bing raids of the Turk's aeroplanes.)
The three outpost companies had their vigil cheered by the distant drums
and fifes of an English battalion playing "While shepherds watched their
flocks by night--all seated on the ground," and felt a new and poignant
sympathy with those whose watch must have been so like our own.

The great spell of Christmas seemed even to have touched the hearts of
G.H.Q. for on Christmas Eve the C.O. received a wire through Brigade
to ask "How many of your officers have wives in Egypt?" He was compelled
to reply that no officer had managed the feat suggested. But it is nice
to speculate on how the staff in Cairo, who doubtless had, felt their
hearts go out to their less fortunate brethren of the fighting forces
and how they hatched a plan for special private wires from wife to
husband at this season of goodwill. Let no cynic obtrude other motives
for that famous telegram.

[Illustration: BAGGAGE CAMELS ON SHORE NEAR EL ARISH.]

On December 29th we moved forward again to Kilo 139, near Abu Feleifil.
We left behind us Captain Wightman as Post Commandant at Kilo 128, a
position which he held with true Scottish tenacity long after the whole
post had melted away, and he had no one to command except his batman,
another of the same bull-dog breed. He only admitted defeat when the
last of the water in the canvas tanks was consumed, and the passing
ration train had given up leaving anything for him to eat, and steamed
past the forgotten post with a derisive whistle. At 139 we enjoyed heavy
rain storms, bleak cold days, and a tearing wind; which raised a
sand-storm as soon as the rain had sunk in. We were, however, free of
outpost duty on the 31st and able to take off our boots at night for the
first time for a fortnight, and a surprising number of us were able to
celebrate the new year with a nip of something better than chlorinated
water. On the 5th we took the outpost line again, but in the interval we
did several route marches and saw the excellent Turkish trenches at
Masaid among palm trees, growing scattered over a wide area, quite
unlike the little concentrated hods with which we were familiar. We were
now only a mile or two from the sea, and the roar of the surf reached us
day and night, but bathing had lost much of its attraction with the
change of weather and was even rather dangerous. On one day the
sand-storm was so bad that it was impossible to leave camp. Anything
left in the open was rapi