The moon rose between twelve and one; and, after giving the horses a
drink, they mounted and rode to Gakdul, which they reached soon after
daybreak. They had stopped a mile away, and Zaki went forward on foot,
hiding himself as much as possible from observation. On his return he
reported that no one was at the wells, and they therefore rode on,
taking every precaution against surprise.

The character of the scenery had completely changed; and they had, for
some miles, been winding along at the foot of the Jebel-el-Jilif hills.
These were steep and precipitous, with spurs and intermediate valleys.
The wells differed entirely from those at Hambok, which were merely
holes dug in the sand, the water being brought up in one of the skin
bags they had brought with them, and poured into shallow cisterns made
in the surface. At Gakdul the wells were large pools in the rock, at
the foot of one of the spurs of the hill, two miles from the line of
the caravan route. Here the water was beautifully clear, and abundant
enough for the wants of a large force.

"It is lucky I had you with me, Zaki, for I should certainly have gone
straight on past the wells, without knowing where they were; and as
there are no others this side of Abu Klea, I should have had rather a
bad day."

The three forts which the Guards had built, when they came on in
advance of General Stewart's column, were still standing; as well as a
number of smaller ones, which had been afterwards added.

"It is rather a bad place for being caught, Zaki, for the ground is so
broken, and rocky, that the Dervishes might creep up without being
seen."

"Yes, sir, it is a bad place," Zaki agreed. "I am glad that none of the
Dervishes were here, for we should not have seen them, until we were
quite close."

Zaki had, on the road, cut a large faggot of dried sticks, and a fire
was soon lighted.

"You must give the horses a good allowance of grain," Gregory said,
"for they will be able to pick up nothing here, and it is a long ride
to Abu Klea."

"We shall have to be very careful there, my lord. It is not so very far
from Metemmeh, and we are very likely to find Baggaras at the wells. It
was there they met the English force that went through to Metemmeh.

"I think it would be better for us to halt early, this evening, and
camp at the foot of Jebel Sergain. The English halted there, before
advancing to Abu Klea. We can take plenty of water in the two skins, to
give the