Evening star., 1925-11-01

lie strutted about like a little robin
in his Immaculate uniform, and told
us what terrible things he was going
to do to Moha mined Ali. and we really
began to think that he was really a
fire-eater, and a miniature man of
iron. Eventually we saddled up and
moved off into the night, which was
extraordinarily dark.
After the bright glare Of the mems
fires. TIE sudden change 10 darkness
made me as blind as the proverhiaI
bat. and | could not see a yard ahead
of me.
The faithful Hussein stuck to me.
and by getting my eyes set on the tail
of his white horse l managed to keep
my direction. But what a ride-neveE
shall | forget 1t. Ny horse seemed
TO be moving with his hind quarters
and head alternately in a vertical po-
Stion.
Hussein called back to me and told
me to give him his head. and TO trust
10 his instinct not To fall. saying
that the true Arab is as keen sighted
at night as in the daylight. Such was
the case. for when we returned in
broad daylight and l could see the
almost perpendicular hillsides which
that great little horse had manipu
lated safely in the dark. my love for
my own skin got the better of my
nerves and | dismounted and walked
a dozen times.
My thoughts on that memora BILE
night ride We're anything but pleas
ant. There were we. two Englishmen.
out in a wild. lawless country with
80 reputed fighting men, who repre-
sented not only an unknown quantity,
but also a very doubtful one.
n,, e., l,~
when the moon rose in all its Autumn
glory and made the going easier. An
other hour and we arrived dead beat
at a little village about miles from
our objective. After posting guards
at every point to prevent news of our
presence leaking out to the enemy.
Capt. r. and l went into the house Of
the headman, and dropped down in
the last stages Of fatigue on a dirty
mattress.
There we slept the sleep Of the ex-
hausted. having ridden over - miles
of bad country in % hours. The faith
full Hussein refused to sleep and
sQuatted in the doorway with his rife
over his knees to keep watch over us.
IT seemed that had only just closed
my eyes, when 1 awoke very cold
and tired to see my Arab servant
standing over me, with a cup of hot
tea in one hand and a whisky bottle in
the other. I admit that at 8 o'clock
in the morning. I helped myself to a
bigger peg of whisky than any gun.
ner" ever dreamt of swallowing.
The men were falling in, south of
the village wall, and a sorry lot they
looked in the chill dawn. In spite of
the Dutch courage I had consumed.
my teeth were so inclined to chatter
that 1 had to bite hard to prevent
giving myself away. The little Per
sian captain was a sickly yellow and
sat huddled up in his greatcoat far too
troubled even to send up his morning
appeal to Allah.
Hussein was the only member Of the
little force who seemed happy. He
was leaning his rifle, and counting
his cartridges with a smile. and to
look at him one could see the spirit
of his war-loving Bedouin ancestors
rising high within him.
AS the dawn rose the whole ob1ec-
tive was laid bare to our eyes and
looking through my field glasses,
realized that we had tough PROPOSE
ton to handle, for the bandits had a
veritable stronghold in their fort. The
sides rose al an angle OF As degrees TO
"A height of about 40 feet and 1t was
very strongly trenched and loop holed,
and appeared at first sight to be al
most iInpregnable to anything but
artillery, or the rush Of overwhelming
numbers.
In single file we moved of to the
shelter of a depression less than two
miles from the fort and spread our
selves out over a straight line. Pres
emily we heard in the distance a sud
den and heavy fusillade.
We mounted and moved of at full
gallop. The ground we were covering
was a series Of undulations, which
can only liken to the sea when dis
turbed by heavy ground swell. and
to the enemy we must have had the
appearance of crowd of jacks-in.the-
box as we alternately appeared and
disappeared in the depressions.
We soon came under a perfect hail
of bullets from the fort, but, thanks to
the formation of the country and the
still dim morning light, we suffered no
casulties in this first rush. At the
sound of the first shot, the little Per
sian captain pulled up his horse in a
depression, cheered us on, and faded
from the picture.
Within a quarter of a mile of the
fort we stopped to reconnoiter in the
shelter of a small valley. We could
see flashes from the hills surrounding
the valley, and also from the west,
which confirmed the fact that our
plans had gone right, and that the two
other parties had arrived and were in
position.
In 10 minutes all our men We're
spread out at every point of vantage.
Three were told off to look after the
horses, after every man but three of
the thirty had eagerly volunteered for
the Job. We made our headquarters
in the irrigation Glitch Of vineyard.
One thing was obvious, that was that
they We're trapped and to escape uuI.-
| ing the daytime was impossible.
During this time our men were pour
| ing a terrific fire into the fort which
was being returned heartily, and we
Immediately began to realize that un-
less the enemy was chec3ted, our am
| munition would soon give out. Capt.
B. and I commenced . round Of our