We must not forget, in considering the prospects opened to
us by this victory, that the further north we go the more Allies we shall find on the way. Deraa is the station for the Hauran, inhabited by our old friends the Druses, some of whom have doubtless fought under Colonel Lawrence, and all of whom would welcome the Allies. When we get to Damascus we shall be certain of a cordial reception from the Syrians, whose abominable ill-treatment at the hands of the Turk was a prime cause of the Hedjaz revolt. At Beyrout, again, and in the Lebanon we shall come upon more Drums, and also the Maronites, the Arabic-speaking Christians who for many centuries have enjoyed the friendly protection of France. All Syria, indeed, will regard the Allies not as enemies but as de- liverers, and no one knows this better than the Turks themselves. We shall not speculate on the immediate future. But as we have said elsewhere, we hope that proper caution will be exercised. No success in Syria could compensate us for a weakening of our Western forces.
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