February 13, 1915. LAND AND WATER 
vehicles and could distribute water and munitions But it matters little where the Canal is crossed 
from such a point. As the land falls rather steeply so long as it is effectively crossed at any point ; and 
down on to the level of the sea a little before the its molestation is possible, and might be long con- 
Pilgrims' Eoad reaches Suez, such an arrangement tinned, without its crossing being effected at all. 
would have the further advantage of avoiding the Prisoners have already given accounts of the 
difficulty of bringing the rails down that slope. roads by which they came (the northern road is so 
A direct connection with the Mecca Railway far reported only), but we have not yet sufficient 
past Akaba (or just roimd the top of its gulf), evidence of which of the three possible routes will 
whereby communication might be established with be, or has been, taken by the main force. It is 
Palestine, Syria, and the depots in the north, has probable, or certain, that this first attempt was 
been rightly pointed out by competent critics to be made by three separate bodies coming by (various 
a task of great difficulty, and probably impossible routes, or at least by the southern and the northern 
in the case of such a campaign as this. And that routes simultaneously. From the same source — 
for the following reason. From the Mediterranean the statements of prisoners — ^we have evidence that 
Sea to the southern point of the Sinaitic Peninsula depots of water are established somewhat to the 
the land gradually rises up to the ridge marked on east of the Canal, upon which depots it is hoped 
the sketch, d, d, d, d, d, which (if there were any that a fairly continuous presence of troops may 
water to speak of in that land) might be called depend. But the whole of this evidence is still so 
" the watershed." This stretch rising up from the fragmentary that nothing certain can be based 
Mediterranean is the desert of El Tih, diversified upon it. 
by several groups of high hills, but distinct from As the reader will observe if he looks at the 
the great limestone peaks in the southern triangle sketch published in these comments some weeks 
beyond. ago, and here reproduced, regular fresh-water 
These have been compared in their for- supply is not obtainable until the western bank of 
mation to the Alps, and they occupy all the tongue the Canal is reached. There there is a sweet water 
of the Peninsula, shaded upon the sketch-map with canal fed from the Nile. It was further remarked 
cross hatching. It is in the heart of this latter in the article then printed, that the best chance 
formation that the Jeb-el-Musa, or Hill of Moses, of a crossing would obviously be where the banks 
stands, which is traditionally identified by many were high, the passage of the water narrow (a 
with Sinai — much where I have marked upon the minimum of 180 feet), and cover from the fire of 
sketch the letter X. Now, the consequence of this ships in the Canal most easily obtainable. These 
formation is that from and above Akaba there is conditions are combined, or rather the height of 
a deep gorge. The edge, or escarpment, of the the Sand Dunes suggests them, opposite Tous- 
Sinaitic plateau runs along the line e, e, e, e, e; soum, where the strongest attack appears to have 
and it so happens that immediately upon the other been made. 
side of Akaba, along the line b,\b, b, b, you have One last point is noteworthy in connection 
another escarpment rising steeply towards the with these attacks on the Canal and those which 
Arabian Desert. So that, to establish a line from are likely to succeed it : which is, that the enemy 
the existing railway along the Pilgrims' Road, are apparently depending here upon mixed and 
even if you took it round so far from the sea that inferior material for their recruitment. If ever 
it was nowhere in danger by fire from that quarter, they should be able to bring, by petrol traffic, fairly 
you would have to build for the crossing of the heavy pieces to threaten the Canal, and should de- 
Ghor, the profound trench 3,000 feet in depth be- pend upon the fire of such pieces, the compara- 
tween the cliffs at b, b, b, b and the opposing cliffs tively small number of men upon whose efficiency 
at e, e, e, e. It is exceedingly unlikely, or rather, it the action of those pieces must depend would ren- 
is impossible, that the enemy should attempt this; der the problem of recruitment for this army less 
but it is conceivable, though not perhaps probable, acute ; but so far as its main forces are concerned, 
that he might attempt the laying of a line of a large proportion of them are Syrian in origin, 
narrow-gauge field railway up the Wadi-el-Arish, in some measure disaffected, and, as we are told 
as I have suggested. by those who have had opportunities for personally 
The attack with which the Egyptian garrison judging the matter, poor material. We have also 
has just dealt struck at two and perhaps three in the official information from Egypt the remark 
points, marked upon the accompanying sketch, A, that the collapse of the Turkish attack was accom- 
B, and perhaps C, of which A is El Kantara, the panied by a certain measure of voluntary deser- 
end of the northern, or sea, road, B the most im- tion, especially from this same Syrian element, 
portant Toussoum, just south of the Ismailia lake, 
and C the slight skirmish reported north of Suez. Ar-TTOM at^ rot Tivrnw 
The shaded portions along the line of the Canal re- -^"^ AG HON AT. BOLIMOW. 
present areas where water in greater or less width Next let us turn to the violent assault de- 
prevents immediate access. The main attack near livered this week upon the Russian lines defend- 
Ismailia at B had the advantage that it threatened ing Warsaw. 
the junction between the lateral railway of the Although the movement resulting upon it has 
Canal and the railway to Cairo. To attack at the been slight, the attack made by von Hindenberg 
point A had the advantage that the invading troops upon the lines of the Bzura and the Rawka was 
had marched by the shortest route — the age-long not without its importance, both as evidence of the 
sea-road of all invasions from the Levantine coast enemy's condition here, and as an appreciable sue- 
to Egypt. The attack near C — if it was in any cess for our Ally. 
force, or was correctly reported — would mean that The ground is already familiar to those who 
some portions of the enemy had already used the have followed the sketch-maps published in these 
Pilgrims' Road ; this point has the advantage that comments. The front of the Bzura and its little 
it is the nearest point to Cairo, tributary the Rawka runs about three days' march 
