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English
6798
However, the German officers were by no means all incompetents. They realized (I soon found out) that they had little hope of bringing a big army through the Egyptian desert and making a successful campaign there. Their object was to immobilize a great force of British troops around the Canal, to keep the Mohammedan population in Palestine impressed with Turkish power, and to stir up religious unrest among the natives in Egypt. HOWEVER THE GERMAN OFFICERS WERE BY NO MEANS ALL INCOMPETENCE THEY REALIZED I SOON FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD LITTLE HOPE OF BRINGING A BIG ARMY THROUGH THE EGYPTIAN DESERT AND MAKING A SUCCESSFUL CAMP IN THERE THEIR OBJECT WAS TO IMMOBILIZE A GREAT FORCE OF BRITISH TROOPS AROUND THE CANAL TO KEEP THE MOHAMMEDAN POPULATION IN PALESTINE IMPRESSED WITH TURKISH POWER AND TO STIR UP RELIGIOUS UNREST AMONG THE NATIVES IN EGYPT
ooked, with their pink-and-whiteness that no amount of hot sunshine could quite burn off. They wore the regular German officer's uniform, except that the _Pickelhaube_ was replaced by a khaki sun-helmet. I was struck by the youthfulness of them; many were nothing but boys, and there were weak, dissolute faces in plenty--a fact that was later explained when I heard that Palestine had been the dumping-ground for young men of high family whose parents were anxious to have them as far removed as possible from the danger zone. Fast's Hotel was the great meeting-place in Jerusalem for these young bloods. Every evening thirty or forty would foregather there to drink and talk women and strategy. I well remember the evening when one of them--a slender young Prussian with no back to his head, braceleted and monocled--rose and announced, in the decisive tones that go with a certain stage of intoxication: "What we ought to do is to hand over the organization of this campaign to Thomas Cook & Sons! OUT OF PLACE THEY LOOKED WITH THEIR PINK AND WHITENESS THAT NO AMOUNT OF HOT SUNSHINE COULD QUITE BURN OFF THEY WORE THE REGULAR GERMAN OFFICERS UNIFORM EXCEPT THAT THE PICKLEHAB WAS REPLACED BY THE KHAKI SUN HELMET I WAS STRUCK BY THE YOUTHFULNESS OF THEM MANY WERE NOTHING BUT BOYS AND THEY WERE WEAK DISSOLUTE FACES IN PLENTY A FACT THAT WAS LATER EXPLAINED WHEN I HEARD THAT PALESTINE HAD BEEN THE DUMPING GROUND FOR YOUNG MEN OF HIGH FAMILY WHOSE PARENTS WERE ANXIOUS TO HAVE THEM AS FAR REMOVED AS POSSIBLE FROM THE DANGER ZONE FASCE HOTEL WAS THE GREAT MEETING PLACE IN JERUSALEM FOR THESE YOUNG BLOODS EVERY EVENING THIRTY OR FORTY WOULD FOREGATHER THERE TO DRINK AND TALK WOMEN AND STRATEGY I WILL REMEMBER THE EVENING WHEN ONE OF THEM A SLENDER YOUNG PRUSSIAN WITH NO BACK TO HIS HEAD BRACELETED AND MONARCHLED ROSE AND ANNOUNCED IN THE DECISIVE TONES THAT GO WITH A CERTAIN STAGE OF INTOXICATION WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO IS TO HAND OVER THE ORGANIZATION OF THIS CAMPAIGN TO THOMAS COOK AND SONS
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