dispose of those who could not be expected to take part in the
next "trek". This parade, however, was _vetoed_ from the start, and was, in
fact, unpopular. Only two men turned up! These, with the two officers
previously mentioned (all of whom ought to have "gone down the line"
several days before), were accordingly sent to hospital. Many men were
suffering from septic sores on their legs and feet; permission was asked
(and granted), for these cases, to wear "slacks" or shoes, as might be
necessary. Strange as it might seem, these men preferred to suffer and
remain with the Squadron, when there seemed a chance that they might be
able to come to grips with the enemy and do something really useful.

In these circumstances, it was not a _very_ smart Squadron that paraded
that night, but its spirit would require a lot of beating! The _route_ lay
past Yazur, on the Jaffa road, to Ramleh, which town they were approaching
as day broke, and Ludd[14] could also be seen. The latter town will be
remembered by all who had occasion to go to Egypt for leave or to take a
course of instruction, also by reinforcements who joined the Squadron about
this time, as it was the British railhead; the journey from here to Kantara
on the Suez Canal being accomplished overnight. From Ludd, also, there is a
branch line to Jerusalem, and a narrow gauge railway to Sarona. At Ramleh,
turning off the road to the right, and passing Lieut. Price's grave, we
halted, off-saddled, watered and fed. At 14.00 a further march, arriving at
the water troughs east of Latron at 17.00, camping for the night further up
the road. Fairly on the way to the famous Jordan Valley, ill-accounts of
which they had often heard, we were soon to find that these reports had not
been at all exaggerated!

The next morning (June 30th), the road in front being very steep, rising
continually, with often a drop of several hundred feet on either side,
units started at half-hour intervals.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] _Ludd was the birthplace of St. George, the Patron Saint of
England. A church built here, after his martyrdom, was destroyed on the
approach of the First Crusaders. It was re-built, however, but was
destroyed again by order of Saladin in A.D. 1191. Of this church, two
apses, two bays and the crypt still remain, and to-day the eastern end
has been restored by the Greeks, while the western end is used as a
mosque! In the crypt (belonging to the Greeks)