Saturday. At last 4.30 a.m. arrived and we started marching again.  It was a blessing to get one’s feet warm but the pleasures of the march were strictly comparative.  We trekked on eastwards along the river-bank till sunrise, 7 a.m., when we came on a camp of Arabs who fled shrieking at our approach (6 on sketch.) At 7.30, we halted and had breakfast.  Our united efforts failed to find enough fuel to boil a kettle.  We waited till 9, when the cavalry patrols returned and reported no sign of the enemy, so we marched back to the pontoon bridge (7 on sketch).  I suspect our re-entry qua stage reinforcements was the whole object of our expedition, and the out-flankers were a myth from the beginning.  The march back was the most unpleasant we’ve had.  It got hot and the ground was hard and rough and we were all very tired and footsore.  A sleepless night takes the stamina out of one.  There and back our trek was about twelve miles.

On arrival at the bridge we were only allowed half-an-hour’s rest and then got orders to march out to take up an ‘observation post’ on the right flank.  Being general reserve is no sinecure with bluffing tactics prevailing.

This last lap was extremely trying.  We marched in artillery formation, all very lame and stiff.  We passed behind our yesterday’s friend, the howitzer battery, but at a more respectful distance from the enemy’s battery.  This latter showed no sign of life till we were nearly two miles from the river.  Then it started its double deliveries and some of them came fairly close to some of our platoon, but not to mine.

It took us nearly two hours to drag ourselves three miles and the men had hardly a kick in them when we reached the place assigned for our post (8 on sketch).  We were ordered to entrench in echelon of companies facing North.  I thought it would take till dark to get us dug in (it was 2 p.m.); but luckily our men, lined up ready to begin digging, caught the eye of the enemy as a fine enfilade target (or else they saw our first line mules) and they started shelling us from 6,500 yards (Enemy’s battery, 9 on sketch).  The effect on the men was magical.  They woke up and dug so well that we had fair cover within half an hour and quite adequate trenches by 3.  This bombardment was quite exciting.  The first few pairs were exactly over “D” Company’s trench, but pitched about 100 yards beyond it.  The next few were exactly right in range, but about forty yards right, i.e. behind us.  Just as we were wondering where the third lot would be, our faithful howitzer battery and some heavy guns behind them, which opened all they knew on the enemy battery as soon as they opened on us, succeeded in attracting its fire to themselves.  This happened three or four times.  Just as they were getting on to us the artillery saved us:  there would be a sharp artillery duel and then the Turks would lie quiet for ten minutes, then begin on us again.  This went on until we were too well dug in to be a