sh soldier. Portable wireless apparatus used by airmen and
troops, and scouting aeroplanes, made difficulties for the elusive
Bedouins whose methods of desert warfare had not changed in centuries.
So it happened that in proportion as British fighting methods and
British resources became known and feared by the Arab in Mesopotamia
he grew more and more wary of running into danger, unless the odds
were altogether in his favor. What the German and Turkish officers
endured from their Arab allies will probably never be known, but on
more than one occasion when the British won a victory and the Turks
were in retreat, the Arabs were active in despoiling the fugitives and
then made off with their loot, and with the new rifles and equipment
they had been supplied with by the Turks or Germans.

Being accomplished robbers, the Arabs were constantly making raids on
British stores under cover of the night and were generally successful.
On one occasion a party of eight got by the pickets and crawled into
the regimental slaughterhouse. But they had not counted on modern
science. There were mines planted outside the door and every Arab who
was a robber was killed.

CHAPTER LII

ADVANCE TOWARD BAGDAD--BATTLE OF KUT-EL-AMARA

The advance toward Bagdad was begun in the middle of September, 1915,
but owing to the constantly changing conditions in the bed of the
Tigris, which hindered the progress of vessels, and the necessity for
constant reconnaissances of the river region, it was not until the
last of the month that the British force, consisting of only four
brigades, reached the vicinity of Kut-el-Amara.

Nuredin Pasha's troops occupied a strong position near the Kut, with
carefully constructed intrenchments protected by large areas of
barbed-wire entanglements and supported by considerable heavy
artillery. The British camp was about ten miles away from the Turkish
position. They were weaker in men and in guns than the enemy. The heat
was overpowering. The British lost some men on the way to this camp
and others continued to drop out from heat exhaustion.

On September 23, 1915, two British brigades advanced to within sight
of the Turkish tents, while their principal camp was pitched on the
south bank of the Tigris. The British steamers took up a position
between the two armies in readiness to shatter a surprise attack. It
was discovered when the two brigades made a demonstration against the
enemy on September 25, 1915, t