Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 137.djvu/682

676 difference both as to head-room and temperature, while the greater consistency of the subsoil tends to mitigate the real and ever-present misery of dust.

Among the most useful articles of clothing are good helmets and pads for the back. The wearing of the latter is not properly insisted on, and the shape of the former appears to have been decided with a view to the better exposure to the sun of the wearer's temples and the sides of his head. Those worn by the navy, commissariat, and staff, are all better, being more akin to the old mushroom-shape worn by civilians in India, than to the smarter parade article served out to the troops. It is a mistake, as long dwellers in hot countries can testify, to wear too thin clothes; the sun affects not only a man's head, but every part of his body, especially his back and chest, and the greater discomfort of a little extra weight is well compensated by the additional protection gained, which, in a climate which forces you to put your hands in your pockets to protect them from the heat of the wind, is obviously a necessity. Colour is of much less importance than substance, and the old-fashioned Kháki is as good as any. The thickness and the make of the rough grey coat and trousers served out are all that could be desired, but the colour and peculiarities of texture were apparently selected for the purpose of attracting dust and showing dirt, as they become inconceivably shabby in the shortest space of time. No allowance was made for a little extra strength in that part of a man's trousers which might reasonably be supposed to suffer from constant rowing; and the descriptions by correspondents at Korti regarding the utilisation of biscuit-tins for repairs of these garments was true enough. It is to be regretted that some stuff for patching was not provided in each boat: the best soldier always makes an effort, which is singularly successful even under most adverse circumstances, to turn out smart; and the more he is encouraged to do so, the better for his health and comfort.

The rations served out to the expedition have been plentiful and of the best description, and even as far south as Metammeh, porridge and milk, bacon and eggs, were a not unusual commodity at breakfast; and notwithstanding the grumbling occasioned at the time, it was a wise precaution to reserve all the Nile-boat delicacies for issue south of Debbeh, the only drawback being that it was an additional incentive to the systematic robbery which has been a disgrace to the expedition. Of the many things which have been looted on the way up, the principal of course, after wine and spirits, have been jam, cheese, pickles, sugar, candles, matches, bacon, Liebig, &c. As regards the first, it is probable that a moderate issue of grog every night to the hard-worked crews of boats would have mitigated this evil by making the temptation less, besides having the additional advantage of keeping the men in good-humour, and affording some protection against the effects of over-exertion, frequent immersion, and constantly sitting in wet clothes.

It would not be easy to award the prize for expert thieving to any particular nationality, as each component part which forms the heterogeneous mass of the Nile expedition has vied with the other for the post of honour. English, Canadians, Egyptians, Kroomen, and Nubians