t
their small force of two hundred men was being surrounded by thousands
of Arab warriors, it was almost too late. Turning at once, they
galloped back, and could be seen, through the field-glasses, turning now
and then gallantly to engage the pursuing foe.

No help could be rendered them at first, as they were beyond the range
of all the forts; nevertheless, they got in safely, with little injury
to man or beast, and driving before them the animals that had been
recovered.

Next day the body of the poor old shepherd was brought in and buried,
without a coffin, by his relations.

Miles, being off duty at the time, went to see the funeral, and found
that Eastern and Western ideas on this point, as on many others, are
wide as the poles asunder. No doubt the grief of the near relations was
as real as it was demonstrative, but it required more credulity than he
possessed to enable him to believe that the howling, shouting, and
singing of many mourners was indicative of genuine feeling. The
creation of noise, indeed, seemed to be their chief method of paying
respect to the dead.

As deaths in Suakim were very numerous at this time, owing to much
sickness among natives as well as troops, the sounds of mourning,
whether by volley or voice, became so frequent that orders were at last
given to cease firing over the soldiers' graves when they were buried.

Just ahead of the shepherd's body came some poor women, who were
weeping, falling down at intervals, and kissing the ground. On reaching
the wall round the land side of the town these women stopped, formed a
circle, and kneeled on the sand while the body was passing them, then
they leaned forward and kissed the ground, continuing in that position
till all the procession had passed. There the women remained, not being
allowed to go to the grave, and the singing and shouting were continued
by boys, who kept running round the bier as it was borne along. On
reaching the grave the body was put in with the face toward the east,
and covered up with stones and mortar. Then the grave was filled up
with sand, a brief prayer was offered--the mourners kneeling--after
which the people went home.

Sad thoughts filled the mind of our young soldier as he returned to the
fort, but the sadness was soon turned to indignation when he got there.

For some time past a Soudanese youth of about seventeen or eighteen
years of age had been coming about the Sphinx Redoubt and ingratiating