tifully easy and
comparatively silent. With some diffidence we made for what we
thought was our map reference, and found to our joy, that we were
exactly right. Our "perch," as really it should be called, was on
numerous ledges on the face of a very steep cliff, and it was a
lengthy business getting the Battalion arranged with its different
companies respectively in their right places; but by 4 A.M. we were
all snug like gannets on the Bass Rock, and quite easy in our minds,
except for the uncertainty as to whether dawn would discover the place
to be under Turkish machine-gun fire. This was pretty important, as we
were not to attack until 8 A.M., so there was time for a very
uncomfortable two or three hours before we could start. However, dawn
broke, and all was quiet, and we were able to have our breakfast
undisturbed just about the time the Turks must have been attacking
down the Nablus-Jerusalem road.

The first attack was to be led by the Ayr and Lanarks on the right,
who were to scale the salient spur running up to their objective--Kh.
Mahmeh, and by the Somersets on the left, who were to advance up the
spur which led in a N.E. direction to Sh. Abu-el-Zeitun, which was
their objective. We, in close support, and the Devons in reserve, were
to follow the left battalion. This plan was adopted to avoid having to
advance up the re-entrant which was too dangerous.

At 8 A.M. the advance started. Our position was in close support, and
the chief difficulty was to prevent the leading lines from going too
fast, and getting mixed up with the battalion in front. By 9 A.M. the
ridge was taken with a nice little bunch of prisoners, and very few
casualties to us. The face, up which we had advanced, was so steep
that the defenders could not get a really good shot at us, except in
certain places; but the Somersets and ourselves had to slide to the
east side of the spur, as we were being heavily fired at by machine
guns from the direction of Kh. Kereina.

Our programme now was to turn east and sweep along the Zeitun Ridge,
but this depended, to some extent, on how the 10th Division were
getting on to our left. We were intended to be in advance of them, but
not more than a mile or so or we should get it too badly from the
flank. They had not expected us to get Zeitun much before 11 A.M., so
we were ahead of time, and the brigade on our left must have been a
bit late, as it was some time before they were visible at all, and
then t