with
him, we did not hesitate to accept his terms, and to put on his
badges.'

"In less than an hour, we saw the trees that marked the position of the
well; and, in another half hour, reached it. At least a score of
wounded men were there, many of them so sorely hurt that they would get
no farther. They paid little attention to us. One of them was known to
Saleh--for the wounded man told me that that was his name--he also was
from El Obeid. He was suffering from a terrible cut in the shoulder,
which had almost severed the arm. He told my man that it was given by
one of the infidel officers, before he fell.

"I thought it was as well to have two friends, instead of one; and did
what I could to bind his wound up, and fasten his arm firmly to his
side. Then I said to him:

"'My horse, after three hours' rest, will be able to carry you both.
You can sit behind Saleh, and hold him on with your unwounded arm.'

"'Truly, stranger, you are a merciful man, and a good one. Wonderful is
it that you should give up your horse, to men who are strangers to you;
and walk on foot, yourself.'

"'Allah commands us to be compassionate to each other. What is a walk
of a few miles? It is nothing, it is not worth speaking of. Say no more
about it, I beseech you. I am a stranger in El Obeid, and you may be
able to befriend me, there.'

"Three hours later Abdullah, which was the name of the second man,
mounted, and assisted me to lift Saleh in front of him, and we set out
for El Obeid. We got into the town at daybreak. There were few people
about, and these paid no attention to us. Wounded men had been coming
in, in hundreds. Turning into the street where both the men lived, we
went first to the house of Saleh, which was at the farther end, and
was, indeed, quite in the outskirts of the place. It stood in a walled
enclosure, and was of better appearance than I had expected.

"I went to the door, and struck my hand against it. A voice within
asked what was wanted, and I said, 'I bring home the master of the
house. He is sorely wounded.'

"There was a loud cry, and the door opened and a woman ran out.

"'Do not touch him,' Abdullah exclaimed. 'We will get him down from the
horse, but first bring out an angareb. We will lower him down onto
that.'

"The woman went in, and returned with an angareb. It was the usual
Soudan bed, of wooden framework, with a hide lashed across it. I
directed them how to lift one end against the horse, so th