A Crowded _Ghyassa_--A Talking Mummy--Slatin Pasha--Animal Life on the Banks--The Pyramids of Meroe--Work for Archæologists--A Gaalin Sheikh--A Dervish Deserter--Abu Klea--A Sandstorm--Arrival at Wad Hamed--We meet the Sirdar--Types of the War Correspondent--Entomology--Insect Life in the Sudan--Desert Circulating Library--Fly-fishing in the Nile--Military "Fatigues"--Fugitives from Omdurman--Our Camp Life at Wad Hamed--Thirst in the Tropics--How we Dined--Good-bye to Wad Hamed 56 CHAPTER III THE WEEK BEFORE THE BATTLE Embarkation of Friendlies--The Shabluka Cataract--Our Delay at Rojan Island--First Glimpse of Omdurman--The Evening Ride from Hagir--The Joys of Good Health--Sudanese Wives--Importance of the "Drink Camel"--An Adventurous Greekling--Mr. Villiers' Bicycle--Um Teref Camp--Sudanese Music--The First Dervish--Scorpion v. the "Father of Spiders"--A Cavalry Reconnaissance--A Rainy Night--Within Twenty-five Miles of Omdurman--Deserted Villages--A Disappointing Capture--Seg-et-Taib--The Water Question--Corpses in the River--The Khalifa's Army in Sight--The Ridge of Kerreri--Sururab--Gunboats at Work--Troublesome Donkeys--Sniping--A Tropical Downpour spoils our Rest--Mr. Villiers and Myself stung by Scorpions--Chasing Hares on the March--Cavalry Scouts on Kerreri--Howitzers in Action--Skirmishing with the Khalifa's Cavalry--Waiting for the Dervish Advance--The Khalifa halts--The Evening before the Battle--The Perils of a Night Attack--False Alarms 105 CHAPTER IV THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN A Comfortable Breakfast--All ready for the Dervishes--Egyptian Cavalry engage the Enemy--Gunboats to the Rescue--The Joy of Battle--Here they come!--A Splendid Spectacle--The Dervishes open Fire--The First Shell--A Dervish Battery--Effect of our Shell Fire--Wounded Men--Curious Tricks played by Bullets--Maxims at Work--A Dervish Cavalry Charge--Persistent Sharpshooters--The Army leaves the Zeriba--The Lancers' Charge--Mutilation of the Dead--Wounded Horses--Killing the Wounded Dervishes--Renewal of the Fight--Steadiness of the Sudanese and Egyptians--Final Repulse of the Enemy--Dreadful Effects of our Fire--Men falling out--We halt beside a _Khor_--Regimental Music--Escape of the Khalifa--Death of Hon. Hubert Howard--A Champagne Dinner in the Street--The End of Mahdism 156 CHAPTER V GUNBOATS AND GAALIN