enemy evidently had to a
yard.

Even the most confirmed optimist could scarcely help feeling that in a few
seconds we were likely to be put out of action--polite euphemism!--before
striking a blow. But the God of battles was with us, for the third shell,
to our utter astonishment, not unmingled with relief, never came! The
reason was soon apparent: a battery of horse-artillery was seen galloping
madly over the stretch of level plain a mile or so in our rear, in the
direction of the Turkish big guns. With beautiful precision they swung into
action and in a few seconds were firing round after round in a determined
effort to put their larger adversary _hors de combat_. Whether the Turkish
gun-positions were known beforehand and this effort part of a pre-arranged
plan I do not know. As we saw it, it looked like a spontaneous and
magnificent act of self-sacrifice.

It was David and Goliath over again, but unfortunately the luck on this
occasion was with the latter. He plastered the battery with his heavy
shells; one of them, bursting near the battery-staff, put almost the entire
party out of action from the concussion alone. There was not a scrap of
cover either for horses or guns, and soon the gallant gunners were forced
to withdraw. They had, however, succeeded in their object--if it were
indeed to create a diversion in our favour--and had in addition completely
destroyed the crew of one enemy gun. With the exception of a parting round
which burst near the field-ambulance on our left we had no further trouble
in this direction. Subsequently we went forward without let or hindrance,
except from enemy aircraft, whose bombs disturbed quite a quantity of
earth.

Meanwhile on our left the infantry were heavily engaged. Their lot was not
an enviable one. The natural defences of Gaza are immensely strong, and
these were in addition strengthened by every conceivable human device. The
town stands in the midst of a chain of sandy ridges, inside which is a
smaller ring, with a wide stretch of open country absolutely devoid of
cover between the two. The extreme niceness of the position lay in the fact
that any one ridge was well within range of most if not all of the
remainder. Without much difficulty, the infantry captured two of these
outer ridges--Mansura and Shalouf--and immediately prepared for the attack
on the central positions. The chief of these was the place to which Samson
carried the gates of Gaza: Ali Muntar--how famili