264 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph from British Air Ministry 



THE VISAGE OF HIT, AT THE HEAD OE NAVIGATION ON THE EUPHRATES 



Practically every native who owns a boat on the Euphrates has followed the injunction 

 given to Noah, to "pitch it within and without with pitch" ; and much of the pitch comes 

 from the bitumen springs of Hit. 



entrance from submarines was clearly 

 discernible. 



When we landed we were greeted by a 

 number of officers of the Royal Air Force 

 who were stationed there, as Taranto at 

 that time was one of the main aerodromes 

 on the route from London to Cairo. 



The machine was pegged down and 

 lashed, and after an excellent lunch at 

 the officers' mess we spent the afternoon 

 working on the engines and preparing 

 for the flight across the sea to Crete the 

 following day. The British camp was 

 particularly well kept, and in front of the 

 headquarters there was a fine garden with 

 the chrysanthemums in full bloom. 



Here I met many old comrades with 

 whom I had been associated during the 

 war. This meeting was a pleasant relax- 

 ation from the mental strain of the past 

 few days, and I gleaned much valuable 

 information about the aerodrome at Suda 

 Bay. I was delighted to learn that it 

 was still in good condition and was in 

 charge of Royal Air Force personnel. 

 This information finally decided me to 

 cancel the idea of flying on to Athens. 

 I now determined to fly on to Suda Bay, 

 thus cutting the long sea flight of the 

 Mediterranean into two shorter sections 

 and saving upward of 200 miles. 



After a good night's rest in comfort- 



