r regiment was at Aldershot with us eighteen months ago."

"Yes; but I did not know any of your men. I was over one or two evenings
at your canteen, which was by a long way the best in the camp."

"Yes, we used to have some good singing there and no mistake," one of
the men said.

"The Long Valley is not bad in the way of dust, but this place beats it
hollow," another put in.

"This is a cleaner dust," Edgar said. "The Long Valley dust blackened
one; this does not seem to have any dirt in it. As far as the uniforms
go there is not much difference, but one doesn't feel so grimy after a
charge over this Egyptian sand as one did in the Long Valley."

"We played you fellows at cricket, I remember," the man said. "I was in
our eleven. You beat us, for you had a youngster we could not stand up
against, he was a beggar to bowl."

Edgar laughed. "I rather think I am the fellow," he said, "Trumpeter
Smith."

"It was Trumpeter Smith, sure enough. Well, you can bowl and no mistake,
young un. It is rum meeting out here like this. And how have you been
getting on since? You fellows were in the thick of it at El-Teb, I saw;
and got cut up a bit by those niggers, didn't you?"

"That we did," Edgar replied. "I am not sorry that we are going to fight
as infantry this time, for I can tell you it is not pleasant charging
among fellows who throw themselves down and hamstring your horse or
drive a spear into him as he passes over them; and once down it is
likely to go pretty hard with you."

"The infantry had it pretty hot too at Tamanieb?"

"Yes, they got into one of our squares, and I don't think many of our
fellows would have ever got away if it had not been that Buller's square
came up to their assistance. Still, I don't suppose that will ever
happen again. If the infantry stand firm and shoot straight they ought
never to be broken, while that cavalry business was a thing nothing
could guard against. The best horseman in the world may go down if a
fellow shams dead and then suddenly stabs your horse."

"There is no doubt the beggars can fight," Willcox said; "and I expect
we shall get some tough work before we get to Khartoum. I only hope they
won't catch us suddenly before we have time to get off those camels.
Fancy being stuck up on one of those long-legged beasts with half a
dozen niggers making a cock-shy of you with their spears."

"I don't think that will happen," Edgar replied. "We shall have the 19th
to act as scou