34 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



that he would guide us to the real Ibrahim, hut, as he 

 was very insistent that we should release the one we 

 had, we were a bit sceptical. He seemed so sure, that 

 at last we decided to allow him to guide us, and, being 

 in a friendly part of the country, Lyall and I deter- 

 mined to leave the prisoners and camels in charge of 

 the native officers, and, with a few men, mounted on 

 the horses captured from Sebeik, to make a forced 

 march back to Sungakai. Three of the horses had 

 Arab saddles, without stirrups, on which Lyall, his 

 staff officer, and I mounted ; the men folded their 

 blankets for saddles, and carried their arms and am- 

 munition. We started off ten minutes after receipt of 

 the news for a ride of about ninety miles in thirty 

 hours, the first half of which we did in eight. Not 

 one of my men, to my certain knowledge, had mounted 

 a horse for eighteen months. I count this ride as one 

 of the many things that justify my love and admiration 

 of the Arab soldier of Kordofan. Many people of 

 experience, forgetting what the justly despised Egyptian 

 soldier of the eighties has become, shook their heads 

 when the idea of an irregular Arab corps was mooted. 

 When it became a fact they loudly proclaimed that in 

 barracks it would be out of hand, in the field untrust- 

 worthy. Now there can be no question but that " they 

 are thrust like foolish prophets forth, their words to 

 scorn are scattered." 



The moon was almost a full one, but in spite of it 

 our guide lost his way once or twice. The thorns 

 were awful. Seated some ten feet or so high on a 

 camel one never realises, save for the wear and tear 



