ally with that rifle and spear."

Presently they came to a spot where the water was deep up to the bank,
which was some six feet above its level. The barge with the camels was
brought up alongside. It had no bulwark, and as the deck was level with
the land, the camels were, with a good deal of pressing on the part of
their drivers, and pushing by as many Soudanese as could come near
enough to them, got ashore.

None of the Soudanese recognized Gregory, and looked greatly surprised
at the sudden appearance of two Dervishes among them. As soon as the
camels were landed, Gregory and Zaki mounted them.

"You had better keep, if anything, to the south of east," General
Hunter's last instructions had been. "Unless Parsons has been greatly
delayed, they should be two or three days' march farther up the river,
and every mile you strike the stream, behind him, is so much time
lost."

He waved his hand to them and wished them farewell, as they started,
and his staff shouted their wishes for a safe journey. The black
soldiers, seeing that, whoever these Dervishes might be, they were well
known to the General and his officers, raised a cheer; to which Zaki,
who had hitherto kept in the background, waved his rifle in reply. As
his face was familiar to numbers of the Soudanese, they now recognized
him, and cheered more heartily than before, laughing like schoolboys at
the transformation.

Chapter 21: Gedareh.

"Abdul Azim was right about the camels," Gregory said, as soon as they
were fairly off. "I have never ridden on one like this, before. What a
difference there is between them and the ordinary camel! It is not only
that they go twice as fast, but the motion is so pleasant, and easy."

"Yes, Master, these are riding camels of good breed. They cost twenty
times as much as the others. They think nothing of keeping up this rate
for twelve hours, without a stop."

"If they do that, we shall be near the Atbara before it is dark. It is
ten o'clock now, and if General Hunter's map is right, we have only
about eighty miles to go, and I should think they are trotting seven
miles an hour."

They carried their rifles slung behind them and across the shoulders,
rather than upright, as was the Arab fashion. The spears were held in
their right hands.

"We must see if we can't fasten the spears in some other way, Zaki. We
should find them a nuisance, if we held them in our hands all the way.
I should say it would be easy to f