H.M. THE HORSE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 120, 7 February 1918, Page 7

H.M. THE HORSE

IN PALESTINE TRIBUTE TO MA6RHAND STOCK Trooper R. G. Miller, of Tirnaru, who has returned to New Zealand from the Palestine theatre (his thigh ivas brokon by a Martini-Henry bullet in tho taking of Jaffa), pays a lino tributo to tho New Zealand horses that are engaged in tho great advance- in that country. "There are plenty of Main Body ''orscs thero which are doing groat work," said Trooper Miller. "It's simply wonderful what thoy aro capable of, and though I havo lived among horses all my life I did not know what a horse was able to do until I saw what these animals Lave stood up to. All our' rations and fodder for the horses had to bo taken across tho desert by rail and sand-carts, as far as Jaffa, and the advance was bo rapid after Gaza collapsed that thero were occasions on which wo and the horses were on pretty short rations. Wo fed tho horses on barley and 'tibben,' a sort of straw of tho barley stalks cut 6hort by discs drawn over, a heap of the stuff by bullocks. Thero wero occasions when tho ration for a horso fell to nine handfuls of barley per day per horse, and they only got a drink onco in three days, and yet they stood up to tho work- in a way that was little ■short of marvellous. Of course, they lost condition when on tho short rations, but it did not seem to affect thoir capacity for work." From the -general tenor of Trooper Miller's remarks it is to be concluded that the New Zealand ■ horses upheld the honour of their native country in the field as ably and _ steadfastly, as did the men, and this tribute to "man's best friend" is thoroughly well deserved. Trooper Miller regretted exceedingly that he was not permitted by "Jnoko" (tho Turk) to cuter Jerusalem. From tho top of a hill, and with the aid of glasses, they saw tho ancient city in tho far distance, but their objective was Jaffa, on the coast, where there was some pretty stiff fighting before "Jacko" gave it best and took, to the mountains in the north. Jaffa proved to be a very blessed oasis in a dry land. For days the fighting took place amidst orange groves in full bearing. And such oranges 1 Great big fellows, full of juice, tbat was as. nectar after the Army rations served out in the rush across country. . Tho wounded in the Jaffa fight could not be ■ shipped seaward, as the adjacent coast had not been combed for mines, so they all had to be sent overland— by sand-carts and. rail to. Cairo. Trooper Miller spent five weeks in the hospital at Cairo, and is still a cot case.