hundreds at a time, and great numbers were drowned. On this occasion we might claim to have unintentionally surprised the Arab forces. It seems that they left their forts at the same hour at which we left our camp, with the intention of attacking us in camp on three sides at once.

The three columns, taking different roads, were intended to arrive at the same time; but two of them, owing to the bad state of the ground, were forced within two hundred yards of each other, just at the moment when de Wouters and I marched in between.