We were conscious during the lull before the advance that the two Army Corps on the Tigris, with a bare Turkish ri?es opposed to them, were not pulling their weight. The cold weather was advancing, and the rainy season, which, if severe, might be almost equivalent to immobilisation. There were signs Of impatience at home, uneasiness in India. In the public eye Mesopo tamia had become a sink, a backwater; our troops had lost moral, we were for ever marking time. But it is the proof Of a strong commander not to be hustled by im patience Or the mistrust that grows out of long inaction. Many a campaign has been lost by concession to the Spirit Of restlessness. But Maude chose his own time; nor did he communicate it. If Force D was not pulling its weight, it was because it was still in the training stage. Sinews were being developed. We had to create the staying-power that would carry us on after the first lap or two of the advance. This in the form of material and supplies; for the Army Commander had decided that no move Should be made until we had accumulated a seven days' reserve at Sinn.