There is no very certain news from Egypt, though there
are plenty of rumours that the Turkish Army is nearing the Canal. In all probability, however, such bodies as have been seen in the desert are only the Bedouin fringe of the Turkish advance, and not in any sense formidable fighting units. It is likely to he some little time yet before the Turks, always slow movers, emerge from the desert through which presumably they are now struggling. No doubt the hundreds of German officers who are said to be with the Turkish troops are bustling them for all they are worth, but it is not certain what will be the effect of such bustling upon the moral of the Turkish soldiery. When the Turkish Army does emerge from the wilderness of sand the first thing it will want will be water, not only for the men, but for the horses and camels, which will have had to go short for several days previously. But unless we very much mistake the strategic position, the Turks will have to fight hard for the water they will need so sorely. This, however, is merely a guess, for, of course, no information has been published as to our dispositions.
All we can feel sure of is that the Turks will meet with a very warm reception. We have now got a large force in Egypt composed of Indians and British, and this force has been at the last moment happily increased by the arrival of some twenty thousand Australian and New Zealand troops. There are with this force, it is said, seventy guns and over seven thousand horses. This no doubt means that a good part of the Australian contingent are cavalry, and they are sure to be very good cavalry. Moreover, to both horses and men there will be nothing strange in fighting in a waterless country. At all events, the desert will not have any unknown terrors for the men accustomed to the dry portions of the bush.
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