d transport, until it was just as soft as the softest sand,
and twice as dusty. Finally, when we did get to Rafa about 7 P.M.,
there was no water waiting for us, and we found we had to take up an
outpost line from the railway to the sea, a distance of about three
miles, through the worst sandhills we had encountered. It was hopeless
to move before the arrival of some water, and it was about 10 P.M.
before we started to take up the line, and it was well after midnight
before the left company had got the line extended right through to the
shore. These sandhills were made of such fine sand that it was
continuously blowing and drifting; any rifle pits dug out, say, a
couple of feet, in the evening, would be completely obliterated in the
morning.

Sending out supplies, as soon as it was light, to this distant
company, was a most difficult job. To begin with, we found that
camels, loaded with water fanatis, could not negotiate the steep faces
of sand, so we had to do our best with the Lewis gun mules, carrying
the fanatis only half full. Then there was a thick mist--the same mist
which hampered the attack on Gaza--and we had no accurate knowledge of
where the company was, nor was it possible to follow the tracks of the
previous night, as they were all obliterated by the drifting sand.
Luckily, some active members of the company had found the morning too
cold for sitting still, and had taken a morning walk back from the
line, so we came upon their fresh tracks, which led us to the rest of
the company.

That night we had an alarm that the Turkish cavalry was out and had
slipped round our right flank, and was likely to have a dash at our
lines of communication either at Rafa or elsewhere, so we spent the
night digging trenches which, during the next day or two, we improved
into a sort of continuous line covering the water and railway station.

During these few days the first attack was made on Gaza, but without
success. We heard a good many tales of hardship from lack of water,
and saw some prisoners come through, but there was no great
excitement.

From Rafa--which is on the Palestine Boundary--we moved on 30th March
to Khan Yunis, said to be the home of Delilah. The march was once more
in the evening, and was very comfortable, except for the last mile or
two when we got in between the high hedges of prickly pear, and had to
march through about a foot of dust in the most stifling atmosphere.
When we arrived we found that w