rised that you don't know me."

"But what are you masquerading for, in this dress; and where have you
come from?"

"Perhaps I had better not say, Leslie. I have been doing some scouting
across the desert, with my boy here. We have had a long ride. In the
first place, my arm wants attending to. I have a bullet in the
shoulder. The next thing we need is something to eat; for the last
three days we have had nothing but dates, and not too many of them.

"Is there any chance of getting taken up to Merawi? We came down from
there to Korti, in a native vessel."

"Yes; a gunboat with some native craft will be going up this afternoon.
I will give orders, at once, that your horses shall be put on board."

When the ball had been extracted from his shoulder, and the wound
dressed and bandaged by the surgeon in charge, Gregory went up to the
tents again, where he was warmly received by the three white officers
of the Negro regiment. Breakfast already had been prepared, Zaki being
handed over to the native officers. After having made a hearty meal,
Gregory related the adventure with the Arabs in the desert, merely
saying that they had found there were no Dervishes at Gakdul.

"But why didn't you go straight back, instead of coming down here?"

"I wanted to see whether this line was open, and whether there were any
wells on it. We only found one, and it took us four or five hours' hard
work to get at the water. It is lucky, indeed, that we did so; for our
horses were getting very done up, and I had begun to think that they
would not reach our destination alive."

In the afternoon, the adventurers started with the boats going up to
Merawi and, the next morning, arrived at the camp. The Dervish patches
had been removed from their clothes, as soon as they arrived at
Ambukol. Gregory could have borrowed a white suit there; but as the
stain on his skin, although somewhat lighter than when first put on,
was too dark, he declined the offer.

"No one may notice me as I land, now," he said, "but everyone would
stare at a man with a brown face and white uniform."

Leaving Zaki to get the horses on shore, Gregory went straight to the
General's quarters. He told the sentry that he wished to see the
General, on business.

"You cannot go in," the man said. "The General is engaged."

"If you send in word to him that his messenger has returned, I am sure
he will see me."

"You can sit down here, then," the sentry said. "When the office