athed.

The next morning was a quiet one, and in the afternoon all marched off
to the old camp, at Abadar. On Sunday they rested, and on Monday the
British brigade marched to Hudi, and then across the desert to Hermali,
where they were to spend the summer. The Sirdar rode, with the Egyptian
brigades, to Fort Atbara. Macdonald's brigade was to go on to garrison
Berber, Maxwell's to Assillem, and that of Lewis to remain at Atbara.

The question of the prisoners was already half solved. Almost all of
them willingly embraced the offer to enlist in the Egyptian army. Many
of the women found their husbands among the prisoners. Others agreed,
at once, to marry men of the Soudanese battalion. The rest, pending
such offers as they might receive in the future, decided to remain at
Atbara. At Berber their lot would have been a hard one, for they would
have been exposed to the hatred and spite of the Jaalin women there,
whose husbands had been massacred at Metemmeh.

Fatma, with two attendants only, accompanied Macdonald's brigade to
Berber. On arriving outside the town, the force encamped. Next day the
Sirdar, with his staff and General Hunter, came up; and, on the
following morning, made a triumphant entry into the town, followed by
the Soudanese brigade.

Berber was prepared to do honour to the occasion. Flags waved, coloured
cloths and women's garments hung from the windows, and the whole
population lined the streets, and received the conquerors with cries of
welcome and triumph. They had anticipated a very different result, and
had fully expected that the army would have been well-nigh annihilated;
and that, again, the triumphant Dervishes would become their masters.
But the sight of Mahmud walking, a prisoner, with two guards on each
side of him, convinced them that the reports that had reached them were
true, that the Dervishes had been signally defeated, and that there was
no fear of their ever again becoming lords of Berber.

The Sirdar, by whose side General Hunter rode, headed the procession,
followed by his staff. Then, leading his brigade, came Macdonald--stern
and hard of face, burnt almost black with years of campaigning in the
desert--and his staff, followed by the black battalions, erect and
proud, maintaining their soldierly bearing amid the loud quavering
cries of welcome from the women.

Gregory had, on his arrival with the brigade the day before, gone into
the town; and engaged a small house, in its outsk