eavoured to persuade his troops to make another
attack; but although they surrounded the town, and maintained a
scattered fire, they could not be brought to attempt another assault,
having lost over five hundred men in the two attacks the first day. He
then fell back, eight miles.

Three days later, Colonel Parsons said to Gregory:

"I think the time has come, Mr. Hilliard, when I must apply for
reinforcements. I am convinced that we can repel all attacks, but we
are virtually prisoners here. Were we to endeavour to retreat, Fadil
would probably annihilate us. Our men have behaved admirably; but it is
one thing to fight well, when you are advancing; and another to be firm
in retreat.

"But our most serious enemy, at present, is fever. Already, the stink
of the unburied bodies of the Dervishes is overpowering, and every day
it will become worse. Doctor Fleming reports to me that he has a great
many sick on his hands, and that he fears the conditions that surround
us will bring about an epidemic. Therefore I have decided to send to
General Rundle, for a reinforcement that will enable us to move out to
attack Fadil."

"Very well, sir, I will start at once."

"I will write my despatch. It will be ready for you to carry in an
hour's time. You had better pick out a couple of good donkeys, from
those we captured here. As it is only nine o'clock, you will be able to
get to Mugatta this evening. I don't think there is any fear of your
being interfered with, by the Dervishes. We may be sure that Fadil is
not allowing his men to roam over the country, for there can be little
doubt that a good many of them would desert, as soon as they got fairly
beyond his camp."

"I don't think there is any fear of that, sir; and as my camels will
have had ten days' rest, I should have very little fear of being
overtaken, even if they did sight us."

"We are off again, Zaki," Gregory said. "We will go down to the yard
where the animals we captured are kept, and choose a couple of good
donkeys. I am to carry a despatch to Omdurman, and as time is precious,
we will make a straight line across the desert; it will save us fifty
or sixty miles."

"I am glad to be gone, Master. The smells here are as bad as they were
at Omdurman, when we went in there."

"Yes, I am very glad to be off, too."

An hour later they started, and arrived at Mugatta at eight o'clock in
the evening. The native with whom the camels had been left had taken
good car