Stephan′s death causes Bagradian to withdraw for a time, during which Turkish soldiers capture the last of the Armenian livestock. This disaster opens rifts in Musa Dagh′s society and resolve. Other setbacks follow; with the arrival of a seasoned Ottoman general from the Gallipoli front, as well as reinforcements from the regular army. The Ottomans begin to tighten the noose around Musa Dagh. Bagradian recovers from his grief, to form guerrilla bands to disrupt the Ottoman advance and buy more time. No ships have been sighted and attempts to contact the Allies or to seek the diplomatic intercession of the United States, still a neutral power, or Turkey's ally, Imperial Germany, come to naught.