loyed; and these,
since they were trustworthy and took an especial pride in their work,
soon learned the arts of spiking rails and sleepers, fishing rails
together, and straightening. To direct and control the labours of
these men of varied race and language, but of equal inexperience, some
civilian foremen platelayers were obtained at high rates of pay
from Lower Egypt. These, however, with very few exceptions were not
satisfactory, and they were gradually replaced by intelligent men of the
'Railway Battalion,' who had learned their trade as the line progressed.
The projection, direction, and execution of the whole work were
entrusted to a few subalterns of Engineers, of whom the best-known was
Edouard Girouard.

Work was begun south of Sarras at the latter end of March. At first
the efforts of so many unskilled workmen, instructed by few experienced
officers, were productive of results ridiculous rather than important.
Gradually, however, the knowledge and energy of the young director and
the intelligence and devotion of his still more youthful subordinates
began to take effect. The pace of construction increased, and the labour
was lightened by the contrivances of experience and skill.

As the line grew longer, native officers and non-commissioned officers
from the active and reserve lists of the Egyptian Army were appointed
station-masters. Intelligent non-commissioned officers and men were
converted into shunters, guards, and pointsmen. Traffic was controlled
by telephone. To work the telephone, men were discovered who could read
and write--very often who could read and write only their own names, and
even that with such difficulty that they usually preferred a seal. They
developed into clerks by a simple process of selection. To improve their
education, and to train a staff in the office work of a railway, two
schools were instituted at Halfa. In these establishments, which were
formed by the shade of two palm-trees, twenty pupils received the
beginnings of knowledge. The simplicity of the instruction was aided by
the zeal of the students, and learning grew beneath the palm-trees more
quickly perhaps than in the magnificent schools of civilisation.

The rolling stock of the Halfa-Sarras line was in good order and
sufficient quantity, but the eight locomotives were out of all repair,
and had to be patched up again and again with painful repetition. The
regularity of their break-downs prevented the regularity of t