He went to Basra, to the Consultate-General, to collect and answer his mail from
Europe. There, he found that his friend's mail had arrived, but his had not. He sent a
message to England. When nothing happened even after three days, he tried placing a
call to England. On the first day, the line was out of order; on the second day, the
exchange was closed for a religious holiday. On the third day, there was another
breakdown. He arranged to meet his friend, who had left, in a week's time. His mail
finally arrived five days later.