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after a hurried consultation a number of Turks began digging a hole. On asking the reason we were informed that an escort could not be spared to take us further, so it was decided to shoot and bury us, to save any inconvenience. With the intention of carrying into execution this plan a firing party was brought around us, and it was then we saw the earnestness of their threat. We appealed to a German Major who happened to be riding at the point, a man who had been decorated twice with the Iron Cross, and who spoke fluent English, stating that we were prisoners, and asked him to treat us as such, and not allow these Turks to shoot us like dogs. He saw the position at once, dismounted and thrashed the Turkish Officer in charge. This is the usual method of treating any Turkish soldier responsible for a breach of their rules and regulations. The German Officer handed us over to a group of German Artillery men, who gave us food and coffee and kept us out of danger for twenty four hours, afterwards handing us over to the Turks again.
On leaving these artillery men we were tied together in pairs with rope and ordered to march thus, but we found it impossible, walking on one another's heels causing us to fall over, each time one fell he was struck heavily on the back with a rifle butt, for his carelessness. In this predicament we were marched from Camp to Camp for exhibition. In about six days we arrived at Bir Mazar, where we received our second meal since being captured. The final march to this place was 25 Miles, the journey taking ten hours, with Thermometer registering in the vicinity of one hundred and twenty degrees in the shade, and without a drop of water. This last "stunt" completely "fed us up" for we were suffering from burnt feet, hunger, exposure and privations to such an extent, that we decided we would be shot rather than carry on. This refusal led to us being supplied with Camels, these welcome ships of the desert carrying us to El-Ordya, the Railhead at that time of the Palestine Railway. An eventful railway journey brought us to Jerusalem