became
known that the Colonel had decided to land and practice an attack. He
knew that at any moment his Regiment might be thrown into action, and
as the long journey was found to have a stiffening effect on one's
limbs he decided on some small practice manoeuvres before the actual
and real thing took place.

What a pleasure to get on shore again! At such a moment a regiment is
almost like a boy's school let out after hours; everyone was in high
fettle and pleased, our long journey was nearing its end, and very
soon we would be relieving General Townshend who had been locked up in
Kut since December 5th.

By three o'clock all were ashore and an attack on an imaginary enemy
was practised, and of course victory achieved; but on returning to the
river, it was found that the boats had moved up a mile or so, and
tired and weary the Regiment had to go in search of them, and to add
to the discomfort the rain started to come down, so that by the time
everyone was on board again at seven-thirty it was dark and the men
were wet, and a very subdued regiment ate their evening meal in
comparison to the high spirits of earlier in the afternoon. However,
very soon it would be good-bye to the boats for good, as it was
expected that the following day we should land at Ali-el-Gharbi.

CHAPTER III.

The 2nd Battalion disembarked at Ali-el-Gharbi, one hundred and eighty
miles from Basrah. The ground was little better than a bog from the
rain of the previous day; with very little rain the whole countryside
seems to become a quagmire. The mud is about the most slippery kind to
be found anywhere, so that walking is made most difficult. The first
work was to unload the barges. All the kit, supplies, and tents had to
be taken ashore as we were leaving the boats for good and were now in
a hostile country. The unloading is a tedious business and one of the
most tiring of fatigues, but when the whole of a regiment is put on to
it the work is soon finished. That night No. 1 Company was on Out-Post
duty and the rest slumbered.

The following morning broke fine and sunny, as so often happens in
this country after wet and miserable evenings. The clouds roll up
during the night and the morning is such that one feels it is good to
be alive. There was a sharpness in the air that made it almost
impossible to think that in a few months' time this country would be
proving itself to be the hottest in the world. The orders were to be
up at daw