In the morning, while waiting for our train, we watched the Tommies at work. Six aeroplanes were on their way to Palestine, and the prisoners were told to transfer them to the small-gauge railway. The men seemed listless and unhasteful as they carried the machines to a secluded siding for the reloading, but I was puzzled to find that when they began packing the aeroplane sections on the small trucks they showed keenness and even enthusiasm. In the distance we could see them grouped around each truck in turn, as they worked steadily throughout the morning. "You always as keen in handling Hun war material?" asked H. of a burly Londoner of the old Regulars, who strolled toward us from the siding. "Sometimes we are, sir; sometimes we ain't." "You couldn't have done a better morning's work in a munitions factory at home." "That's right. We done a good mornin's work." "But these are _Hun_ aeroplanes, man. What the----" "As _yew_ remark, sir, they're 'Un airerplanes. But I doubt if they'll ever fly." Then we guessed. He amplified the guesses with details. "Yus; we does er bit er wreckin'--sabbertage, as yer might say. We carry things across to that 'ere sidin', and nobody can say as we don't bee-ave _beeyewtiful_ till we gets there. Then we open er box er two, see what's inside, and proceed according to reggerlations. Crimernul, I calls it.... "That 'ere sidin's useful place. Aht er the way, yer know. The Boches don't go there. 'Course, if any Boches er near, we resoom ligitimite operations till they've 'opped it. Turks? We don't let 'em see neither if we can 'elp it. Wuncertwice Turkish _askas_ 've seen us at play, but they only larf. They 'ate the 'Uns a blurry sight more'n we do. Why, I remember when a coupler Turks '_elped_ in the good work one mornin'. "Guns and airerplanes is 'andiest," he continued. "Yer see, when we 'ave the breech-block uv a gun it don't need long to take aht some gadget or other, accordin' as the gunners with us sez. Airerplanes we attack mostly on the longeerongs--those ribs o' wood that runs dahn the length uv the body, ain't they? English pilot 'oo passed dahn the line some months ergo giv' us the tip. 'Course, we give the other parts a bit uv attention--wires and sechlike.... "No, it don't seem likely as those things over there'll fly fer a long time." It certainly didn't seem likely. Besides ripping open the fuselage fabric and cutting some of the longerons, the Tommies had hacked at the struts and clipped some bracing wires. They had prised open the wooden cases, and, before replacing the covers, had snapped spars, bent elevators and rudders, and been generally unpleasant to the planes. Similar wrecking was being done, in greater or lesser degree, at Belamedik and other points on the railway where prisoners were forced to work.