e would
have to come round. In a broken single file they went past, black men
and brown, Soudanese and fellaheen, but all of the best, for the Camel
Corps is the _corps d'elite_ of the Egyptian army. Each had a brown
bandolier over his chest and his rifle held across his thigh. A large
man with a drooping black moustache and a pair of binoculars in his hand
was riding at the side of them. "Hulloa, Archer!" croaked the Colonel.
The officer looked at him with the vacant, unresponsive eye of a
complete stranger.

"I'm Cochrane, you know! We travelled up together."

"Excuse me, sir, but you have the advantage of me," said the officer.
"I knew a Colonel Cochrane Cochrane, but you are not the man. He was
three inches taller than you, with black hair and--"

"That's all right," cried the Colonel testily. "You try a few days with
the Dervishes, and see if your friends will recognise you!"

"Good God, Cochrane, is it really you? I could not have believed it.
Great Scott, what you must have been through! I've heard before of
fellows going grey in a night, but, by Jove--"

"Quite so," said the Colonel, flushing.

"Allow me to hint to you, Archer, that if you could get some food and
drink for these ladies, instead of discussing my personal appearance, it
would be much more practical."

"That's all right," said Captain Archer. "Your friend Stuart knows that
you are here, and he is bringing some stuff round for you. Poor fare,
ladies, but the best we have! You're an old soldier, Cochrane. Get up
on the rocks presently, and you'll see a lovely sight. No time to stop,
for we shall be in action again in five minutes. Anything I can do
before I go?"

"You haven't got such a thing as a cigar?" asked the Colonel wistfully.

Archer drew a thick satisfying partaga from his case, and handed it
down, with half-a-dozen wax vestas. Then he cantered after his men, and
the old soldier leaned back against the rock and drew in the fragrant
smoke. It was then that his jangled nerves knew the full virtue of
tobacco, the gentle anodyne which stays the failing strength and soothes
the worrying brain. He watched the dim blue reek swirling up from him,
and he felt the pleasant aromatic bite upon his palate, while a restful
languor crept over his weary and harassed body. The three ladies sat
together upon a flat rock.

"Good land, what a sight you are, Sadie!" cried Miss Adams suddenly, and
it was the first reappearance of he