THE EGYPTIAN ARMY 59 



plenty of time I halted near J. Shwei to follow some 

 ril I saw gambolling in the first rosy light of dawn. I 

 had sent my own rifle on with my baggage, never 

 dreaming that I would ever get a chance at this 

 beautiful and rare antelope. I failed to get one with 

 my orderly's rifle. 



As it was at this period that I severed my connection 

 with the purely military side of the Egyptian Army, I 

 venture, ungrateful as is the task, to place on record 

 my opinions of its native personnel, garnered during a 

 four years' thorough study. I call the task ungrateful 

 because, to be fair, one must not only eulogise but 

 also criticise. 



Not many can take a dispassionate view of the 

 comparative merits and demerits of the different kinds 

 of native troops. We have the Egyptian fellah, con- 

 scripted for five years ; the Sudanese negroids, enlisted 

 for life ; and the Arab and other irregulars, whose 

 conditions of service are very diverse. 



I had very little to do with Egyptian soldiers. At 

 Haifa I had a small force of them as police. They 

 did not shine in that capacity. They lacked force of 

 character and were too often suspected of blackmail. 

 Needless to say, they were not selected as the best 

 men when sent to us by their commanding officers. 

 Almost every one has a different opinion of them. 

 Major-General Mahon was wont to say that he pinned 

 greater faith in them than in the Sudanese. Confident 

 as they now are in their leaders, their very stolidity 

 ensures their following like sheep. In physique they 

 are the finest troops in the world. It is said that they 



