p the whole of Sir
Charles Wilson's party came down the river without further molestation.

[Illustration: "A SHOT HAD PASSED THROUGH HER BOILER."]

All this time no despatch of any kind had been received from Korti,
although a small reinforcement consisting of a company of the Naval
Brigade and half a battery of artillery had arrived, and the camels--or
rather a portion of them, for nearly half had died upon the journey--had
returned from Gakdul with a supply of stores. The days passed heavily
until, on the 10th of February, General Buller and the 18th Royal Irish
arrived; hopes were entertained, as they were seen approaching, that the
appearance of the infantry signified that the expedition was still to
continue to advance; but it was very soon known that the Royal Irish had
merely arrived to cover the retreat. The next morning the whole of the
wounded were sent off under a strong escort; then the work of destroying
all the stores that had been brought up by the last convoy, except what
were needed for the march down to Gakdul, was carried out, and two days
later the forts that had been built with so much labour were evacuated,
and the whole force set out upon their march down to Korti.

This time the journey was performed on foot. The camels of the three
corps and of the vast baggage train with which they had started were
bleaching on the desert, and scarce enough animals remained for the
service of carrying down the sick and wounded. Rupert Clinton was among
them. His strength had failed rapidly, and a sort of low fever had
seized him, and he had for some days before the convoy started been
lying prostrate in the hospital lines. Skinner was, at his own request,
carried by the same camel that conveyed Rupert, the beds being swung one
on each side of it. He had protested that he was perfectly capable of
marching, but the doctors would not hear of it; and when he found that
he could accompany Rupert he was glad that they decided against him, as
he was able to look after his friend and to keep up his spirits to a
certain extent by his talk.

Several of the wounded died on their way down, among them Sir Herbert
Stewart, who had survived his wound a much longer time than the surgeons
had at first believed possible. One piece of news that they had learned
the day before they left the neighbourhood of Metemmeh had some slight
effect in cheering Rupert, a native of that town having reported that a
white prisoner had been