re is one comfort," Brown gasped in an interval between two very
energetic spells of sliding, "if we can't move the Ford, nobody else
can!"

In the circumstances of the moment I cannot say that I felt much
"comfort" in contemplating the car's condition. In fact I didn't care in
the least whether I saw the thing again or not. All I cared about was
reaching the Khan and putting down my bag. We found tracks where some
scrubby plants were growing, where the surface was passable, but as we
neared the entrance to the Khan, where carts and horsemen had made a
veritable quagmire, we stuck, all three, without apparently any prospect
of getting on at all unless we abandoned our baggage. However, some
Arabs came to our assistance and relieved us of our burdens, so that we
gained our objective.

Beginning our toilet by scraping each other down with a ruler, so that
we could see which was which, we soon evolved into something like our
normal selves. We had a few clothes to change into, but neither Brown
nor I had a complete set of everything. The result was that Brown looked
like a naval officer that had taken up cement making and I appeared to
be a cement worker, finished off, as the eye followed me downwards, with
very smart trousers and regulation naval boots.

[Illustration: MOONLIGHT, BAGHDAD]

The Khan was a poor enough shelter as far as accommodation went, but we
managed to make up a good fire and get tolerably dry. Some tea, made by
the ever resourceful driver, raised our spirits considerably, and we
talked over plans for the immediate future. Enquiries revealed the fact
that we were in great luck about trains, which appeared at intervals of
several days, as one was due in a few hours that would reach Baghdad the
same night. The driver had found others held up with their cars, so we
left him to stand by till better weather made movement possible and
decided to put in a few days at Baghdad instead of waiting here.

At about 7 o'clock, a train of miscellaneous construction steamed in
from the direction of Dhibban, bound for Baghdad. This bit of line runs
from Baghdad to the Euphrates and is important because it links up the
two great waterways and is always available when motor transport is
impossible on account of the state of the roads.

We clambered into a covered van, specially reserved--a sort of
Mesopotamian Pullman car. It contained a great litter of odd baggage and
two Hindu officers who were very luxuriously fit