two days after he left. Lt-Col.
Bell, our A.D.M.S., on Gallipoli, is now in command, and as he is a
most able and genial officer I must do my best to join my old unit at
Suez should it be still there. (Col. Bell took over command of the
89th F.A. a week or two before this date, and was with us till the end
of the great Somme push of July. He was a most capable C.O., strict
but much respected by the men, and under him the Ambulance attained a
high degree of smartness and discipline such as it had never reached
before.)

_March 16th._--I have spent the afternoon with Hinde at the Nuzha
Gardens, the Kew of Alexandria. On getting beyond the town we came to
a broad, well-made road, bordered on both sides with orange trees, and
extending behind these the eternal palm and fig trees. This passed
Lake Hadra with its swampy edges full of long reeds and rushes, its
waters a dirty green, beloved by noisy frogs, with an abundance of
bird life, among which we saw two king fishers, and several times big
lizards darted across the road and mounted trees like squirrels.

The Gardens are particularly fine, the plants mostly tropical. I
noticed here that the new date crop is already well advanced. Our home
bedding plants, such as geranium, verbena, nemesia, were all in full
bloom and the soil and climate seemed to suit them. There was a large
rose garden, but the flowers were nearly over for the season, and the
blooms were but poor specimens, nor was their method of culture
conducive to the growth of prize flowers; the plants were mostly 3 to
5 feet high, thick stemmed, old and branchy.

_March 17th._--Still hearing rumours that the 29th goes to France one
of these days. I thought it was about time I was stirring up the
authorities, so I called at the adjutant's office at the Base Depot.
He was out, and on asking if there was any one else I could see, an
orderly said, "Of course there is the Colonel," in a tone of voice
that denoted that he would be a bold man who tackled him. However, I
dared to face him and found him a most charming man, but he could do
nothing for me directly, but advised me to go to the H.Q. of the 3rd
Echelon, Hotel Metropole, Alexandria, and ask for Captain B----. On
such an introduction I was received there with open arms, a 'phone
message was sent out to my depot, and I was assured everything would
be cut and dry before I could cover the four miles tram ride back to
camp. This I found carried out to the let