e coast. These sabkhets were a
very welcome change from the difficult soft desert sand. Tillul was
our destination and we settled down amongst Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders of the 52nd Division, who had arrived a few days previously.
Next morning they played us out of the camp with their bagpipes and we
had a good stiff march to El Mazar, and there we fell in with elements
of the other two Brigades. After two days' rest we marched out again and
occupied a position just inside the defensive line, which was then being
held by the 6th and 8th.

[Illustration: THE SINAI DESERT.]

The battalion remained a few days in this district, and when not
actually in the outpost line and digging trenches, we were taken out in
front, a company at a time, to act as a protection to the E.L.C. who
were engaged upon railway construction. Whilst on this work we got our
first glimpse of El Arish, the goal to be gained after this heavy
striving across the desert. The Turks were supposed to be holding a
strong position between ourselves and the town, and the idea seemed to
be to push the railway as far as possible, and then eject the enemy so
that work could proceed. Our men were thoroughly impressed with the
wonderful rapidity with which these "Gyppies" accomplished their task.
They were divided up into gangs, each in charge of another native who
had been raised to the dignity of two stripes and a stick. The stick he
used freely on the men who failed to keep up his standard of work. Using
their curious adze-like shovels they pulled the sand into baskets and
ran away with it to where it was required, and whilst they toiled a
simple but noisy refrain was sung to the leadership of the "Ganger." The
whole spectacle presented a seething mass of rapidly-moving, blue
smocked, brown figures, busily working on the bright yellow sand. The
result of four hours of this sort of thing would produce about 500 yards
of good level track including shallow cuttings and embankments. Then the
train would arrive with more sleepers and rails and these would be
carefully but quickly laid in position.

Another job we had to do in this neighbourhood was digging wells. When
"C" Company went off for a couple of days to do this they discovered
what a formidable business it was. It was necessary to go down to a
depth of about twenty feet, and as the well was sited in very soft sand
the task can be imagined. A huge hole, about forty feet square had to be
made to allo