"What! is the attack on the city to be carried out to-night?"
exclaimed George, incredulously.

"Those are the orders," replied his superior, simply.

George relapsed into silence, wondering even more at the ways of the
Commander.

The sun was sinking, and they were now nearing their destination.
Already in the distant haze they could see some of the spires of the
city they were to take. Each man of that devoted little band
realized that the critical moment was nearing, and each man braced
himself for the effort that would be expected of him. The nightmare
of it all was not yet passed, and the last stage, they knew, would
be worse than its predecessors.

Six miles from the city a halt was made. The sun had already set,
and the party that, at the start, had been a smart, compact, and
fit body of troops, now trailed up to the halting-place in a
scattered line, horses hardly able to put one foot before another,
the men reeling and fainting with exhaustion in the saddle. It was a
despairing sight to the officers in charge, with work to carry out
that now seemed hopeless.

As each man rode up, the last flicker of discipline asserted itself,
and they closed up their ranks in one long line, whilst the officer
rode down inspecting them. After that the horses were off-saddled.

After a rest of two hours had been given, the men were called up and
their Chief addressed them.

"It is," he said, "absolutely necessary to ride into Cairo to-night!
Many men and horses are not fit to move, but the orders must be
obeyed. I shall leave it to you yourselves to decide who can travel
on. The officers will inspect their troops and assist in that
decision."

After this, weary as they were, volunteers were not wanting, to a
man they were all anxious; but on inspection it was found that one
hundred and fifty only out of that nine hundred were fit to proceed
further, and so it was decided that the gallant Major Watson should
march in at the head of this infinitesimal force and demand the
surrender of twenty thousand armed rebels.

The task seemed utter madness, even to Helmar, whose adventurous
spirit had made him one of the first to volunteer. Directly darkness
closed in, the advance was made; one hundred and fifty tired but
desperate men started on that fateful mission. George never expected
to come out of it alive, and many and varied were his thoughts as
the little band made its way towards the town. The one thing that he
regre