be enough to
enable me to hold on. But no one can make head or tail of these 47,000
drafts and reinforcements; no one can run them to ground. He has
notified me the units and the ships, but the total coming to Maxwell
_and_ myself don't tot up to that figure, much less the portion of them
detailed for the Dardanelles.[11] Now comes to-day's cable in which
Egypt is spoken of as being mine, and the fatness thereof. Taking this
message _per se_, any one might imagine I could draw any troops I liked
from that country provided that _I_ thought _I_ was leaving enough to
defend the Suez Canal: and, apparently, the 47,000 men are about to
make an effort to materialize inasmuch as we are told that details are
being wired us. Finally, Younghusband's Brigade sails to help us!

_27th August, 1915. Imbros._ As there is a Cabinet to-day I had to get
off my answer last night. In it I have made a desperate effort to
straighten out the tangle:--

* * * * *

"(No. M.F. 589). From General Sir Ian Hamilton to Earl Kitchener. On
returning from Suvla I have just found your No. 7337, cipher. I hope
there may be no misunderstanding as to meaning or intention of my No.
M.F. 578. I asked in my No. M.F. 562 for such drafts and reinforcements
as I considered necessary for the campaign to be brought to a conclusion
before the winter began. You told me in your No. 7172 that you could
spare no more reinforcements beyond those mentioned therein, and that if
I could not achieve success with these I must remain on the defensive
for some considerable time. I explained situation in my No. M.F. 578,
and said that the question was one of arithmetic and measurement. I was
anxious to hold all I had got and to gain more, but I required all my
available force at the present time merely to hold what I had got. I
pointed out that meanwhile a large proportion of my troops were urgently
in need of rest, and sickness was so great that unless reinforcements
were sent out my force would soon be too small for the number of yards
of front to be held. In that case, i.e., if reinforcements could not be
spared, but in that case only, it would be necessary to contract my
line. This welcome news of 47,000 reinforcements, however, alters the
whole situation. Such a number will do much to complete my diminished
cadres, and should materially lessen sick rate by giving more chance of
taking tired troops out of the trenches. Byng can certainly rem