1920-22 Draft of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Page 21

Chapter CXXXIX

As we neared oyer, the widen Futnah Turks had (by our [illegible] now very anxious orders) been pursued into the last issues of open ground, watched from Khediein. In the personal turmoil, occurred then the principal tragedy incident of the adventure. While we from the northward were nearing (guide) gyan in Selman ibn Ali, Turabuk and Talaat ibn Sultan (the white latter a [illegible] too). Bernard and his newcomers, the single [illegible], the double Greenwich men, [illegible] (from Selman’s own [illegible]) were crowding in from the north. The converging lines had nearly met out on the dam-like crest of Jebelein, when a [illegible] outburst went up along the enemy of them from green bay heights. The high-lying shattered village of Jebelein had been rushed by some of its own fiercely maddened townsmen. The Mujahirs, exiled Amanies ([illegible] and poor), to whom the [illegible] of Al Ghusein was a green [illegible] for even worst outrage, had [illegible] the Turks and were stripping them yet, in their turn, of their last tatters possessions. Besides, there were bands of adventurous Bagrada’s (Fellahin [illegible]), and some bedu, waiting to loot, who assailed so the [illegible] Turks.

Even the [illegible] were safe. I had urged [Tewfick] to have a cry, but he was anxious; and he, when I began to move prisoners up, at a time when the Ghusein village was still defiant. Our gharry column was not yet across the [illegible] dam. When we found it, the Turks between us were already in the [illegible] channel, so torn by the [illegible] that the Ghusein villagers, yelling curses, [illegible] and stones, were raining on them from the low wadi walls. In the last [illegible] hand [illegible], Tami [illegible] (one of our [illegible]) had been killed by the stone of a woman bedu; and more [illegible]. Then [illegible] our exasperate men were wishing to finish off the rest, till I peremptorily [illegible]. The Turks promises were banded, [illegible] and stiarched up by them-stream [illegible], the Muny having obeyed my cooled orders to hold call them off.

Then we hasted to Futnah, after Math. After a halt by [illegible] for a few minutes wretched waiting, we went up the ragged water-course. For hours over [illegible] the sand, yet smoked with a smoky haze of yellow dust, blown by the parching wind from the Turkish houses which in their last agonies had [illegible] burned. Gaurdivis, wasted gourds (a [illegible] too) infesting the hovels, [illegible] Aman (as she could crawl) passed near me howling her loss, and more than once I nearly rode over some little [illegible] gaunt, and shaking woman