With Kitchener in the Soudan : a story of Atbara and Omdurman

by G. A. Henty

  "Yes, fairly; I have practised a good deal with it."

  "You are most fitted for an interpreter," the general said, speaking this time in English. " Now the North Staffordshire have come down, there are no British regiments up there, and of course the British officers in the Egyptian army all speak Arabic to some extent. However, I will send you up to Dongola. Either General Hunter or Colonel Wingate of the Intelligence Department may be able to find some use for you, and when the British troops go up you can be attached to one of their regiments as their interpreter. You will have temporary rank of lieutenant, with, of course, the pay of that rank. Captain Ewart came with me, Lord Cromer; I left him in the ante-room. If you will allow me I will call him in. Captain Ewart," he said as that officer entered, "Mr. Hilliard here has just received the temporary rank of lieutenant in the Egyptian army and is going up to join General Hunter at Dongola. You are starting in three days, are you not?"

  " Yes, sir."

  "I shall be glad if you will take him under your wing as

  far as you go. He speaks the languages, negro as well as Arabic. You can tell him what kit he had better take, and generally mother him. That is all, Mr. Hilliard. Call at my quarters the day after to-morrow for the letters for General Hunter and Colonel Wingate."

  "I thank you most deeply, sir," Gregory began, but the Sirdar gave a little impatient wave with his hand.

  "Thank you most deeply also, Lord Cromer!" Gregory said with a bow, and then left the room. Captain Ewart remained there for another ten minutes. When he came out he nodded to Gregory. " Will you come with me 1" he said. " I am going to the bank. I shall not be there many minutes, and we can then have a talk together."

  "Thank you, sir! I am going to the bank too. It was Mr. Murray who first spoke to Lord Cromer about me."

  " You could not have had a better introduction. Well, you won't have very long to get ready for the start—that is, if you have not begun to prepare for it. However, there is no rush at present, therefore I have no doubt you will be able to get your khaki uniforms in time. As for other things, the. e will be no difficulty about them."

  "You have been up at the front before, sir?"

  "Yes, my work is on the railway. I had a touch of fever, and got leave to come down and recruit before the hot weather came in. I dare say you think it hot here sometimes, but this is an ice-house in comparison with the desert."

  They talked until they arrived at the bank. "You may as well go in first and see Murray. I suppose you won't be above two or three minutes. I shall be longer, perhaps a quarter of an hour, so if you wait for me we will go to Shepherd's and talk your business over in some sort of comfort."

  " I am pleased indeed," Mr. Murray said, when Gregory told him of his appointment. " It is better than I even hoped. It is bad enough there in the position of an officer, but it would be infinitely worse in any other capacity. Do you want to draw any money?"

  " No, sir; I have fifty pounds by me and that will be enough, I should think, for everything."

  "More than ample. Of course you have plenty of light underclothing of all sorts, and a couple of suits of khaki will not cost you anything like so much as they would if you got them at a military tailor's in London. However, if you want more you will be able to draw it."

  "Thank you very much, sir! I will not detain you any longer now, but will, if you will allow me, come in to say good-bye before I start. Captain Ewart is waiting to speak to you. He came with me from Lord Cromer's."

  Captain Ewart then went in, and after settling the business on which he had come, asked Mr. Murray questions about Gregory and received a sketch of his story.

  " He seems to be a fine young fellow," he said, " well-grown and active, not at all what one would expect from a product of Cairo."

  " No, indeed; of course you have not seen him to advantage in that black suit, but in his ordinary clothes I should certainly take him, if I had not seen him before, to be a young lieutenant freshly come out to join."

  "Did you know the father?"

  "No, I was not here at that time; but the mother was a lady every inch. It is strange that neither of them should have friends in England. It may be that she preferred to earn her living here and be altogether independent."

  "She had a pension, hadn't she?"

  "A small one, but she really earned her living by teaching. She gave lessons to the ladies in English, French, and music, and had classes for young boys and girls. I once asked her if she did not intend to go back and settle in England, and she saidPossibly, some day'. I fancy that there must have been some mystery about the affair—what, I can't say; but at any rate we may take it that such a woman would not have married a man who was not a gentleman."

  "Certainly the boy looks a well-bred one," Captain Ewart said, "and I am sure that the Sirdar must have been taken with him. You don't know any more about his father than you have told me?"

  " Very little. Once, in talking with his wife, she told me that her husband had been in a commercial house in Alexandria for a year, but the place was burned down at the time of the bombardment. Being thus out of harness he became an assistant to one of the army contractors, and when things settled down at Cairo obtained a berth as interpreter, with the temporary rank of captain on Hicks Pasha's staff, as he also spoke Arabic fluently. I can tell you no more about him than that, as I never saw him, though no doubt he came here with his wife when her account was opened. I was interested in her. I looked up the old books and found that two hundred pounds was paid into her account before he left. I may say that she steadily increased that amount ever since, but a few years ago she had the sum then standing transferred to the boy's name, telling me frankly at the time that she did so to save trouble in case anything happened to her. I fancy from what she said that for the last year or two she had been going downhill. I had a chat with her the last time she came in. She told me that she had been consumptive, and that it was for the sake of her health they came out here."

  " That accounts for it, Murray. By the date, they were probably only married a year or so before they came out, and a man who loved a young wife and saw no other way of saving her would throw up any berth at home in order to give her the benefit of a warm climate. Still, it is a little curious that if he had only been out here a year or so before Hicks started, he should have learned Arabic sufficiently well to get a post as interpreter. I have been in the country about three years, and can get on fairly well with the natives in matters concerning my own wor£, but I certainly could not act as general interpreter.

  " Well, I am glad to have heard this, for you know the sort of men interpreters generally are. From the lad's appearance and manner there is no shadow of doubt that his mother was a lady. I thought it more than probable that she had married beneath her and that her husband was of the ordinary interpreter class. Now, from what you have said I see that it is probable he came of a much better family. Well, you may be sure that I shall do what I can for the lad."

  Gregory joined him as he left the bank. " I think, Hilliard, we had best go to the tailor first; his shop is not far from here. As you want to get your things in three days, it is as well to have that matter settled at once."

  The two suits, each consisting of khaki tunic, breeches, and putties, were ordered. " You had better have breeches," he said. " It is likely you will have to ride, and knickerbockers look baggy."

  This done, they went to Shepherd's Hotel. " Sit down in the verandah," Captain Ewart said, " until I get rid of my regimentals. Even a khaki tunic is not an admirable garment when one wants to be cool and comfortable."

  In a few minutes he came down again in a light tweed suit, and, seating himself in another lounging chair, two cooling drinks were brought in; then he said: "Now we will talk about your outfit, and what you had best take up. Of course you have got light underclothing, so you need not bother about that. You want ankle boots— and high ones—to keep out the sand. You had better take a couple of pairs of slippers, they are of immense comfo
rt at the end of the day; also a light cap to slip on when you are going from one tent to another after dark. A helmet is a good thing in many ways, but it is cumbrous; and if there are four or five men in a tent and they all take off their helmets, it is difficult to know w T here to stow them away. Most likely you will get a tent at Dongola, but you can't always reckon upon that, and you may find it very useful to have a light tente d'abri made. It should have a fly, which is useful in two ways. In the first place, it adds to the height and so enlarges the space inside; and in the next place, you can tie it up in the daytime and allow whatever air there is to pass through; then, with a blanket thrown over the top, you will find it cooler than a regimental tent. Of course you will want a sword and a revolver, with a case and belt. Get the regulation size and a hundred rounds of cartridges; you are not likely ever to use a quarter of that number, but they will come in for practice. Now as to food. Of course you get beef, biscuit, or bread, and there is a certain amount of tea, but nothing like enough for a thirsty climate, especially when—which is sometimes the case—the water is so bad that it is not safe to drink unless it has been boiled; so you had better take up four or five pounds of tea."

  " I don't take sugar, sir."

  "All the better; there is no better drink than tea poured out and left to cool, and drunk without sugar. You might take a dozen tins of preserved milk, as many of condensed cocoa and milk, and a couple of dozen pots of jam. Of course you could not take all these things on if you were likely to move, but you may be at Dongola some time before there is another advance, and you may as well make yourself as comfortable as you can; and if, as is probable, you cannot take the pots up with you, you can hand them over to those who are left behind. You will have no trouble in getting a fair-sized case taken up, as there will be water carriage nearly all the way. A good many fellows have aerated waters sent up, but hot soda-water is by no means a desirable drink— not to be compared with tea kept in porous jars, so I should not advise you to bother about it. You will want a water-bottle; get the largest you can find. It is astonishing-how much water a fellow can get down in a long day's march. Oh! as to your boots, get the uppers as light as you can—the lighter the better; but you must have strong soles—there are rocks in some places, and they cut the soles to pieces in no time. The sand is bad enough; your foot sinks in it, and it seems to have a sort of sucking action, and very often takes the sole right off in a very short time. I suppose you smoke?"

  " Cigarettes, sir,"

  "I should advise you to get a pipe in addition, or rather two or three of them. If they get broken or lost in the sand there is no replacing them; and if you don't take to them yourself you will find them the most welcome presentyou can give to a man who has lost his. I should advise you to get a lens; you don't want a valuable one, but the larger the better, and the cheapest that you can buy; it will be quite as good as the best to use as a burning-glass. Matches are precious things out there, and with a burning-glass you will only have to draw upon your stock in the evening. Now, do you ride? because all the white officers with the Egyptian troops do so."

  "I am sorry to say that I don't, sir. I have ridden donkeys, but anyone can sit upon a donkey."

  "Yes; that won't help you much. Then I should advise you to use all the time that you can spare, after ordering your outfit, in riding. No doubt you could hire a horse."

  "Yes; there is no difficulty about that."

  " Well, if you will hire one and come round here at six o'clock to-morrow morning, I will ride out for a couple of hours with you and give you your first lesson. I can borrow a horse from one of the staff. If you once get to sit your horse in a workmanlike fashion, and to carry yourself well, you will soon pick up the rest; and if you go out morning and evening for three hours each time, you won't be quite abroad when you start to keep up with a column of men on foot. As to a horse, it would be hardly Avorth your while to bother about taking one with you; you will be able to pick one up at Dongola. I hear that fugitives are constantly coming in there, and some of them are sure to be mounted. However, you had better take up a saddle and bridle with you. You might as well get an Egyptian one, in the first place because it is a good deal cheaper, and in the second because our English saddles are made for bigger horses. You need not mind much about the appearance of 3 T our animal, anything will do for riding about at Dongola, and learning

  HIS KEEN GLANCE SEEMED TO GREGORY TO TAKE HIM IN FROM HEAD TO FOOT

  to keep your seat. In the first fight you have with Dervish horsemen there are sure to be some riderless horses, and you may then get a good one for a pound or two from some Tommy who has captured one."

  " I am sure I am immensely obliged to you, Captain Ewart; that will indeed be an advantage to me."

  On leaving the hotel Gregory at once made all his purchases, so as to get them off his mind, and then arranged for the horse in the morning. Then he went home and told the old servant the change that had taken place in his position.

  "And now what about yourself, what would you like to do?"

  " I am too old to go up with you and cook for you."

  " Yes indeed," he laughed, " we shall be doing long marches. But it is not your age so much. As an officer it would be impossible for me to have a female servant. Besides, you want quiet and rest. I have been round to the landlord to tell him that I am going away, and to pay him a month's rent instead of notice. I should think the best way would be for you to take a large room for yourself, or two rooms not so large—one of them for you to live in, and the other to store everything there is here. I know that you will look after them and keep them well. Of course you will pick out all the things that you can use in your room. It will be very lonely for you living all by yourself, but you know numbers of people here, and you might engage a girl to stay with you for some small wages and her food. Now you must think over what your food and hers will cost, and the rent. Of course, I want you to live comfortably; you have always been a friend rather than a servant, and my mother had the greatest trust in you."

  " You are very good, Master Gregory. While you have been away to-day, I have been thinking over what I should do when you went away. I have a friend who comes in once a week with fruit and vegetables. Last year, you know, I went out with her and stayed a day. She has two boys who work in the garden, and a girl. She came in to-day, and I said to her:My young master is going away to the Soudan, what do you say to my coming and living with you when he has gone? I can cook, and do all about the house, and help a little in the garden; and I have saved enough money to pay for my share of food.' She said,I should like that very well; you could help the boys in the field.' So we agreed that, if you were willing, I should go. I thought of the furniture; but if you do not come back here to live, it would be no use to keep the chairs, and tables, and beds, and things. We can put all Missy's things, and everything you like to keep, into a great box, and I could take them with me; or you could have them placed with some honest man, who would only charge very little for storage."

  "Well, I do think that would be a good plan, if you like these people; it would be far better than living by yourself. However, of course I shall pay for your board, and I shall leave money with you, so that if you are not comfortable there you can do as I said, take a room here. I think you are right about the furniture. How would you sell it?"

  " There are plenty of Greek shops. They would buy it all. They would not give as much as you gave for it. Most of them are great rascals."

  "We cannot help that," he said. "I should have to sell them when I come back, and at any rate we save the rent for housing them. They are not worth much. You may take anything you like, a comfortable chair and a bed, some cooking things, and so on, and sell the rest for anything you can get after I have gone. I will pack my dear mother's things this evening."

  For the next two days Gregory almost lived on horseback, arranging with the man from whom he hired the animals that he should change them three times a day. He laid aside his black clothes a
nd took to a white flannel suit, with a black ribbon round his straw hat, as deep mourning would be terribly hot, and altogether unsuited for riding.

  " You will do, lad," Captain Ewart said to him after giving him his first lesson. "Your fencing has done much for you, and has given you an easy poise of body and head. Always remember that it is upon balancing the body that you should depend for your seat, although, of course, the grip of the knees does a good deal. Also remember always to keep your feet straight; nothing is so awkward as turned-out toes. Besides, in that position, if the horse starts you are very likely to dig your spurs into him. Hold the reins firmly, but don't pull at his head. Give him enough scope to toss his head if he wants to, but be in readiness to tighten the reins in an instant if necessary."

  Each day Gregory returned home so stiff and tired that he could scarcely crawl along. Still, he felt that he had made a good deal of progress, and that when he got up to Dongola he would be able to mount and ride out without exciting derision. On the morning of the day on which he was to start he went to say good-bye to Mr. Murray.

  "Have you everything ready, Billiard?" the banker asked.

  " Yes, sir; the uniform and the tent are both ready. I have a cork bed, and waterproof sheet to lay under it, and, I think, everything that I can possibly require. I am to meet Captain Ewart at the railway this afternoon at five o'clock; the train starts at half-past. I will draw another twenty-five pounds, sir. I have not spent more than half what I had, but I must leave some money with our old servant. I shall have to buy a horse, too, when I get up to Dongola, and I may have other expenses that I cannot foresee."

  " I think that is a wise plan," the banker said. " It is always well to have money with you, for no one can say what may happen. Your horse may get shot or founder, and you may have to buy another. Well, I wish you every luck, lad, and a safe return."

  "Thank you very much, Mr. Murray! All this good fortune has come to me entirely through your kindness; I cannot say how grateful I feel to you."