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Reinforcements were on the way up, and the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry battalion of the Royal Highlanders were prepared to make a flank attack from their outpost line three-quarters of a mile south-east of Foka to relieve the Devons, but this would have endangered the safety of the outpost line without reducing the fire from the heights, and as the Fife and Forfar men would have had to cross two deep wadis under enfilade fire on their way to Foka their adventure would have been a perilous one.
Natalia Savishna had been so sorely smitten by her misfortune that not a single wish of her own remained in her soul she went on living purely by habit. Having handed over the provisions to Foka, and reminded him of the refreshments which must be ready for the priests, she took up her knitting and seated herself by my side again.
"How is it, too, that, though I weighed out eight pounds of rice yesterday, more is wanted now? No offence to you, Foka, but I am not going to waste rice like that. I suppose Vanka is glad that there is confusion in the house just now, for he thinks that nothing will be looked after, but I am not going to have any careless extravagance with my master's goods. Did one ever hear of such a thing?
The Turk contented himself with driving them off the Foka Heights, and did not attempt to advance farther if he had, it might have proved just as bad for him as Foka had been for us. On 4th December we were relieved by the 6th Munster Regiment and went back to our old camp at Q 20 central, where our transport had remained all the time. Here we rested for a couple of days.
The wind was lifting the blue handkerchief from her head as, bent forward and her face buried in her hands, she moved slowly up the steps. Foka was supporting her. Papa said nothing as he sat beside me. I felt breathless with tears felt a sensation in my throat as though I were going to choke, just as we came out on to the open road I saw a white handkerchief waving from the terrace.
As for me, I no longer thought of going to sleep, but sat silently with her and mingled my tears with hers. Presently Foka entered the room, but, on seeing our emotion and not wishing to disturb us, stopped short at the door. "Do you want anything, my good Foka?" asked Natalia as she wiped away her tears. "Yes, in one moment," said Natalia as she took a pinch of snuff and hastened to her drawers.
We found that the 10th Division had, since we were there, secured Foka and Hill A, from which we got an excellent view of our objective Zeitun but we failed to find or hear of any path down to the Wadi Imaish.
One regiment of the 8th Brigade occupied Annabeh, and a regiment of the 22nd Brigade got within a couple of miles of Nalin, where a well-concealed body of the enemy held it up. Soon the report came in that the country was impassable for wheels. By the afternoon of the next day the 8th Brigade were at Beit ur el Foka Beth-horon the Upper a height where fig trees and pomegranates flourish.
We arrived at Petrovskoe in the night time, and I was then so soundly asleep that I saw nothing of the house as we approached it, nor yet of the avenue of birch trees, nor yet of the household all of whom had long ago betaken themselves to bed and to slumber. Only old hunchbacked Foka bare-footed, clad in some sort of a woman's wadded nightdress, and carrying a candlestick opened the door to us.
Our spirits rose rapidly that day, partly owing to the prospect of something doing, partly because of a marked improvement in the weather, but chiefly on account of the arrival of rations in satisfying quantities, which allowed of a huge feed before we had to start at about 10.30 P.M. There was a nice moon, and our march in single file up the Wadi Zait to Foka was quite uneventful, and we got a pleasant surprise when we topped the crest and found that, by pure luck, we had struck a small footpath the only one for miles, we afterwards discovered which made the descent beautifully easy and comparatively silent.
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