language as you
do, and as you have already been among the Dervishes, you might, even
if taken prisoner, make out a good story for yourself."

"I would undertake the commission, with pleasure," Gregory said. "I
shall, of course, go in native dress."

"I propose that we carry you a hundred miles up the river, with us, and
there land you. From that point, it would not be more than sixty or
seventy miles across the desert to the Atbara, which you would strike
forty or fifty miles above El Fasher. Of course you would be able to
learn, there, whether Parsons had crossed. If he had, you would ride up
the bank till you overtake him. If he had not, you would probably meet
him at Mugatta. He must cross below that, as it is there he leaves the
river."

"That seems simple enough, sir. My story would be that I was one of the
Dervishes, who had escaped from the battle here; and had stopped at a
village, thinking that I was safe from pursuit, until your boats came
along; and that I then crossed the desert to go to Gedareh, where I
thought I should be safe. That would surely carry me through. I shall
want two fast camels--one for myself, and one for my boy."

"These we can get for you, from Abdul Azil, the Abadah sheik. Of
course, you will put on Dervish robes and badges?"

"Yes, sir."

"I will go across and tell General Rundle, and obtain written
instructions for you to carry despatches to Parsons. I will give them
to you when you go up on the boat, in the morning. I will see at once
about the camels, and ask the Intelligence people to get you two of the
Dervish suits. You will also want rifles."

"Thank you, sir! I have a couple of Remingtons, and plenty of
ammunition for them. I have two spears, also, which I picked up when we
came in here."

"We are off again, Zaki," he said, when he returned to his hut; where
the black was engaged in sweeping up the dust, and arranging everything
as usual.

"Yes, master." Zaki suspended his work. "When do we go?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Do we take everything with us?"

"No. I start in uniform. We shall both want Dervish dresses, but you
need not trouble about them--they will be got for us."

"Then we are going among the Dervishes, again?"

"Well, I hope we are not; but we may meet some of them. We are going
with the expedition up the Blue Nile, and will then land and strike
across the desert, to the Atbara. That is enough for you to know, at
present. We shall take our guns and s