in your kindness, have spoken to each of us
for half an hour and we shall indeed fight bravely for you, for of all
Generals, you, O Brigadier, are the most long minded."

[Illustration: At The Front. The Regiment In The San-i-yat Trenches.
Sergeant BISSET and Sergeant MURDOCH both killed in action.]

[Illustration: That Able Administrator General Sir PERCY L. COX And An
Influential Arab Sheikh.]

CHAPTER IX.

On April 20th, Colonel J. Stewart took over the command of the
Regiment, and Colonel A. G. Wauchope became a Brigadier.

It was a great blow to the Regiment to lose their Colonel, and very
difficult for any other man coming after him; but the new Colonel
proved a worthy successor to the old and the Regiment was fortunate in
having two such men in succession to guard its interests and its
honour. Months later when I congratulated the General on the successes
of his old Regiment and on his promotion, he said, "Yes, yes, B., the
Regiment was splendid, but I am not too sure that the other matter is
altogether a matter for congratulation." I felt certain that had it
been left to his own choice he would have preferred to remain with his
Highlanders than accept any higher command.

With the capture of Samarrah it can be said that the winter campaign
of 1916-1917 came to an end. We held the rail head of the Baghdad
railway and had captured sixteen locomotives, 224 trucks and two
barges of ammunition. Already at the end of April, the heat of the
coming summer which was to prove the hottest on record could be felt,
and the thermometer in that month reached 114 deg. in the shade.

The actual fighting was for the time being practically over, and it
was decided that Samarrah should be our advanced position on the
Tigris. Preparations were at once commenced to make the position a
strong one, and sufficient to hold up any attack which the enemy might
have in view; but the summer coming on the Turks were not anxious to
be aggressive and took up their most advanced positions some five or
six miles further up the Tigris.

The summer was consequently passed under much more pleasant conditions
than in 1916. The Turks being far distant a number of officers and men
were granted a month's leave to India; tents, rations and comforts
were plentiful. The Regiment was at full strength and, despite the
heat, the men maintained their health throughout the summer. The main
task was the digging of several lines of trenches in f