e Senussi of course had the advantage of ground, but fortunately for us
they had only light field-pieces which did little damage. They made
astonishingly good use of their machine-guns, however, and soon had the
cavalry, who had made an impetuous charge, in difficulties. So serious did
the situation become that a gun had to be swung round--and extremely
difficult it was to move in the mud--until it was almost at right angles
with its fellow, in order to prevent our being surrounded. For some hours
the Senussi made desperate attempts to outflank us, and both cavalry and
infantry suffered considerably, nor did the artillery have much time for
rest and reflection, for at one stage in the proceedings they were firing
over open sights--and as any artilleryman knows, when that happens the
enemy is quite near enough.

It is of course impossible for one to describe an action like this in
detail or say exactly when the turning-point came. There was the general
impression of the infantry at long last heaving themselves out of the mud
and going forward in real earnest, of the cavalry on the flanks speeding
the heels of the retreating Senussi horsemen, and of the artillery firing
as fast as they could load at any target they could pick up.

The whole engagement seemed to last only a few minutes, yet the artillery
alone had been firing steadily for some five hours. When it was all over we
were rather astonished to find ourselves still alive, somewhat dazed with
the excitement and noise and with the cantankerous whine of machine-gun
bullets still in our ears. A violent desire for a smoke was the first real
sensation, but that desire was not destined to be gratified for some time,
for our troubles were only just beginning.

The sticky mud had completely beaten the horses and mules, which latter had
made a very praiseworthy attempt to stampede earlier in the day, and almost
all the vehicles had to be man-handled along. Rain was coming down in a
pitiless downpour and we had to face the prospect of a bitterly cold night
with neither blankets nor greatcoats, for everything had been left behind
to enable us to travel as light as possible. The plight of the wounded was
pitiable. There were practically no medical comforts for them, most of the
transport being stuck in the mud a considerable distance away.

Some of the slightly wounded men rode on the gun-limbers, others with more
serious hurts in such ambulances as had managed to get up, a