It was about this time that one of the generals who visited Suakim instituted athletic games, thereby vastly improving the health and spirits of the men. And now Miles Milton learned, for the first time, what an immense power there lies in "scientific training!" One evening, when out walking with Stevenson, he took it into his head to race with him, and, having been a crack runner at school, he beat him easily. "Why, Miles," said his friend, when the short race was over, "I had no idea you could run so well. If you choose I will put you in training for the coming sports. You must know that I have run and walked and competed in the track many a time at home, and have trained and brought out runners, who had no notion of what was in them, till I proved it to them by training. Will you go in for it, and promise to do as I bid you?" "I have no objection," replied Miles, with a light laugh. If he had known what his friend intended to do he might not have agreed so readily, for, from that hour till the day of the sports, Stevenson made him go through an amount of running--even after being made stiff by previous runs--that he would never have agreed to undertake unless forced to do so. We say _forced_, because our hero regarded a promise once given as sacred. His was a curiously compound nature, so that while in some points of conduct he was lax--as we have seen--in others he was very strict. He was peculiarly so in regard to promises. His comrades soon came to know this, and ultimately came to consider him a very reliable man. Having, then, promised his friend to keep sternly to his work, he did so, with the result that his strength increased wonderfully. Another result was that he carried off the first prize in all the races. In order to make the most of time and avoid the evils of noonday heat, it was arranged that the races, etcetera, for the Egyptian soldiers and natives in Government employ should come off in the morning, and that the British troops should run in the later and cooler parts of the day. With the temperature at 120 degrees in the shade it would have been dangerous for Europeans to compete. The sports, including our familiar cricket, were greatly enjoyed, and the result was a decided improvement in the health of the whole force. Boat-races were also included in these sports. At the conclusion of one of these, Miles, to his great surprise, encountered his old acquaintance of the _Sailors' Welcome_, big Jack Molloy. "Why, Jack!" exclaimed Miles, as the hearty tar wrung his hand, "who'd have expected to see _you_ here?" "Ah, who indeed? an' I may say ditto." "I'm _very_ glad to see you, Molloy, for, to say truth, I thought I had seen the last of you when we parted in the troop-ship. I've often thought of you since, and of our first evening together in the--the-- what was its name?"