Ahead of us were many ships bearing British troops--cavalry, infantry and guns.

To our right and left and behind us were Sikh, Gurkha, Dogra, Pathan, Punjabi, Rajput--many, many men, on many ships.

Two and thirty ships I counted at one time, and there was the smoke of others over the sky-line! Above the bulwark of each ship, all the way along it, thus, was a line of khaki.

Ahead of us that was helmets.

To our right and left and behind us it was turbans.