ientiously and thoroughly and there was no sign of mutton,
dead or alive. It must have needed marvellous sleight-of-hand to conceal a
full-grown sheep from view!

That was the reverse side of the medal: the obverse was much brighter. It
was impossible not to admire the extraordinary endurance of the camel-men.
They would march fifteen to twenty miles a day for days, and even weeks at
a time, provided only that they had enough water; and, well led, they
would go anywhere and do anything.

On the fifth day out from Haifa we marched into Sidon, whose inhabitants
turned out _en masse_ and welcomed the column with great and spontaneous
enthusiasm, which left no doubt as to its genuineness, though at times it
became a trifle embarrassing. On the surface the people looked little the
worse for four years' privations and ill-treatment at the hands of the
Turks, but a glance into the shops as we passed showed little else but
fruit in the shape of food; and this is not very satisfying as a sole diet.
In some parts of the town pinched faces and wan cheeks were frequent; and
one group consisting of an elderly man with his wife and two daughters
especially attracted my attention. Their faces were dead-white, as if they
had been living below ground for years, and the dull, stunned look of
misery in their eyes was terrible to see; obviously they had not yet fully
realised their deliverance. The old gentleman, a French Syrian, told me
that when, three years before, he had heard of the coming of German troops
to Sidon, he gave out to his neighbours that he and his family were going
to the north, leaving the empty house in charge of the native caretaker.
The family disappeared, and until the hurried departure of the Germans
nothing more was seen of them, when they--apparently--returned once more to
their home.

In reality, they had never left it. They had retired to a disused wing of
the house, barricaded themselves in so skilfully that no one but the old
caretaker who looked after the supplies suspected their presence; and there
they had lived for three years, never venturing out except to walk at night
in their extensive garden! On one occasion the house was occupied by a
German staff-officer, and their walks ceased for three weeks; but for the
greater part of the time it had remained untenanted. During the period
previous to our coming they had been almost entirely without food, other
than fruit and dried legumes.

That was the stor