Nor could we ease ourselves by taking them
off, for this was a lengthy business, first necessitating the removal of
water-bottles, haversacks, bandoliers, and revolver-belts; and orders to
move might arrive while we were _in medias res_. The early morning
rhapsodies about Palestine were, like ourselves, rapidly melting away under
the influence of these trials to the flesh, and as the blazing hours wore
on with no change in the situation, we began strongly to feel that the
country was vastly overrated.

All through the afternoon generals, colonels, and minor constellations
charged past and disappeared, and with every fresh layer of dust on our
already begrimed faces, we thought that the moment had surely come to move
out of that atrocious lane. But for the entire absence of gunfire, you
would have thought that a frightful battle was going on somewhere beyond
our narrow prison. Not until sundown did we at last receive orders to go
forward till we were clear of the village--and camp for the night!

For most of us whose imaginations had been fired by the scenes we had
witnessed, this order came as a bitter disappointment. Later in the evening
we learnt what has already been told earlier in this chapter: that we had
still some fourteen miles of the country to cover before we could get in
touch with the Turks. While we had been waiting in the lane the cavalry had
made a reconnaissance in some strength, in order to see if any Turkish
patrols were in the neighbourhood. Apparently the "All clear" had been
reported, hence our peaceful return with the instructions to be ready to
start on the longer journey at a moment's notice.

The horses, at any rate, were satisfied to stay the night at Khan Yunus,
for they were mad with delight at finding themselves amongst the green
again. They broke loose and charged into the fields of young barley, they
trampled on it, they lay down and rolled in it. Finally they ate it and had
to be treated for pains in their insides. The men who were doing
picket-duty in a mounted unit during the first few weeks we were in
Palestine aged perceptibly with the responsibility of preventing the horses
from stuffing themselves with the unaccustomed green food. It was quite
enough to keep our horses fit in the ordinary way without having colic to
add to our joys.

CHAPTER VIII

THE FIRST BATTLE OF GAZA

Early next morning we started for Deir el Belah, which was to be our
jumping-off place for the a