The officer in command, General Graham, had two men who knew the ground well, Baker and Burnaby, to point out the best route to avoid obstacles which would break the formation, and so they moved over a flat expanse of sand, with now and then a hill overgrown with low bushes. Not far from the line of march these sand-hills were larger and more numerous, and the bushes thicker, and amongst and beyond these parties of the enemy were hovering; to guard the infantry against a sudden attack from these, a squadron of light cavalry were spread out half a mile ahead, covering the flanks. "I ask your pardon, sir," said a sergeant to Strachan, as they tramped through the sand, "but do you happen to know what we are going to fight about? Not that it matters, only it gives an interest like to the business." "Oh, yes, sergeant," said Tom. "We are going to relieve Tokar." "So I thought, sir. But then, you see, Tokar, they say, has fallen." "I believe it has," replied Tom; "but that was the original idea. And if we are a bit late, why then we must show them how we would have relieved it if it had not been taken. The Arabs had no right to be in such a hurry. You remember the sham fights we used to have at Aldershot? Neither side was to commence manoeuvring before a certain hour, when a gun fired. Well, these Arabs have not played fair, but stolen a march upon us before the proper time. But that is no reason why we should go home after all this trouble and preparation without a fight." "Of course not, sir!" "Well, then, they have got the wells at El Teb, and have raised fortifications to defend them, I believe, and our job to-day is to get them out of that. Then we go on to Tokar, and we shall see if they make another fight there." "Thank you, sir," said the sergeant; "I understand quite enough now." A puff of smoke from the bushes; another; twenty. But no bullets came, the enemy firing from too long a distance. It was like a peaceable field day with blank cartridge burning. Trinkitat harbour was in full view, and an energetic ship there, seeing the Arabs' position thus indicated, tried to throw shells amongst them. But they, too, were out of range. Only, as shells when properly constructed burst somewhere, and these were sent over the heads of friends, their exploding short was dangerous, and after two or three attempts the experiment was dropped. The main body of the cavalry followed in rear of the square, and to the left of it, in three lines. "Look at those birds!" said Green to Tom, coming up to him to draw his attention. "What lots of them! They look like vultures surely, some of them." "And they are vultures, too. What carrion have they got there I wonder. Faugh! One can smell it from here." "Look at General Baker, what a stern expression he has got," said Fitzgerald, letting his subaltern come up to him. "What a scene those birds and this stench must recall for him!"