142 SAM DARLING^S REMINISCENCES 



I am happy to say that the exertions of the chief 

 engineer and his men, after twenty-one hours' 

 continuous work, resulted in getting our wrecked 

 paddle-wheel into shape, so that we started off 

 again about 2.40 this morning. Before going to 

 bed some of the ladies were scared by the appear- 

 ance of two or three mounted and armed Arabs 

 on the bank side, together with a crowd of natives, 



and for a few moments some of them 

 An alarm . 



would nave it that the steamer was 



going to be raided. Mr. Darling and I, having 

 the only firearms on board, were regarded as the 

 only possible defenders. Of course, the men were 

 of the most harmless character, being something 

 in the nature of police. We are now speeding 

 along down the Nile, and it is still believed that 

 we shall get passengers for to-morrow's P. and 0. 

 to Cairo in time. We shall see." 



" Within a few minutes of writing the above I 

 became aware that something had again gone 

 wrong with the works ; a link of the steering-gear 

 had given way, and simultaneously one of the 

 floats of the repaired paddle-wheel collapsed, the 

 iron work of this particular float being Belgian, 

 and the chief engineer had been anticipating its 

 failure for more than an hour. Again we had to 

 anchor and swing with the current, but this time 



