There  we  clambered  up  the  steep  side  of  the  quay
just  opposite  Fort  Hamidie,  and,  climbing  its  outer
bastions,  made  our  way  inside.  Here  all  was  chaos
and  confusion  :  the  enemy's  artillery,  rendered  com-
pletely useless,  consisted  of  excellent  Krupp  guns
of  quite  recent  date  and  great  power,  which  the
Turks  had  handled  badly,  not  a  single  one  of  our
ships  being  struck.  A  great  quantity  of  shells
and  ammunition  still  lay  in  the  magazines.  As
the  Hamidie  Fort  was  surrounded  by  a  danger-
ously thick  grove  of  palm  trees  which  might  render
surprises  from  the  land  side  easy,  1  decided  to  fire
it  with  its  own  stores.  An  hour  had  not  elapsed
before  a  terrific  explosion  shook  the  earth  and  sea;
the  war  material  of  Fort  Hamidie  had  been  blown
up.  A  black  column  of  smoke  and  dust,  hundreds  of
yards  high,  sprang  into  the  air,  and  for  miles  around
the  sky  was  darkened.  The  devastating  cloud


• :  •  *  j  •  w :

••..•  ••


THE  TURKS   FLYING   FROM  TRIPOLI        15

formed  a  mass  shaped  like  a  pine  tree,  such  as  hangs
over  a  volcano,  and,  swept  by  the  wind,  settled
down  over  the  sea,  completely  hiding  the  town  two
miles  away.  Tripoli  vanished  in  that  stifling  simoom.
