The Gurkhas moving in
echelon on our left escaped this, but to meet it and to dominate the
enemy's fire, the Highlanders were compelled to extend to the left,
their supporting platoons being used to fill up the gap. Two
machine-gun sections also pressed gallantly forward, and in spite of
continual and heavy losses from now onwards, did much to help us to
gain superiority of fire over the enemy.

The battle was now divided into two parts. On our left the Turks had
been forced to retire from their advanced positions, but on the right
they still held some trenches among the broken ground near the
railway, two hundred yards in advance of the main position on the
ridge; but on the right our losses had not been so severe, nor was our
line so extended.

On the left the Turk occupied no advanced positions, but he outflanked
our line, and the enfilade fire from his commanding positions was
causing such losses that it seemed impossible for our men to continue
the advance without strong artillery support. Unfortunately this was
not forthcoming at the time, because our covering batteries had found
they were at extreme range, and were now in the act of moving to a
more forward position. If an attacking line wavers and halts within
close range of an enemy entrenched, that attack is _done_ until
supports come up and give it again an impetus forward. But there were
now few supports available, and the moment most critical.

Yet all along our front small sections of Highlanders still continued
to rise up, make a rush forward, and fling themselves down, weaker
perhaps by two or three of their number, but another thirty yards
nearer the enemy. Now the last supports pressed into the firing line,
and as one leader fell, another took his place. One platoon changed
commanders six times in as many minutes, but a lance-corporal led the
remaining men with the same dash and judgment as his seniors.

[Illustration: The Assistant Adjutant.]

[Illustration: Captain W. A. YOUNG, Commanding No. 2 Company.]

[Illustration: The Money Changer]

It was at this time our Lewis gun teams lost so heavily. The weight of
the gun and the extra ammunition carried renders their movements
slower than that of their comrades, and consequently the teams offer a
better target as well as one specially sought for by the enemy. The
officer in charge, Lieut. Gillespie, had brought up two of our guns in
the endeavour to subdue the fire from Sugar Loaf Hill, but at th