BOOK REVIEW.

Northern Advocate, 17 June 1920, Page 3

BOOK REVIEW.

"THE MOUNTED RIFLEMEN IN SINAI AND PALESTINE." This is an account of the part taken by the modern New Zealand iCrusaders in the plague-infested wastes of Sinai, Palestine and the Jordan. The author (A. Briscoe Moore) does not intend it to be a military history, but has compiled it more with the idea of doing justice to the men who participated in this campaign, and also with the object of describing events as experienced by the men themselves. The fortitude and bravery of our men under the most trying conditions is described in plain and simple language. Whether riding under a blazing sun with a parching thirst, battling against a blinding dust storm, or fighting the myriads of flies, mosquitoes and midges, there was always one amongst them to rellieve the tension by a humorous turn or a jocular remark. The author's impressions of the cities of the Holy Land are not enthusiastic, for in almost every case he found them squalid, miserable, and with no attempts at sanitary arrangements. Soap amongst the inhabitants seems to be an unknown quantity. A human touch is given in describing the various escapades and remarks of the men under various circumstances, and adds to it a humorous turn at times. There are a large number of illustrations in the book, and two maps, all of which enable the reader to grasp the contents more easily. The book is interesting and instructive reading, and the author has succeeded in portraying many events in this campaign, which otherwise would never have been written.