t officer entered, "Mr. Hilliard here
has just received the temporary rank of lieutenant, in the Egyptian
army, and is going up to join General Hunter, at Dongola. You are
starting in three days, are you not?

"I shall be glad if you will take him under your wing, as far as you
go. He speaks the languages, Negro as well as Arabic. You can tell him
what kit he had better take, and generally mother him.

"That is all, Mr. Hilliard. Call at my quarters, the day after
tomorrow, for the letters for General Hunter and Colonel Wingate."

"I thank you most deeply, sir," Gregory began, but the Sirdar gave a
little impatient wave with his hand.

"Thank you most deeply also, Lord Cromer!" Gregory said with a bow, and
then left the room.

Captain Ewart remained there for another ten minutes. When he came out,
he nodded to Gregory.

"Will you come with me?" he said. "I am going to the bank. I shall not
be there many minutes, and we can then have a talk together."

"Thank you, sir! I am going to the bank too. It was Mr. Murray who
first spoke to Lord Cromer about me."

"You could not have had a better introduction. Well, you won't have
very long to get ready for the start--that is, if you have not begun to
prepare for it. However, there is no rush at present, therefore I have
no doubt you will be able to get your khaki uniforms in time. As for
other things, there will be no difficulty about them."

"You have been up at the front before, sir?"

"Yes, my work is on the railway. I had a touch of fever, and got leave
to come down and recruit, before the hot weather came in. I dare say
you think it hot here, sometimes, but this is an ice house in
comparison with the desert."

They talked until they arrived at the bank.

"You may as well go in first, and see Murray. I suppose you won't be
above two or three minutes. I shall be longer, perhaps a quarter of an
hour; so if you wait for me, we will go to Shepherd's, and talk your
business over in some sort of comfort."

"I am pleased, indeed," Mr. Murray said, when Gregory told him of his
appointment. "It is better than I even hoped. It is bad enough there,
in the position of an officer, but it would be infinitely worse in any
other capacity. Do you want to draw any money?"

"No, sir; I have fifty pounds by me, and that will be enough, I should
think, for everything."

"More than ample. Of course, you have plenty of light underclothing of
all sorts, and a couple of suits of