Khartoum and Omdurman 



and the ist, 3rd, and 8di Battalions of Egyptian 

 troops — ^as opposed to the Sudanese "black" — 

 were quartered in Khartoum over the river. 

 Smartness wasn't the word for them. I was 

 never so much impressed in my life as I was on 

 being present at a review of some four thousand 

 troops the morning after our arrival at Khartoum. 

 Cavalry, galloping Maxim batteries, mounted in- 

 fantry, and two infantry brigades were on parade. 

 The precision and exactitude with which they 

 performed their different and varied evolutions, 

 like so many machines, as they marched and 

 countermarched, was little short of marvellous. 

 A few days after, by way of adding greater 

 emphasis to this parade, I was fortunate enough 

 to be able to witness the pick of each regiment 

 of these extraordinarily well-drilled troops, com- 

 peting against one another in a military tourna- 

 ment which lasted for three days. As every man 

 was wound up and on his mettle to try and win 

 each different event for his battalion, the judges 

 must, I should say, have found it extremely 

 difficult to pick out the best of such a good lot of 

 competitors. The men moved exactly like so 

 many clockwork automatons ; in fact, a descrip- 

 tion of that tournament in the most extravagant 

 terms would scarcely do justice to the real thing. 

 On Christmas Day an almost overcrowded 

 service at the palace — as the church has not yet 

 been built — was followed by a delightful ride on 



131 



