The Nationalists had been besieging the small French force in Urfa during the early days of April, 1920, and at length Commander Hauger was compelled to capitulate. On the eighth of April he decided to evacuate the city and did so under the following terms: That all Christians should have ample protection; that the houses occupied by the garrison should not be reoccupied by the Turks until the garrison had left the city; that the graves of the fallen should be respected; that sufficient transport should be supplied to convey their arms, ammunition, etc.[12] One officer of the gendarmerie and ten men would accompany them for safe convoy. These were agreed to by the Mutessarif of Urfa and the commander of the Turkish Nationalist forces, but, notwithstanding this arrangement the French were attacked shortly after they had left the town and nearly annihilated. [Illustration: Portion of the three hundred thousand persons who fled to the water-front in the destruction of Smyrna. They were a human wall two miles long, the blazing city behind and the Ægean Sea before them.] A native-born American who chanced to be in Urfa on relief work and who desired to proceed to Aleppo decided to accompany the ill-fated expedition and was an eye-witness of what happened. The following account may be interesting as a chapter of authentic history, never before published: “We left Urfa at one-thirty A. M. on Sunday the eleventh of April, 1920, Captain Perraut being with the advance guard, four gendarmes leading the way, in center of column the officer of gendarmerie, Emir Effendi, who was to accompany us to our destination. “On passing the crest of the hill we observed several gendarmes and we were informed that this was their post. The ascent was very difficult as the horses were in bad condition owing to lack of food and exercise. The camels delayed us as they were well-laden and climbed very slowly. We halted as usual ten minutes to the hour, the rear guard consisting of one hundred and fifty to one hundred and sixty men, being two kilometers in the rear. “At six A. M., passing through a ravine on to a straight stretch of road, we were suddenly attacked from the rear and both flanks, the enemy having machine guns among them. The firing commenced before the camels had passed out of the ravine. They were in the bend and halted. Previous to the attack, I had been marching with Commander Hauger and five minutes before the firing commenced was riding on a Red Cross wagon containing two wounded. When the firing commenced, two wagons which preceded the others, having their horses and mules wounded or killed, were forced to halt. I jumped down, taking cover in a hollow at the roadside, and finding that I was exposed to fire from the hilltops, decided to make my way forward trusting to find the Commander who I knew was only two yards in advance.