With a Highland Regiment in Mesopotamia | Page 7

subdued regiment ate their evening meal in comparison to
the high spirits of earlier in the afternoon. However, very soon it would
be good-bye to the boats for good, as it was expected that the following
day we should land at Ali-el-Gharbi.
CHAPTER III.
The 2nd Battalion disembarked at Ali-el-Gharbi, one hundred and
eighty miles from Basrah. The ground was little better than a bog from
the rain of the previous day; with very little rain the whole countryside
seems to become a quagmire. The mud is about the most slippery kind
to be found anywhere, so that walking is made most difficult. The first
work was to unload the barges. All the kit, supplies, and tents had to be
taken ashore as we were leaving the boats for good and were now in a
hostile country. The unloading is a tedious business and one of the
most tiring of fatigues, but when the whole of a regiment is put on to it
the work is soon finished. That night No. 1 Company was on Out-Post

duty and the rest slumbered.
The following morning broke fine and sunny, as so often happens in
this country after wet and miserable evenings. The clouds roll up
during the night and the morning is such that one feels it is good to be
alive. There was a sharpness in the air that made it almost impossible to
think that in a few months' time this country would be proving itself to
be the hottest in the world. The orders were to be up at dawn and start
immediately after breakfast. Part of the Brigade transport was of camels,
but the camels getting out of hand disappeared into the desert and the
start had to be made without them. It is a fascinating picture to see a
long line of camels in single file starting off on a voyage across the
desert. But this misadventure had delayed matters and the heat after
midday was very trying for marching although in the distance one
could see the snow on the higher summits of the Pusht-i-kuh Mountains
which form the dividing line between Persia and Turkey. From an
aeroplane the picture of the Tigris flowing through this flat country
with all its numerous twists and turns must resemble a huge snake. A
short halt was made in the middle of the day for lunch, and a final halt
was not called till within five miles of Sheikh-Saad, and a distance of
twenty-two miles had been covered, not bad work, considering the
Regiment had just landed after being cooped up for a month on
transports and river boats. But everyone was dead tired and exhausted
and No. 1 Company was pleased that they had provided the Out-Posts
the previous night, and that it was the turn of No. 2 to do duty. General
Younghusband with part of his division had moved out and engaged
the enemy, and that night we could see the flashes of the guns and hear
the constant rattle of musketry. At break of day General Aylmer, the
Corps Commander, rode out past us to the advanced force, but it was
not till after nine o'clock that our Brigade advanced some five miles
and lay down to await orders. The orders were clear and promised
success. One Brigade was to deal with the Turks on the right bank of
the Tigris, one Brigade was to hold his forces near the left bank, while
a third, with ours in immediate support, was to make the decisive attack
on the enemy's left flank. This Brigade and ours therefore manoeuvred
to the right for position. Before we had taken sufficient ground to our
right, fresh orders arrived directing both Brigades to counter-march

back and attack the centre of the enemy's line, against which the
Brigade on our left was already moving. Instant action was demanded
and instantly the 2nd Battalion and a battalion of Jats moved forward to
the attack. No time was given for the issue of orders, no frontage or
direction was given, no signal communication was arranged. To all
enquiries the one answer was given "Advance where the bullets are
thickest" and right there did the 2nd Battalion advance. Magazines
were charged and bayonets fixed on the move; the companies moved
with great rapidity and wonderful exactness considering the exhausting
march of the day before and the little practice they had had in open
warfare. But without covering fire, and there was little artillery fire
available to cover our attack such an attack over bare open plain cannot
succeed unless the enemy be few in numbers or of poor heart. The Turk
was neither weak nor faint-hearted, and poured in so deadly a fire that
before the leading lines were within 200 yards of the enemy,