ar we were destined to be
with that name!--a great, bleak rock, whose terraced slopes rose far above
the rest and commanded a wide field of fire over the plains of Gaza. It was
defended in its several tiers by machine-guns cunningly placed, concealed
rifle pits, trenches protected by rows of cactus and prickly pear, the
broad leaves of which are almost impervious to rifle-bullets and even
shrapnel, and heavy guns hidden in cavities in the rock itself.

It was, I think, about noon and intensely hot when the infantry began the
attack. From our position on the flank it was, of course, impossible to see
in detail what was going on, or much beyond the actual deployment of the
troops. But the machine-gun fire, which during the morning had reached us
in purring waves of sound, now increased to such awful intensity that the
rattle became a roar incessant and deafening. From the moment the first
waves started to advance across the open country they came under a
devastating fire. They were bespattered with shrapnel from the guns,
enfiladed on three sides by machine-guns whose fire swept them away in
scores, rifle-pits spat death at them, and from the crowded trenches came
a terrible volume of rifle-fire. It seemed impossible that any one could
live to reach the slopes of Ali Muntar; yet these men from Wales and East
Anglia went forward with a steadiness almost past belief, and ultimately,
with ranks sadly thinned, did reach the foot of the hill. From this point
they fought their way inch by inch and drove the desperately resisting
Turks back through their cactus hedges and over each successive terrace
until, late in the afternoon, the summit was won.

The cost was terrible: some battalions had lost three-quarters of their
effectives, many had lost half, and all had suffered very heavily. True, a
very large percentage of the casualties were lightly wounded in arms and
legs; nevertheless, they were out of action and the battle was by no means
won.

Earlier in the afternoon we on the flank had at last got on the move.
Aeroplane reconnaissance showed that large bodies of Turkish infantry and
cavalry were marching swiftly from Beersheba and Hereira, to the assistance
of their comrades in Gaza, and we went forward to delay their advance.

A squadron of Anzacs operating from the north-east fought with such dash
that they found themselves at the outskirts of Gaza itself. They charged an
Austrian battery, slew the gunners and captured t