es of communication, especially on the Hedjaz railway.

So well did the Cherif succeed that the Turks were compelled to send large
numbers of their best troops in order to retain their hold on the railway.
At various places on the line strong posts were established, fully equipped
with the latest guns and material of all kinds. These posts were a constant
menace to our right flank. One of the largest garrisons was at Maan, from
which troops could easily be sent via El Auja to Beersheba if needed. Our
raid, therefore, was for the purpose of blowing up a large section of the
railway between Beersheba and El Auja, and it was planned and carried out
with consummate skill.

The demands made on the endurance of both men and horses were tremendous.
The cavalry and demolition parties operating farthest south had to cover
upwards of seventy miles in order to reach their objectives, and even those
operating nearest home had over forty miles to go. Moreover, it was a dash
right into the midst of the enemy's country with Beersheba almost at our
backs. This, together with the impossibility of concealing the movements of
a large body of mounted troops for any length of time, owing to the dust,
made speed an essential part of the proceedings.

We started after dark and travelled, with no more than an occasional stop
for ten minutes, until about two o'clock the following afternoon. Then the
cavalry struck a strong Turkish outpost and had to beat them off before the
work of demolition could begin. One of our aeroplanes reconnoitred and came
back with the news that a viaduct might profitably be destroyed, and a
sixty-pounder battery, which had casually come up while we were waiting,
started leisurely to work and laid the bridge in ruins, after which they
dropped a few shells on a Turkish train farther down the line and
demolished that, which concluded their part in the entertainment. Then they
made tea, at which we looked with envious eyes, having tasted none for
thirty-six hours, limbered up their guns, and started back as casually as
they had come. It seemed to be a pleasant life in the "heavies."

As our brigade had succeeded in driving the Turkish cavalry back our guns
were not needed in support, so we watered the horses at a well eighty feet
deep and had to use reins and drag-ropes and anything else we could find in
order to reach the surface of the water with the canvas buckets. It was as
well that we had time on our hands, for th