TCD MS 3416 page 21
[May 1916]
away from the river for about 36 hours, during which time we were told, that we should find no water. To face this problem we only had our <regulation> water bottles, a few small leaking skins, and an odd bottle or two: Mason & I, however, filled our air pillows with water and they served us well – mine began to burst on the following day, but it had served its purpose by then.
We left Sunnaich at 5.30 p.m. on the waterless march <round a salt lake>, and marched with 10 minute halts each hour continually till 2.30 a.m. on the 19th when we halted after having done 21 miles. At this halting place I paid the equivalent of 3s/4d for a small goat skin of muddy water; I would have paid anything for it. You never find a Turk or Arab giving you anything, not even water, without payment. We rested till 5.30 p.m. (<20>th) and then continued our journey in a thunderstorm until 10 p.m. that night, when we found the road too bad and the night too dark to proceed – donkeys were slipping down, loads being cast, and incidentally the Arab donkey boys & guards were taking full advantage of the darkness to steal everything they could lay hands on. We therefore halted and slept by the roadside for 3½ hours waiting for the moon to rise, and although there was rain we were very glad to get rest of any