le of Sedd-el-Bahr still rages, and with a fury
but little less than yesterday. Yesterday was a very hard day, after
attending wounded almost continuously up to 8.30 p.m. I volunteered to
go ashore to see the wounded on the beach. The dead and dying were
here in hundreds. Before I got back to the ship at 4 this morning I
had a very hot time of it, and cannot understand why I am not a dead
man. We were told yesterday that a counter-attack was to be made and
that the Turks intended to blow the ship to pieces with cannon, which
they were to bring up in the night. When the attack did come I gave up
all hopes of anything but slaughter, as the men we had on land were
insufficient in number to meet a large force.

About fifty men were leaving the ship when this started, and at the
sound of the firing all fell flat on their faces, and if any one dared
to move he was at once fired at. Some one on a barge next the small
boat in which I had taken shelter asked if he could crawl into our
boat, but I dared him or anyone else to move as such movement would
only draw fire on every one of us. Not a man stirred, but lay on his
face from midnight to 4 o'clock. It was not till the end of the attack
that I learned these men had an officer with them. As I lay in the
boat I shouted to them that an assault on us was likely, and ordered
them to load and fix bayonets, and to see that all had plenty of
ammunition. Extra bandoliers of cartridges were passed up from the
rear, each pushing these along with a clatter. All this with the red
cross on my arm! And with loaded revolver in hand I was prepared to
die game.

The wounds I saw yesterday were in every part of the body, and most
were severe, and the death-rate in proportion to wounded will be very
high, many having four or five wounds.

Snipers are giving an extraordinary amount of trouble, the ground
yielding itself to numerous hiding places overlooking our beach, about
the rocks on our left as well as the immense old fort. The end of the
fort nearest us is now but a jumble of huge stones and is an excellent
place for snipers. A number of jackdaws and three huge storks had
their dwelling here and have now to live pretty much in the heavens,
circling over their old home in an excited condition.

It is now but 11.30 a.m. and I have been having a rest preparatory to
the advance we are to make this afternoon. I have not had a wink of
sleep since the 24th.

We join up with the French this aft