while he himself did the same with
the horse. He always had a jug of cold tea ready for Gregory, whenever
he came in, and the floor of the tent was kept scrupulously clean.
Zaki's only regret was that he could not do more for his master, but he
was consoled by being told that the time would soon come when he would
be more actively engaged.

From the first day of his arrival, Gregory was kept fully employed.
Sometimes he assisted the officer of the Intelligence Department, in
interviewing fugitives who had arrived from Berber and other points on
the river, from Kordofan, or from villages on the White Nile. Sometimes
he carried messages from the General to the officers in command of the
two Egyptian brigades. He had to listen to disputes between natives
returning to their homes, from which they had been driven by the
Dervishes, and those they found in possession of their land. He took
notes of the arguments on both sides, and submitted them to the General
for his decision.

The work would have been trifling in any other climate, but was
exhausting in the sweltering heat of the day, and he was not sorry when
the sun sank, and he could take off his khaki tunic and go down to the
river for a swim.

One evening, as they were sitting after dinner, General Hunter said:

"It is very annoying that, while these natives making their way down
the country are able to tell us a good deal of what is taking place on
the Nile, from Omdurman down to Metemmeh; and while we also get news of
the state of things at Berber and Abu Hamed; we know nothing whatever
of Mahmud's intentions, nor indeed anything of what is doing at
Metemmeh, itself, since it was captured by the Dervishes and, as we
heard, the whole population destroyed.

"Of course, Mahmud has the choice of three courses. He can stay where
he is, he can march his whole force to Berber, or he can advance
against us here. I don't suppose that he has any idea of the progress
the railway is making from Wady Halfa. He may have heard, and no doubt
he has heard, that we are making a road of some sort across the desert
in the direction of Abu Hamed; but of the capabilities of the railway
he can form no idea, and may well believe that the march of an army,
across what is practically a waterless desert, is a matter of
impossibility.

"On the other hand, he knows that we are gathering a considerable force
here; and, with his limited knowledge, doubtless supposes that we are
going to cr