I was sorry to leave Mrs Kelsey and the baby, who was a little love and was thriving splendidly, gaining her proper number of ounces every week.
Major Kelsey took me to the station and saw me off.
I should arrive at Kirkuk the following morning, and there someone was to meet me.
I slept badly, I never sleep very well in a train and I was troubled by dreams.
The next morning, however, when I looked out of the window it was a lovely day and I felt interested and curious about the people I was going to see.
As I stood on the platform hesitating and looking about me I saw a young man coming towards me.
He had a round pink face, and really, in all my life, I have never seen anyone who seemed so exactly like a young man out of one of Mr P. G.
Wodehouses books.
Hallo, allo, allo, he said.
Are you Nurse Leatheran?
Well, I mean you must be I can see that.
Ha ha!
My names Coleman.
Dr Leidner sent me along.
How are you feeling?
Beastly journey and all that?
Dont I know these trains!
Well, here we are had any breakfast?
This your kit?
I say, awfully modest, arent you?
Mrs Leidner has four suitcases and a trunk to say nothing of a hat-box and a patent pillow, and this, that and the other.
Am I talking too much?
Come along to the old bus.
There was what I heard called later a station wagon waiting outside.
It was a little like a wagonette, a little like a lorry and a little like a car.
Mr Coleman helped me in, explaining that I had better sit next to the driver so as to get less jolting.
Jolting!
I wonder the whole contraption didnt fall to pieces!
And nothing like a road just a sort of track all ruts and holes.
Glorious East indeed!
When I thought of our splendid arterial roads in England it made me quite homesick.
Mr Coleman leaned forward from his seat behind me and yelled in my ear a good deal.
Tracks in pretty good condition, he shouted just after we had been thrown up in our seats till we nearly touched the roof.
And apparently he was speaking quite seriously.
Very good for you jogs the liver, he said.
You ought to know that, nurse.
A stimulated liver wont be much good to me if my heads split open, I observed tartly.
You should come along here after its rained!
The skids are glorious.
Most of the time ones going sideways.
To this I did not respond.
Presently we had to cross the river, which we did on the craziest ferry-boat you can imagine.
It was a mercy we ever got across, but everyone seemed to think it was quite usual.
It took us about four hours to get to Hassanieh, which, to my surprise, was quite a big place.
Very pretty it looked, too, before we got there from the other side of the river standing up quite white and fairy-like with minarets.
It was a bit different, though, when one had crossed the bridge and come right into it.
Such a smell and everything ramshackle and tumble-down, and mud and mess everywhere.
Mr Coleman took me to Dr Reillys house, where, he said, the doctor was expecting me to lunch.
Dr Reilly was just as nice as ever, and his house was nice too, with a bathroom and everything spick and span.
I had a nice bath, and by the time I got back into my uniform and came down I was feeling fine. Lunch was just ready and we went in, the doctor apologizing for his daughter, who he said was always late.