At the end of the room, an old woman, with a face like the witch of Endor, apparently quite unmoved by anything that was happening, was grinding coffee in a mill and making a black concoction which she sold to the men.

It was no doubt a good thing for them to get a little stimulant.

In another room the floor was covered with wounded waiting to be evacuated.

There were many Turcos present.
Some of them were suffering terribly from the effects of the gas.
Fresh cases were being brought down the road every moment, and laid out on the cold pavement till they could be attended to.
About two in the morning a despatch rider arrived and meeting me at the door asked if I could speak French.

He said, "Tell the Turcos and every one else who can walk to clear off to Ypres as soon as they can; the Germans are close at hand." Indeed it sounded so, because the rifle fire was very close.