The first duty, therefore, which the Engineer officers had to perform was the reconstruction of the line from Sarras to Akasha.  No trained staff or skilled workmen were available.  The lack of men with technical knowledge was doubtfully supplied by the enlistment of a ‘Railway Battalion’ 800 strong.  These men were drawn from many tribes and classes.  Their only qualification was capacity and willingness for work.  They presented a motley appearance.  Dervish prisoners, released but still wearing their jibbas, assisted stalwart Egyptians in unloading rails and sleepers.  Dinkas, Shillooks, Jaalin, and Barabras shovelled contentedly together at the embankments.  One hundred civilian Soudanese—­chiefly time-expired soldiers—­were also employed; and these, since they were trustworthy and took an especial pride in their work, soon learned the arts of spiking rails and sleepers, fishing rails together, and straightening.  To direct and control the labours of these men of varied race and language, but of equal inexperience, some civilian foremen platelayers were obtained at high rates of pay from Lower Egypt.  These, however, with very few exceptions were not satisfactory, and they were gradually replaced by intelligent men of the ‘Railway Battalion,’ who had learned their trade as the line progressed.  The projection, direction, and execution of the whole work were entrusted to a few subalterns of Engineers, of whom the best-known was Edouard Girouard.

Work was begun south of Sarras at the latter end of March.  At first the efforts of so many unskilled workmen, instructed by few experienced officers, were productive of results ridiculous rather than important.  Gradually, however, the knowledge and energy of the young director and the intelligence and devotion of his still more youthful subordinates began to take effect.  The pace of construction increased, and the labour was lightened by the contrivances of experience and skill.

As the line grew longer, native officers and non-commissioned officers from the active and reserve lists of the Egyptian Army were appointed station-masters.  Intelligent non-commissioned officers and men were converted into shunters, guards, and pointsmen.  Traffic was controlled by telephone.  To work the telephone, men were discovered who could read and write—­very often who could read and write only their own names, and even that with such difficulty that they usually preferred a seal.  They developed into clerks by a simple process of selection.  To improve their education, and to train a staff in the office work of a railway, two schools were instituted at Halfa.  In these establishments, which were formed by the shade of two palm-trees, twenty pupils received the beginnings of knowledge.  The simplicity of the instruction was aided by the zeal of the students, and learning grew beneath the palm-trees more quickly perhaps than in the magnificent schools of civilisation.