ry it was none the less a defeat. Our firm belief at that
time was that the fog had been solely responsible; certainly it was through
no dereliction of duty that we had been unsuccessful.

Looking back, however, after the lapse of two years, it is difficult to see
what other result could have been obtained even with the aid of the extra
hours of daylight. We might, and probably should, have taken Gaza; that we
could have held it against the undreamt-of reinforcements who poured down
in their thousands from as far north as Anatolia is extremely doubtful.
Further, the difficulties of maintaining a large army in this almost
waterless region were enormous. The Turkish railhead was on their doorstep,
as it were; ours was then twenty miles away at Rafa.

From that place all supplies and most of the drinking-water had to be
brought up by any transport available--chiefly camels; this obviously could
not go on for long. Opinions differ as to the wisdom of delivering the
attack at all until the railway had been brought as far as Belah. The chief
reason was, I believe, that the authorities were afraid that the Turks
would retire without fighting right back to the Judaean hills where, during
the months that must necessarily have elapsed before we could attack them,
they would have so fortified their naturally strong positions as to render
them, if not impregnable, at least infinitely more difficult to take than
those defending Gaza.

But, as an end to speculation, the hard facts were these: we had the Wadi,
the Turks still had Gaza--and intended to keep it. Inside of a fortnight,
moreover, they had concentrated six divisions for that purpose. Also, they
fortified an important ridge, east of Gaza, from which to prevent another
attempt at encircling the town. This was a nasty blow, especially for the
mounted divisions. The next attack would have to be delivered frontally,
and as the Turks held all the important positions it was likely to prove
expensive. Our counter-preparations were begun as soon as the infantry were
firmly established on the western bank of the wadi. By dint of the most
extraordinary exertions on the part of the engineers, assisted gamely by
the coloured sportsmen in the E.L.C., railhead was brought up to Belah by
the first week in April. Approximately fourteen miles of broad-gauge line
were laid in well under a fortnight, which feat was a great deal more
impressive than it looks on paper; for the country was now u