ost sagacity and integrity.

Poor Ahmed had dwindled down almost to a skeleton, and when he
dismounted at Murat was overcome by a fit of dizziness, from which he
did not recover for an hour.

Meanwhile we had refreshed ourselves with a cup of coffee and some bread
and milk which the commandant, Mohammed Saleh, had offered us, and
which had revived us considerably. Murat is situated in the desert,
about midway between Korosko and Abu Hamed; here three valleys unite in
a sort of crater, and the hill-tops are crowned with small forts built
by the Ababdehs, from whence they can keep guard over the main wells,
and, besides, see for an immense distance all around.

This, the most advanced Egyptian outpost, is garrisoned by the Ababdeh
Arabs of Saleh Bey, the son of Hussein Pasha Khalifa; these people live
very simply in the midst of this great desert, drawing their provisions
monthly from Korosko. There are a number of wells, but the water is
brackish and in summer almost undrinkable, though it is not so bad in
the winter; but we had still some of our Nile water, which had cost us
so dearly at Meshra Dehesh. Close to the wells is a little hut, built by
Gordon's orders.

Murat is a most desolate and lonely spot, unbearably hot in the summer,
when the fierce rays of the sun are reflected from all sides of the deep
crater-like valley in which it lies. The same day that we arrived one of
Ahmed Hassan's nephews had reached Murat from Korosko, and gave us some
of the dates and flour he was taking into the Sudan; he left for Abu
Hamed the next day, and no doubt the news of our safe arrival was soon
announced in Omdurman.

During the 8th and 9th of December we rested. Mohammed Saleh supplied us
with some biscuit, and on the 9th we again set off from Murat towards
Korosko. Our rest had greatly refreshed us, and now we could ride
quietly without any fear of pursuit. One of our guides was mounted on a
she-camel, which the commander had supplied, and she gave us plenty of
milk. A few days before starting her little baby-camel had died, the
owner had skinned it, and now whenever we required milk, we had only to
stretch out the skin in front of her and let her smell it.

We now rode only by day, and rested at night. Heavy rain had fallen
about a month before, and we found a reservoir of good water about a day
out of Murat. Some of the Murat garrison had, previous to our arrival,
gone into Korosko to get their monthly pay and were now