136 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES 



said in a letter which is before me : ' During the 

 past ten years he has been working under my per- 

 sonal supervision, and is the one man of all our staff 

 on whom I rely under special difficulties, especially 

 during the movement of the " Nile Expedition " 

 and of my own ascent of the river as far as Dongola/ 

 Of all the generals whom Mohammed has met, I 

 think he has the most kindly remembrance of the 

 late General Eyre, who gave him £20 for a statue 

 which Mohammed had just bought for £2 17s. 6d., 

 and next year sent him another £10 because the 

 work of art proved to be more valuable than either 

 of them had thought/' 



It is clear from the above that I made a serious 

 mistake once in a way as regards a donkey, and I 

 well remember now, how angry I was with Mo- 

 hammed for having allowed my carefully selected 

 mount to be spirited away while I went back to 

 the boat for something I had left behind. 



