Seven Pillars of Wisdom · Chapter
LXXVII explained
Lawrence and his Arab force, low on food and facing cold rain, decide to blow up a Turkish train near Minifir.
What happens
Lawrence and his Arab force, low on food and facing cold rain, decide to blow up a Turkish train near Minifir. After a failed attempt due to a faulty exploder, they lay a mine at a culvert but miss two trains before a third, troop-laden train approaches. The exploder fails again, forcing Lawrence to remain exposed as the train passes, narrowly escaping detection.
Themes in this chapter
War and Guerrilla Tactics
The chapter focuses on the planning and execution of a train ambush, demonstrating the improvisation and risks of guerrilla warfare.
Suffering and Endurance
Lawrence and his men endure cold, hunger, and rain while waiting for an opportunity to strike, highlighting their physical and mental resilience.
Characters to notice
- T.E. Lawrence
Leads the expedition, decides to risk blowing up a train despite limited resources, and narrowly avoids detection when the exploder fails.
- Sherif Ali ibn el Hussein
Proposes blowing up a train to lift spirits and agrees to proceed without machine-gun support.
- Ibn Zaal
Referenced as having previously conducted a successful raid at Minifir in the spring.
- Emir Feisal
His slave Hamud is mentioned as holding the exploder.
Key passages
“Blowing up trains was an exact science when done deliberately, by a sufficient party, with machine-guns in position. If scrambled at it might become dangerous.”
Lawrence reflects that train demolition requires careful planning and proper support, and that rushing it increases risk.
Highlights the calculated nature of guerrilla tactics.
“I sawed it up and down four times. Still nothing happened; and I realised that it had gone out of order, and that I was kneeling on a naked bank, with a Turkish troop train crawling past fifty yards away.”
Lawrence's exploder fails repeatedly as a Turkish troop train passes dangerously close, forcing him to remain still to avoid detection.
Illustrates the tension and near-disaster of the failed ambush.