, but with tools and the miscellaneous
stores belonging to the scouts, Lewis gunners, cooks, doctor, sanitary
men, signallers and all kinds of specialists the problem is far more
complicated, and the loading officer has usually made a large number of
enemies before the day is over. Some seventy camels were attached to
each battalion, camping under their own headman somewhere near and
sending in daily parties to draw rations and water from the A.S.C. The
camels were under the orders of the Commanding Officer, and the
Quartermaster's department detailed the numbers required for each trip.
The difficulty came when some subordinate attempted to convey these
instructions to the drivers--for we had not yet acquired that
surprisingly extensive Arabic vocabulary of which we all boasted by the
end of the campaign. Nor had the drivers any knowledge of English.

[Illustration: WATER CAMELS, MAHAMDIYA.]

On this occasion the officer in command, having carefully laid out the
loads at the prescribed distance and interval and quarrelled with every
specialist in the Battalion, went down to the camel lines, and loudly
ejaculated the only Arabic word he knew--"Rice"--believed to mean
headman. (The spelling of Arabic throughout these chapters is entirely
phonetic.) A majestic figure in a blue dressing-gown rose and advanced
beaming. There was a pause. All the camels were required. "Alle Gamell,"
observed the officer hopefully. It is said that every Arabic word means
some form of camel and it seemed possible that Gamell was an Arabic
word. The difficulty lay rather in the "all"! Rice broke into a flood of
Arabic--but gave no orders. The officer repeated his phrase, trying the
conversational, wheedling, and minatory tones in turn--but it was
useless. He therefore held up eighteen fingers--not of course
simultaneously--eighteen being the number of camels required for one of
his precious lines of loads. This was more effective. Rice fell upon his
myrmidons, beat up a number of drivers, who beat up eighteen camels. The
loading party assisted to beat, and so amid threatening and slaughter
the first line was roughly filled, most of the camels lying down facing
the wrong way, which necessitated much abuse and whirling round of the
forefinger before they were shipshape. Rice, now satisfied that all was
well, was horrified to perceive nineteen more fingers displayed before
his nose, and the officer, seeing that time was getting short and the
prese