n, but the ground
made it impossible for more than half a dozen horses at a time to be in
draught, and when at last the position was cleared the horses slithered
down the sides of the wadis, and guns and waggons overturned at the bottom
in hopeless and inextricable confusion.

Frantically the gunners strove to get them out, some harnessing themselves
to the drag-ropes and others shoving on the wheels; but every effort was to
no purpose, and meanwhile horses and men were being shot down on all hands
by the advancing Turks, whose cries of "Allah! Allah!" could now be plainly
heard. At last the inevitable order was given to clear out with such horses
as remained, for it was impossible to move, much less save the guns, and
after these had been rendered useless to the enemy, the gallant gunners
reluctantly withdrew.

The moment they were clear of the foothills they galloped into an inferno
of machine-gun fire at close quarters from the Germans and Turks occupying
wadis and shell-holes all over the plain. Horses were shot down right and
left, and a team of eight which had not been unhooked were all hit,
together with two of the drivers, who fortunately managed to get safely
away. Finally the shattered remnants of the artillery brigade assembled at
Ghoraniyeh bridgehead, while the Light Horse fell back towards Es Salt,
which the other two brigades had succeeded in occupying. By their clever
manoeuvring, however, the Turks had rendered the position both of the
Australians in Es Salt and the 60th Division in front of Nimrin so
precarious that another withdrawal was urgently necessary, and after the
Londoners had made a last desperate attempt to storm the pass, the
retirement was carried out successfully and without loss, though in bitter
disappointment at a second failure; that it was the only time in the whole
campaign when British guns were captured by the Turks was remarkably poor
consolation.

CHAPTER XIX

THE VALLEY OF CHAOS

During the summer of 1918 great changes took place in the personnel of the
army in Palestine. The early success of the great German offensive in
France had caused the "S.O.S." to be sent out for other and more men to
stem the tide of advance, and all the other British fronts were denuded of
white troops, in whose place, so far as Palestine was concerned, came
Indians, many of whom had only a few months' service to their credit. The
infantry of the 52nd Lowland Division, who apparently had