of reinforcements, and the putting up of new telegraph lines; we
spotted incoming transports, and the departure of our battle-ships in
the bay.

In fact, between us, we worked a very complete "Intelligence
Department" of our own. We made a rough chart showing the main lines
of communications, and the position of snipers and wells, telegraph
wires to the artillery, and the main observation posts and listening
saps.

"It's just as well," said I, "to know as much as we can how things are
going, and to keep account of details--it's safer, and might be very
useful."

"Very true," said Hawk; "'ave you noticed 'ow that little cruiser
comes in every morning at the same time, and goes out again in the
late afternoon? Also, two brigades of Territorials came in last night
and went round by the beach early this morning towards Lala Baba; I
see the footprints when I went down for a wash."

The colonel had camped us on the edge of the Salt Lake on this side of
an incline which led up to a flat plateau. Into this incline we had
made our dug-outs, and he was now planning the digging out of a
square-shaped place which would hold all our stretchers on which the
sick and wounded lay, and would be protected from the Turkish shell-
fire by being dug into the solid sandstone.

I was looking about for sand-tracks and shells, and I noticed that the
grass had grown much more luxuriously at one level than it did lower
down. This grass was last year's and was now yellow and dead and