ds:

"How is it that this young fellow calls himself Bimbashi, which, I
believe, means major?"

"He does not call himself that, although that is his rank. All the
white officers in the Egyptian Army have that rank, though they may
only be lieutenants, in ours."

"I call it a monstrous thing," the drawling voice then said, "that a
young fellow like this, who seems to be an Egyptian by birth, should
have a higher rank than men here, who have served fifteen or twenty
years."

The Major got up, and walked across to the group.

"I will tell you why, Mr. Hartley," he said, in a loud voice. "It is
because, for the purpose of the war in this country, they know
infinitely more than the officers of our army. They talk the languages,
they know the men. These blacks will follow them anywhere, to the
death. As for Mr. Hilliard, he has performed feats that any officer in
the army, whatever his rank, would be proud to have done. He went in
disguise into the Dervish camp at Metemmeh, before Hunter's advance
began, and obtained invaluable information. He jumped overboard from a
gunboat to save a drowning Dervish woman, although to do so involved
almost certain capture and death at the hands of the Dervishes. In
point of fact, his escape was a remarkable one, for he was tied to a
tree in the first line of the Dervish defences at Atbara, and was only
saved by what was almost a miracle. He may not be heir to an earldom,
Mr. Hartley, but he would do more credit to the title than many I could
name. I hear him well spoken of, by everyone, as an indefatigable
worker, and as having performed the most valuable services. Captain
Keppel, on whose gunboat he served for two or three months, spoke to me
of him in the highest terms; and General Hunter has done the same.

"I fancy, sir, that it will be some years before you are likely to
distinguish yourself so highly. His father was an officer, who fell in
battle; and if he happened to be born in Egypt, as you sneeringly said
just now, all I can say is that, in my opinion, had you been born in
Egypt, you would not occupy the position which he now does."

Gregory had walked away when the Major rose, and he did not return to
the party. It was the first time that he had run across a bad specimen
of the British officer, and his words had stung him. But, as he said to
himself, he need not mind them, as the fellow's own comrades regarded
him, as one of them said, as "an insufferable ass." Still, he