Page:Suakin, 1885.djvu/60

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tected one's face a great deal. Some few of us shaved, but nearly all let their hair grow. With all due deference to the remarks in "our only General's" (?) pocket-boot, that it takes as long to clean a beard as to shave one off, I am inclined to think that a beard is by far the best thing on service. If cut once a week and kept short it is no trouble at all to keep clean. Another thing most of us did was to have our hair cut off quite short to the head, but I am not sure that this was a good thing. It was cooler and more easily kept clean, certainly; but in a hot climate a good crop of hair is a protection from the sun, hair being a non-conductor of heat.

Two battalions of the Guards arrived to-day (9th), and marched out to their camping-ground on the side of the field railway just beyond the 49th camp and in the direction of the West Redoubt. The camp of the Guards Brigade was at this time at right angles to the general run of the rest of the camp and in advance of it.

The next day there were more arrivals, and, in fact, all this week there was a constant stream of great transports coming into harbour full of either troops or stores. Gradually the whole of this side of Suakin was turned into one great town of white canvas, and unoccupied ground in