th him for over an
hour; Braithwaite doing ditto with Reed.

Stopford urged that these last two Territorial formations sent out to us
were sucked oranges, the good in them having been drafted away into
France and replaced by rejections. He says he would have walked on to
the watershed the first day had we only stiffened his force with the
29th Division. There happened to be some pretty decisive objections but
there was no use entering into them then. So I merely told him that the
9th Corps and the Territorials being now well ashore we may be able to
bring up the 29th. No doubt--had we a couple of Regular Divisions
here--British or Indian--at full strength--no doubt we could astonish
the world. Having the 53rd and the 54th Divisions, half-trained and at
half strength, I tried to make Stopford see we must cut our coats with
the stuff issued to us. The 54th were good last winter, and, even if the
best have been picked out of them, the residue should do well under
sound leadership: Inglefield was a practised old warrior, and would not
let him down.

There was nothing solid to go upon in crying down the credit of the 54th
beyond hearsay and the self-evident fact that they are half their
nominal strength. To assume they won't put up a fight is a certain way
of making the best troops gun-shy. We are standing up to our necks in a
time problem, and the tide is on the rise. There is not a moment to
spare. The Turks have reinforced and they have brought back their guns;
that is true. Now they will begin to dig trenches--indeed they are
already digging--and more and more enemy troops will be placed in
reserve behind the Anafartas and to the East of the Tekke Tepe--Ejelmer
Bay range. On the 10th the Helles people reported that, in spite of
their efforts to hold the Turks, they had detached reinforcements to the
North. These extra reinforcements may arrive to-morrow at Anzac or on
the Anafartas; but, for at least another twenty four hours, they will
not be able to get round to the high ridge between Anafarta and Ejelmer
Bay. So far as can be seen by aeroplane scouting, this ridge is still
unoccupied; certainly it is unentrenched.

Stopford who, at first, was dead set on digging agreed to have a dart at
Kavak Tepe. He will throw the 54th at it. He will turn out the 9th Corps
and, if chance offers, they will attack along their own front. His chief
remaining ghost inhabits the jungly bit of country between Anafarta Ova
and the foothi