A party of Engineers arrived with some pumps and a hundred yards of
hose.

"How are you going to take it down?"

"We are going to lead the hose right through the lower pool, letting it
lie at the bottom. That is the only way we can do it. There is no way of
fixing it against that wall of rocks."

The pumps were fixed in a very short time and the hose laid, and in less
than an hour the stream of pure water was being poured into a large
trough placed near the lower pool, and from this the cooks of the
various companies filled their kettles and boilers.

Some of the men, in spite of their long and fatiguing journey, had
followed the example of the young officers and filled their
water-bottles as they had done, but the majority had thrown themselves
on the ground and were fast asleep a few minutes after the work of
unloading the camels had been completed. For hours the work of watering
the camels went on, slowly at first, as only a few could drink at a
time, but more rapidly when large troughs were erected, at which thirty
could be watered at once.

As soon as dinner was over the Guards set to work to erect two forts
that the Engineers had already marked out. One of these was at the mouth
of the pass leading into the little valley, the other was placed just
above the pools. The baggage was piled close to the wells. By evening
the work was well advanced, and at eight o'clock the Mounted Infantry
and the whole of the camels started on their return journey, leaving the
Guards, with fifteen Engineers and six Hussars, to hold the wells and
guard the great pile of stores that had been brought up. As soon as work
was over there was a general movement to the wells, and there were few
who did not indulge in the luxury of a bathe in the lower pool.

Rupert Clinton returned with the column to Korti, as General Stewart
went back with them to bring out the main body of troops. It was
calculated that ten days must elapse before these would arrive at
Gakdul, and the Guards and Marines set to work in earnest the next
morning to get things into order. The work was very heavy, but as the
men had plenty to eat and no lack of excellent water they did not mind
it, congratulating themselves heartily upon the fact that they had not
to make the long and wearisome journey to Korti and back.

In the course of the ten days the walls of the forts rose to a height of
over five feet--a very laborious piece of work, for one fort measured
twen