I strained a muscle in my leg at football yesterday and consequently
can't put my foot to the ground at all to-day. It is a great nuisance
as I'm afraid it will prevent my going on our little trek into the
desert, which will probably come off next Monday.
The news of the fight at Suliman Pak came through yesterday morning
and we had a holiday on spec, and a salute of twenty-one guns was
ordered to be fired. The first effort at 8 a.m. was a ludicrous
fiasco. The Volunteer Artillery, having no 'blank,' loaded the guns
with charges of plain cordite. The result was that as each round was
fired it made about as much noise as a shot-gun, and the packet of
cordite would hop out of the barrel and burn peacefully on the ground
ten yards away, like a Bengal match. Gorringe arrived in the middle in
a fine rage, and stopped the show. I took a snapshot of him doing so
which I hope will come out. He then ordered the salute to be fired at
noon with live shell. This was quite entertaining. They ranged on the
flood-land where we go after the geese, 3,700 yards: and it took the
shells about ten seconds to get there. There were some Arab shepherds
with their flocks between us and the water, and they didn't appear to
enjoy it. They "scorned the sandy Libyan plain as one who wants to
catch a train."
_Thursday_. As luck would have it, orders came round at 1 p.m.
yesterday for half the Battalion (including A. Coy.) to move
up-stream at once: and after an afternoon and evening of many flusters
and changes of plan, they have just gone off this morning. My wretched
leg prevents my going with them: but it is much better to-day and I
hope to be able to go by the next boat. Destination is unknown but it
can only be Kut or Baghdad: and I infer the latter from the facts (1)
that Headquarters (C.O., Adjt. Q.M. etc.) have gone, which means that
the other half Battalion is likely to follow shortly: and (2) that
they won't want a whole Battalion at Kut. The scale of garrison out
here is about as follows. Towns under 5,000 one Coy. or nothing,
5,000-10,000 two Coys. Over 10,000 a (nominal) Battalion: bar Basra
where there are only three men and one boy. Baghdad being about
150,000 may reasonably require two Brigades or a Division. We haven't
heard yet whether we've got Baghdad. They may even have more fighting
to do, though most people don't think so.