s thus remaining were Maoris--a body of men
of fine physique, who had demonstrated their capacity to endure and also
proved their worth as keen and sterling fighters. The Maoris had their
own chaplain and medical officer. The latter (Dr. M. P. Buck) later
commanded the N.Z. Pioneer Battalion.

The attitude of the opposing armies at this time was not altogether
passive. A war of attrition was carried on continuously. This took the
form of daily bombardments by the artillery of positions and areas
behind the trenches; also the raking of parapets of opposing trenches,
and No Man's Land, by machine gun fire at night. Sniping with the rifle
had become a fine art, and authenticated cases, wherein a Turk had been
knocked over, were mentioned in Orders. One Light Horseman, it was
recorded in Corps Orders, had over 200 of the enemy to his credit. This
sniping was done from carefully concealed positions (possies), from
steel loopholes built into the parapet, or by means of the periscope
rifle which latter enabled the user to fire over the sandbags without
any exposure of his own body.

Sniping with field guns was also indulged in. In this the enemy had the
advantage by reason of being on higher ground and able to overlook most
of the Australian sector. Working parties, parties in movement, and
individuals who came under observation, were usually treated to a dose
of shrapnel fired with excellent aim and timing from 77 millimeter guns
of high velocity. The projectile from this gun was usually designated a
"whizz-bang" on account of the short space of time which elapsed between
the first sound of its approach and that of the explosion of the shell.
By some grim humourist it was said that if one could hear the shell
coming there was no danger to be feared, but if, on the other hand, the
sound was not audible, then there was no need to worry. The burial
parties would do all that was necessary.

In fighting between trench and trench, considerable use was made,
besides the rifle, of bombs or grenades. These were of varied types,
with either concussion or missile effect, and some were thrown by hand
whilst others were propelled from mortars or catapults. The Mills
grenade had just made its appearance, and was regarded as a special
reserve of power in case of an enemy attack. The numbers of these
available were small but other types were more plentiful and included
the jam tin, cricket ball, time and friction, match head, and hair
bru