urkish
administration. It promised, under the British regime, to become the
most important railway centre in Palestine. Consequently, schemes of
water supply, sanitation, and town planning had to be evolved and
installed immediately, hospitals opened in the most appropriate
buildings, spaces set apart for camping grounds for all classes of
troops and animals, huge dumps and supply dumps respectively, railway
sidings laid down and cemeteries opened both for Christians and for
Mahomedans, while roads had to be improved and sign-boards set up in all
directions.

Many and diverse were the arrivals and departures in the course of one
busy week. Foremost came the fighting troops of the 21st Corps, the 75th
and 54th Divisions, followed later by those of the 20th Corps, the 60th
and 74th Divisions. With them arrived field ambulances, which took
possession of the best of the buildings and converted them into
hospitals. Companies of Royal Engineers arrived, and travelling
workshops staffs of the Ordnance Department, and both of these lost no
time in opening their workshops. Enormous supply dumps were formed and
camel convoys, miles long, arrived with supplies. The camels were
specially inconsiderate, and would select awkward spots, like
cross-roads, at which to lie down and die. They were welcome to die, if
only they could and would have first made adequate arrangements for
their own obsequies. A battalion of British West Indians that arrived,
aroused both sympathy and amusement. They had marched through
torrential rain and arrived soaked to the skin. In spite of a warning as
to what they might expect, they rushed for shelter into some of the
buildings which had not yet been disinfected; but their exit was even
faster than their entrance, and they preferred the wet and cheerless
exterior to being eaten alive within. Scarcely a day's march behind the
fighting troops, arrived a thousand or more of the Egyptian Labour
Corps. These were immediately set to work on the roads, and such good
work did they do that the roads were soon in an excellent condition for
mechanical transport. Full of irony was the arrival of several guards
and a staff of military police _en route_ for Jerusalem. It was
believed, at this time, that the fall of Jerusalem was imminent. That
Britain's fair name might not be sullied by any foolish misbehaviour, or
any still more foolish collection of souvenirs, it was decided that
guards should at once be mounted upo