T. E. Lawrence to his family

General Staff - Intelligence Section
General Headquarters
The Force in Egypt
Cairo

18.1.16

Only a line again this week: I am most busy writing a sort of newspaper article on weak points of the Baghdad railway. Not much news. The reconstruction has gone over our heads, and passed off leaving us in the same place exactly. I do not know if it is all finished yet or not. Anyhow apparently I am to stay out here for the present. I don't think there is much chance of my getting off for a time... we are supposed to have an afternoon off a month, but in practice we never get if oftener than once in 3 months. The rest of the week we are on 9 till 1.30. 2.15 till 8.30: 10 till 12: the rest of the time one spends looking about, and running out to the Hotel for meals. The work is very interesting: mostly writing notes on railways, and troop-movements, and the nature of the country everywhere, and the climate, and the number of horses or camels or sheep or fleas in it... and then drawing maps showing all these things.

N.

Please congratulate Bob on getting all his compulsory exams. over: I expect he will now go in for quantities of voluntary ones, just to prevent himself feeling queer!

N.