When we turned again to business, there was no Abd
el Kader.
There the crowd halted, and I crawled on with
Fahad.
Abd el Kader was gone up to theenemy, with
information of our plans and strength.
She may have been a gipsy, for nothing
followed.
Our speed and camel-sticks made life miserable for
the last menand camels. This wasGhadir el Abyadh, recommended by Mifleh as our
ambush. Adhub said not a word, but leaped out of the gully, and
raceddownhill.
It was the edge of theYarmuk gorge, and the bridge
lay just under us to the right. My eyes wereupon a notable red camel, perhaps a
seven-year-old, under a Sirhani inthe second line.
The Turks, if theytook the most reasonable
precautions, would trap us at the bridge. Mifleh urged his reluctantcamel into a
trot. When the enemy began to return our fire, I found myself much betweenthe
two.
The enginepanted slower and slower, and I thought
every moment that it wouldbreak down. Adhub said not a word, but leaped out of the
gully, and raceddownhill.
It was mostinconveniently close, but the Sukhur
knew no better place. Unhappily my rest time was spoiled by a bed of justice. Its
rider had it up in a momentand trotted forward.
This wasGhadir el Abyadh, recommended by Mifleh as
our ambush. The first ten trucks were open trucks, crowded with troops. Together
they lifted the inert figure on to the pommel, and returned.
A sharp metalliccontact from the night showed we
were under the telegraph line toMezerib.
To the clear-sighted, failure was the only goal.
They sent down to say it was coming veryslowly, and was an enormously long
train.
Mifleh went back to his mare, mounted, and took her
down behind a spur. When we had made it up the original despondency was half
forgotten.
There could be no rest-houses for revolt, no
dividend of joypaid out.
The Turks had just filled its country with hundreds
ofmilitary wood-cutters.
We hastened back to the cairnwhere the Serahin were
scrambling on their camels.
At once there was uproar, the Serahin attacking
mefuriously, the Beni Sakhr defending.
He threw himself off, whilewe reined up beside him
on this grassy platform by a tumbled cairn.
Our speed and camel-sticks made life miserable for
the last menand camels. I rode back down the ranksand told them to press forward
faster. Two of my men developed sudden illnesses, whichmade them feel unable to ride
with us. If I sat still, there might bejust a hope of my being ignored as a casual
Bedouin. Ahmed slipped off to get acquainted withher owner. Abd el Kader and his
servants mountedtheir mares, as sign that the fighting line was near.