nds, there will be a general rising, and the Dervishes will be pretty
well exterminated. We all hope that Mahmud won't fight, for if he does,
and we beat him, the Khalifa and his lot may lose heart and retire
before we get to Omdurman; and, once away, the tremendous business of
trying to follow him will confront us. Here we have got the river and
the railway, but we have no land carriage for an army, and he might
keep on falling back to the great lakes, for anything that we could do
to overtake him. So we all hope that Mahmud will retire to Omdurman
without fighting, and with such a host as the Khalifa would then have,
he would be certain to give battle before abandoning his capital."

"They are fine-looking fellows, these blacks," Gregory said.

"They are splendid fellows--they love fighting for fighting's sake. It
is, in their opinion, the only worthy occupation for a man, and they
have shown themselves worthy to fight by the side of our men. They have
a perfect confidence in us, and would, I believe, go anywhere we led
them. They say themselves, 'We are never afraid--just like English.'"

"There seem to be a good many women about the camps."

"Yes, their women follow them wherever they go. They cook for them, and
generally look after them. They are as warlike as their husbands, and
encourage them, when they go out to battle, with their applause and
curious quavering cries. The men get very little pay; but as they are
provided with rations, and draw a certain amount for the women, it
costs next to nothing, and I fancy that having the wives with them pays
well. I believe they would rather be killed than come back and face
their reproaches.

"I could not wish to have more cheery or better fellows with me. They
never grumble, they are always merry, and really they seem to be
tireless. They practically give no trouble whatever, and it is good to
see how they brighten up, when there is a chance of a fight."

"I hope I shall see them at it, before long," Gregory said. "Now I must
be going, for I have to change, and put on my mess uniform before
dinner. I am rather nervous about that, for I am not accustomed to dine
with generals."

"You will find it all very pleasant," the other said. "Hunter is a
splendid fellow, and is adored by his men. His staff are all
comparatively young men, with none of the stiffness of the British
staff officer about them. We are all young--there is scarcely a man
with the rank of captain in