"It's two mile from this, I've bin towld," said Flynn, "where the great battle was fowt." "How d'ee know that, Flynn?" asked one. "How do I know anything I'm towld but by belaivin' it?" returned the corporal. "It's my opeenion," said the big Scotsman Macleod, "that if there had been ony better troops than Egeeptians to fecht wi', oor men an' my Lord Wolseley wadna hae fund it sic an easy job." "But it is said that the Egyptians were brave enough, and fought and died like men till they were fairly overpowered," said Moses Pyne, who, being young and ardent, besides just, felt bound to stand up for dead foes. "I'm no objeckin' to their bravery," returned the Scot. "They did the best they could; but what was to be expeckit o' a wheen men that was dragged to the field against their wull, an' made to fecht afore they weel kent hoo to use their airms?" "Anyhow they gave us a chance to show what British soldiers can do," said Rattling Bill. "An' sure there's plenty more where they came from to give us another chance," said Flynn. "That's true, boys. Three cheers for the heroes of Tel-el-Kebir, dead and livin'!" cried Armstrong, setting the example. The response was prompt and hearty, and for a few moments a forest of white helmets waved in the air. The enthusiasm was not allowed to cool, for the next station was Kassassin, where the Life Guards and our cavalry made their midnight charges; and where there occurred, perhaps, one of the longest day's fighting in the war of 1882. Here, also, they saw the graves of the poor fellows who fell at that time, but the sight did not depress the men much. The somewhat lugubrious Sutherland alone seemed to take a serious view of such matters. "It's a' vera weel for licht-hearted lads like you to laugh an' cheer," he said, "but there's naething mair certain than that some o' you that's laughin' an' cheerin' yenoo, an' boastin' o' lickin' the Soudan neegers, 'll fill sandy graves afore lang." "You don't know that, Scotty. Pr'a'ps we'll _all_ escape and return to old England together," said one of his comrades. "Arrah! if I _did_ git into wan o' the sandy graves ye spake of," remarked Flynn, "I do belaive I'd rise out of it just for the pleasure o' contradictin' you, Sutherland." "H'm! nae doot. Contradictiousness whiles maks fowk lively that wad be dull an' deed eneuch withoot it. But did onybody iver hear o' a reg'ment gaun' oot to the wars an' comin' back jist as it went? That's the question--" "As Hamlet's ghost said when he was takin' a night-walk to cool his-self," interposed Simkin. "It wasna his ghost; it was his faither's ghost," cried Sutherland; "an' I'm no' sure that--" "Howld yer tongues, both o' ye!" cried Flynn; "sure the loss o' yer helmets is beginning to tell on yer heads already. What can the line be I see in the distance over there? I do belaive it's another o' thim broad rivers that seem to cut up this land all into stripes."