in the Kangaroos' lines, with placards flapping at his
sides, on which the Sydney men saw:

THIS IS THE FATHER
OF SYDNEY AND
THE KANGAROO MARINES.

The battle of wits was a drawn affair. But, that night, more trouble
ensued. While the famous quartette were casually strolling through the
town a Melbourne man jostled Sandy.

"Wha are ye pushin'?" he inquired.

"I'll push yer face for you--you bag of haggis," replied the cool
Melbourne lad.

"Ye daur meddle wi' me," said Sandy, leering at him, for he had tasted
deep of the national fluid. "Hit me!" he roared, baring his chest
towards his aggressor. "Ma fit is on ma native heath, an' ma name's
M'Greegor," continued the fierce, red-whiskered Scot.

"Here's one for you, M'Greegor!" And the Melbourne man let fly. Poor
Sandy, he buckled up and fell gasping to the ground. Bill now set to,
but in a minute he, Claud, and Paddy were surrounded by a gang of
Melbourne hands.

"Ye miserable spalpeens," said Paddy, laying to with a great big stick,
and between times whipping the treasures from the pockets of fallen
men. Claud had his monocle smashed and his nose burst, while poor old
Bill was severely winded just as reinforcements arrived from the
Kangaroos. It was a bloody combat. Indeed, it might have been a
serious riot had Sam Killem not doubled up a company with buckets of
water to throw over the antagonists.

Then the bugle call to assembly ended the first and last fight between
these two corps. Afterwards they were loyal friends, and, in action,
died nobly side by side.

CHAPTER III

THE LAND OF SIN

Egypt is the land of heroes and engineers--also the land of mystery,
the abode of intrigue, the cockpit of puerile nationalism, and the soul
of all things topsy-turvy and contrary. It is a land for a brave
soldier, a skilful engineer, or the tourist in search of Rameses'
shin-bones.

It is a country wet with British blood and paved with British gold.
The noblest things in Egypt are British; the vilest are the products of
aliens who have dodged justice and cleanness through the vagaries of
"The Capitulations" (an international treaty which makes John Bull pay
for the privilege of entertaining alien murderers, white slavers,
forgers, assassins, corrupt financiers, and legal twisters). But it is
a land worth holding, not so much for any riches it may possess, but
for the Suez Canal, which links us to our Indian Empire.

The Egyptians,