IN PALESTINE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 94, 14 January 1918, Page 6

IN PALESTINE

MARCHING ACROSS THE DESERT

THE ENDLESS SAND DUNES

The things that was thai I 'nve seen, In barracks, camp, and action, too, 1 toll them over to myself, An' somotune&.wonder if they'ro true. —Kipling.

An Australian was once asked what the desert was like (says a writer in the "Age"). His answer was espiessive: "You get miles and miles of eand," he said, "then miles and miles of blooming sand, and then d n all!" And so it must have seemed to those who, in the early days of diiving the Turk back from the canal, had to cross that monotonous and seemingly unlimited stretch of country that lies east of the Suez Canal. Different from the Libyan Desert, -which is all vsteny, it is just rolling sand dunes covered to a slight extent in places with a eoarse camel grass, and very rarely are one's eyes soothed by the greenness of a palm grove. Our work r.n the Western front br:ng accomplished, reorganised and reequipped, we found ourselves one early "•orniug waiting to entrain en the i ..stern express. The familiar green of the engine, with its letters L. and S.W.R., turned .tie thoughts of, many of us to our "little grey homes in the Wost." Hut not for us this time the string of palatial cars that roll out of Waterloo, rather the useful freighter whose home is at Nine Elms. In we bundle, officers and men, the only difference being that the former are allowed more room, and so the fortunate possessors of camp chairs can spread them out, while others sit on their valises. The time being early spring there was no necessity to spread an awning of blankets to keep the j>nn ctt'. A warning whistle from the engine ]»e----pares us for the jolt, and a jolt it is, as, punctual to the moment, our train pulls out. We then proceed to make ourselves comfortable for the journey that lies before us. The wise campaigner will always have something on him to read, so books and any old newspapers soon appear from the various haversacks, and are shared round by all. The permanent way is not the essence of smoothness, but as an engineering proposition it is a marvellous accomplishment, as although only ballasted with sand it successfully stands the strain of the heavy, freight tfains carrying supplies to the front; and even at home you do not see larger or more heavily loaded trucks. With no cuttings and not many deviations to escape gradients, the line stretches away to its distant goal, and the slowness of an uphill pull is compensated by the downward run, when the train apparently taking charge, the engine-driver, to show that he is really in authority, momentarily jams on the brakes, producing a jolt sufficient to shake out your back teeth. It is all in the day's work, and there are more ways of travelling than in a l-'ullman car. The increasing heat, with its accompanying glare, begins to make reading rather a trial, and eyelids droop, and one by one we drop off into a fitful slumber, but when the word is passed .that we are overtaking some Yeomanry regiments everyone hastily rises. Greetings are exchanged, for we recognise many of the riders, and until a fold of the ground shuts them out from our sight we gaze with admiring but envious eyes at the marching squadrons, for we cannot forget that we too were once mounted, and tho hope that we might get our horses back has never completely died.

There was no halt for lunch, bo, at mid-day, the contents of the luncheon basket (or rather box) were dulj examined % and tested. Then following a pipe, and a return to "slumber while yo may." It was close on 4 o'clock when the roar of the surf told ub we were approaching the end of our journey, and, well up to time, our train ran into a collection of sidings. Detraining did not take long, for when a man carries his belongings on his back he never has to go running round looking for his luggage.

Our orders were quickly given us, and away we marched over.some of the heaviest sand we liave met (and our knowledge of sand is considerably extensive). Across a wadi, lined by j.alm trees, their- feathery tops waving to the sea breezes, and up through ?ome fig orchards we went, and out into the open plain, on the far side of which we found our camping ground. Tents were there waiting for us, and scon the only sound to be- heard was that of the mallet striking the pegs, which were well' sunk into the ground, and when sand had been piled on the curtain we felt we were all secure agninst storm. In exploring round next morning we found some fragments of an H.E. shell close by what had been a Turkish machine-gun entrenchment. The adjacent town bad for a'long time been the headquarters of the Turkish Army, and their old norsa and camel lines were only a quarter of a mile away from us. The town of El Arish was the cleanest we have met in Egypt, and we were much struck by the fact that many of its inhabitants had red hair. Most pic turesque they looked with their variegated coloured robes of sheepskin, the natural shades of brown, black, and white being most effectively well.blended. Hore we had an example of the excellent shooting of our guns, as the fort is a heap of ruins, the surrounding houses being untouched by our shells. in going through the fig orchards one wondered at the bareness of the lower branches, until the explanation was furnished by the sight or" a large herd of goats, most of them standing on their hind legs to reach the leaves. What those goats lived oh must always be a mystery. Grass there was rone, pickings there were none; an occasional fig leaf could hardly be called a n.eal, but the effect of their presence was to turn what should have been masses of greenery into barren scarecrows. We had a good example of how the sand covers everything in time. It was recessary to dig what is commonly called a "funk, hole," when the party stiuck the top of a large dome. They b'oke through it, only to find it filled with a very line, dry sand, finer than that outside. Whether it was a ti-mb or well-head we do not know, as we got our orders to march before it onnld be cleared out. Perhaps some unit ; s now enriched by tome rare find of nntiaues; perhaps not! I think not, decidedly not.

At atry rate we shall never know, as I am sure nobody will ever go back to look.

Half-past 5 one evening found the brigade fallen in in full marching order, and punctually to time we set out on the first stage of that march which was to bring .us to the battleline once more. North of the camp we struck the road, that monument of a great brain wave on somebody's part. Pleasant to walk on, carrying a good spring, it stretches from the canal to the front, but the heavily laden infantryman must beware of holes, for should he catch his foot a nasty shaking fall is tho result—we were one of those who fell, so we know. Hence frequently down the line comes the old hunting cry, " 'ware hole." A few days' march brought us to the old boundary line of Palestme, and we were spread'out in detached parts in a wide semi-circle, a line on the ground above the station falling to our particular lot. Our dug-outs were sunk in high rye-grass, and very pleasant it was to look over miles of green cultivated land, reminding one very much of our own downs at home. A stay of a few days was made un- i

forgettable by a khamseen which cama on, and as digging parties had to bo formed al Way the. men's endurance was tested to the utmost. We left at 1.30 p.m. with the lihamseen still blowing. After a morning's digging great was our relief when we arrived at our now position under the trees of Khan Yunus. Khan Yiinus, they tell me, was the home of Delilah. JJYom what- wo saw there are at present no fatal beauties which are likely ever to make a man turn his head -towards them, much less turn it for him.' We suppose tuq breed has died out.

Alia tempore, aliae foeminae. In the centre of the town is a well of excellent water about 150 or mora feet deep. The motive power is supplied by a little oil engine that saw its origin in our own country. We told the II.E. eorpoial that if she got out of order we could easily produce some of the hoys who helped to.make her. Overlooking the well is a mosque which, it is said, was once a castle, built by Godfrey do Bouillon. It may bo so; the ponderous wall looks l ; ke it. We were bivouacked on the ridge north-east of the town, in grassy fields, with cacti hedges, most of the company headquarters being able to find trees to provide shade for our dugouts. A short stay i.ere. and we soon found ourselves digging shelter holes behind the light ground south-east of Gaza. Wo had only to go about a hundred yards to look down the valley where the Wadi Ghuzze runs, and see away in the distance the minarets oi Gaza showing white amidst the palm groves. And again, on the right hand, the distant hills, where lay the Turkish lines.

Digging was the order, and good trenches were dug in those fields of barley—excellent barley most of it was, too. ' Many of our frugal-minded hiisbandsmen cut and stacked lots of it, May it be of some use to somebody. Probably some mounted troops will benefit by it later.

In the barley were quail, many quail. So wo must needs sally forth one afternoon in front of our wire, after having warned everybody likely to misunderstand our proceedings. What matter that a Turkish aeroplane sailed high above one, its course marked by the white puffs of our bursting; shrapnel. Ten brace were brought down in an hour and a half, and the mess provided with a welcome addition to its usual menu.

Another move to a scene of greater, "liveliness" at a hive of dugouts made in the sides of various wadis, where, amidst the dust of their beds, kicked Tip by passing traffic, settling on r. 11 and sundry, -we realise' the old, old •truth—"Meatus ille' qui procul ni'gotiis," etc.