MANAGEMENT 261 



in. One by one, assisted by my men, we stripped them 

 perfectly naked, and took away all the money that each 

 man had in his possession. We were obliged to under- 

 take this operation, repulsively filthy as it was (and the 

 Afghan is the dirtiest brute on record), for they are all 

 such thieves, and, having the greatest mistrust for one 

 another, hide away their valuables in the most extra- 

 ordinary places. The amount taken from each man 

 was duly entered to his credit, and I informed them 

 that on arrival at Peshawur, but not before, the money 

 would be returned to them. Not a man deserted (for 

 the Afghan is most avaricious, and loves the chink of 

 money), while other corps suffered greatly. My drivers, 

 it anything, were rather pleased than otherwise over 

 the result of my manoeuvre, for the Afghans have a 

 keen sense of humour, and appreciated the fact of my 

 having outwitted them. 



Up the Nile, also, the drivers we got at Assouan, intermix- 

 Dongola, and all along the river, were not camel drivers, Europeans 

 and many of them were old decrepit men and mere natives a 

 boys. The handful of Aden boys that I had at 

 Suakim, as previously mentioned, were excellent, so 

 also were those and some Somalis that I had up the 

 Nile ; but unfortunately there were too few of them. 

 The former were quieter and easier to manage than the 

 latter ; but on the whole I would sooner have the 

 Somalis by themselves, without any soldier supervision, 

 No ; Thomas Atkins though a most estimable person, 

 for whom I have great respect in his management, or 

 rather mismanagement, of the native is a failure. He 

 does not know how to treat him. At one moment he is 

 too friendly, the next he will kick and cuff him. The 



