red tanks. The provision of a sufficient quantity to
supply the force for a number of days was thus the condition of a
successful advance. On December 16th we moved forward to el Maadan, Kilo
128 on the railway, a march of twelve miles, which owing to the
difficult country Colonel Morrison noted as "probably the most fatiguing
the Battalion has yet undertaken." Here the outpost line was held by the
42nd Division and we were engaged on digging and road making. The latter
operation consisted in cutting scrub and flattening out a track at a
reasonable gradient. On this long rows of ordinary rabbit wire netting
were pegged down four abreast and the result was a "road" which very
greatly increased the pace and extent of infantry marching. The wire
prevented a man from sinking into the sand and was comfortable enough to
walk on, if one was careful not to catch one's toes. Unfortunately these
roads followed and did not precede the force, and the 52nd Division
usually formed the leading infantry, with the result that the Battalion
never had the advantage of them for a "mobile" until after el Arish was
passed, and then only for a few miles.

On December 20th we moved to Kilo 129 and took over a bit of the outpost
line from the 6th Manchesters and that evening we occupied the trenches
in orderly silence as usual. Sentry groups were put out, rifles loaded
and all hope of a smoke put away till the dawn. As darkness fell,
however, there appeared from the westward a great cloud of dust and
columns of mounted men, and Horse Artillery, their gun-wheels broadened
with pedrails, moved through our line and proceeded to camp immediately
in front of our silent and alert sentries. They off-saddled and huge
fires sprang up like magic, great columns of tired horses moved
backwards and forwards to water, and the air was filled with the
cheerful din of Australian talk and song. Rumours had been floating
about all day that the Turks were evacuating and the sudden arrival of
the cavalry left little doubt as to their truth. The pressing problem
for the officer was how to explain to his scandalised men that the
Anzacs were not violating all the rules of properly conducted warfare.
This was done by postulating far flung cavalry outposts in the dim
distance. One has often wondered whether they existed except in our
imaginations; but the Anzac likes to conduct war in his own way, and if
somewhat casual about details, many a Turk will witness that he has