except three. At six o'clock in the evening the Turks
were holding this position in strength against the 3rd Australian
Light Horse, but two infantry brigades of the 53rd Division were
moving towards the ridge, and during the evening the enemy retired and
we held the ridge from this time on quite securely. The strong defence
of the Middlesex Yeomanry undoubtedly prevented the Turks establishing
themselves on the ridge, and saved the infantry from having to make a
night attack which might have been costly. Thereafter the enemy made
no attempt to interfere with the concentration. The yeomanry losses in
this encounter were 1 officer and 23 other ranks killed, 5 officers
and 48 other ranks wounded, 2 officers and 8 other ranks missing.

On the night of October 30-31 a brilliant moon lit up the whole
country. The day had been very hot, and at sunset an entire absence of
wind promised that the night march of nearly 40,000 troops of all
arms would be attended by all the discomforts of dust and heat. The
thermometer fell, but there was not a breath of wind to shift the pall
of dust which hung above the long columns of horse, foot, and guns.
Where the tracks were sandy some brigades often appeared to be
advancing through one of London's own particular fogs. Men's faces
became caked with yellow dust, their nostrils were hot and burning,
and parched throats could not be relieved because of the necessity
of conserving the water allowance. A hot day was in prospect on the
morrow, and the fear of having to fight on an empty water-bottle
prevented many a gallant fellow broaching his supply before daybreak.
Most of the men had had a long acquaintance with heat in the Middle
East, and the high temperature would have caused them scarcely any
trouble if there had been wind to carry away the dust clouds. The
cavalry marched over harder and more stony ground than the infantry.
They advanced from Khalasa and Asluj a long way south of Beersheba to
the east of the town. It was a big night march of some thirty miles,
but it was well within the powers of the veterans of the Anzac Mounted
Division and Australian Mounted Division, whose men and horses were in
admirable condition.

The infantry were ordered to be on their line of deployment by four
o'clock on the morning of October 31, and in every case they were
before time. There had been many reconnaissances by officers who were
to act as guides to columns, and they were quite familiar with th