Page:H. D. Traill - From Cairo to the Soudan Frontier.djvu/188

, cigarettes between their ample lips, chattering gaily to each other as they clean their Martinis or furbish up the brass of their belts. This week on the Nile is for them, no doubt, a pleasant little outing; but, still, it is, of course, a serious business also, and not by any means intended merely as a treat, so to speak, for a good soldier boy.

No boat, neither tourist steamer, mail-boat, nor steam dahabiyeh, is at present allowed to navigate the Nile between the First and Second Cataracts without an escort. As to sailing dahabiyehs, the Sirdar has stopped them altogether. Dependent as they are on the wind and unable to moor for the night in mid-stream, they would be at the absolute mercy of any predatory horde that chose to descend upon them, while to give military protection to them all would, of course, be impossible. And landing, as we have done, for the purpose of visiting the scene of a murderous raid committed by the Dervishes not much more than a month ago, we are