ner in mid-ocean, while the officers and men chatted over their
evening meal, and then the darkness and silence of the desert was
unbroken till morning brought the glare and toil of another long day.

So, week in, week out, the work went on. Every few days saw a
further advance into the wilderness. The scene changed and remained
unaltered--'another, yet the same.' As Wady Halfa became more remote and
Abu Hamed grew near, an element of danger, the more appalling since
it was peculiar, was added to the strange conditions under which the
inhabitants of Railhead lived. What if the Dervishes should cut the line
behind them? They had three days' reserve of water. After that, unless
the obstruction were removed and traffic restored, all must wither
and die in the sand, and only their bones and their cooking-pots would
attest the folly of their undertaking.

By the 20th of July a hundred and thirty miles of line had been
finished, and it became too dangerous to advance further until Abu Hamed
had been cleared of the Dervish force. They were still a hundred miles
away, but camels travel fast and far, and the resources of the enemy
were uncertain. It appeared that progress would be checked, but on the
7th of August General Hunter, marching from Merawi along the river
bank, attacked and took Abu Hamed--an operation which will be described
hereafter. Work was at once resumed with renewed energy. The pace of
construction now became remarkable. As much as 5,300 yards of track was
surveyed, embanked, and laid in a single day. On the 1st of November Abu
Hamed was reached, and by the banks of the Nile the men who had fought
their way across the desert joined hands with those who had fought their
way along the river.

The strain and hardship had not, however, been without effect on the
constructors. Two of the Engineer subalterns--Polwhele and Cator--out of
the eight concerned in the laying of the Dongola and the Desert railways
had died. Their places were eagerly filled by others.

The completion of the line was accelerated by nearly a month through the
fortunate discovery of water. At the beginning of July a well was
sunk in what was thought to be a likely place at 'No. 4 Station,'
seventy-seven miles from Halfa. After five weeks' work water was found
in abundance at a depth of 90 feet. A steam-pump was erected, and the
well yielded a continual supply. In October a second well was sunk at
'No. 6 Station,' fifty-five miles further on