Valetta, Malta 02 July 1915
Selkirk admired the opulence of the room. Just a few days previously he had been hugging the bottom of a filthy trench as Turkish machine gunners tried their best to perforate him, but now he was surrounded by incredible luxury.
The golden frame of the mirror that hung on one wall would be worth a king"s ransom alone, while the leather armchairs were thick and comfortable and the desk surface was polished perfection. A map of the Middle East spread across the entire opposite wall, with coloured pins showing the position of the various armies, red for Britain, blue for France and green for the Ottoman forces. There seemed many more green pins than red or blue. Behind the desk, an open window allowed in all the heat of a Maltese summer, while the musical tinkle
