File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎84r] (176/834)

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such small crews that it was impracticable for them to leave the
cars and endeavour to capture the station. The garrison had
retreated to a probably entrenched position east of the station.
The co-operation of other troops would be necessary to accomplish
the capture of posts of this kind.
“ The arrival of armoured cars on the railway line was
undoubtedly a surprise to the Turks ; although the cars have been
for nine months in the Hejaz, this was the first occasion on
which they got within effective range of the line. The results
of the reconnaissance were satisfactory, and future operations
should produce more definite results. The country has not
previously been reconnoitred, and although the surface is fairly
u-ood there are water courses and other features to be negotiated
which render freedom of movement for cars difficult until they
become acquainted with the country. The reconnaissance
obviously disorganised traffic arrangements, and as far as could
be ascertained no trains passed on December 31 and January 1.
One engine and a truck were proceeding from north to south
and on hearing the bombardment at Tel el-Shahnn returned
northwards again.” r . . T
Writing from Akaba under date January o, Colonel Joyce
stated that Slier if Mastur, with a large force of Bedouins, was
then at Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Iftan (about twenty miles south of the Dead Sea)
with Tafila for his objective. Sheikh Diab el-Amran, the chief
sheikh of Tafila, had written to Sherif keisal informing him that
on the arrival of a Sherif, Tafila would be handed over, but
expressing a hope that the place would not be captured eithei by
the Ibn Jazi or the Abu Tayyi Huweitat.
The force under Sherif Nasir, whose successes were recorded
in the last Bulletin, consisted of Bern Sakhr, Abu layyi, and
about 300 mounted regulars with a gun and machine guns.
As regards the railway in the Tebuk area, Colonel Joyce
writes : “ The floods south of Tebuk have evidently very seriously
damaged the railway line. Sheikh Mohammed el-&ha S1 b amved
here yesterday. He has been m that d.stnct for nearly a month
and in close observation of the railway line, and he definitely
assures me that no trains have passed either north or south lor a
period of sixteen days prior to Ins leaving that sector. 1 he hoods
have come down, and all culverts from Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Ghudei to Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. el-
Akhdar have been washed away. These are obviously the culverts
which had previously been destroyed by dynamite, and which,
instead of re-building, the Turks merely filled up temporarily
Sa’ad Sikini, the Ageyl who destroyed a tram and killed
Suleiman Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ibn Rifada, has arrived in Akaba and has
furnished me with the following details. His demolition ta
was only a small one, and they had to wait five days for the
arrival of a train. One train from south to north P^sed duiii
this interval, but that day they were engaged ,« tribal ^
and were unable to dynamite it. I he tram they eventually
destroyed was proceeding from north to south and contained ten