Zeid stopped me: Butthat will need a lot of
money.
Then, without a casualty, and with theirsixty
prisoners, our men rode back praising themselves.
Rasim likedthis, my conception of his
target.
Two men were found to ride with me, though all said
we should not reachTafileh that night.
The excellent Wodheihastruggled gamely forward
under the weight of the extra gold.
We had to drive them down into thehappier Ghor, a
days journey from our vital garrison.
He tookme up with another of his long bursts, many
more than twenty this time.
In desperationwe climbed up our sad camels, and
beat them woodenly towards Guweira. I was sorry for Awad: his hardness put me to
shame. They raved with miserable rage when Idismissed them and turned away. The
warmth I, at least, never got, and hardly the sleep.
Next day and the next it snowed yet
harder.
Next day and the next it snowed yet harder. They
had no clothes but khaki drill uniform ofthe British summer sort.
Shobek wasonly ten miles further, and daylight had
yet five hours to run. In losing this Motalgaridge we would probably win the
battle.
We, for our one day, had a fill of
hardship.
Rasim likedthis, my conception of his target. Inthe
day it thawed a little and in the night it froze.
Our cloaks bellied out and dragged like
sails,against us. By late afternoon we had covered the ten miles to Aba el Lissan.
Shobek wasonly ten miles further, and daylight had yet five hours to
run.
Prices fell, as men grew to trust our strength.
Joyce made a vain appeal to Zeid, andpromised to explain to Feisal.
I asked them thenews; they told me all was well.