ssible that a part of the force had
been sent down the river, to oppose any advance that might be made; or,
if unable to do this, to carry the news of the advance to Mahmud. The
Arabs were to keep abreast of the gunboat; and would, where the shores
were flat, be covered by its guns. But at spots where the ground was
high and precipitous, this assistance could scarcely avail them in case
of an attack, unless the hundred soldiers on board the steamer could be
landed.

As they rode along, Ahmed Bey explained to Gregory the plan that he
should adopt, if they were attacked in such a position, and found their
retreat cut off.

"The camels will all be made to lie down, and we shall fight behind
them, as in an entrenchment. My men are all armed with rifles the
government has given them, and we could beat off an attack by a great
number; while, if we were on our camels and pursued, we should soon
lose all order, and our shooting would be bad."

"I think that would be by far the best plan, sheik. Your two hundred
men, and the hundred the gunboat could land, ought to be able to make a
tough fight of it, against any number of the enemy.

"How long do you think we shall be, on the way?"

"About four days. The camels can easily travel thirty-five miles a day.
We have six days' provisions with us, in case the gunboat cannot make
its way up. Fortunately we have not to carry water, so that each camel
only takes twenty pounds of food, for its rider; and forty pounds of
grain, for itself. If we were pursued, we could throw that away, as we
should only have to ride to some point where the gunboat could protect
us. We could not hope to escape by speed, for the Dervishes could ride
and run quite as fast as the camels could go."

Chapter 10: Afloat.

The first three days' journey passed without any adventure. From the
natives who still remained in the little villages they passed, they
learned that the report that the Dervishes had left Berber was
generally believed; but whether they had marched for Metemmeh, or for
some other point, was unknown. The people were delighted to see the
gunboat; as, until its arrival, they had been in hourly fear of raiding
parties. They had heard of the capture of Abu Hamed, by the British,
from horsemen who had escaped; but all these had said, confidently,
that Mahmud would speedily drive them out again; and they had been in
hourly fear that the Dervishes would swoop down upon them, and carry
off