n our power to occupy the town; and so cut off his retreat, and
prevent reinforcements or stores from reaching him from Omdurman, the
gunboats returned to Berber.

So far, Gregory had had no duties to perform in his capacity of
interpreter, for no prisoners had been taken. On the way down the
river, one of the artillery sergeants explained the working of the
Maxim to him, taking the weapon to pieces, and explaining to him how
each part acted, and then showing him how to put it together again. The
sergeant having done this several times, Gregory was then told to
perform the operation himself, and the lessons continued after their
arrival at Berber.

In the course of a week he was able to do this smartly; and had
learned, in case of a breakdown, which parts of the mechanism would
most probably have given way, and how to replace broken parts by spare
ones, carried up for the purpose.

There was no long rest at Berber, and on the 1st of November the
gunboats again went up the river, reinforced by the Metemmeh, which had
now arrived. Each boat, as before, carried fifty soldiers; and Major
Stuart-Wortley went up, as staff officer. The evening before starting,
they received the welcome news that the railway line had, that day,
reached Abu Hamed.

This time there was but a short pause made opposite Metemmeh, and after
shelling the forts, which had been added to since the last visit, they
proceeded up the river. Shortly after passing the town, a large Dervish
camp was seen in a valley, and this, they afterwards found, was
occupied by the force that had returned from Berber. A heavy fire of
shell and shrapnel was opened upon it, and it was speedily destroyed.

The gunboats then went up as high as the sixth cataract. The country
was found to be absolutely deserted, neither a peasant nor a Dervish
being visible. Having thus accomplished the object of their
reconnaissance, the flotilla returned, exchanged fire with the Metemmeh
batteries, and then kept on their way down to Berber.

Chapter 11: A Prisoner.

Rather than remain unoccupied on board the gunboat, Gregory went to
Colonel Wingate's headquarters and said that he should be very glad if
he would allow him, while the flotilla remained at Berber, to assist in
interrogating the fugitives who arrived from the south, and the spies
employed to gain early information of the intentions and movements of
the enemy. The position of the Dervishes at Metemmeh was becoming
cr