ied, was at last _rescued
from the hands of the infidel_. Ten days' leave was granted to Cairo, Port
Said and Alexandria, but "turns" were necessarily very slow in coming
round.

WE MOVE TO SARONA.

The month of May heralded another "move," and at 09.00 on the 4th, the
Brigade concentrated at the north end of Belah lake and set off northwards.
Nights being spent, successively, three miles north-east of Gaza; two miles
north-east of El Mejdel; one mile east of Wadi Sukereir (heavy downpour of
rain on this day). On the 7th the trail led along the edge of the
sand-dunes and through Yebna[11] to Wadi Hanen. Here a halt of two hours
was made, to water and feed. The country was very picturesque, being
thickly planted with orange-groves, whilst here and there a red-tiled
building was to be seen. At 13.00 the march was continued through
Rishon-le-Zion to the main Jaffa-Ramleh road which is a thoroughly good
metal one. Along this a few miles, thence north to Sarona, two miles
north-east of Jaffa.

Arriving at Sarona at 16.30, the Squadron encamped beside an orange-grove
and adjoining the Aerodrome. It may here be mentioned that Sarona before
the war was a German colony, and from its appearance, must have been a
prosperous one. The main street is lined on both sides with detached and
semi-detached houses, mostly with red tiles, prettily designed. Fir trees
are abundant and help to make a pleasing picture. Outside the village there
are many orange-groves and vineyards, each with its red-tiled house, which
has, either inside or in a separate building, a well with an engine for
pumping water into a stone cistern, from which it is allowed to run, as
required, along concrete gullies, and thus distributed over the land,
irrigating it.

In consequence of the camp proving insanitary the morning after arrival,
the Squadron moved about half a mile nearer the coast into a vineyard! This
was an exceedingly pretty spot, from which an excellent view of Jaffa could
be obtained; a few trees provided us with the unaccustomed luxury of some
shade. The Brigade was attached to the 21st Infantry Corps and was "Corps
Reserve". A training-area was allotted, and every morning the Squadron went
out for mounted training through the village across the narrow gauge "Heath
Robinson" railway, and through the orange-groves out to the area beyond
Point 275 and north of the Village of Selmeh.

FOOTNOTES:

[11] _Yebna = Jabneh of the Bible, see J