slands, and the sea is a dead calm. For some hours the
shores on our left are visible, then we steam, up along the Persian
shore and get a good view of the barren, rocky mountain range
running parallel with the coast. Those who have good glasses make out
villages on the shore. The Captain is pestered with questions about
the date and time of arrival at Basrah. Excitement is being felt
again; one wonders what the news will be, and what has happened to
General Townshend; and so at last anchor is dropped at the mouth of
the Shatt-el-Arab at the head of the Persian Gulf. The two rivers
Tigris and Euphrates join at a place called Kurnah, and from there to
the sea the river is called 'Shatt-el-Arab.' Everyone is disappointed
that there are no signs of land anywhere, and one wonders in which
direction land lies. But what a relief it will be to get off the ship,
how delightful to stretch one's legs ashore, as in spite of the good
food, the sports and the usual joys of a trooper, it is impossible not
to feel cramped and so once again everyone was rejoicing that the sea
voyage was at an end. The shore is so low-lying that nothing could be
seen of it as the transport had to anchor some miles off the mouth of
the river. We had to transship to smaller boats to proceed to Basrah,
about eighty miles inland. Transshipping is a long and tedious
business but at last it is completed and we say farewell with a cheer
to our transport, and the smaller boat steams towards the shore. In
about half an hour we make out some palm trees and everyone is on the
lookout for their first view of Mesopotamia. Slowly we approach the
wide mouth of the river, successfully pass over the bar, and the new
campaign for us has begun, and it is the last day of the year--31st
December 1915.

CHAPTER II.

It takes about seven hours from the mouth of the river to Basrah. The
journey up is of interest as none have been here before, and
everything is new. Both sides of the river the banks are covered with
palm trees, stretching inland for distances varying from 500 yards to
three miles, and after that all is desert. We pass Abadan on our right
where the pipes of the oil fields belonging to the Anglo-Persian Oil
Coy. reach the river from Ahwaz. It has been said that the
Mesopotamian Campaign was started in the first place to protect these
oil-fields. One wonders now if it would have been advisable to protect
them and hold Basrah only, and not push forward fu