of the storm than they ever had been of Turks.
Nevertheless, we did not find them despicable. Unmilitary people
though they were, they had inarched and endured and labored like
good men, but certain things they seemed to accept as being more
than men could overcome, and this sort of storm apparently was one
of them. We tied the mules and horses very carefully, because we did
not believe the Syrians would stand by when the storm began, and we
were right. Tugendheim begged hard to be allowed to come with us,
but Ranjoor Singh would not let him. I don't know why, but I think
he suspected Tugendheim of knowing something about the German
officers who were ahead of us, in which case Tugendheim was likely
to risk anything rather than continue going forward; and, having
promised him to the Kurdish chief, it would not have suited Ranjoor
Singh to let him escape into Turkey again.

The ten Kurds who had been left with us as guides and to help us
keep peace among the mountains all volunteered to lend a hand in the
fight, and Ranjoor Singh accepted gladly. The hostages, on the other
hand, were a difficult problem; for they detested being hostages.
They would have made fine allies for Tugendheim, supposing he had
meditated any action in our rear. They could have guided him among
the mountains with all our horses and mules and supplies. And
suppose he had made up his mind to start through the storm to find
Wassmuss with their aid, what could have prevented him? He might
betray us to Wassmuss as the price of his own forgiveness. So we
took the hostages with us, and when we found a place between some
rocks where they could have shelter we drove them in there, setting
four troopers to guard them. Thus Tugendheim was kept in ignorance
of their whereabouts, and with no guides to help him play us false.
As for the Greek doctor, we took him with us, too, for we were
likely to need his services that night, and in truth we did.

We started the instant the storm began--twenty minutes or more
before it settled down to rage in earnest. That enabled us to march
about two-thirds of the way toward the Turkish camp and to deploy
into proper formation before the hail came and made it impossible to
hear even a shout. Hitherto the rain had screened us splendidly,
although it drenched us to the skin, and the noise of rain and wind
prevented the noise we made from giving the alarm; but when the hail
began I could not hear my own foot-fall. Ranjoor Sin