xt station was
Kassassin, where the Life Guards and our cavalry made their midnight
charges; and where there occurred, perhaps, one of the longest day's
fighting in the war of 1882. Here, also, they saw the graves of the
poor fellows who fell at that time, but the sight did not depress the
men much. The somewhat lugubrious Sutherland alone seemed to take a
serious view of such matters.

"It's a' vera weel for licht-hearted lads like you to laugh an' cheer,"
he said, "but there's naething mair certain than that some o' you that's
laughin' an' cheerin' yenoo, an' boastin' o' lickin' the Soudan neegers,
'll fill sandy graves afore lang."

"You don't know that, Scotty. Pr'a'ps we'll _all_ escape and return to
old England together," said one of his comrades.

"Arrah! if I _did_ git into wan o' the sandy graves ye spake of,"
remarked Flynn, "I do belaive I'd rise out of it just for the pleasure
o' contradictin' you, Sutherland."

"H'm! nae doot. Contradictiousness whiles maks fowk lively that wad be
dull an' deed eneuch withoot it. But did onybody iver hear o' a
reg'ment gaun' oot to the wars an' comin' back jist as it went? That's
the question--"

"As Hamlet's ghost said when he was takin' a night-walk to cool
his-self," interposed Simkin.

"It wasna his ghost; it was his faither's ghost," cried Sutherland; "an'
I'm no' sure that--"

"Howld yer tongues, both o' ye!" cried Flynn; "sure the loss o' yer
helmets is beginning to tell on yer heads already. What can the line be
I see in the distance over there? I do belaive it's another o' thim
broad rivers that seem to cut up this land all into stripes."

"Why, it's the canal, man," cried Moses Pyne, who was more or less
enthusiastic about all the sights and scenes they were passing. "Don't
ye see the ships?"

"Sure enough, you're right, Moses, as ye ginerally are whin you're not
wrong. There's some ships comin' wan way, an' some goin' the other.
Och! but he _is_ a great jainius that Frenchman as tied the two says
togither--Lips--Lisps--what is it they calls him? I've clane forgot."

"Lesseps," said Miles, as he gazed with unusual interest on this
wonderful highway of nations.

The troops reached Suez after a ten hours' journey, the distance being
about 230 miles. Our hero made the acquaintance here of a private of
marines named Stevenson, with whom he afterwards served in the Soudan,
and with whom he became very friendly, not only because their spirits