the cavalry. At last, in the afternoon, a
cloud of dust was seen on the horizon, and the officers who had glasses
could soon make out that the men appeared to be racing towards the town
at full speed, while the enemy, on camels and horses, and on foot, were
racing down to the sea to cut off their retreat. No sooner was this
understood than our men rose with an uncontrollable burst, seized their
rifles, flung on ammunition-belts, and rushed out to the rescue,
regardless for the moment of the officers shouting to them to come back.
The news spread like wildfire, and the men ran out just as they were--
some in white jackets, some in red, others in blue; many in their
shirts, with their sleeves rolled up; cavalry, artillery, marines,
infantry--all going helter-skelter towards the enemy. Fortunately they
saw from the ships what was going on, and quickly got their guns to
bear, so that the moment our men had escaped clear of the enemy they
opened fire. But for this more men would certainly have been lost, for
the overtaxed horses were beginning to give in and lose ground. Had
they been a few minutes later in reaching the sea, it is probable that
not a man of that force would have returned to Suakim.

As it was, the men came in pale and terribly fatigued. The horses could
scarcely walk, and two of them died on the following day.

Note.--Since the foregoing was written, we have learned, with profound
regret, that the gallant Captain Gregorie was killed by his horse
falling with him in 1886.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

LETTERS FROM HOME--FLYNN IS EXALTED AND BROUGHT LOW--RUMOURS OF WAR IN
THE AIR.

Events in life sometimes ripple along like the waters of a little stream
in summer. At other times they rush with the wild impetuosity of a
hill-torrent in winter.

For some time after the incidents just narrated the life of our hero
rippled--but of course it must be clearly understood that a Suakim
ripple bore some resemblance to a respectable freshet elsewhere! Osman
Digna either waited for reinforcements before delivering a grand
assault, or found sufficient entertainment to his mind, and satisfaction
to his ambition, in acting the part of a mosquito, by almost nightly
harassment of the garrison, which was thus kept continually on the
alert.

But there came a time at length when a change occurred in the
soldier-life at Suakim. Events began to evolve themselves in rapid
succession, as well as in magnified intensity, un