THE DAY'S WORK 17 



tied his shank and thigh together. This happened 

 at Abu Klea. I ran, he ran ; I walked, he walked — in 

 the meantime scattering my furwa (sheep-skin saddle- 

 cloth), blankets, &c., all of which I had to carry in 

 addition to my rifle. Presently he made off at a trot. 

 I reached the road and sat down under a thorn-bush. 

 Providence sent along a man on a sore-backed donkey, 

 which, throwing scruples to the wind, I seized and 

 rode into Bara, where my camel had preceded me. 

 I felt like Mahomed — did he not ride a sore-backed 

 donkey into Mecca ? My payment compensated the 

 owner for the highway robbery I had committed. 



Lieutenant Whittingham (Durham L.I.), who had 

 been commanding No. 2 Company for some months, 

 was my companion at Bara. The day began with 

 stables at dawn, then drill, visiting the grazing guards, 

 drill, stables, and feeding. I do not think we had 

 time even to read. The camels were in a very bad 

 state. Whittingham would seize the veterinary instru- 

 ments and perform operations galore, removing pieces 

 of diseased backbone, cutting out abscesses, &c. There 

 is little about a camel he does not know now. 



As night fell we would wander, or rather wade, 

 through the deep sand to the wells, out of which 

 hundreds of pigeons would come, and round which 

 night-jars, with their curious wing feathers, would 

 dart. The water in plenty was only some fourteen 

 feet from the surface. 



We had not been long together before I was called 

 with my Company, as originally intended, into El 

 Obeid. I got my order in the morning, and started 



