260 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



cheque had noted the name of his orderly on the 

 reverse, and the orderly, being presumably illiterate, 

 had not attached his signature ; (6) because the 

 cheque was of the Cairo branch, and this was the 

 Khartoum branch. This same bank at Alexandria 

 had declined to cash one of my own cheques, stating 

 that they were unaware of my existence. That 

 cheque bore the surcharge " Souakin," but the 

 Alexandria branch apparently declined to recognise 

 the existence of their branch at Souakin. The 

 Sudanese Government ought to compel its treasurers 

 to keep the private accounts of gazetted officers 

 in districts where no bank exists, and thereby relieve 

 them of the necessity for floating cheques on Cairo 

 in places more than 2000 miles away. 



June 21th. Left the Grand Hotel, where I had 

 been quite comfortable except for the sandflies, and 

 took the 11 a.m. express for Port Sudan. Was sur- 

 prised to find that servants' tickets in the Sudan cost 

 one-third of the price of first-class tickets. The hotel 

 charges had worked out at about thirty shillings per 

 diem. We reached Atbara Junction at sunset. I had 

 only seen a couple of ariel from the train. 



June 28th. Reached Port Sudan at about 8 a.m., 

 and found my account and money ready with G. H., as 

 also the spare kit that I had left behind at Souakin. 

 The town is very scattered, and looks far less capable 



