els to catch us up
with a small ration of water for lunch. If we had not got this water
we should probably not have got more than 75 per cent. of the Brigade
to the end of the day's journey. We got into camp on a rocky slope
near Latron about dusk, and almost at once were warned to be ready to
start again at 9 P.M. to march another ten miles and take over part of
the line in the hills. This was soon altered to starting at 3 A.M.
owing to better news from the front, and again to 8 A.M. the next
morning as the situation calmed down.

It was now becoming really interesting, as we expected to be in the
line within twenty-four hours, and all sorts of rumours were current.
Generally it was understood that we had penetrated successfully into
the hills until we were brought to a halt by the difficulties of
supply, and that now the Turk was beginning to recover from the
effects of his long retreat and was launching counter-attacks, which
had in some cases been fairly successful, and that he had given the
XXI. Corps a couple of heavy knocks to the north-west of Jerusalem. It
was expected that the XXI. Corps would be pulled out to the
comparative comfort of the Coastal Sector, while we--the XX.
Corps--were to have the honour of attacking, and we hoped, capturing
Jerusalem.

We had now been marching for six days and most of us found our feet
improving and getting accustomed to the roads, though we had lost some
twenty-five good men, who had kept going like good 'uns with really
sore feet until they had to be sent to hospital by the M.O. That is
one great joy about the British Tommy, if things are really "business"
he will stick almost anything. Men who had protested before and during
every route march in training that they could not carry a pack more
than a few miles, and who literally had to be hunted home, did all
these marches up to the front without faltering, though they were
incomparably harder and though a heavier load was being carried.

Our next march was a short one of six miles into the foothills to Beit
Sirra, a spot quite close to Likia, in a piece of country we were to
know very thoroughly before we were done. Here we spent an uneasy
night "in readiness to move"; but it was not till next morning that we
really took to the hills, marching up a most precipitous Roman road to
a spot which can only be described as Q 20, central. It was close to
the Roman road and about half-way between Likia and Kubeibe, and lay
on th