some

an escort of Egyptian Camel and I “barrakod” our camels Corps with him whilst be in the yard of a small farm, effected his repairs, which he whilst one of the servants made did in a couple of hours. At us

00002 — sustenance about 4 P.M. we oame in sight which was very welcome after of the Deraa - Damasous line & maroh of twenty hours, near Horeiyik (about fifteen broken only by two halts of mailes north of Deraa), and two hours. The village lane found to our surprise and was also the village drain, and delight that it was not held. more than once a camel slipped Our demolitions of ten and fell, thus further delaydays before had evidently ing the column. The inhabitbeen repaired, as a train, going ants, gaunt and suspicious, southwards to Deraa, oould watched from their doorways, be seen as we approached the unable apparently to determine line. Whilst the column hur- whether we were British, Turk, ried aoross, L., P., 8., H., Y., or Arab raiders from the desert. and I, and a number of Arab Not one of them addressed a officers, “planted” and ex- word to any one in the column, ploded as many “tulips” as we whilst in the column itself oould, and out the telegraph Arab and French alike, usually wires. Then we trotted on and so loquacions, glided by muffled rejoined the column, which was ghostly figures in the moon. heading for Namir El Hawa. light. Once a Ruweilah patrol We reached that place at rode up to tell us that the dusk and left again as soon as redoubtable Nari Shalan, their the moon was up, at 10.15. tribal leader, had not yet Quite close to Namir El Hawa looated the Ammon Turks, but is the military road from Pales- that he was working south of tine through Deraa to Daman- us with the double object of ous, and reports reached as that protecting us and "snaffling." our friends of the day before more prisoners if he could. the retreating Ammon garrison Nuri Shalan took Ghazala -were at Doraa. Consequently, Station that night, whilst we had some exciting moments Auda, another tribal leader, immediately before and after took Ezra Station. we crossed it. We orogged From Sheik Miskin we proat a point olose to the vil. ceeded another three miles, lage of Sheik Miskin, which where we halted at 3 A.M. for did not belio its name, for it four hours' rest. When I consisted of two score or so of awoke, just before 7 in bright wretohed hovels each side of sunlight, I beoame aware of an & narrow lane, down which enormous, spectacled, paunchy oamels and mules could only figure, the most obvious Boche proceed in single file. Reokon- that I ever saw, standing by ing the time it would take the my stony conoh in the charge column to get through, P., Y., of an Arab soldier, and pro

1

testing about something in by fig and olive groves, at 9, German, He was one of a and there got an aeroplane small band of Austrian and message to the effeot that a German officers and N.C.O.'s Turkish force of about 5000 whose cars had either broken men was just outside Deraa on down or been appropriated by the north, trekking up the the fleeing Turks, and who in Damasous road, and that the consequence had fallen easy advance - guard of a British

& victims to the Ruweilah oavalry, Cavalry Division was entering who had just rejoined us with the plain west of Deraa, which their night's haul.

is roughly fourteen miles from I soon understood the reason Sheik Saad. As soon as he reof his protest, as either the ceived the information, General Tarks or the Ruweilah had Nuri, with half the column and deprived him and his fellow. two Frenob guns, set out to prisoners of their boots, and, in interoept the Turks, and, if some cases, of their coats. possible, delay their advance However, as I had neither the until the British oavalry oame power to get baok his boots nor up. Tired as they were, Arab understand his language, I and French alike marched off sent him to the Frenoh bat. with alacrity, and came on the tery commander, who could rearguard of the force in quesspeak German. He provided tion near the village of Tafas, him with & oamel to ride and where they fought for two or some food to eat, and after- three hours, finally oapturing wards explained to me that, the village and three hundred whilst he would willingly kill prisoners. Whilst the main any Boohe, this man was an body got through, it is probable officer and a prisoner in distress, that the loss of their rearso he felt he must help him, guard effected the complete adding dramatically, “Moi, je and final demoralisation of this suis un officier français, c'est Turkish foroe, who split up the assez.” I accepted the implied same day into small fugitive rebuke for my want of magnan- parties, continually harried by imity, but pointed out that our Arab horse, in their flight toonly spare oamels were oarry- wards Damagous. ing very siek Turkish prisoners, Tafas is a village inhabited who would probably have died by Arab fellaheen, and the by the roadside otherwise. I Turks, on the plea that some only got the reply, “Ah, mais of the inhabitants sympathised o'est un officier," which shows with General Nuri's force, comthe difference between the Con- mitted some abominable atrotinental point of view and ours oities, even bayoneting childwhere officers and men are oon- ren in arms, before the village @erned.

was taken. At 7.30 that morning we Meanwhile, the rest of us at trekked again, reaching Sheik Sheik Saad spent a strenuous Saad, a big, rather pleasant morning and afternoon in previllage on a hill, surrounded paring, with the aid of the

prisoners, & landing - ground money on them, and were for aeroplanes, a 'plane which greatly relieved when Y. prohad come from Palestine hav- mised them that, while he could ing asked us, by means of a not himself look after their dropped message, to do this. money, he would see that it

The Turks, as & result of was not taken from them. their days and nights of fight- While a oynio might observe ing, marohing, and harassing that this inoident showed anxiety, on & minimum of rather a knowledge of Arab food and water, were nearly dishonesty than å trust in exhausted, and at first refused British honesty, I found in it to work at all, some of them only another striking example lying down and oalling on their of the worth that all natives Arab guards to shoot them of the Near East attach to an and end their miseries,-a very Englishman's honour, which is foolish young Arab officer, who the priceless asset that has was in charge of the escort, counteraoted so many of our did not improve matters by his blunders and mistakes. threats and bluster; but at When we returned to the last Y, found & Turkish ser- bivouao at Sheik Saad, late geant who spoke Arabio, and that afternoon, the vietors at ordered him to "fall in " the Tafas, tired and battle-stained, prisoners and tell them that the had just marched in. Furiously stones had got to be cleared, indignant at the atrocities and that, as soon as they had committed by the Turks, some been, the whole working-party of them were for shooting, in would be given water and retaliation, the prisoners who food and rest. Meanwhile, Y. had been taken ; but better told the Arab officer he could counsels prevailed, and instead remove his escort, since none of a camel was killed and its the Tarks looked like wanting meat cooked for the famished to run away.

Turks, and water and bread This action had the desired were given to them.

I can effect, and the Turks worked see the whole soene quite well under their own write. In the centre of the N.C.O.'s. When, after the bivouao, in an olive - grove, task had been completed, they were the Arab headquarters were drawn up preparatory to and the tents of the Sherife, marobing back to the spot in & and, in the midst of them, a small stone-fenoed paddock in large carpet was spread, on the village, where their fellows which sat the Arab leaders, were under guard, they paid military and civil, the French us the rare compliment of ask- officers, and ourselves; hovering us, through the aforesaid ing on the outskirts were a N.C.O., if they could be allowed number of looal Arabs, Druses to entrast as with their cash, from ap-country, emissaries since they understood we were from Damascus, and hangersEnglish. Some of them had on, who had multiplied like quite considerable

of magio in the last twenty-four

as I

one

O

hours, all anxious to get & Saad, an ancient village, built word with L. or one of the like so many Syrian villages Arab leaders. Thiokly olus- from the remains of a still tered in and about the vil. more anoient village, had seen lage and the grove were the come and go,—Amorites, Isdifferent units, regular and raelites, Egyptians, Hittites, irregular, of the column- & Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, kaleidoscopio mass of many. Romans, Arabs, Turks; and coloured humanity, talking how many gods and prophets excitedly, singing their age- had been worshipped beneath old songs, or cooking their its walls—Christ, Baal, Jupiter, evening meal. Among them, Zeus, Mahomet, — with what wandering regardless of a result,

asked oneself? oepted rules of army gani. Was there less misery, povtation, were horses, camels, erty, vice, or crime in this mules, sheep, cattle, many beautiful and, in many relooted from the Turks, and spects, fertile land than there strewn everywhere were Turk, was 3000 years ago? Only the ish arms and equipment. A glorious colour-scheme of sky stone's - throw from our con- and earth, our viotories of ference, in & small village that day, and the fact that I field, squatted the Turkish had just read in a six-weeks'prisoners, the Germans and old paper, dropped by a friendly

, Austrians a little apart, and airman, & speech by President retaining some traces of dig. Wilson explaining how the nity, whioh were wholly laok. League of Nations was going ing in the Turks. At each finally to eradicate the disoorner of the field four putes of suffering humanity, maobine - guns, their noses prevented

from feeling grimly pointed at the pris- quite depressed. oners, kept watoh and ward. An hour later Y., P., and I The sun was just setting, and were entertaining the French the wind soughed through the battery commander to dinnerolive - groves in the village; a funotion followed by speeches, whilst from afar, Mount Her- some toasts, and an ineffeotive mon looked down on a scene, rendering of the "Marseillaise.” 80 often repeated in these Sleep that night was not lands in the last 4000 years, easy, tired as we were. That of conquerors and conquered— almost sacred respect for other an invincible General, a virile people's “lines," which dispeople from desert or mountain tinguishes the British Army, or steppe, 500 years of empire, was not honoured in the then a crash, a smashing de- column. People walked and feat for the one-time aniversal rode through where Y., P., conquerors, & fresh dominion and I and

the Egyptian on the ruins of the old, and Camel Corps were bivouacked the same prooegs repeated. I throughout the night. About wondered that evening how midnight an outgoing mounted many oonquering peoples Sheik patrol of Ruweilah

me

over

our

I.

us.

through our lines, knooking Corps, with our little band of

camp - table, and siok Turkish prisoners, whom narrowly missing my head, we had literally suoooured --one horse, in fact, brushed from the wayside, proceeded against the outside of the in a more leisurely fashion, oamel - saddle, whose inside stopping en route at about formed my pillow; a little 8.30 for breakfast.. Whilst we later we heard a man shouting were thus halted, the German out something in the loud Austrian, and Turkish prissing-song voice that, in the oners, with their Arab guards, East, may mean

& call

to also en route to Deraa, passed prayer or to massaore.

A sorrowful, brokenthought he distinguished an looking throng of men, whose inoitement among the man's obvious dejection made me, words to go and kill the little sympathy as I had for Turkish prisoners, and jumped them, feel almost ashamed of up to get a closer hearing; the oontrast between us, enjoy. it was merely, however, & ing an excellent breakfast, verbal advertisement to the served by well - disciplined, effoot that the speaker had noiseless, attentive, Egyptian a captured Tarkish camel, soldier - orderlies, and them, which he would sell to the Suoh thoughts, however, did highest bidder. Why he should not trouble Ahmed, my Turkish have chosen 12.30 A. M. to make prisoner-servant, who, equipped this announcement, I don't now with a Turkish rifle and know, except that the whole other

srtioles taken from column was infected with the yesterday's loot, and visibly sort of excitement that ohar- fatter and more prosperous as acterised even the oalm British a result of his ten days' “capsix weeks later, on Armistice tivity,” was sitting propped Day; indeed, the column was up against a oamel -saddle, restless all night, and I was which, when off a oamel on quite glad when at 3 A.M. we the ground, makes an admirstarted on our travels again able" back . rest,” smoking for Deraa.

with evident relish one of the The worst torture in life is daily “ration" of cigarettes not to be allowed to sleep which I allowed him. He rewhen one is dog-tired, and no garded his fellow-countrymen one could sleep for more than with obvious contempt, ignorten minutes at a stretch in ing the remarks that one or Sheik Saad that eventful two of them called out to him, night. Information had come and, pointing to the Boches, during the night that the said to one of the Egyptian British cavalry would enter soldiers “Allemani” in tones Deras some time during the of deep disgust. Ahmed, who next day, and the Sherifs and was a real “oharacter, was L. hurried off there, with an rapidly becoming a most useful escort, to meet them. P. and servant, and would have been I and the Egyptian Camel more useful still, but for his