tent now with some of your ribs broken, if you
hadn't been smashed up altogether."

"They are up to all sorts of tricks," the trooper went on, looking
savagely at his growling camel. "There was Rogers, this morning, he was
just passing a camel who was kneeling down. Well, who would think that a
kneeling camel could do anything except with his head. Rogers swore that
he did not go within four yards of him, and the brute suddenly shot out
his hind leg and caught him on the knee and cut him clean over, and he
thought for some time that his leg was broken. Blow all camels, I say!"

As the camels were not to be used for fighting from, in the presence of
an enemy the troopers were to dismount and fight on foot. When down the
camels were to be knee haltered, one of the fore-legs being doubled up
and strapped, which prevented the animal from rising. Each camel
received about five pounds of grain night and morning, and the whole
were taken down to the river every other day to drink. The conduct of
many of them was exasperating in the extreme to their riders. When taken
down into the stream they would stand and look about in an aimless way
as if wondering what on earth they had been brought there for, and would
be sometimes ten minutes or a quarter of an hour before the idea seemed
to occur to them that they might as well have a drink.

Once on the march they went steadily and well, obeying the slightest
motion of the halter, and keeping up their regular pace without
intermission from the time they started until they were ordered to halt.

After a week's drill and practice the men became accustomed to the ways
of their animals, and were glad when the order came for them to start.
By this time the leading regiments of the infantry had begun to go up in
their boats. These were broad, flat crafts, which had been specially
built in England for the purpose. Each carried twelve men and three
months' supply of provisions and stores for them. They were provided
with sails and oars, and as the direction of the wind was up the
river the sails were of great assistance.

[Illustration: TOWING THE BOATS UP THE NILE.]

As the cavalry passed the Great Cataract they had an opportunity of
seeing the process of getting the boats up. The rush of waters was
tremendous, and it seemed well-nigh impossible to force the boats
against them. It would indeed have been impossible to row them, and they
were dragged up by tow-ropes by the united strength