The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-16

ed to before. He got timed beef made
in Chicago, cheese, condensed milk,
curry and rice, and all along the route
bought fresh vegetables. Every man
received one pound and half of bread
and one pound of meat a day, coffee
for dinner and tea at night. If some
big chap swore he hadn't enough
Kitchener would give orders to feed
him more
Kitchener was still a brevet major,
out the soldiers looked upon him as a
general. and he attracted more atten-
ton than any other officer. 1t was my
duty to go ahead with the guides and
interview the Sheiks The job was full
of danger, and hardly day passed
that Major Kitchener did not appear in
our company and ride along He had
two horses then, both full-blooded
Arabians. He called the smaller one
Said and a heavy roadster he named
names, as he frankly explained to u.s.
in order to make himself popular with
the Sheiks. His reputation soon spread
on account of this consideration which
he showed for the natives. and he was
the guest of honor whenever we enter
ed a Sheik's tent. The seats in these
tents run around three sides. In the
center sits the Sheik and the one whom
he intends to honor is seated Just to
the right 1t was an eye-opener to
most of the men to see Kitchener
squatted on the divan chatting in
Arabic.
He is also popular with these chaps
because he is inordinately fond Of
smoking lacome or the cigarette called
Turkish Delight One hardly ever sees
Kitchener without a cigarette in his
mouth. He is also fond of smoking the
nargileh or Turkish pipe. and never re-
fuses the proffered bowl. 1t is an old
proverb that when salt is eaten with an
Arab you are his friend for life, and
Kitchener never refused to make friends
in this way, although ordinarily he eats
but little He says the less he eats the
better he works, and / certainly never
saw a soldier who could endure so
much. Rarely on an expedition does
he sleep more than five or six hours out
of twenty-four, and the rest Of the time
he can be continually in the saddle
without showing fatigue"
One of the most strikingly interest
ing incidents of this march related by
the interpreter to illustrate Kitchener's
unusual characteristics was the follow
ing: When the expedition got as far
as Assouan a quarrel broke out among
the natives in the commissariat depart
ment This was made up of two dis
tinct camel corps, one from Alden, con-
sisting of Somalis, the fine breed of
Arabs who live in Alden; the other Of
Egyptians from Cairo and Alexandria.
At the first encampment bad blood
broke out. The contention as to who
were the most proficient in camel driv-
ing was heightened by the alleged pref
erence which was shown to the Alden
ties by the English. Finally the So
malls challenged the Egyptians to a
fair fight to see who were the most
valiant.
1.-THE Egyptians refused the contest.
I was one of the interpreters who re-
ported the matter to Captain Wilson, in
charge of the commissary. The next
morning Major Kitchener himself came
into the camp and ordered the Teme-
dar (head groomsman) of the Adenites
and the Sheik of the Egyptians to pre-
sent themselves. He heard the two
sides of the grievance, and then, turn
ing quickly commanded the Sheik and
twenty of the foremost Egyptians to be
bastinadoed for cowardice. There was
the greatest excitement in camp, but
no one dared to revolt when those
piercing eyes followed up the order.
About twenty Of those who refused to
fight were tied on boards and rattan
canes given to as many OF the Alden
tiles, and. to use the interpreters exact
language. They jolly well bastinadoed