62 
SOME EXPERIENCES IN EGYPT. 
about half past 12, having marched with three halts since 9 o’clock the night 
before and the distance covered was 31 miles, instead of the 19 which we had 
been fondly led to expect. We started again at two o’clock the next morning and 
marched, with a halt during the heat of the day, 24 miles. The next day we started 
at half-past three in the morning and with a halt at mid-day we marched 25 miles, 
and when we got to this last place we got a telegram from the Sirdar to say that 
Mahmoud had delayed his coming down and we might have a day’s halt, which 
was very welcome. We started next day at half-past three again and inarched 
through Berber where we had a fine reception from the Egyptian Army, who 
were all quartered there, and arrived at our destination, Dabeeka, at 
about eight o’clock that night. We did on the whole five day’s marching, (not 
counting the route march on the Eriday) with one day’s halt in between, and the 
total distance was about 122 miles (applause). That was, of course, very trying. 
There was one rather amusing incident that happened to us personally on that 
march. On the day after we had that halt before we marched into Berber we lost 
a gunner. We were to march off at about half-past three, and at three o’clock 
we were putting in the mules, and one of the mules (as mules will do) kicked him¬ 
self free from the ropes and broke loose in the dark. I had to send off 
some men to look for him and the mule (as mules do again) was playing about 
and could not be caught. The General came down in rather a state one way and 
another (laughter), and said : “ What are you waiting for : Why is the Maxim 
Battery waiting and keeping the whole Brigade waiting ? ” I said “ I am very 
sorry, Sir, but I have lost a mule.” He said “ You must come on with¬ 
out the mule and I will send someone afterwards to look for him,” 1 said: 
“ Very well Sir.” I sent to call in all the men who were looking for the mule, 
and we were just going to move off when one of the Nos. 1 came up 
and said : “ Gunner Baker has not yet returned, “ I said: “ Where has he 
gone?” He said: “ He has gone to look for the mule and has not come 
back again, I said: “ This is rather a serious matter, we must look if 
we can find him.” About five minutes afterwards the General came 
galloping down again and said : “ What is the Maxim Battery waiting for now ?” 
I said : “I am very sorry, Sir, but I have lost a man now.” He said : ‘‘Well, 
you must leave the man, the Battery must come, and we will send back to look 
for him afterwards.” Eventually we marched off without the man or the mule. 
The mule came on and followed us up and was caught, but the man was not 
found again, for about five or six days. The unhappy man according to his own 
story (which we never had an opportunity of verifying) had gone out to 
look for the mule and had fallen into a hole and became insensible, and 
when he came to, he found that everybody had disappeared,—the whole Brigade 
had marched off and he was left alone. I must tell you that the day before there 
had been some talk of our getting into touch with the Dervishes. It was not a 
likely thing to have happened, but the men were very much excited about it and 
thought that every native they saw on the skyline was a Dervish. The con¬ 
sequence was that this unhappy man when he woke up was in desperate terror ; 
he thought he was bound to be discovered by the Dervishes, but he very wisely 
thought the best thing to do was to get down to the river, then unfortunately in¬ 
stead of turning up stream and following the Brigade he turned down stream and 
headed for Cairo, so he walked further and further from the Brigade 
instead of nearer, and he was found some days afterwards, having suffered awful 
privations, because every native who had heard that he was missing, tried to give 
him food and he thought they were all Dervishes come to slay him. He was 
found eventually,by a Sergeant of the Egyptian Army in the gunboats, standing up 
to his neck in water surrounded by natives all trying to help him out (loud laughter). 
