he supplies to their destination.

Even when the railway had reached Dakhesh the tension was only slightly
relaxed. The necessity of supplying the large force at Berber, 108 miles
from Railhead, still required the maintenance of a huge and complicated
system of boat and camel transport. Of course, as the railway advanced,
it absorbed stage after stage of river and portage, and the difficulties
decreased. But the reader may gain some idea of their magnitude by
following the progress of a box of biscuits from Cairo to Berber in the
month of December 1897. The route was as follows: From Cairo to Nagh
Hamadi (340 miles) by rail; from Nagh Hamadi to Assuan (205 miles) by
boat; from Assuan to Shellal (6 miles) by rail; from Shellal to Halfa
(226 miles) by boat; from Halfa to Dakhesh (Railhead)--248 miles--by
military railway; from Dakhesh to Shereik (45 miles) by boat; from
Shereik by camel (13 miles) round a cataract to Bashtinab; from
Bashtinab by boat (25 miles) to Omsheyo; from Omsheyo round another
impracticable reach (11 miles) by camel to Geneinetti, and thence (22
miles) to Berber by boat. The road taken by this box of biscuits was
followed by every ton of supplies required by 10,000 men in the field.
The uninterrupted working of the long and varied chain was vital to
the welfare of the army and the success of the war. It could only be
maintained if every section was adequately supplied and none were either
choked or starved. This problem had to be solved correctly every day by
the transport officers, in spite of uncertain winds that retarded the
boats, of camels that grew sick or died, and of engines that repeatedly
broke down. In the face of every difficulty a regular supply was
maintained. The construction of the railway was not delayed, nor the
food of the troops reduced.

The line continued to grow rapidly, and as it grew the difficulties of
supply decreased. The weight was shifted from the backs of the camels
and the bottoms of the sailing-boats to the trucks of the iron road. The
strong hands of steam were directed to the prosecution of the war,
and the swiftness of the train replaced the toilsome plodding of
the caravan. The advance of the Dervishes towards Berber checked
the progress of the railway. Military precautions were imperative.
Construction was delayed by the passage of the 1st British Brigade from
Cairo to the front, and by the consequently increased volume of daily
supplies. By the 10th of March,