me change, but quite
uneventful, with the exception of one sad event, the death of Sergeant
Pearson, who had embarked in a state of collapse, with little or no
prospect of recovery. He was a most promising N.C.O., and his father
had served in the regiment before him. Aden was reached on February
11th, 1902, and the battalion disembarked that afternoon.

The year passed without any incident calling for remark, and on
October 1st the following notice appeared in battalion orders:--'It is
notified for general information that the battalion will leave Aden
for home in H.M.T. _Syria_, on or about the 11th of February, arriving
home on 24th February, 1903.' 'There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and
the lip,' however, and the old adage was once more to be exemplified.

For some time past rumours of approaching trouble with regard to the
delimitation of the Turkish frontier in the Hinterland had been rife.
A force of Turkish troops was encamped near Dthala, about one hundred
and ten miles from Aden, and the Sultan of Dthala finally appealed to
the British for support. The result was that instead of going home, a
column was organized under the command of Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel F.
P. English, 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers, to watch the frontier.

The following is an extract from the Aden District Orders:--

DISTRICT ORDERS BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL H. T. HICKS, C.B., 2ND ROYAL
DUBLIN FUSILIERS, COMMANDING ADEN DISTRICT.

No. 450. _Aden, Friday, December 12th, 1902._

In supersession of previous instructions, a column composed as under
will be held in readiness to proceed, on field-service scale, from
Aden into the interior of Arabia:--

In Command: Lieutenant-Colonel F. P. English, 2nd Royal Dublin
Fusiliers.

Staff Officer: Major S. M. Edwards, D.S.O., 2nd Bombay Grenadiers.

Supply and Transport Officer: Captain W. C. W. Harrison, Supply and
Transport Corps.

Staff Medical Officer: Captain I. A. O. MacCarthy, Royal Army Medical
Corps.

2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers (including section of maxim gun and twelve
signallers) 225 N.C.O.'s and men.

No. 45 company, Royal Garrison Artillery
(with two seven-pounder
mountain guns and four nine-pounders) 80 "

{25 horsemen.
Aden Troop {12 camelmen.

2nd Bombay Grenadiers A double company.

Sect