IN PALESTINE

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 15 May 1917, Page 5

IN PALESTINE

“A VILLI AN OUS-L 0 OKIN G CREW”

AN ’ANZAC’S IMPRESSION. ‘‘l am perfectly well, and going strong, but am getting older and greyer, and a little mono bald: oven two years' campaigning doesn’t make h many any younger," an officer thus terminates an interesting narrative of his trips “oven the border line into the Holy Land," in a recent letter to a friend in Sydney. The officer writes from a place which ho describes as a nice spot in Palestine After describing the daily activities of his brigade, which have alcady taken them four times across the historic border into the Holy Land, ho goes on to say: "We had an interesting time across the border at a village, and finding it clear of the enemy, went through it. The inhabitants are all Bedouin Arabs and number about 2000. They are for the most part a villainous-looking crew, and wo are pretty sure they are hostile, being Turkish subjects. It was impossible, owing to their faces being covered, to tefl what the women were like, but I don T tjhjnk there is much danger of any of our chaps falling in love with, them, ijs they, seldom if ever, indulge in a wash/ partly, -'perhaps, because the Turks blew up a fine well from which, everyone drew their supplies It was really a fine piece of work, large in-cir-cumference, 189 ft deep, and stone-lined all the way down. The whole, including an oil-engine and pump, was wrecked by the Turks, fearing that it would fall into our hands. Wo were fired on from outside the village, and captured six snipers, after which, with the exception of one big shell which went wide, we had no further trouble, and completed a reconnaissance of the surrounding country, making sketches, etc. The officer then proceeds to describe the lack of rural utilities -observed.* "The usual plough tom," he says, "is rone old cornel hitched to a small wooden plough fashioned out of a bent stick. One turnout which took my fancy consisted of a boy who had a calf and a diminutive donkey hooked up in prehistoric manner wth bits of old rag, string, and pieces of hide. One of my men took a photo of it and I hope to send it back to Australia. The Bedouin homos do not present an inspiring sight; all the families herd together in. a sort of low tent, together with all the family pets, including he donkey—■ the camel’s hump prevents him from, sharing the same hospitality. An old woman offered me a drink of what an interpreter said was sheep ’s milk, and appeared to feel rather hurt when I declined. They are an awful race, and

after seeing them one is no longer carried away by the romance of the ‘ Arab and his Steed/ on the 'Bedouin Love Song/ However, it is a great treat to get out and gallop over the rolling downs after having over a year in the heavy desert sand.”

Tho officer describes many interesting rides over the border, marked by a big stone, and the novel ealisatiou of being in the Holy Land. “We fequently see bodies of enemy cavalry moving about in front of us on our flanks, but they take good care to keep well out of range. They are armed with long lances, and have a lot of grey horses. We arc afraid to chase them too far, as a favourite trick of their is to draw us into machine-gun fire. My horses. Rainbow and Plain Bill,” the officer concludes, “are all right; the latter is the pride of the brigade.”