hout advantage.

For the only water which can be got for troops when campaigning is very
often polluted, and the men get dysentery from drinking it, whereas this
was necessarily quite pure. And probably owing to this cause there was
wonderfully little sickness. A terrified horse gave trouble in the
landing him one day, and Tom Strachan, who was with the fatigue party
which had to do it, lent his personal assistance, and with success, but
he grew warm over the job.

As he was wiping the perspiration from his forehead Major Elmfoot rode
up.

"Well, Strachan," he said, "how do you like this work? Do you want it
over that you may begin fighting the Arabs?"

"Well, yes, sir," replied Tom. "A little of it goes a good way, and we
have had more than a little. Still, we should not get on well without
grub or cartridges, should we, sir?"

"No, my lad, you are right there; and I am glad to see you are a
philosopher."

"Am I that, sir? Well, it is no use grumbling, but I am glad it is
pretty nearly over."

"Pretty nearly over, you think it, do you?" said the major, drily.
"Then the stores are to walk up to Fort Baker by themselves, I suppose."

"Have we got to--," began Tom, in dismay.

"Yes, we have," replied Major Elmfoot to his unfinished query; "and you
are to knock off this job and start off on the other one at once."

It was a peculiarity of the major's to preface an order in that way--
that is, to prepare you for something quite different, and then take you
aback. If you were just going to dinner, and he had a duty for you
which would cause you to defer that meal, he would begin by asking if
you were hungry. He did not mean to be aggravating; it was only a way
he had; but it was rather trying sometimes.

Fort Baker was about three miles from Trinkitat harbour; it was erected
by Baker Pasha on the second of the month which was now drawing to a
close, that is the February of 1884, when he was in command of the
Egyptian army which was cut to pieces by the Arabs on the fifth. There
is no fresh water nearer that part of the coast than the wells at El
Teb, eight miles off; so every drop of the precious liquid for the use
of the troops had to be first condensed at Trinkitat, and then carried
in tanks of galvanised iron on camel or mule back to the fort. Three
miles do not sound like a long distance, and on good ground are not very
far. But the greater part of this track lay through marshes, and for a
mile i