ete disillusionment when
you have passed the outskirts of the town. Not all the dirt and squalor,
however, could minimise the intense feeling of satisfaction amongst the
troops at having at last conquered the bogy that had for so long prevented
the advance into the Holy Land.

As usual the Turks did as much damage as they could before leaving. The
more pretentious houses had scarcely anything of value left in them; their
owners and, in fact, all the chiefs of the native population of Gaza had
long since been deported. Most of these were grossly ill-treated, and some
had been hanged, for what crime other than a desire to live at peace with
their neighbours only the criminals who executed them knew.

It took many weeks of labour before the engineers could repair the damage
done to the water-supply, which, in and around Gaza, was fairly ample. But
now, the Turks having been driven out of their strongholds, it was
necessary to keep them on the move northwards, to fight them whenever they
could be brought to the sticking-point and to harass them night and day.
After six months of comparative stagnation the troops were ready, and more
than willing for operations of this nature. They wanted a little moving
warfare for a change, and General Allenby supplied the need.

When the capture of the Turkish Lines was complete, the whole Army was
ordered to advance, and for the next fortnight the pursuit never slackened.
The story would fill a volume could you collect but half of the incidents
of those stirring days. It was an epic of endurance and utter indifference
to hardship. Few men, however, could tell a connected tale of what
happened, for, obedient to the command, the enemy was attacked whenever he
was encountered, which was every day.

The Turks were beaten, but they were by no means demoralised. On all parts
of the front our advance was stubbornly resisted. On our left flank they
fought with most bitter determination to save their railhead for long
enough to get their guns and stores away, and having succeeded in doing
this retired farther up the coast and prepared to fight again. On our right
flank the mounted divisions, who had started from Beersheba on the night
Gaza was evacuated to perform their usual function of cutting off the
enemy's retreat, were assaulted vigorously by a strong rearguard of Turks
who fought in anything but a beaten manner. It was here that the Yeomanry
made a charge reminiscent of the charge of the