and warned every one that a train of waggons at the station siding was full of ammunition. To my astonishment the chief of the staff came to me, saying that the Royal Engineer officer in charge of the canal had complained to him about what I was doing with his canal!

Our train, owing to the line not being clear, did not get farther than Zagazig the first night. Next morning at daybreak we continued our journey. On our way to Cairo we passed several bodies of Egyptian troops, also tramping up the line-all delighted at the chance of getting to their homes. When we got out of the train at Cairo I did not like the look of some of the spectators who had come inside the station; so, with my revolver loose in its case and my hand on the butt, I kept close to the Duke of Connaught, ready to shoot in an instant any native who showed the slightest hostile intentions. The Duke never could have known how anxious we were for his safety, and how carefully I shadowed him that morning, the 15th September. Soon after arriving at Cairo I collapsed, and was afterwards informed by an officer of my own regiment that his cousin in the Guards had found me about done at the hotel I had gone to, and brought me round by getting me to swallow a quantity of champagne. Two days later I was sent down to Alexandria, and from thence to Malta, where I was transferred to a hospital ship. At Malta I met many kind friends, and was much congratulated; but I was so broken down that I remember looking more than once at the water alongside, and wishing I might drop quietly in. Once at home, however, with one's belongings, I was very soon right, and fit for anything.

THE HEART OF THE NATIVE.

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After getting home I heard afterwards from Cairo that the prisoners whom I had taken on at Ismailia as camel-drivers and camp-assistants had been in a great state of mind at my leaving. I may mention in reference to these men that, after I had taken them on at Ismailia, I said I could do with less; but they plainly said they would not leave, even to go home, -"Where you lie down we shall lie down; where you go to sleep we shall go to sleep." One named Bolos, who acted as a personal servant to me, when he was told I had gone, fairly broke down, and although his hands were filled with silver to take home to his family, the poor old fellow, on learning that he would not see me again, let the money all fall to the floor, and sobbed like a child. I remembered what a state of mind he had been in, kissing my hand when I rode away in the evening for the last fight. The conclusion I arrived at, and that from a worldwide experience, was this: treat natives with justice, firmness, and kindness, and they will give their lives you.

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CHAPTER XXIII.

SOUTH AFRICA.

ON arrival at Waterloo Station the first friend I met was (Khartoum) Gordon. I then went to thank the First Sea Lord at the Admiralty, Sir Cooper-Key, for the good service he had done me in getting me attached to the navy. He rather astonished me by saying, "We have had two meetings here about your getting the Victoria Cross. At the first it was

decided to send in your name; but at the second we came to the conclusion that we could not recommend you without doing the same for those who landed with you at Mex." I begged he would think nothing more about the matter, as I did not consider that what I had done was worthy of the Cross. I had had a real good time with the navy, which was quite enough, and Lord Northbrook had sent in my name to the War Office for a brevet, as he did for the senior officer of the Marines present with the fleet on the 11th July. I also subsequently received from the Secretary of the United States Navy, sent through Lord Granville at the Foreign Office, the report of the American naval attaché with our fleet on the operations at Alexandria, in which was a pleasant little paragraph about the Mex affair.

SECOND FIGHT AT KASSASSIN.

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Graham, his A.D.C., and I then rode to the right flank. On our way there three shells, coming from the original front, struck the ground a few yards from us. I said, "I think, general, we had better shove on a bit. They have evidently seen who we are, and we shall have the other three shells of the battery here in a minute." No," replied G.; "don't see why we should hurry." He then gave me directions to look after the right flank, and returned himself to the main attack. Some few years afterwards, in London, when talking over that day's work, I said, "You left me in an uncommonly hot corner that morning." His answer, with a quiet chuckle, was, “I know I did!"

When the force from Salahieh, which had attacked our right flank, had been driven back by our heavy cavalry, I rode forward with my seik orderly to the open space in front to see all was clear, when the artillery opposite in the Tel-el-Kebir lines got our range and opened on us. I then returned to the light cavalry and battery of Horse Artillery, which was rolling up the left flank of the enemy's main direct attack. Happening to ride forward in the flank of the guns, I found a splendid situation on rising ground from which a great mass of the enemy's retiring infantry was in full view. I galloped to the battery and brought it up to the position I had found, and then a perfect rain of shrapnel was directed on the infantry. As the shells burst over them I could not help feeling unhappy at what I had done, but it was business the battle harvest had to be reaped when the crop was ready. The light cavalry (Hussars and Indian cavalry) then had their chance. The Hussars being in line, trotting forward, I asked Colonel Coghill's permission to ride alongside of him. This he

gave, and we increased our pace to a steady canter. The enemy, being about 700 yards in front in a great unwieldy square, now began firing. We quickened our pace, and in another minute or two would have charged, when a bugle or trumpet sounded in our rear, and the colonel halted the regiment. On my inquiring why on earth we halted, the colonel said it was his general sounding the halt. I then rode back and besought the general to let us go on. The charge would have been a splendid one; we felt certain we should have broken the square, and that done, my idea was to wheel to the left front and come down on the flank of three or four batteries of the enemy's artillery in front of our main attack. But the general did not think our light cavalry force strong enough. My entreaties had no effect, and the infantry were allowed to retire, while we halted, as we were getting too close to the lines in front to permit of any further advance (the Times' telegram had it that I wanted to take Tel-el-Kebir with the cavalry !), so I rode off to my left and rejoined the headquarter staff. Sir Garnet Wolseley had by this time arrived with strong reinforcements, and I informed him what had been done-or rather what had not been done. That afternoon I found myself in the field-hospital at Kassassin with my naval friend Purvis, who had shared our little dinner the night before, on a stretcher opposite me, the stump of his amputated leg being very conspicuous. I believe I was in rather a bad way, but I was revived by a hospital orderly coming up to me with a bowl containing lime-juice in one hand and a very solid-looking piece of bread in the other. He said, "Here is your ration of lime-juice and bread. Your meat ration has gone into the kitchen. You