helmet.

Back to main camp and there saw troops not manning the Fort. There were
the:--

Queen Victoria's Own
Sappers Captain Hogg, R.E.,
69th Punjabis Colonel Harding,
89th Punjabis Colonel Campbell,
14th K.G.O. Sikhs Colonel Palin,
1st Bn. 6th Gurkhas Colonel Bruce,
29th Mountain Battery
and the Bikaner Camel
Corps Major Bruce.

Had a second good talk to the Native Officers, shaking hands all round.
Much struck with the turn-out of the 29th Mountain Battery which is to
come along with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps to the
Dardanelles.

From the platform of the Fort the lines of our defences and the way the
Turks attacked them stood out very clearly to a pair of field glasses.
Why, with so many mounted men some effort was not made to harry the
enemy's retreat, Cox cannot tell me. There were no trenches and the
desert had no limits.

_Now_ (in the train on my way back to Alexandria) I must have one more
try at K. about these Gurkhas! My official cable and letter asking for
the Gurkha Brigade have fallen upon stony ground. No notice of any sort
has been vouchsafed to my modest request. Has _any_ action been taken
upon them? Possibly the matter has been referred to Maxwell for opinion?
If so, he has said nothing about it, which does not promise well. Cox
has heard nothing from Cairo; only no end of camp rumours. Most likely
K. is vexed with me for asking for these troops at all, and thinks I am
already forgetting his warning not to put him in the cart by asking for
too many things. France must not be made jealous and Egypt ditto, I
suppose. I cannot possibly repeat my official cable and my demi-official
letter. The whole is _most_ disappointing. Here is Cox and here are his
men, absolutely wasted and frightfully keen to come. There are the
Dardanelles short-handed; there is the New Zealand Division short of a
Brigade. If surplus and deficit had the same common denominator, say
"K." or "G.S." they would wipe themselves out to the instant
simplification of the problem. As it is, they are kept on separate
sheets of paper;

too many troops too few troops
Maxwell Hamilton

* * * * *

Have just finished dictating a letter to K., giving him an account of my
inspection of the Indian troops and of how "they made my mouth water,
especially the 6th Gurkhas." I