A HARD STUNT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 261, 23 July 1918, Page 7

A HARD STUNT

OVfill TUB RIVHE JCOTAN. Trooper ■ Arthur Ames, writing from the 27th General Hospital, in April, to his father, Mr; James Ames, City Valuer, savsi— ' ''I told you in my last, letter'that we wero in for a hiird' stunt, and so it proved. It took us several days to get to Jerusalem, as we had tho ill-luck to strike had weather nearly the whole. time. From the Holy City we pushed nn to Jericho, and then went over tho River Jordan by a pontoon bridge. On reaching tho other side wo had a teninilo tlftt to cross to the hills, which wero held by the Turks. It was there ]' met some Auckland men who told me of tho death of Lieutenant Tail. They spoke in high terms of lilts heroic action before he was killed. Tt appears that his troop tried to cut off a squadron or Turks from their main body. Tho odds were 30 against USD. Yon might five Mr. K. Tail; at the office (Wellington City Council) my sincere sympathy m the loss of his nephew, who was a brave soldier. We drovo tho Turks in front of us off the plain, and they took to the hills, up a road, and we offer them. At I his limn wo wore acting t& a screen for tho infantry, who were coming on behind. All the Tiiv up the gorge .we. came upon all kinds of Turkish war.material—rifles, bayonets, and all parts of their equip-nient-which thev had thrown 'tw.iy m their hurried retreat. .At one place we eanio upon a huge fire, and a bullock tut •up nil ready for the pot. We had to miss this.-(tkrs)-but I dare say the in'fantrv made good use of it. Johnnio Turk' let our Wellington squadron get nearly to the top of the hill, when all of a sudden ho lot us have three or four shells from a high ridge, hut did no damage. Wb had to retreat some lime distance, but only for a time, as our infantrv got round him on the flank and he retired in great disorder. As we progressed along the track we oainn upon their huge motor-wagon transport, with iron wheels, twenty-one of them, alt stuck in the mud; also two motor-cars (made in derma nv). and a great number of dead horses and mules. We eventually got to a place called Amman, and it was hero that tho Turks met us in strong force and some of our best officers went down. It was here, too. Hint I took sick. I became so weak that I could not. saddlo my horse, and fell down in a kind of faint. I ivporlcd.ro the doctor, who told mo J had inloritis, whatever that may be. So I handed over my horse to our sergeant, whoso own had knocked up, and started on tho long journey back. The first, fifteen miles we had to do oil camels, two men on ouch side slung ill a. kind of stretcher. It was a. bit rough at. first:, but after a time yon seem to get used to tho motion; in fact, I had a sleep on the journey. The first clearing station we came, to was a New Zealand one, and wo pulled in there for the night, and I must say that we got. every'attention. Next morning early we wove on the track again; I his'time in limbers'drawn by mules. This was a very rough ride, owing to the slate of the roads. At length we came to Jerusalem airain, spent n night in nw of Hie hospitals, .•mil the nc\l dav were taken on bv motor ambulance and' then by hospital .train until we reached Cairn. The hospital trains are splendid trains to travel by. You scarcely I'ocl anv motion, and they gave us plenty of attention and refreshments on tho'journey.''' In a letter dated Mav 0 Trooper Ames wrote that he was thoroughly convalescent in the Aotea Homo at Hcliopohs, which ho speaks well of.