s it was
light, Zaki fetched in the camels and they continued their journey. In
an hour, they arrived at a village. The people were already astir, and
looked with evident apprehension at the seeming Dervishes.

"Has a party of infidels passed along here?" Gregory asked the village
sheik, who came out and salaamed humbly.

"Yes, my lord, a party of soldiers, with some white officers, came
through here three days ago."

"How many were there of them?"

"There must have been more than a thousand of them."

"Many more?"

"Not many; perhaps a hundred more. Your servant did not count them."

"Had they any cannon with them?"

"No, my lord. They were all on foot. They all carried guns, but there
were no mounted men, or cannon."

"Where is Fadil and his army, that they thus allowed so small a force
to march along, unmolested?"

"They say that he is still near the Nile. Two of his scouts were here,
the day before the Turks came along. They stayed here for some hours,
but as they said nothing about the Turks coming from Kassala, I suppose
they did not know they had crossed the river."

"Well, we must go on, and see where they are. They must be mad to come
with so small a force, when they must have known that Fadil has a large
army. They will never go back again."

Without further talk, Gregory rode farther on. At each village through
which they passed, they had some news of the passage of Colonel
Parsons' command. The camels had been resting, from the time when
Omdurman was taken; and, having been well fed that morning, Gregory did
not hesitate to press them. The troops would not march above
twenty-five miles a day, and two days would take them to Mugatta, so
that if they halted there but for a day, he should be able to overtake
them that night.

The character of the country was now greatly changed. The bush was
thick and high, and a passage through it would be very difficult for
mounted men. There was no fear, therefore, that they would turn off
before arriving at Mugatta; from which place there would probably be a
track, of some sort, to Gedareh. It was but a thirty-mile ride and, on
arriving near the village, Gregory saw that a considerable number of
men were assembled there. He checked his camel.

"What do you make them out to be, Zaki? Your eyes are better than mine.
They may be Colonel Parsons' force, and on the other hand they may be
Dervishes, who have closed in behind him to cut off his retreat."

"They