"THE LONG, LONG TRAIL" 80 I. CAMOUFLAGING A TENT WITH DESERT SCRUB (see p. 29) 144 II. A CAMEL CONVOY 144 SUMMER IN THE WADI GHUZZEE 176 IN THE JORDAN VALLEY--WADI AUJA 240 I. A WATER CONVOY 256 II. THE VALLEY OF CHAOS--BEFORE THE TURKISH RETREAT 256 THE VALLEY OF CHAOS--AFTER THE BOMBING RAID (see p. 255) 272 WITH OUR ARMY IN PALESTINE CHAPTER I MERSA MATRUH AND THE SENUSSI It is a little difficult to know the precise place at which to begin this narrative. There are, as it were, several _points d'appui_. One might describe the outward voyage, in a troopship packed to three or four times its normal peace-time capacity; where men slept on the floors, on mess-tables, and in hammocks so closely slung that once you were in it was literally impossible to get out until the whole row was ready to move; and where we were given food (!) cooked and served under conditions so revolting as to turn the stomach at the bare sight of it. And there were other things.... But I do not think any useful purpose would be served by such a course. It was an unspeakably horrible voyage, but most of the troops travelling East experienced the same conditions; moreover, the praise or blame for those responsible for the early chaos will doubtless be meted out at the proper time and in the proper place. Again, as far as most people at home are concerned, the Great Crusade began with the taking of Jerusalem and ended when the Turks finally surrendered in the autumn of 1918. This view, entirely erroneous though it be, is not unreasonable, for a thick veil shrouded the doings of the army in Egypt in the early days, and the people at home saw only the splendid results of two years' arduous preparation and self-sacrifice. Now the tale of these weary months ought to be told that justice be done to some of the biggest-hearted men who ever left the shores of Great Britain and Australasia, and that the stupendous difficulties confronting them may be properly appreciated. It is no tale of glamour and romance; it is a tale of sheer, hard graft, generally under terrible conditions--for a white man. Before we could even think of moving eastwards towards Palestine we had to set our own house in order. Egypt was seething with sedition, and the flame of discontent was sedulously fanned by the young excitables from Al Azhar, who probably were themselves stimulated by Turko-German propaganda--and "baksheesh." These had to be suppressed; and the task was not easy. Further, as far south as Aden there were Turkish garrisons, and troops in considerable numbers had to be detached to overcome them; this, too, was no small undertaking. Finally, a flowery gentleman called the High Sheikh or the Grand Sheikh of the Senussi had ideas above his station--and he had to be disillusionised.