for their services; he had also had recourse to
magic, summoned the spirits, and consulted a fiki, who prophesied the
journey would be "as white as milk," that is to say, that no mishap
would occur, for which statement Ahmed had given him a considerable
bakshish.

We continued our journey always along the left bank of the Nile, there
was no time to stop for sleep. Occasionally we came across Arab
shepherds in the desert tending their herds of goats. They gazed
wonderingly at us, and asked questions of Ahmed, who purposely always
remained a short way behind. Ahmed drew a gloomy picture of the recent
rising in Omdurman, describing how the two Khalifas had openly fought
with each other, how nothing was heard night and day but the roar of
cannon and the rattle of musketry, while the slaughter had been terrible
beyond words. He represented that we were fugitives who had left the
ordinary roads, fearing that the disturbed state of the country might
make them unsafe, for bands of brigands were known to be roaming about.

These simple people, thoroughly detesting Mahdiism, believed every word
Ahmed told them, thought we were wise to fly, and gave him as much milk
as he wanted, a fact which he also regarded as a good omen.

Although Ahmed and his friends knew the usual roads well, they had never
been on exactly the track we had been forced to take to avoid the
inhabited places. Thus it happened that we approached the river sooner
than we expected; in fact, almost before we knew it, we found ourselves
amongst houses in the village of Makani, which was so concealed by trees
that we had not seen it. We then met a party of Gellabas, and at Ahmed's
advice at once slowed our pace so as not to provoke mistrust. These
Gellabas looked at us somewhat suspiciously, and tried in vain to find
out the object of our journey. Probably they remembered us afterwards
when our flight became known.

At length, after some difficulty, we emerged from the village and again
turned into the desert; but when I blamed Ahmed for misguiding us, he
merely answered cheerfully, "Allah marakna!" ("God has delivered us!")

When we had got some distance from the river, we dismounted and had a
slight meal of dates and water. Our limbs were so stiff we could not
stand up straight, and our clothes were sticking to the wounds we had
received when riding through the bush. How delightful it was to be on
the ground again and stretch our cramped legs, and how pleasan