Pasha's
soldiers, it was riddled with bullet-holes, covered with patches of
blood, and very dirty; however, that did not much matter to him, as he
had no soap to wash it; he always wore the hood of his coat over his
head, which further added to his curious appearance. He made his coat
into a species of Dervish uniform by patching up the holes with the
pieces of an old tarbush; but withal he was a thoroughly honest man, and
I liked him. I also knew I could rely on him to carry out a secret
mission, and therefore, after Bonomi had fled, I had made over to him
some money and two volumes of the 'Popular Educator,' which Lupton Bey
had given me, and which I looked upon as a priceless treasure. I did
this because I was afraid that Sherif Mahmud would confiscate my little
all; but when all fear was over, the honest man brought back everything
just as I had given it to him. At that time I had no suitable place in
my hut to hide them, so I asked him to keep them a few days longer; but,
alas! my books were to become food for the flames, which soon afterwards
devoured the camp, and this was an irreparable loss. I tried to find but
from Hajji Selim what plot was brewing; but all my inquiries were
fruitless. He would not breathe a word, and from that time I saw no
more of him, for he was afraid that my importunity might make him
divulge the secret. I knew perfectly well that he must have been one of
the conspirators, and as I never saw him again, I presume he must have
been killed.

The above little incident is merely mentioned to show how zealously the
soldiers kept their secret; but all the same, the people in El Obeid had
a notion that something was going to happen, and one day an order was
suddenly given that a hundred soldiers were to prepare to proceed to Dar
Hamer. In this way they thought to split up the party, and then disarm
them; but the men guessed that this was the intention, and therefore
decided to execute their plan the following day.

That night I was lying outside as usual; the sky was particularly
brilliant, and I was watching the myriads of shooting stars which,
leaving bright trails behind them, burst suddenly like rockets, and
illumined the night till it became for an instant almost as light as
day. Every one wondered at this curious phenomenon, and foretold that it
meant mischief of some sort, and, curiously, there was mischief enough
in the air that night.

The next day, at about noon, I was startled by t