bibliographical details. Where they are - necessary, short notes will be added at the foot of the page. - - The Little Library will ultimately contain complete sets of the - novels of W. M. Thackeray, Jane Austen, the sisters Bronté, Mrs. - Gaskell and others. It will also contain the best work of many - other novelists whose names are household words. - - Each book will have a portrait or frontispiece in photogravure, - and the volumes will be produced with great care in a style - uniform with that of 'The Library of Devotion.' - - The first volumes will be: - -A LITTLE BOOK OF ENGLISH LYRICS. - -PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. By JANE AUSTEN. With an Introduction by E. V. -LUCAS. _Two Volumes._ - -VANITY FAIR. By W. M. THACKERAY. With an Introduction by S. GWYNN. -_Three Volumes._ - -EOTHEN. By A. W. KINGLAKE. With an Introduction. - -CRANFORD. By Mrs. GASKELL. With an Introduction by E. V. LUCAS. - -JANE EYRE. By CHARLOTTE BRONTÉ. With an Introduction by R. BAYNE. -_Two Volumes._ - - -The Little Guides. - -_Pott 8vo, cloth 3s.; leather 3s. 6d. net._ - -_NEW VOLUME._ - -SHAKESPEARE'S COUNTRY. By B. C. WINDLE, M.A. Illustrated by E. H. NEW. - - Uniform with Mr. Wells' 'Oxford' and Mr. Thomson's 'Cambridge.' - - -Fiction - -_A NEW DEPARTURE IN PUBLISHING._ - - Messrs. METHUEN contemplate a very interesting experiment in - publishing. They are about to issue at Sixpence, under the - general title of 'Methuen's Library of Fiction,' stories by - some of the best known writers of the day. A few books will be - reprints, but most will be new works hitherto unpublished in book - form. - - A considerable number of Sixpenny Editions of old books have - already been issued by various publishers, but in no case has - the work of an author of high repute been published in the first - instance at that price. This Messrs. Methuen will attempt, and - the first book thus published will be by E. W. Hornung. Mr. - Robert Barr and Mr. Cutliffe Hyne will follow, and later will be - published books by Mr. Baring Gould and others. In some cases - the same book will be published simultaneously both at Sixpence - and at a higher price. Messrs. Methuen recognise the inevitable - tendencies of an age of cheap literature. The theatre has its - stalls and its pit, the railway its first and its third classes: - so the novelist may well have a double audience, and while the - wealthy will still pay Six Shillings for their novels, those of - limited means will be able to purchase the same book in a decent - but less luxurious form. - -A NEW NOVEL. By E. W. HORNUNG. _Demy 8vo. 6d._ - -JENNY BAXTER. By ROBERT BARR. _Demy 8vo. 6d._ - - -THE COUNTESS TEKLA. By ROBERT BARR, Author of 'The Mutable Many.' -_Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A romance of adventure. - -THE CAPSINA. By E. F. BENSON, Author of 'Dodo.' With Illustrations -by G. P. JACOMB-HOOD. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -THE HUMAN BOY. By EDEN PHILPOTTS, Author of 'Children of the Mist.' -_Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - A series of studies of the English schoolboy, the result of keen - observation, and of a most engaging wit. - -ANNE MAULEVERER. By Mrs. CAFFYN (Iota), Author of 'The Yellow Aster.' -_Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -RACHEL. By JANE HELEN FINDLATER, Author of 'The Green Graves of -Balgowrie.' _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -BETTY MUSGRAVE. By MARY FINDLATER, Author of 'Over the Hills.' _Crown -8vo. 6s._ - -THE PATH OF A STAR. By SARA JEANETTE DUNCAN, Author of 'A Voyage of -Consolation.' _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -THE AMATEUR CRACKSMAN. By E. W. HORNUNG, Author of 'Young Blood.' -_Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -THE PATHS OF THE PRUDENT. By J. S. FLETCHER, Author of 'When Charles -I. was King.' _Crown 8vo, 6s._ - -GILES INGILBY. By W. E. NORRIS. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -ROSE A CHARLITTE. By MARSHALL SAUNDERS. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A romantic story of Acadie. - -ADRIAN ROME. By E. DOWSON and A. MOORE, Authors of 'A Comedy of -Masks.' _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED. By DOROTHEA GERARD, Author of 'Lady Baby,' -'Orthodox,' etc. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - -LONE PINE. By R. B. TOWNSHEND. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A romance of Mexican life. - -TALES OF NORTHUMBRIA. By HOWARD PEASE. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - - - -A CATALOGUE OF - -MESSRS. METHUEN'S - -PUBLICATIONS - - -Poetry - - -=Rudyard Kipling.= BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS. By RUDYARD KIPLING. _47th -Thousand. Crown 8vo. 6s_. - - 'Mr. Kipling's verse is strong, vivid, full of character.... - Unmistakeable genius rings in every line.'--_Times._ - - 'The ballads teem with imagination, they palpitate with emotion. - We read them with laughter and tears; the metres throb in our - pulses, the cunningly ordered words tingle with life; and if this - be not poetry, what is?'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - -=Rudyard Kipling.= THE SEVEN SEAS. By _Rudyard Kipling_. _41st -Thousand. Cr. 8vo. Buckram, gilt top. 6s._ - - 'The new poems of Mr. Rudyard Kipling have all the spirit and - swing of their predecessors. Patriotism is the solid concrete - foundation on which Mr. Kipling has built the whole of his - work.'--_Times._ - - 'The Empire has found a singer; it is no depreciation of the - songs to say that statesmen may have, one way or other, to take - account of them.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - 'Animated through and through with indubitable genius.'--_Daily - Telegraph._ - - -="Q."= POEMS AND BALLADS. By "Q." _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'This work has just the faint, ineffable touch and glow that make - poetry.'--_Speaker._ - - -="Q."= GREEN BAYS: Verses and Parodies. By "Q." _Second Edition. -Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d_. - - -=E. Mackay.= A SONG OF THE SEA. By ERIC MACKAY. _Second Edition. -Fcap. 8vo. 5s._ - - 'Everywhere Mr. Mackay displays himself the master of a style - marked by all the characteristics of the best rhetoric.'--_Globe._ - - -=H. Ibsen.= BRAND. A Drama by HENRIK IBSEN. Translated by WILLIAM -WILSON. _Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'The greatest world-poem of the nineteenth century next to - "Faust." It is in the same set with "Agamemnon," with "Lear," - with the literature that we now instinctively regard as high and - holy.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -="A. G."= VERSES TO ORDER. By "A. G." _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. net._ - - 'A capital specimen of light academic poetry.'--_St. James's - Gazette._ - - -=James Williams.= VENTURES IN VERSE. By JAMES WILLIAMS, Fellow of -Lincoln College, Oxford. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'In matter and manner the book is admirable.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - - -=J. G. Cordery.= THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER. A Translation by J. G. -CORDERY. _Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - 'A spirited, accurate, and scholarly piece of work.'--_Glasgow - Herald._ - - -Belles Lettres, Anthologies, etc. - - -=R. L. Stevenson.= VAILIMA LETTERS. By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. With -an Etched Portrait by WILLIAM STRANG. _Second Edition. 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Buckram, -gilt top. 10s. 6d._ - - This edition contains the 'Venus,' 'Lucrece,' and Sonnets, and is - prefaced with an elaborate introduction of over 140 pp. - - 'One of the most serious contributions to Shakespearian criticism - that have been published for some time.'--_Times._ - - 'A scholarly and interesting contribution to - literature.'--_Literature._ - - 'We have no hesitation in describing Mr. George Wyndham's - introduction as a masterly piece of criticism, and all who love - our Elizabethan literature will find a very garden of delight in - it.'--_Spectator._ - - 'Mr. Wyndham's notes are admirable, even - indispensable.'--_Westminster Gazette._ - - -=W. E. Henley.= ENGLISH LYRICS. Selected and Edited by W. E. HENLEY. -_Crown 8vo. Buckram, gilt top. 6s._ - - 'It is a body of choice and lovely poetry.'--_Birmingham Gazette._ - - -=Henley and Whibley.= A BOOK OF ENGLISH PROSE. Collected by W. E. -HENLEY and CHARLES WHIBLEY. _Crown 8vo. Buckram, gilt top. 6s._ - - 'Quite delightful. A greater treat for those not well acquainted - with pre-Restoration prose could not be imagined.'--_Athenæum._ - - -=H. C. Beeching.= LYRA SACRA: An Anthology of Sacred Verse. Edited by -H. C. BEECHING, M.A. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - 'A charming selection, which maintains a lofty standard of - excellence.'--_Times._ - - -="Q."= THE GOLDEN POMP. A Procession of English Lyrics. Arranged by -A. T. QUILLER COUCH. _Crown 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - 'A delightful volume: a really golden "Pomp."'--_Spectator._ - - -=W. B. Yeats.= AN ANTHOLOGY OF IRISH VERSE. Edited by W. B. YEATS. -_Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'An attractive and catholic selection.'--_Times._ - - -=G. W. Steevens.= MONOLOGUES OF THE DEAD. By G. W. STEEVENS. -_Foolscap 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'The effect is sometimes splendid, sometimes bizarre, but always - amazingly clever.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - -=W. M. Dixon.= A PRIMER OF TENNYSON. By W. M. 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BROWNE, M.A., and a Portrait. _2 vols. -7s._ - - -=Walton.= THE LIVES OF DONNE, WOTTON, HOOKER, HERBERT AND SANDERSON. -By IZAAK WALTON. With an Introduction by VERNON BLACKBURN, and a -Portrait. _3s. 6d._ - - -=Johnson.= THE LIVES OF THE ENGLISH POETS. By SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. -With an Introduction by J. H. MILLAR, and a Portrait. _3 vols. 10s. -6d._ - - -=Burns.= THE POEMS OF ROBERT BURNS. Edited by ANDREW LANG and W. A. -CRAIGIE. With Portrait. _Second Edition. Demy 8vo, gilt top. 6s._ - - This edition contains a carefully collated Text, numerous Notes, - critical and textual, a critical and biographical Introduction, - and a Glossary. - - 'Among editions in one volume, this will take the place of - authority.'--_Times._ - - -=F. Langbridge.= BALLADS OF THE BRAVE; Poems of Chivalry, Enterprise, -Courage, and Constancy. Edited by Rev. F. LANGBRIDGE. _Second -Edition. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d. School Edition. 2s. 6d._ - - 'A very happy conception happily carried out. 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BARING GOULD. -With numerous Illustrations and Initial Letters by ARTHUR J. GASKIN. -_Second Edition. Cr. 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - 'Mr. Baring Gould is deserving of gratitude, in re-writing in - simple style the old stories that delighted our fathers and - grandfathers.'--_Saturday Review._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= OLD ENGLISH FAIRY TALES. Collected and edited -by S. BARING GOULD. With Numerous Illustrations by F. D. BEDFORD. -_Second Edition. Cr. 8vo. Buckram. 6s._ - - 'A charming volume.'--_Guardian._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= A BOOK OF NURSERY SONGS AND RHYMES. Edited by S. -BARING GOULD, and Illustrated by the Birmingham Art School. _Buckram, -gilt top. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - -=H. C. Beeching.= A BOOK OF CHRISTMAS VERSE. Edited by H. C. -BEECHING, M.A., and Illustrated by WALTER CRANE. _Cr. 8vo. gilt top. -3s. 6d._ - - 'An anthology which, from its unity of aim and high poetic - excellence, has a better right to exist than most of its - fellows.'--_Guardian._ - - -History - - -=Gibbon.= THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. By EDWARD GIBBON. -A New Edition, Edited with Notes, Appendices, and Maps, by J. B. -BURY, LL.D., Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. _In Seven Volumes. -Demy 8vo. Gilt top. 8s. 6d. each. Also Cr. 8vo. 6s. each. Vols. I., -II., III., IV., V., and VI._ - - 'The time has certainly arrived for a new edition of Gibbon's - great work.... Professor Bury is the right man to undertake this - task. His learning is amazing, both in extent and accuracy. 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Petrie. - _Second Edition._ - - 'A history written in the spirit of scientific precision so - worthily represented by Dr. Petrie and his school cannot but - promote sound and accurate study, and supply a vacant place in - the English literature of Egyptology.'--_Times._ - - -=Flinders Petrie.= RELIGION AND CONSCIENCE IN ANCIENT EGYPT. By W. M. -FLINDERS PETRIE, D.C.L., LL.D. Fully Illustrated. _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - 'The lectures will afford a fund of valuable information for - students of ancient ethics.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=Flinders Petrie.= SYRIA AND EGYPT, FROM THE TELL EL AMARNA TABLETS. -By W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, D.C.L., LL.D. _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - 'A marvellous record. The addition made to our knowledge is - nothing short of amazing.'--_Times._ - - -=Flinders Petrie.= EGYPTIAN TALES. Edited by W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE. -Illustrated by TRISTRAM ELLIS. _In Two Volumes. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d. -each._ - - 'Invaluable as a picture of life in Palestine and Egypt.'--_Daily - News._ - - -=Flinders Petrie.= EGYPTIAN DECORATIVE ART. By W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE. -With 120 Illustrations. _Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'In these lectures he displays rare skill in elucidating the - development of decorative art in Egypt.'--_Times._ - - -=C. W. Oman.= A HISTORY OF THE ART OF WAR. Vol. II.: The Middle Ages, -from the Fourth to the Fourteenth Century. By C. W. OMAN, M.A., -Fellow of All Souls', Oxford. Illustrated. _Demy 8vo. 21s._ - - 'The book is based throughout upon a thorough study of the - original sources, and will be an indispensable aid to all - students of mediæval history.'--_Athenæum._ - - 'The whole art of war in its historic evolution has never been - treated on such an ample and comprehensive scale, and we question - if any recent contribution to the exact history of the world has - possessed more enduring value.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= THE TRAGEDY OF THE CÆSARS. With numerous -Illustrations from Busts, Gems, Cameos, etc. By S. BARING GOULD. -_Fourth Edition. Royal 8vo. 15s._ - - 'A most splendid and fascinating book on a subject of undying - interest. The great feature of the book is the use the author has - made of the existing portraits of the Caesars and the admirable - critical subtlety he has exhibited in dealing with this line of - research. It is brilliantly written, and the illustrations are - supplied on a scale of profuse magnificence.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=F. W. Maitland.= CANON LAW IN ENGLAND. By F. W. MAITLAND, LL.D., -Downing Professor of the Laws of England in the University of -Cambridge. _Royal 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - 'Professor Maitland has put students of English law under a fresh - debt. These essays are landmarks in the study of the history of - Canon Law.'--_Times._ - - -=H. de B. Gibbins.= INDUSTRY IN ENGLAND: HISTORICAL OUTLINES. By H. -DE B. GIBBINS, M.A., D. Litt. 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With Maps and Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 10s. -6d._ - - 'Admirably written, and crammed with interesting facts.'--_Daily - Mail._ - - 'The only adequate history of a great English railway - company.'--_Times._ - - 'Mr. Grinling has done for a Railway what Macaulay did for - English History.'--_The Engineer._ - - -=W. Sterry.= ANNALS OF ETON COLLEGE. By W. STERRY, M.A. With numerous -Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - 'A treasury of quaint and interesting reading. Mr. Sterry has by - his skill and vivacity given these records new life.--_Academy._ - - 'A most attractive and admirably illustrated account.'--_Daily - Chronicle._ - - -=J. Sargeaunt.= ANNALS OF WESTMINSTER SCHOOL. By J. SARGEAUNT, M.A., -Assistant Master. With numerous Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - -=A. Clark.= THE COLLEGES OF OXFORD: Their History and their -Traditions. By Members of the University. Edited by A. 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II. 1409-1530.--The Age of the Condottieri. - - 'Mr. Browning is to be congratulated on the production of a work - of immense labour and learning.'--_Westminster Gazette._ - - -=O'Grady.= THE STORY OF IRELAND. By STANDISH O'GRADY, Author of 'Finn -and his Companions.' _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - -Biography - - -=S. Baring Gould.= THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. By S. BARING -GOULD. With over 450 Illustrations in the Text and 12 Photogravure -Plates. _Large quarto. Gilt top. 36s._ - - 'The best biography of Napoleon in our tongue, nor have the - French as good a biographer of their hero. 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The whole book, in fact, is one of the greatest - interest--peculiarly so, it may be, to the naval officer, but - also to the average taxpayer and the reading public.'--_Times._ - - -=Morris Fuller.= THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF JOHN DAVENANT, D.D. -(1571-1641), Bishop of Salisbury. By MORRIS FULLER, B.D. _Demy 8vo. -10s. 6d._ - - -=J. M. Rigg.= ST. ANSELM OF CANTERBURY: A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF -RELIGION. By J. M. RIGG. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - 'Mr. Rigg has told the story of the life with scholarly ability, - and has contributed an interesting chapter to the history of the - Norman period.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=F. W. Joyce.= THE LIFE OF SIR FREDERICK GORE OUSELEY. By F. W. -JOYCE, M.A. _7s. 6d._ - - 'This book has been undertaken in quite the right spirit, and - written with sympathy, insight, and considerable literary - skill.'--_Times._ - - -=W. G. Collingwood.= THE LIFE OF JOHN RUSKIN. By W. G. COLLINGWOOD, -M.A. With Portraits, and 13 Drawings by Mr. Ruskin. _Second Edition. -2 vols. 8vo. 32s._ - - 'No more magnificent volumes have been published for a long - time.'--_Times._ - - 'It is long since we had a biography with such delights of - substance and of form. Such a book is a pleasure for the day, and - a joy for ever.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=C. Waldstein.= JOHN RUSKIN. By CHARLES WALDSTEIN, M.A. With a -Photogravure Portrait, _Post 8vo. 5s._ - - 'A thoughtful and well-written criticism of Ruskin's - teaching.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=A. M. F. Darmesteter.= THE LIFE OF ERNEST RENAN. By MADAME -DARMESTETER. With Portrait. _Second Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A polished gem of biography, superior in its kind to any attempt - that has been made of recent years in England. Madame Darmesteter - has indeed written for English readers "_The_ Life of Ernest - Renan."'--_Athenæum._ - - 'It is interpenetrated with the dignity and charm, the mild, - bright, classical grace of form and treatment that Renan himself - so loved; and it fulfils to the uttermost the delicate and - difficult achievement it sets out to accomplish.'--_Academy._ - - -=W. H. Hutton.= THE LIFE OF SIR THOMAS MORE. By W. H. HUTTON, M.A. -With Portraits. _Cr. 8vo. 5s._ - - 'The book lays good claim to high rank among our biographies. It - is excellently even lovingly, written.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'An excellent monograph.'--_Times._ - - -Travel, Adventure and Topography - - -=Sven Hedin.= THROUGH ASIA. By SVEN HEDIN, Gold Medallist of the -Royal Geographical Society. With 300 Illustrations from Sketches and -Photographs by the Author, and Maps. _2 vols. Royal 8vo. 36s. net._ - - 'One of the greatest books of the kind issued during the century. - It is impossible to give an adequate idea of the richness of the - contents of this book, nor of its abounding attractions as a - story of travel unsurpassed in geographical and human interest. - Much of it is a revelation. Altogether the work is one which in - solidity, novelty, and interest must take a first rank among - publications of its class.'--_Times._ - - 'In these magnificent volumes we have the most important - contribution to Central Asian geography made for many years. - Intensely interesting as a tale of travel.'--_Spectator._ - - 'The whole story of the desert adventure is worthy to be added to - the classics of its kind.'--_World._ - - 'These volumes are of absorbing and fascinating interest, their - matter is wonderful, and Dr. Hedin's style is surcharged with - strong and alluring personality. No romance exceeds in its - intense and enthralling interest this story.'--_Birmingham Post._ - - 'One of the most remarkable books of travel of the - century.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - 'Profoundly interesting.'--_Academy._ - - 'A memorable book, gigantic of design, magnificent in execution, - and without doubt one of the outstanding travel-volumes of the - century.'--_Black and White._ - - 'Let any one who is desirous to learn about the wonderful - continent of Asia as no one else can teach him, buy and read this - work.'--_Vanity Fair._ - - -=R. E. Peary.= NORTHWARD OVER THE GREAT ICE. By R. E. PEARY, -Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society. With over 800 -Illustrations. _2 vols. Royal 8vo. 32s. net._ - - 'The book is full of interesting matter--a tale of brave - deeds simply told; abundantly illustrated with prints and - maps.'--_Standard._ - - 'His book will take its place among the permanent literature of - Arctic exploration.'--_Times._ - - 'It yields neither in interest nor in ability to - Nansen's "Farthest North," while its results are no less - valuable.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - - 'Crowded with adventures and intensely interesting.'--_World._ - - 'An exciting and thoroughly well-arranged book.'--_St. James's - Gazette._ - - -=G. S. Robertson.= CHITRAL: The Story of a Minor Siege. By Sir G. S. -ROBERTSON, K.C.S.I. With numerous Illustrations and a Map. _Second -Edition. Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - 'It is difficult to imagine the kind of person who could - read this brilliant book without emotion. The story remains - immortal--a testimony imperishable. We are face to face with a - great book.'--_Illustrated London News._ - - 'A book which the Elizabethans would have thought wonderful. - More thrilling, more piquant, and more human than any - novel.'--_Newcastle Chronicle._ - - 'One of the most stirring military narratives written in our - time.'--_Times._ - - 'A masterpiece of narrative.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - 'As fascinating as Sir Walter Scott's best fiction.'--_Daily - Telegraph._ - - 'Full of dashing feats of courage as any romance.'--_Pall Mall - Gazette._ - - 'Not since the appearance of Lord Roberts's "Forty-one Years" - have we had a record of Indian warfare which can be compared with - this glowing and moving story.'--_Daily Mail._ - - 'The enthusiastic admiration of the reader cannot fail to be - aroused.'--_Morning Post._ - - 'A classic of frontier literature.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'Any one proud of his name as Englishman may read in these - stirring chapters abundant justification for his pride.'--_Globe._ - - 'A very fascinating, a singularly delightful book.'--_Glasgow - Herald._ - - 'A noble story, nobly told.'--_Punch._ - - 'Every page is quick with heroism.'--_Outlook._ - - -=H. H. Johnston.= BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA. By Sir H. H. JOHNSTON, -K.C.B. With nearly Two Hundred Illustrations, and Six Maps. _Second -Edition. Crown 4to. 18s. net._ - - 'A fascinating book, written with equal skill and charm--the - work at once of a literary artist and of a man of action who is - singularly wise, brave, and experienced. It abounds in admirable - sketches from pencil.'--_Westminster Gazette._ - - 'A delightful book ... collecting within the covers of a single - volume all that is known of this part of our African domains. - The voluminous appendices are of extreme value.'--_Manchester - Guardian._ - - -=L. Decle.= THREE YEARS IN SAVAGE AFRICA. By LIONEL DECLE. With 100 -Illustrations and 5 Maps. _Second Edition. Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d. net._ - - 'A fine, full book.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - 'Abounding in thrilling adventures.'--_Daily Telegraph._ - - 'Its bright pages give a better general survey of Africa from - the Cape to the Equator than any single volume that has yet been - published.'--_Times._ - - 'A delightful book.'--_Academy._ - - 'Unquestionably one of the most interesting books of travel which - have recently appeared.'--_Standard._ - - -=A. Hulme Beaman.= TWENTY YEARS IN THE NEAR EAST. By A. HULME BEAMAN. -_Demy 8vo._ With Portrait. _10s. 6d._ - - 'One of the most entertaining books that we have had in our - hands for a long time. It is unconventional in a high degree; it - is written with sagacious humour; it is full of adventures and - anecdotes.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - 'Packed with incident and eminently readable.'--_Critic._ - - -=Henri of Orleans.= FROM TONKIN TO INDIA. By PRINCE HENRI OF ORLEANS. -Translated by HAMLEY BENT, M.A. With 100 Illustrations and a Map. -_Cr. 4to, gilt top. 25s._ - - -=R. S. S. Baden-Powell.= THE DOWNFALL OF PREMPEH. A Diary of Life in -Ashanti, 1895. By Colonel BADEN-POWELL. With 21 Illustrations and a -Map. _Cheaper Edition. Large Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A compact, faithful, most readable record of the - campaign.'--_Daily News._ - - -=R. S. S. Baden-Powell.= THE MATABELE CAMPAIGN, 1896. By Col. -BADEN-POWELL. With nearly 100 Illustrations. _Cheaper Edition. Large -Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A straightforward account of a great deal of plucky - work.'--_Times._ - - -=S. L. Hinde.= THE FALL OF THE CONGO ARABS. By S. L. HINDE. With -Plans, etc. _Demy 8vo. 12s. 6d._ - - -=A. St. H. Gibbons.= EXPLORATION AND HUNTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA. By -Major A. ST. H. GIBBONS. With full-page Illustrations by C. WHYMPER, -and Maps. _Demy 8vo. 15s._ - - 'His book is a grand record of quiet, unassuming, tactful - resolution. His adventures were as various as his sporting - exploits were exciting.'--_Times._ - - -=E. H. Alderson.= WITH THE MASHONALAND FIELD FORCE, 1896. By -Lieut.-Colonel ALDERSON. With numerous Illustrations and Plans. _Demy -8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - 'A clear, vigorous, and soldier-like narrative.'--_Scotsman._ - - -=Seymour Vandeleur.= CAMPAIGNING ON THE UPPER NILE AND NIGER. By -Lieut. SEYMOUR VANDELEUR. With an Introduction by Sir G. GOLDIE, -K.C.M.G. With 4 Maps, Illustrations, and Plans. _Large Crown 8vo. -10s. 6d._ - - 'Upon the African question there is no book procurable which - contains so much of value as this one.'--_Guardian._ - - -=Lord Fincastle.= A FRONTIER CAMPAIGN. By Viscount FINCASTLE, V.C., -and Lieut. P. C. ELLIOTT-LOCKHART. With a Map and 16 Illustrations. -_Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'An admirable book, and a really valuable treatise on frontier - war.'--_Athenæum._ - - -=E. N. Bennett.= THE DOWNFALL OF THE DERVISHES: A Sketch of the Sudan -Campaign of 1898. By E. N. BENNETT, Fellow of Hertford College. With -Four Maps and a Photogravure Portrait of the Sirdar. _Second Edition. -Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - -=J. K. Trotter.= THE NIGER SOURCES. By Colonel J. K. TROTTER, R.A. -With a Map and Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - 'A most interesting as well as a lucidly and modestly written - book.'--_Spectator._ - - -=Michael Davitt.= LIFE AND PROGRESS IN AUSTRALASIA. By MICHAEL -DAVITT, M.P. With 2 Maps. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ 500 pp. - - 'One of the most valuable contributions to our store of Imperial - literature that has been published for a very long time.--_Pall - Mall Gazette._ - - -=W. Crooke.= THE NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES OF INDIA: THEIR ETHNOLOGY -AND ADMINISTRATION. By W. CROOKE. With Maps and Illustrations. _Demy -8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - 'A carefully and well-written account of one of the most - important provinces of the Empire. Mr. Crooke deals with the - land in its physical aspect, the province under Hindoo and - Mussulman rule, under British rule, its ethnology and sociology, - its religious and social life, the land and its settlement, and - the native peasant. The illustrations are good, and the map is - excellent.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=A. Boisragon.= THE BENIN MASSACRE. By CAPTAIN BOISRAGON. _Second -Edition. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'If the story had been written four hundred years ago it would be - read to-day as an English classic.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'If anything could enhance the horror and the pathos of this - remarkable book it is the simple style of the author, who writes - as he would talk, unconscious of his own heroism, with an - artlessness which is the highest art.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - -=H. S. Cowper.= THE HILL OF THE GRACES: OR, THE GREAT STONE TEMPLES -OF TRIPOLI. By H. S. COWPER, F.S.A. With Maps, Plans, and 75 -Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - 'Forms a valuable chapter of what has now become quite a large - and important branch of antiquarian research.'--_Times._ - - -=W. Kinnaird Rose.= WITH THE GREEKS IN THESSALY. By W. KINNAIRD ROSE, -Reuter's Correspondent. With Plans and 23 Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. -6s._ - - -=W. B. Worsfold.= SOUTH AFRICA. By W. B. WORSFOLD, M.A. _With a Map. -Second Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A monumental work compressed into a very moderate - compass.'--_World._ - - -Naval and Military - - -=G. W. Steevens.= NAVAL POLICY. By G. W. STEEVENS. _Demy 8vo. 6s._ - - This book is a description of the British and other more - important navies of the world, with a sketch of the lines on - which our naval policy might possibly be developed. - - 'An extremely able and interesting work.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=D. Hannay.= A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ROYAL NAVY, FROM EARLY TIMES TO -THE PRESENT DAY. By DAVID HANNAY. Illustrated. _2 Vols. Demy 8vo. 7s. -6d. each._ Vol. I., 1200-1688. - - 'We read it from cover to cover at a sitting, and those who go - to it for a lively and brisk picture of the past, with all its - faults and its grandeur, will not be disappointed. The historian - is endowed with literary skill and style.'--_Standard._ - - 'We can warmly recommend Mr. Hannay's volume to any intelligent - student of naval history. Great as is the merit of Mr. Hannay's - historical narrative, the merit of his strategic exposition is - even greater.'--_Times._ - - -=C. Cooper King.= THE STORY OF THE BRITISH ARMY. By Colonel COOPER -KING. Illustrated. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - 'An authoritative and accurate story of England's military - progress.'--_Daily Mail._ - - -=R. Southey.= ENGLISH SEAMEN (Howard, Clifford, Hawkins, Drake, -Cavendish). By ROBERT SOUTHEY. Edited, with an Introduction, by DAVID -HANNAY. _Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'Admirable and well-told stories of our naval history.'--_Army - and Navy Gazette._ - - 'A brave, inspiriting book.'--_Black and White._ - - -=W. Clark Russell.= THE LIFE OF ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. By W. CLARK -RUSSELL. With Illustrations by F. BRANGWYN. _Third Edition. Crown -8vo. 6s._ - - 'A book which we should like to see in the hands of every boy in - the country.'--_St. James's Gazette._ - - 'A really good book.'--_Saturday Review._ - - -=E. L. S. Horsburgh.= THE CAMPAIGN OF WATERLOO. By E. L. S. -HORSBURGH, B.A. With Plans. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - 'A brilliant essay--simple, sound, and thorough.'--_Daily - Chronicle._ - - -=H. B. George.= BATTLES OF ENGLISH HISTORY. By H. B. GEORGE, M.A., -Fellow of New College, Oxford. With numerous Plans. _Third Edition. -Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'Mr. George has undertaken a very useful task--that of making - military affairs intelligible and instructive to non-military - readers--and has executed it with a large measure of - success.'--_Times._ - - -General Literature - - -=S. Baring Gould.= OLD COUNTRY LIFE. By S. BARING GOULD. With -Sixty-seven Illustrations. _Large Cr. 8vo. Fifth Edition. 6s._ - - '"Old Country Life," as healthy wholesome reading, full of breezy - life and movement, full of quaint stories vigorously told, will - not be excelled by any book to be published throughout the year. - Sound, hearty, and English to the core.'--_World._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= AN OLD ENGLISH HOME. By S. BARING GOULD. With -numerous Plans and Illustrations. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'The chapters are delightfully fresh, very informing, and - lightened by many a good story. A delightful fireside - companion.'--_St. James's Gazette._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= HISTORIC ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. By S. BARING -GOULD. _Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A collection of exciting and entertaining chapters. Delightful - reading.'--_Times._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= FREAKS OF FANATICISM. By S. BARING GOULD. _Third -Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG: English Folk Songs with -their Traditional Melodies. Collected and arranged by S. BARING GOULD -and H. F. SHEPPARD. _Demy 4to. 6s._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= SONGS OF THE WEST: Traditional Ballads and Songs -of the West of England, with their Melodies. Collected by S. BARING -GOULD, M.A., and H. F. SHEPPARD, M.A. In 4 Parts. _Parts I., II., -III., 3s. each. Part IV., 5s. In one Vol., French morocco, 15s._ - - 'A rich collection of humour, pathos, grace, and poetic - fancy.'--_Saturday Review._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= YORKSHIRE ODDITIES AND STRANGE EVENTS. By S. -BARING GOULD. _Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= STRANGE SURVIVALS AND SUPERSTITIONS. By S. BARING -GOULD. _Cr. 8vo. Second Edition. 6s._ - - -=S. Baring Gould.= THE DESERTS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE. By S. BARING -GOULD. _2 vols. Demy 8vo. 32s._ - - -=Cotton Minchin.= OLD HARROW DAYS. By J. G. COTTON MINCHIN. _Cr. 8vo. -Second Edition. 5s._ - - 'This book is an admirable record.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=W. E. Gladstone.= THE SPEECHES OF THE RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, M.P. -Edited by A. W. HUTTON, M.A., and H. J. COHEN, M.A. With Portraits. -_Demy 8vo. Vols. IX. and X., 12s. 6d. each._ - - -=E. V. Zenker.= ANARCHISM. By E. V. ZENKER. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - 'Herr Zenker has succeeded in producing a careful and critical - history of the growth of Anarchist theory. He is to be - congratulated upon a really interesting work.'--_Literature._ - - -=H. G. Hutchinson.= THE GOLFING PILGRIM. By HORACE G. HUTCHINSON. -_Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'Full of useful information with plenty of good - stories.'--_Truth._ - - 'Without this book the golfer's library will be - incomplete.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - 'It will charm all golfers.'--_Times._ - - -=J. Wells.= OXFORD AND OXFORD LIFE. By Members of the University. -Edited by J. WELLS, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Wadham College. _Second -Edition. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'We congratulate Mr. Wells on the production of a readable and - intelligent account of Oxford as it is at the present time, - written by persons who are possessed of a close acquaintance with - the system and life of the University.'--_Athenæum._ - - -=J. Wells.= OXFORD AND ITS COLLEGES. By J. WELLS, M.A., Fellow and -Tutor of Wadham College. Illustrated by E. H. NEW. _Second Edition. -Fcap. 8vo. 3s. Leather. 3s 6d. net._ - - 'An admirable and accurate little treatise, attractively - illustrated.'--_World._ - - 'A luminous and tasteful little volume.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - 'Exactly what the intelligent visitor wants.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - - -=A. H. Thompson.= CAMBRIDGE AND ITS COLLEGES. By A. HAMILTON -THOMPSON. With Illustrations by E. H. NEW. _Pott 8vo. 3s. Leather. -3s. 6d. net._ - - This book is uniform with Mr. Wells' very successful book, - 'Oxford and its Colleges.' - - 'It is brightly written and learned, and is just such a book as a - cultured visitor needs.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'A very neat and tasteful little volume, intelligently condensing - all available information.'--_Literature._ - - -=C. G. Robertson.= VOCES ACADEMICÆ. By C. GRANT ROBERTSON, M.A., -Fellow of All Souls', Oxford. _With a Frontispiece. Pott 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'Decidedly clever and amusing.'--_Athenæum._ - - 'A clever and entertaining little book.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - -=Rosemary Cotes.= DANTE'S GARDEN. By ROSEMARY COTES. With a -Frontispiece. _Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - 'A charming collection of legends of the flowers mentioned by - Dante.'--_Academy._ - - -=Clifford Harrison.= READING AND READERS. By CLIFFORD HARRISON. _Fcp. -8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - 'We recommend schoolmasters to examine its merits, for it is at - school that readers are made.'--_Academy._ - - 'An extremely sensible little book.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=L. Whibley.= GREEK OLIGARCHIES: THEIR ORGANISATION AND CHARACTER. By -L. WHIBLEY, M.A., Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. _Crown 8vo. -6s._ - - 'An exceedingly useful handbook: a careful and well-arranged - study.'--_Times._ - - -=L. L. Price.= ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. By L. L. PRICE, M.A., -Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - -=J. S. Shedlock.= THE PIANOFORTE SONATA: Its Origin and Development. -By J. S. SHEDLOCK. _Crown 8vo. 5s._ - - 'This work should be in the possession of every musician and - amateur. A concise and lucid history and a very valuable work for - reference.'--_Athenæum._ - - -=E. M. Bowden.= THE EXAMPLE OF BUDDHA: Being Quotations from Buddhist -Literature for each Day in the Year. Compiled by E. M. BOWDEN. _Third -Edition. 16mo. 2s. 6d._ - - -Science and Technology - - -=Freudenreich.= DAIRY BACTERIOLOGY. A Short Manual for the Use of -Students. By Dr. ED. VON FREUDENREICH, Translated by J. R. AINSWORTH -DAVIS, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - -=Chalmers Mitchell.= OUTLINES OF BIOLOGY. By P. CHALMERS MITCHELL, -M.A. _Illustrated. Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - A text-book designed to cover the new Schedule issued by the - Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. - - -=G. Massee.= A MONOGRAPH OF THE MYXOGASTRES. By GEORGE MASSEE. With -12 Coloured Plates. _Royal 8vo. 18s. net._ - - 'A work much in advance of any book in the language treating of - this group of organisms. Indispensable to every student of the - Myxogastres.'--_Nature._ - - -=Stephenson and Suddards.= ORNAMENTAL DESIGN FOR WOVEN FABRICS. By C. -STEPHENSON, of The Technical College, Bradford, and F. SUDDARDS, of -The Yorkshire College, Leeds. With 65 full-page plates. _Demy 8vo. -7s. 6d._ - - 'The book is very ably done, displaying an intimate knowledge - of principles, good taste, and the faculty of clear - exposition.'--_Yorkshire Post._ - - -TEXTBOOKS OF TECHNOLOGY. - -Edited by PROFESSORS GARNETT and WERTHEIMER. - -HOW TO MAKE A DRESS. By J. A. E. WOOD. _Illustrated. Cr. 8vo. 1s. 6d._ - - A text-book for students preparing for the City and Guilds - examination, based on the syllabus. The diagrams are numerous. - - 'Though primarily intended for students, Miss Wood's dainty - little manual may be consulted with advantage by any girls who - want to make their own frocks. The directions are simple and - clear, and the diagrams very helpful.'--_Literature._ - -CARPENTRY AND JOINERY. By F. C. WEBBER. With many Illustrations. _Cr. -8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'An admirable elementary text-book on the subject.'--_Builder._ - -PRACTICAL MECHANICS. By SIDNEY H. WELLS. With 75 Illustrations and -Diagrams. _Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - -Philosophy - - -=L. T. Hobhouse.= THE THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE. By L. T. HOBHOUSE, Fellow -of C.C.C., Oxford. _Demy 8vo. 21s._ - - 'The most important contribution to English philosophy since the - publication of Mr. Bradley's "Appearance and Reality."'--_Glasgow - Herald._ - - 'A brilliantly written volume.'--_Times._ - - -=W. H. Fairbrother.= THE PHILOSOPHY OF T. H. GREEN. By W. H. -FAIRBROTHER, M.A. _Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'In every way an admirable book.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - - -=F. W. Bussell.= THE SCHOOL OF PLATO. By F. W. BUSSELL, D.D., Fellow -of Brasenose College, Oxford. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - 'A clever and stimulating book.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=F. S. Granger.= THE WORSHIP OF THE ROMANS. By F. S. GRANGER, M.A., -Litt.D. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A scholarly analysis of the religious ceremonies, beliefs, and - superstitions of ancient Rome, conducted in the new light of - comparative anthropology.'--_Times._ - - -Theology - - -=S. R. Driver.= SERMONS ON SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT. -By S. R. DRIVER, D.D., Canon of Christ Church, Regius Professor of -Hebrew in the University of Oxford. _Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A welcome companion to the author's famous - "Introduction."'--_Guardian._ - - -=T. K. Cheyne.= FOUNDERS OF OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM. By T. K. CHEYNE, -D.D., Oriel Professor at Oxford. _Large Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d._ - - A historical sketch of O. T. Criticism. - - 'A very learned and instructive work.'--_Times._ - - -=H. Rashdall.= DOCTRINE AND DEVELOPMENT. By HASTINGS RASHDALL, M.A., -Fellow and Tutor of New College, Oxford. _Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'An attempt to translate into the language of modern - thought some of the leading ideas of Christian Theology and - Ethics.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'A very interesting attempt to restate some of the principal - doctrines of Christianity, in which Mr. Rashdall appears to - us to have achieved a high measure of success. He is often - learned, almost always sympathetic, and always singularly - lucid.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=H. H. Henson.= APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANITY: As Illustrated by the -Epistles of St. Paul to the Corinthians. By H. H. HENSON, M.A., -Fellow of All Souls', Oxford. _Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A worthy contribution towards some solution of the great - religious problems of the present day.'--_Scotsman._ - - -=H. H. Henson.= DISCIPLINE AND LAW. By H. HENSLEY HENSON, B.D., -Fellow of All Souls', Oxford. _Fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - 'An admirable little volume of Lent addresses.'--_Guardian._ - - -=H. H. Henson.= LIGHT AND LEAVEN: HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SERMONS. By -H. H. HENSON, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'They are always reasonable as well as vigorous.'--_Scotsman._ - - -=W. H. Bennett.= A PRIMER OF THE BIBLE. By W. H. BENNETT. _Second -Edition. Cr. 8vo. 2s. 6d._ - - 'The work of an honest, fearless, and sound critic, and - an excellent guide in a small compass to the books of the - Bible.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=C. H. Prior.= CAMBRIDGE SERMONS. Edited by C. H. PRIOR, M.A., Fellow -and Tutor of Pembroke College. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - A volume of sermons preached before the University of Cambridge - by various preachers, including the late Archbishop of Canterbury - and Bishop Westcott. - - -=William Harrison.= CLOVELLY SERMONS. By WILLIAM HARRISON, M.A., late -Rector of Clovelly. With a Preface by 'LUCAS MALET.' _Cr. 8vo. 3s. -6d._ - - A volume of Sermons by a son-in-law of Charles Kingsley. - - -=Cecilia Robinson.= THE MINISTRY OF DEACONESSES. By Deaconness -CECILIA ROBINSON. With an Introduction by the Lord Bishop of -Winchester. _Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - 'A learned and interesting book, combining with no ordinary skill - the authority of learned research with the practical utility of a - descriptive manual.'--_Scotsman._ - - -=E. B. Layard.= RELIGION IN BOYHOOD. Notes on the Religious Training -of Boys. By E. B. LAYARD, M.A. _18mo. 1s._ - - -=W. Yorke Fausset.= THE _DE CATECHIZANDIS RUDIBUS_ OF ST. AUGUSTINE. -Edited, with Introduction, Notes, etc., by W. YORKE FAUSSET, M.A. -_Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - An edition of a Treatise on the Essentials of Christian Doctrine, - and the best methods of impressing them on candidates for baptism. - - -=F. Weston.= THE HOLY SACRIFICE. By F. WESTON, M.A., Curate of St. -Matthew's, Westminster. _Pott 8vo. 6d. net._ - - A small volume of devotions at the Holy Communion, especially - adapted to the needs of servers and those who do not communicate. - - -=À Kempis.= THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By THOMAS À KEMPIS. With an -Introduction by DEAN FARRAR. Illustrated by C. M. GERE, and printed -in black and red. _Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Buckram. 3s. 6d. Padded -morocco, 5s._ - - 'Amongst all the innumerable English editions of the "Imitation," - there can have been few which were prettier than this one, - printed in strong and handsome type, with all the glory of red - initials.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - - -=J. Keble.= THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. By JOHN KEBLE. With an Introduction -and Notes by W. LOCK, D.D., Warden of Keble College, Ireland -Professor at Oxford. Illus. by R. ANNING BELL. _Second Edition. Fcap. -8vo. Buckram. 3s. 6d. Padded morocco. 5s._ - - 'The present edition is annotated with all the care and insight - to be expected from Mr. Lock. The progress and circumstances - of its composition are detailed in the Introduction. There is - an interesting Appendix on the MSS. of the "Christian Year," - and another giving the order in which the poems were written. - A "Short Analysis of the Thought" is prefixed to each, and any - difficulty in the text is explained in a note.'--_Guardian._ - - -Handbooks of Theology. - -General Editor, A. ROBERTSON, D.D., Principal of King's College, -London. - -THE XXXIX. ARTICLES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. Edited with an -Introduction by E. C. S. GIBSON, D.D., Vicar of Leeds, late Principal -of Wells Theological College. _Second and Cheaper Edition in One -Volume. Demy 8vo. 12s. 6d._ - - 'Dr. Gibson is a master of clear and orderly exposition. And he - has in a high degree a quality very necessary, but rarely found, - in commentators on this topic, that of absolute fairness. His - book is pre-eminently honest.'--_Times._ - - 'We welcome with the utmost satisfaction a new, cheaper, and more - convenient edition of Dr. Gibson's book. It was greatly wanted. - Dr. Gibson has given theological students just what they want, - and we should like to think that it was in the hands of every - candidate for orders.'--_Guardian._ - -AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF RELIGION. By F. B. JEVONS, M.A., -Litt.D., Principal of Bishop Hatfield's Hall. _Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d._ - - 'Dr. Jevons has written a notable work, which we can strongly - recommend to the serious attention of theologians and - anthropologists.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - 'The merit of this book lies in the penetration, the singular - acuteness and force of the author's judgment. He is at - once critical and luminous, at once just and suggestive. A - comprehensive and thorough book.'--_Birmingham Post._ - -THE DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNATION. By R. L. OTTLEY, M.A., late fellow -of Magdalen College, Oxon., and Principal of Pusey House. _In Two -Volumes. Demy 8vo. 15s._ - - 'Learned and reverent: lucid and well arranged.'--_Record._ - - 'A clear and remarkably full account of the main currents - of speculation. Scholarly precision ... genuine tolerance - ... intense interest in his subject--are Mr. Ottley's - merits.'--_Guardian._ - - -The Churchman's Library. - -Edited by J. H. BURN, B.D. - -THE BEGINNINGS OF ENGLISH CHRISTIANITY. By W. E. COLLINS, M.A., -Professor of Ecclesiastical History at King's College, London. With -Map. _Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - - An investigation in detail, based upon original authorities, of - the beginnings of the English Church, with a careful account of - earlier Celtic Christianity. - - 'An excellent example of thorough and fresh historical - work.'--_Guardian._ - -SOME NEW TESTAMENT PROBLEMS. By ARTHUR WRIGHT, Fellow of Queen's -College, Cambridge. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'Bold and outspoken; earnest and reverent.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - -THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN HERE AND HEREAFTER. 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With Introduction and Notes by -WALTER LOCK, D.D., Warden of Keble College, Ireland Professor at -Oxford. - - 'The volume is very prettily bound and printed, and may fairly - claim to be an advance on any previous editions.'--_Guardian._ - -THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. A Revised Translation, with an Introduction, -by C. BIGG, D.D., late Student of Christ Church. - - A practically new translation of this book, which the reader has, - almost for the first time, exactly in the shape in which it left - the hands of the author. - - 'The text is at once scholarly in its faithful reproduction in - English of the sonorous Church Latin in which the original is - composed, and popular.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'A beautiful and scholarly production.'--_Speaker._ - - 'A nearer approach to the original than has yet existed in - English.'--_Academy._ - -A BOOK OF DEVOTIONS. By J. W. STANBRIDGE, M.A., Rector of Bainton, -Canon of York, and sometime Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford. - - 'It is probably the best book of its kind. It deserves high - commendation.'--_Church Gazette._ - - -Leaders of Religion - -Edited by H. C. BEECHING, M. A. _With Portraits, Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d._ - -A series of short biographies of the most prominent leaders of -religious life and thought of all ages and countries. - - The following are ready-- - - CARDINAL NEWMAN. By R. H. HUTTON. - - JOHN WESLEY. By J. H. OVERTON, M.A. - - BISHOP WILBERFORCE. By G. W. DANIELL, M.A. - - CARDINAL MANNING. By A. W. HUTTON, M.A. - - CHARLES SIMEON. By H. C. G. MOULE, D.D. - - JOHN KEBLE. By WALTER LOCK, D.D. - - THOMAS CHALMERS. By Mrs. OLIPHANT. - - LANCELOT ANDREWES. By R. L. OTTLEY, M.A. - - AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY. By E. L. CUTTS, D.D. - - WILLIAM LAUD. By W. H. HUTTON, B.D. - - JOHN KNOX. By F. MACCUNN. - - JOHN HOWE. By R. F. HORTON, D.D. - - BISHOP KEN. By F. A. CLARKE, M.A. - - GEORGE FOX, THE QUAKER. By T. HODGKIN, D.C.L. - - JOHN DONNE. By AUGUSTUS JESSOPP, D.D. - - THOMAS CRANMER. By A. J. MASON. - -Other volumes will be announced in due course. - - -Fiction - -SIX SHILLING NOVELS - - -Marie Corelli's Novels - -_Large crown 8vo. 6s. each._ - -A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS. _Eighteenth Edition._ - -VENDETTA. _Fourteenth Edition._ - -THELMA. _Twentieth Edition._ - -ARDATH: THE STORY OF A DEAD SELF. _Eleventh Edition._ - -THE SOUL OF LILITH. _Ninth Edition._ - -WORMWOOD. _Eighth Edition._ - -BARABBAS: A DREAM OF THE WORLD'S TRAGEDY. _Thirty-third Edition._ - - 'The tender reverence of the treatment and the imaginative - beauty of the writing have reconciled us to the daring of the - conception, and the conviction is forced on us that even so - exalted a subject cannot be made too familiar to us, provided - it be presented in the true spirit of Christian faith. The - amplifications of the Scripture narrative are often conceived - with high poetic insight, and this "Dream of the World's Tragedy" - is a lofty and not inadequate paraphrase of the supreme climax of - the inspired narrative.'--_Dublin Review._ - -THE SORROWS OF SATAN. _Thirty-ninth Edition._ - - 'A very powerful piece of work.... The conception is magnificent, - and is likely to win an abiding place within the memory of - man.... The author has immense command of language, and a - limitless audacity.... This interesting and remarkable romance - will live long after much of the ephemeral literature of the - day is forgotten.... A literary phenomenon ... novel, and even - sublime.'--W. T. STEAD in the _Review of Reviews_. - - -Anthony Hope's Novels - -_Crown 8vo. 6s. each._ - -THE GOD IN THE CAR. _Eighth Edition._ - - 'A very remarkable book, deserving of critical analysis - impossible within our limit; brilliant, but not superficial; well - considered, but not elaborated; constructed with the proverbial - art that conceals, but yet allows itself to be enjoyed by readers - to whom fine literary method is a keen pleasure.'--_The World._ - -A CHANGE OF AIR. _Fifth Edition._ - - 'A graceful, vivacious comedy, true to human nature. The - characters are traced with a masterly hand.'--_Times._ - -A MAN OF MARK. _Fourth Edition._ - - 'Of all Mr. Hope's books, "A Man of Mark" is the one which best - compares with "The Prisoner of Zenda."'--_National Observer._ - -THE CHRONICLES OF COUNT ANTONIO. _Third Edition._ - - 'It is a perfectly enchanting story of love and chivalry, and - pure romance. 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A book like this, in which swords - flash, great surprises are undertaken, and daring deeds done, in - which men and women live and love in the old passionate way, is a - joy inexpressible.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - -WHEN VALMOND CAME TO PONTIAC: The Story of a Lost Napoleon. _Fourth -Edition._ - - 'Here we find romance--real, breathing, living romance. The - character of Valmond is drawn unerringly. The book must - be read, we may say re-read, for any one thoroughly to - appreciate Mr. Parker's delicate touch and innate sympathy with - humanity.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - -AN ADVENTURER OF THE NORTH: The Last Adventures of 'Pretty Pierre.' -_Second Edition._ - - 'The present book is full of fine and moving stories of the - great North, and it will add to Mr. Parker's already high - reputation.'--_Glasgow Herald._ - -THE SEATS OF THE MIGHTY. Illustrated. _Ninth Edition._ - - 'The best thing he has done; one of the best things that any one - has done lately.'--_St. James's Gazette._ - - 'Mr. Parker seems to become stronger and easier with every - serious novel that he attempts. He shows the matured power which - his former novels have led us to expect, and has produced a - really fine historical novel.'--_Athenæum._ - - 'A great book.'--_Black and White._ - - 'One of the strongest stories of historical interest and - adventure that we have read for many a day.... A notable and - successful book.'--_Speaker._ - -THE POMP OF THE LAVILETTES. _Second Edition. 3s. 6d._ - - 'Living, breathing romance, genuine and unforced pathos, and a - deeper and more subtle knowledge of human nature than Mr. Parker - has ever displayed before. It is, in a word, the work of a true - artist.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - -THE BATTLE OF THE STRONG: a Romance of Two Kingdoms. Illustrated. -_Fourth Edition._ - - 'Mr. Gilbert Parker has a master's hand in weaving the threads of - romantic fiction. There is scarcely a single character which does - not convince us.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - 'Such a splendid story, so splendidly told, will be read - with avidity, and will add new honour even to Mr. Parker's - reputation.'--_St. James's Gazette._ - - 'No one who takes a pleasure in literature but will read Mr. - Gilbert Parker's latest romance with keen enjoyment. The mere - writing is so good as to be a delight in itself, apart altogether - from the interest of the tale.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - 'Nothing more vigorous or more human has come from Mr. Gilbert - Parker than this novel. It has all the graphic power of his - last book, with truer feeling for the romance, both of human - life and wild nature. There is no character without its unique - and picturesque interest. Mr. Parker's style, especially his - descriptive style, has in this book, perhaps even more than - elsewhere, aptness and vitality.'--_Literature._ - - -S. Baring Gould's Novels - -_Crown 8vo. 6s. each._ - - 'To say that a book is by the author of "Mehalah" is to imply - that it contains a story cast on strong lines, containing - dramatic possibilities, vivid and sympathetic descriptions of - Nature, and a wealth of ingenious imagery.'--_Speaker._ - - 'That whatever Mr. Baring Gould writes is well worth reading, - is a conclusion that may be very generally accepted. His views - of life are fresh and vigorous, his language pointed and - characteristic, the incidents of which he makes use are striking - and original, his characters are life-like, and though somewhat - exceptional people, are drawn and coloured with artistic force. - Add to this that his descriptions of scenes and scenery are - painted with the loving eyes and skilled hands of a master of - his art, that he is always fresh and never dull, and it is no - wonder that readers have gained confidence in his power of - amusing and satisfying them, and that year by year his popularity - widens.'--_Court Circular._ - -ARMINELL. _Fourth Edition._ - -URITH. _Fifth Edition._ - -IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA. _Sixth Edition._ - -MRS. CURGENVEN OF CURGENVEN. _Fourth Edition._ - -CHEAP JACK ZITA. _Fourth Edition._ - -THE QUEEN OF LOVE. _Fourth Edition._ - -MARGERY OF QUETHER. _Third Edition._ - -JACQUETTA. _Third Edition._ - -KITTY ALONE. _Fifth Edition._ - -NOÉMI. Illustrated. _Third Edition._ - -THE BROOM-SQUIRE. Illustrated. _Fourth Edition._ - -THE PENNYCOMEQUICKS. _Third Edition._ - -DARTMOOR IDYLLS. - -GUAVAS THE TINNER. Illustrated. _Second Edition._ - -BLADYS. Illustrated. _Second Edition._ - -DOMITIA. Illustrated. _Second Edition._ - - 'There is a wealth of incident, and a lively picture of Rome in - the early days of the Empire.'--_Scotsman._ - - 'Mr. Baring Gould, by virtue of his lurid imagination, has - given a forcible picture of the horrors and heroism of Imperial - Rome.'--_Spectator._ - - -=Conan Doyle.= ROUND THE RED LAMP. By A. CONAN DOYLE. _Sixth Edition. -Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'The book is far and away the best view that has been vouchsafed - us behind the scenes of the consulting-room.'--_Illustrated - London News._ - - -=Stanley Weyman.= UNDER THE RED ROBE. By STANLEY WEYMAN, Author of -'A Gentleman of France.' With Illustrations by R. C. WOODVILLE. -_Fourteenth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A book of which we have read every word for the sheer pleasure - of reading, and which we put down with a pang.'--_Westminster - Gazette._ - - 'Every one who reads books at all must read this thrilling - romance, from the first page of which to the last the breathless - reader is haled along. An inspiration of manliness and - courage.'--_Daily Chronicle._ - - -=Lucas Malet.= THE WAGES OF SIN. By LUCAS MALET. _Thirteenth Edition. -Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - -=Lucas Malet.= THE CARISSIMA. By LUCAS MALET, Author of 'The Wages -of Sin,' etc. _Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - -=George Gissing.= THE TOWN TRAVELLER. By GEORGE GISSING, Author of -'Demos,' 'In the Year of Jubilee,' etc. _Second Edition. 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Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - 'The book is a masterpiece.'--_Pall Mall Gazette._ - - 'Told with great vigour and powerful simplicity.'--_Athenæum._ - - -=Mrs. Clifford.= A FLASH OF SUMMER. By Mrs. W. K. CLIFFORD, Author of -'Aunt Anne,' etc. _Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'The story is a very beautiful one, exquisitely told.'--_Speaker._ - - -=Emily Lawless.= HURRISH. By the Honble. EMILY LAWLESS, Author of -'Maelcho,' etc. _Fifth Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s._ - - -=Emily Lawless.= MAELCHO: a Sixteenth Century Romance. By the Honble. -EMILY LAWLESS. _Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A really great book.'--_Spectator._ - - 'There is no keener pleasure in life than the recognition of - genius. A piece of work of the first order, which we do not - hesitate to describe as one of the most remarkable literary - achievements of this generation.'--_Manchester Guardian._ - - -=Emily Lawless.= TRAITS AND CONFIDENCES. By the Honble. EMILY -LAWLESS. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ - - 'A very charming little volume. 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