hem not one yard had even been surrendered to the enemy; it was their
stern resolve that no Highlander should lie unavenged, that no man who
wore the Red Haeckle should give his life in vain. The Redoubt had
once been theirs, and in its trenches lay the bodies of their
comrades who had died to hold it. It was the Redoubt they had set
forth to capture; now more than ever they were determined that not a
live Turk should dispute possession. The platoons that had originally
formed the rear waves were now fast coming up, bombs and bombers were
called for, and an immediate counter-attack organised. But the losses
were now very heavy. Within a minute, one Captain and two Subalterns
were killed, two Captains and two Subalterns wounded, and a heavy
proportion among the rank and file also fell. The smallest hesitation,
the slightest wavering, and the Turks had made good their success. But
there was no hesitation and, though only one unwounded officer
remained, there was no wavering. The bombers dashed forward, every
available man followed, and within fifteen minutes of its loss, the
entire Redoubt was recaptured and its forward trenches rapidly
consolidated. The Highlanders' boast still held true, the Red Haeckle
was again victorious.

Many were the dead, many the wounded to testify to the gallant deeds
that led to this success. An Artillery Officer, who witnessed the
assault, wrote:--

"That day the Highlanders without help won a victory that only those
who saw it can realise was among the most gallant fought in this war."

[Illustration: The Colonel.]

[Illustration: The Adjutant.]

[Illustration: The Mosques Of Baghdad.]

What is the secret, whence comes this spirit, of the wave of bravery
that seizes soldiers at these great moments? Many of the very men who
charged forward had, but ten minutes before, been driven back, many of
their comrades lay dead beside them, they had lost their accustomed
leaders, shrapnel and heavy shell were bursting among them, and when
the cry for bombs and bombers was given, it must have seemed to
many to be but the prelude to disaster, the vain cry for further and
useless sacrifice. What is it then that stops the individual from
hanging back, from letting others lead, from justifying himself to
himself by continuing to fire in comparative safety at longer ranges?
Who would detect him? Might he not argue plausibly enough, that his
covering fire would be of more assistance to his comrades than