warfare were over, and the
General knew that he had a safe margin of strength.

The other catastrophe afflicted the Khalifa, and its tale was brought to
the advancing army by the Intelligence spies, who to the last--even when
the forces were closing--tried to pass between them. Not content with
building batteries along the banks, Abdullah, fearing the gunboats, had
resolved to mine the river. An old officer of the old Egyptian army,
long a prisoner in Omdurman, was brought from his chains and ordered to
construct mines. Two iron boilers were filled with gunpowder, and it
was arranged that these should be sunk in the Nile at convenient spots.
Buried in the powder of each was a loaded pistol with a string attached
to the trigger. On pulling the string the pistol, and consequently the
mine, would be exploded. So the Khalifa argued; nor was he wrong. It
was resolved to lay one mine first. On the 17th of August the Dervish
steamer Ismailia moved out into the middle of the Nile, carrying one of
the boilers fully charged and equipped with pistol detonator. Arrived
at the selected spot, the great cylinder of powder was dropped over
the side. Its efficiency as a destructive engine was immediately
demonstrated, for, on the string being pulled by accident, the pistol
discharged itself, the powder exploded, and the Ismailia and all on
board were blown to pieces.

Undeterred by the loss of life, and encouraged by the manifest power of
the contrivance, the Khalifa immediately ordered the second of the two
boilers to be sunk in the stream. As the old Egyptian officer had been
killed by the explosion, the Emir in charge of the arsenal was entrusted
with the perilous business. He rose, however, to the occasion, and,
having first taken the precaution of letting the water into the boiler
so as to damp the powder, he succeeded in laying the second mine in
mid-stream, to the joy and delight of Abdullah, who, not understanding
that it was now useless, overwhelmed him with praise and presents.

Beguiled with such stories and diversions, the day of rest at Wady el
Abid passed swiftly. Night brought beetles, bugs, and ants, and several
men were stung by scorpions--a most painful though not dangerous affair.
Towards morning it began to rain, and everyone was drenched and chilled
when the sun rose across the river from behind a great conical hill and
dispersed the clouds into wisps of creamy flame. Then we mounted and set
out. This day the arm