It always ended like that with such a fellow as Phil, and Geoff, cautious and earnest young officer though he was, was forced to laugh uproariously, and join in Phil's merriment. And, after all, if caution had been thrown to the winds by all of them--which was far from being the case--caution on his part would hardly remedy the situation. Pushing on, therefore, and taking the most out of his steam-launch, thrashing her across every open strip of water till her bow waves washed almost aboard, and until the rope to which the bellums were attached was drawn like a bow-string, and the unfortunate individuals aboard those craft drenched with spray, he wriggled his way forward with other boats of the expedition, determined to be well in the van at the coming conflict. Then, as the dusk fell, and the boats tied up or anchored for the night, he selected a likely spot towards the edge of the marshes, and dropped anchor. Entering a bellum, he went off towards one of the bigger craft, aboard which the Staff conducting this extraordinary expedition were quartered. "What's up?" asked Philip on his return, the inevitable question that young officer fired at his comrade. "Of course, everyone knows that we're jolly near this Nasiriyeh, so to-morrow there'll be something doing, eh?" "Come over here," Geoff said, nodding towards the stern of the vessel. "Secrets, eh?" grinned Philip, yet wonderfully eager to hear what Geoff had to say. "Now then, what's the business?" "A forward move to-morrow, as you might expect, but before that a reconnaissance." "A re--con--nais--sance! Jingo! Ain't that a mouthful? Put in simpler language, a sort of scouting expedition," smiled Philip, sucking furiously at a cigarette. "Just that; an expedition by a small party to discover the actual site of the Turkish camp and to hear what they are saying." "Oh! And--but you don't mean----George! That would be ripping!" Geoff cooled his ardour most brutally. "What would be?" he asked curtly enough--coldly, in fact, knowing full well what would be the result of such action. And, indeed, in a moment the hitherto eager and impulsive Phil was reduced to a condition almost of despair, was grumbling, was far less elated; and then, in the dim light which still existed, he caught just a glimpse of Geoff's bantering smile, and gripped him by the shoulder. "So you're pulling my leg, eh? It--it----There's a job for us to do? Something special?" "There is for me. I have orders to make my way forward as quickly as possible, and learn all that I can of the enemy. Of course, if you cared----"