142 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



dug. Here I had my final struggle for mastery. The 

 sergeant in charge of the men came to tell me that 

 the marches were too long ; it was not the custom to 

 walk like this, &c. I let him go on, acquiescing at 

 intervals, till at last his dense head realised that his 

 eloquence was miscarrying. Well, then he caught it. 

 He had arrived with a deputation which I, of course, 

 had sent away, and having no supporters at hand, and 

 being at heart a good fellow, though an ex- mutineer, 

 he caved in. After this we became the best of friends, 

 and I often wondered how they could have been as 

 demoralised as I had found them. Of course, the 

 Mamur was busy with other and strenuous work ; no 

 British officer had been near them for almost a year, 

 and discipline had suffered. 



I forgot to say that Tibsherani Eff. was with me. 

 He was awfully done up by the marching, and at my 

 suggestion halted at the Sopo River not far from Kos- 

 singa, our destination. I have said that he was a won- 

 derful fellow. At Dem Zubeir he spent his time taking 

 his own temperature and physic. His kit on patrol was 

 what he would have worn in Cairo, and ended in patent 

 leather jemimas. One of the four carriers he was al- 

 lowed bore a (light) iron bedstead and table (!) instead 

 of necessaries. To him the way was always "very 

 long," but he always got in quite cheerful in spite of 

 his fifteen stone, and quite ready to help at once in 

 interpreting the abominable Arabic of the district 

 for me. I do not know what he was like in a hospital 

 — in the wilds he was invaluable. 



I should say that though I purposely marched hard, 



