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diff --git a/45960.txt b/45960.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0cb150d..0000000 --- a/45960.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14400 +0,0 @@ - A NAVAL VENTURE - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: A Naval Venture - The War Story of an Armoured Cruiser -Author: T. T. Jeans -Release Date: June 13, 2014 [EBook #45960] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A NAVAL VENTURE *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - - -[Illustration: "AIM LOW, SONNY! AIM LOW. YOU WILL SEE YOUR -BULLET-SPLASHES"] - - - - - A Naval Venture - - The War Story of an - Armoured Cruiser - - - BY - - FLEET-SURGEON T. T. JEANS, R.N. - - Author of "Gunboat and Gun-runner" - "John Graham, Sub-Lieutenant, R.N." - "Ford of H.M.S. Vigilant" - &c. - - - - _Illustrated by Frank Gillett, R.I._ - - - - BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED - LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY - 1917 - - - - - *Preface* - - -In this book I have endeavoured to write a gun-room tale which will give -a general impression of the part played by the Royal Navy during the -Dardanelles operations, and of gun-room life under these conditions. - -In writing it I have been greatly assisted by many shipmates--officers, -petty officers, and men--who have been employed away from the ship, on -various occasions, either on shore or in steamboats, tugs, or -motor-lighters. From their accounts it has been possible to bring into -the book descriptions of some interesting incidents and operations which -did not come under my personal observation. - -My thanks are due, more especially, to Lieutenant H. A. D. Keate, R.N., -and to Lieutenant V. E. Kemball, R.N., of this ship, who have read -laboriously through the manuscript as it progressed, corrected many -errors of fact and detail, and suggested very many improvements to the -story as a whole. - -T. T. JEANS, -Fleet-Surgeon, R.N. - -H.M.S. _SWIFTSURE_, - _27th April, 1916._ - - - - - *Contents* - -CHAP. - - I. The "*Achates*" goes to Sea - II. The Gun-Room of the "*Achates*" - III. Ordered to the Mediterranean - IV. The Bombardment of Smyrna Forts - V. The "*Achates*" is Shelled - VI. A Night's Adventure - VII. Off to the Dardanelles - VIII. The Landing on Gallipoli - IX. The "River Clyde" - X. A Night Attack - XI. The Beach Party - XII. Off Cape Helles - XIII. The Army comes to a Standstill - XIV. Submarines Appear - XV. A Peaceful Month - XVI. A Glorious Picnic - XVII. A "Cutting-out" Expedition - XVIII. Bombarding at Suvla Bay - XIX. The Army again comes to a Standstill - XX. Hard Work at Mudros - XXI. The Evacuation of Suvla Bay - XXII. A Terrible Night - XXIII. In "Dug-outs" at Cape Helles - XXIV. The Evacuation of Cape Helles - XXV. The "*Achates*" Returns to Malta - - - - - *Illustrations* - - -"'Aim low, sonny! Aim low! You will see your bullet-splashes'" . . . -Frontispiece - -"The Gunnery Lieutenant now flew about, jumping from voice pipes to -range-finder and back again" - -"The Lamp-post jumped up, seized the box, hoisted it on his shoulder, -and disappeared ahead" - -"'Look! what an extraordinary ship!'" - -"Screened lanterns!" - -The Gun-room Court Martial on the China Doll - -Sketch Map of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles - - - - - *A NAVAL VENTURE* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *The "*_*Achates*_*" goes to Sea* - - -On one miserably wet and cheerless afternoon of February, 1915, the -picket-boat of H.M.S. _Achates_ lay alongside the King's Stairs at -Portsmouth Dockyard, whilst her crew, with their boat-hooks, kept her -from bumping herself against the lowest steps. The rain trickled down -their glistening oilskins, and dark, angry clouds sweeping up from -behind Gosport Town on the opposite side of the harbour, and scudding -overhead, one after the other, in endless battalions, made it certain -that a south-westerly gale was raging in the Channel. - -At the top of the steps, with his back to the wind and rain, his feet -wide apart, and his hands in his pockets, was the midshipman of the -boat, in oilskin, sou'wester, and sea-boots. This was Mr. Vincent -Orpen--commonly known as the Orphan--not very tall, but sturdy and -broad-shouldered in his bulky oilskins. Between the brim of his -dripping sou'wester and his turned-up collar showed a pair of very -humorous eyes, a determined-looking nose and mouth, and a pair of large -ears reddened by the cold and rain. - -He was waiting to take the Captain--Captain Donald Macfarlane--off to -Spithead, where the _Achates_ lay, ready for sea, but this absent-minded -officer had very probably forgotten the time or place where the boat was -to meet him. - -Near by, taking shelter in the lee of the signalman's shelter-box, the -marine postman and a massive, friendly dockyard policeman were standing -with the rain dripping off them. - -Presently the midshipman splashed across to them and spoke to the -postman. - -"The Captain did say King's Stairs; didn't he?" - -"King's Stairs at two o'clock, sir; I heard him myself; King's Stairs at -two o'clock, and it's now past the half-hour. He was only a-going up to -the Admiral's office, he said; just time for me to slip outside to the -post office and back again, sir." - -Down below, in the picket-boat, Jarvis, the coxswain, an old, bearded -petty officer--a Naval Reserve man--was grumbling to one of the crew: -"The Cap'n can't never remember nothink--he'll forget hisself one o' -these fine days." - -"This ain't a fine day," the young A.B.--Plunky Bill--answered cheekily. - -"Stow it! I'll give yer 'fine day' when we gets aboard: I knows it -ain't. We'll get a fair dusting-down going out to Spithead, and a good -many of you youngsters'll wish you'd never come to sea when we gets out -in the Channel to-night." - -"I 'opes we ain't going back to the mine-bumping 'bizz' in the North -Sea, a-waiting for to be terpadoed," Plunky Bill said presently, -viciously shoving the picket-boat's dancing stern off the wall with his -dripping boat-hook. - -"That's about our job," growled Jarvis. "Better blow up yer -swimmin'-collar when you gets aboard, and tie it around yer bloomin' -neck." - -"A precious lot of good they collars be--with sea-boots and oilskins on, -and the water as cold as charity." - -"Nobody's askin' you to wear it. When you feels you wants to drown, -quick, just 'and it over to me--I don't. Dare say you ain't got no one -to miss yer; I 'ave--a missus and six kids," growled the coxswain. - -Just then the trap hatch of the stokehold flapped up, and out of the -small square opening emerged the bare head of the stoker of the -picket-boat--an old, grey-headed Naval Reserve man, who actually wore -gold spectacles, the effect of which on his coal-begrimed face was very -quaint. He looked round him in a patient, dignified manner, and sniffed -at the wind and rain. - -There was a shout from the top of the steps, and Mr. Orpen, with his -hands to his mouth, called down: "Keep out of the rain, Fletcher--don't -be an ass!" - -The old man did not hear; but one of the boat's crew for'ard bawled out -to him: "'Ere, close down yer blooming 'atch--chuck it, grandpa--shut -yer face in--the Orphan's a-singing out to yer--'e's nuts on yer 'ealth, -'e is." The old stoker, wiping his rain-spotted spectacles, meekly -obeyed, pulled the hatch over his head, and disappeared from view. - -Then the postman, with his big, leather letter-bag, clattered down, -splashing the puddles on the steps. "The Cap'n's coming at last," he -said, and stowed himself away under the fore peak. - -Down came Mr. Orpen, jumped aboard, and took the steering-wheel. A -moment later, and after him came the tall, gaunt figure of the Captain, -the rain trickling off the gold oak-leaves on the peak of his cap, -dripping off his long, thin nose and running down his yellowish-red -moustache and pointed beard. His greatcoat was glistening with -raindrops, and his trousers beneath it were soaked and sticking to his -thin shins. - -"I forgot to bring my waterproof," he said. "I'm not late, am I?" and -nodding cheerfully, he stepped into the boat. - -Mr. Orpen saluted. "Shall I carry on, sir?" - -The Captain nodded again; Jarvis shouted out orders; the boat's bows -were shoved off, the engines thumped, and the picket-boat, starting on -her stormy passage to Spithead, bumped the steps with her stern--the -last time, had she known it, that she would ever touch England. - -The crew dived down below under the fore peak and shut the hatch on top -of them, for they knew well what was coming. It came right enough. - -Directly the picket-boat left the shelter of the harbour mouth she began -to reel and stagger as she steamed along Southsea beach, past the ends -of the deserted piers, with the sea on her beam, washing over her and -jostling her. Then she turned round the Spit Buoy, and head on to the -wind and rain, plunged her way through the short seas, diving and -lifting, throwing up clouds of spray which smacked loudly against the -oilskins of the midshipman at the wheel and the coxswain hanging on by -his side. - -As one wave came over the bows, rushed aft along the engine-room sides -and swirled round their feet, and its spray, tossed up by the fo'c'sle -gun-mounting and by the funnel, covered them from head to foot, Jarvis -roared: "Better ease her a bit, sir." - -But the Orphan was enjoying himself hugely. He knew the old boat; he -knew exactly what she could "stand", and he was not going to ease down -until it was absolutely necessary, or until Captain Macfarlane made him; -and the Captain was still sitting in the stern-sheets, tugging, -absent-mindedly, at his pointed yellow beard, apparently having -forgotten where he was, and that if only he went into the cabin he could -keep dry. - -The picket-boat throbbed and trembled and shook herself, butted into a -wave which seemed to bring her up "all standing", swept through it or -over it, then charged into another; and as the battered remnants of the -waves flung themselves in the Orphan's face and smacked loudly against -his oilskins he only grinned, shook his head, and peered ahead from -beneath the turned-down brim of his sou'wester. - -Jarvis, the coxswain, was not enjoying himself. He hated getting -wet--that meant "a bout of rheumatics", and he had a "missus and six -kids". - -Gradually the picket-boat fought her way out to the black-and-white -chequered mass of the Spit Fort, until the four funnels and long, grey -hull of the _Achates_ showed through the rain squalls beyond. - -A solitary steamboat, on her way ashore, came rushing towards them--a -smother of foam, smoke, and spray; and as she staggered past, only a few -yards away, with the following seas surging round her stern, Orpen waved -a hand to the solitary figure in glistening oilskins at her wheel--a -midshipman "pal" of his from another ship--who waved back cheerily and -disappeared to leeward as a squall swept down between the two boats. - -"A nice little trip he'll have, off, sir--if he don't come back soon," -the coxswain shouted when the last wave's spray had run off the brim of -his sou'wester and he'd caught his breath. "It's breezin' up every -minute, sir!" - -Once past the Spit Fort, the picket-boat was in deeper water; the seas -became longer, not so steep, and she took them more easily. Orpen -needed only one hand now to keep her on her course, and in ten minutes -he steered her under the stern of the _Achates_, and brought her -alongside the starboard quarter. - -The Captain, dripping with water, jumped on the foot of the ladder as a -wave swung the picket-boat's stern close to it. Half-way up the ladder -a sudden humorous thought struck him, and, bending down, he called out: -"You did not ease down all the time, did you, Mr. Orpen?" - -"No, sir," Orpen sang back, grinning with the happiness of everything. -He didn't worry in the least--so long as the Captain didn't mind--that -he had, by forcing his boat through the seas, wetted him to the skin, -and kept him wet for the last twenty minutes. - -The officer of the watch shouted "Hook on!" and the picket-boat was -hauled ahead under the main derrick, until the big hook dangling from -the "purchase" swung above the boat. The crew made the bow and stern -lines fast; Fletcher, the old stoker, drew himself up on deck and -lowered the funnel, steam roared away from the "escape"; one seaman -struggled with the ring of the boat's slings, holding it chest-high; -another waited his opportunity, when a wave lifted the picket-boat, to -seize the big hook hanging above him; the ring was slipped over it; the -midshipman waved his hand and shouted; the slings tautened as the order -"up purchase and topping lift" was given; a last wave lopped over the -bows, and with a jerk she was hoisted clear of the water and quickly -swung inboard. - -Up on the quarter-deck the Captain was talking to the Commander--a wiry -little man with a weather-beaten face and a grim, hard mouth. "Same old -job, sir?" he asked. - -The Captain nodded ruefully. "It's all the poor old _Achates_ is fit -for." - -"You're pretty well soaked, sir. Rather a wet passage off?" - -"I forgot to go into the cabin," the Captain laughed. - -"We're ready for sea, sir. I shortened in, as you were rather late." - -"Was I?" the Captain's eyes twinkled. "Right you are! I'll be up again -in a minute. I must get into dry things, or the Fleet Surgeon will be -on my tracks"--and he disappeared below. - -In half an hour the _Achates_ was under way and steaming out into the -Channel and the gale. - -This ended her week's "rest"--the second "rest" since the war broke out, -six months before. Now she was off again to the North Sea, with its -constant gales, its mine-fields, its enemy submarines, and the grim -delight of frequent hurried coalings. - -It was not a very pleasing prospect. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *The Gun-room of the "Achates"* - - -Having seen his picket-boat safely landed in her crutches on the booms, -the Orphan dived down below to the gun-room to dry himself in front of -the blazing stove there. - -The gun-room was a long, untidy place on the starboard side of the -main-deck, just for'ard of the after 6-inch-gun casemate. A long table, -covered with a red cloth, of the usual Service pattern, and rather more -than usually torn and stained with grease, occupied most of the deck -space, and was now laden with plates, cups and saucers, and, down the -middle, in one gorgeous line, tins of jam, loaves of bread, fat pats of -butter, and slabs of splendidly indigestible cake. - -Long benches, covered with leather cushions, were fixed each side of it, -whilst a few chairs, in various stages of decay, were drawn up round the -stove and the upset copper coal-box. The after bulkhead of this -sumptuous abode was occupied by midshipmen's lockers--rows of them one -above the other--and from the half-open locker doors peeped boots and -books, woollen helmets, sweaters, and safety waistcoats. - -Along the foremost bulkhead was a corticine-covered sideboard with -drawers for knives, forks, and spoons, cupboards for bottles, and a cosy -gap for a barrel of beer. Above the sideboard, at either end of it, -there were two little sliding-doors in the bulkhead, for the plates and -food to be passed in from the pantry beyond, and for the dirty plates to -be passed out. Between these two sliding-hatches, pictures of beautiful -ladies taken from the last Christmas Number of the Sketch had been -gummed on to the bare expanse of dirty-white paint, and gave an air of -brightness and refinement to an otherwise somewhat depressing interior. - -The outer bulkhead--the outer side--the ship's side--had been -white--once. Along it were five scuttles, at present closely screwed -up, and the tail ends of waves occasionally swished angrily across them. -In the spaces between these scuttles, war maps, most of them torn and -ragged, had been pasted to the iron-work, and one or two pin-flags still -managed to hold fast, though the vast array that had once fluttered -across them had long since disappeared. - -At each end of the inner bulkhead was a door leading out into the -"half-deck", and between them were more lockers, the roaring, smoking -stove, its brass chimney, and the upset coal-box. Behind the brass -chimney hung a tattered green-baize notice-board on which were pinned a -few dusty long-forgotten gun-room orders; whilst from hooks above it -hung a cheap alarum clock and five damaged wrist-watches, each in its -strap, and each labelled with an official report of the "scrap" during -which it had met its honourable fate. - -Newspapers and magazines littered untidily the corticine-covered deck; a -gramophone box, a couple of greatcoats, and a green cricket bag lay -piled in one corner near the lockers; some sextant boxes and two pairs -of sea-boots filled another. - -Overhead, between the deck beams, wooden battens were fixed, and above -them squeezed a motley assortment of greatcoats, golf-bags, cricket -pads, and oilskins. Almost anywhere in the gun-room you could put up -your hand without looking, and pull down an oilskin or a greatcoat, -which, of course, was most convenient, unless you pulled down half a -dozen golf-clubs on your head at the same time, when naturally the -convenience was not so noticeable. - -When the Orphan came in, throwing his wet sou-wester and oilskin into -the corner on top of the gramophone box, the only other gun-room officer -there was the "China Doll"--the Assistant Clerk. Only just "caught" he -was, a very youthful young gentleman of, so far, unblemished reputation, -with a pink-and-white face, and a trick of opening and shutting his very -big and very blue eyes so exactly like a doll that he had been -christened "China Doll" directly he had joined the Honourable Mess. - -He was engaged busily toasting bread in front of the stove with the long -gun-room toasting-fork, and this was probably his most important duty on -board--the duty of making toast for seven-bell tea; the first piece for -the Sub-lieutenant, the second for the senior snotty, and the third for -that very senior officer--his very senior officer--the Clerk--Uncle -Podger. - -He had just finished the first piece as the Orphan entered, and looked -up, blinking his eyes excitedly. - -"What's the news, Orphan? Did the Captain tell you what we're going to -do?" - -"Late again, China Doll; five minutes after seven bells, and only one -piece of toast ready; you'll catch it when the others come along." - -In spite of his protests the Orphan grabbed that piece of toast, -buttered it and began eating it, standing in front of the stove whilst -the China Doll hurriedly began to toast another slice, between the -Orphan's legs, and implored him for news of where the ship was going, -and what she was to do. But the Orphan was much too busy eating to take -any notice; and just as the first slice disappeared and he was licking -his fingers, he heard a clattering of sea-boots down the ladder from the -deck, and as four dripping snotties poured in, he seized the -toasting-fork, pushed the China Doll on one side, and calmly finished -toasting the second slice. - -These four new-comers were the "Pink Rat", "Bubbles", the "Hun", and -Rawlins. The Pink Rat was the senior snotty--a small-sized youngster -whom anyone could spot as the Pink Rat, because he had a thin, sharp, -ferrety-looking face, very pink complexion, beady eyes, prominent teeth, -and long mouse-coloured hair brushed straight back from his forehead and -plastered down with grease. Bubbles was half as big again as the Pink -Rat, with a fat, red, honest face, creased with continual chuckling, and -a fat, red neck which always seemed to swell over his collars. He had -something wrong with his nose, and couldn't breathe through it very -well, so that when he was laughing--he generally was--he used to throw -his head back, open his mouth to breathe, and make the most -extraordinary bubbling noises. The Hun, the third to enter, looked a -very gentle snotty, very refined and quiet--quiet, that is, compared -with the others. He was not big or strong; but when he once was -"roused" he would always join the weaker side in a "scrap", and then -became so violently excited that whatever he gripped he gripped with all -his might--like a wild cat. He had nearly choked Bubbles once; and the -Pink Rat never forgot how, at another time, he had nearly pulled out a -handful of his hair. He always apologized afterwards. Rawlins, whose -proper name was Rawlinson--the last of these four--was a brawny youth -with an odd hatchet-shaped head, quite as good-natured as Bubbles, and -the least talkative member of the Honourable Mess. He was always -willing to look out for a pal's "watch" or boat duty, in itself enough -to make anyone very popular. - -The Pink Rat, Bubbles, and Rawlins, seeing no toast waiting for them, -dashed at the China Doll, charged him into a corner, threw their wet -oilskins over him, and fell in a heap on top. - -"Toast must be ready!" they yelled as they allowed him to get up. - -"I can't make it fast enough when the Orphan's here, alone; look at -him--that's his second." - -The Orphan had just taken a huge bite out of the new piece; with a rush -they threw themselves on him; in the melee of feet, legs, and chairs the -China Doll captured the toasting-fork, stuck another bit of bread on it, -and crouched in front of the fire again. - -The general scramble was terminated by the noise of the pantry hatch -sliding back, and an enormous, purple-faced marine servant, in his -shirt-sleeves, pushed in a big teapot. - -"Come along, Barnes, cut us some more bread; open a tin of 'sharks'; -where've you put my biscuits?" they called at him. - -By this time the third piece of toast was done to a turn; and the Pink -Rat, in the absence of the Sub, on watch, was just going to claim it, -when in came Uncle Podger--the Clerk--a broad-shouldered, squat youth, -with a breezy, cheery countenance, and ruffled hair, who had been -promoted to the exalted rank of Clerk exactly three weeks before, and -had, therefore, been just a year and three weeks in the Service. - -His arrival was greeted with shouts of "Uncle Podger, your minion is -slack again at the toast business. The China Doll must be beaten." - -The Assistant Clerk dodged the Pink Rat and wriggled free, squealing out -that this piece was for the Sub. - -"He'll beat me if it isn't ready. He'll be down from the bridge in a -minute," he laughed, and took shelter behind his superior officer, -explaining that "he'd done one for the Sub, and the Orphan ate that; -another for the Pink Rat, and the Orphan had eaten that too; the Sub -must have this, mustn't he?" - -"Then this is the third," Uncle Podger said with mock gravity. "You -were wrong, my young subordinate, very wrong indeed, to give away those -other pieces; this one is mine." He gently removed the beautifully -browned bread from the prongs of the fork. - -"Yes--sir," said the China Doll, dropping his eyelids and pretending to -be very humble. - -"By the King's Regulations and Gun-room Instructions, there can be no -doubt about it, can there?" - -"No--sir; no possible doubt whatever--no possible, probable, possible -doubt whatever." - -The Clerk, glaring majestically at his subordinate officer's -familiarity, promptly proceeded to butter and then to eat the slice; -whilst the others, crowding round the stove with bits of bread on the -ends of knives, tried their best to toast them. - -Then the Sub did come in--a man of medium height, shoulders broader than -Uncle Podger's, a complexion tanned by exposure to the wind and rain, -black hair over a broad forehead, thick black eyebrows over deep-set -grey eyes which had a knack of looking through and through anyone he -spoke to, a thin Roman nose with a bridge that generally had a bit of -the skin off (the remains of his last "scrap"), firm upper lip, a -tremendous lower jaw, and a neck like a bull. He came in with his -swaggering gait and aggressive shoulders, unbuttoning his dripping -oilskin and roaring loudly. - -"What ho! without! bring hither the toasted crumpet, the congealed juice -of the cow, and we will toy with them anon! Varlets, disrobe me, for I -am weary with much watching." - -"Hast a savoury dish prepared for me, you pen-driving incubus, you blot -on the landscape?" he roared again at the China Doll, who stood with -eyes opening and shutting and mouth wide open, watching two of the -snotties hauling off the Sub's oilskin. - -"Where's my toast?" he roared ferociously. - -"Here, sir," and the Assistant Clerk patted the Orphan's stomach, and -fled for safety to the ship's office, where he knew he would be safe -from instant death, because the Fleet Paymaster, though he would "scrap" -with anyone, at any time, anywhere else, would not allow any skylarking -there; nor would the stern Chief Writer, whose sanctum it was; and they -had to keep friends with the Chief Writer, or never a pen-nib or a piece -of blotting-paper would they get when they ran short of these things. - -Two more snotties came into the gun-room after the China Doll had -escaped. - -These were the "Lamp-post" and the "Pimple", the tallest and the -shortest in the Mess--the Pimple a little chap with a broad flat face, -and a tiny red nose in the middle of it. He was the Navigator's -"doggy", and that communicative and ingenious officer was always giving -him the latest news--news which he, more often than not, invented -himself. The joy of the Pimple's existence was to have some "news" to -tell the others. He was a bully in a very small way, and extremely -deferential to the Sub and the ward-room officers. - -The Lamp-post was a tall, stooping snotty with sloping shoulders; his -clothes were always too small for him, and his long thin arms and legs -were always in his own way and in that of everyone else. Set him down -at a piano and he was marvellous; the joy of his life was to be asked to -play the ward-room piano. He could play anything he had ever heard; and -inside his aristocratic head were more brains than the rest of the -snotties possessed between them, the only one who did not know that -being himself. - -The whole of the Honourable Mess--with the exception of the escaped -China Doll--being now assembled, seven-bell tea pursued its usual -course--a cross between a picnic and a dog-fight--until the bugle -sounded "man and arm ship", and there was a hurried scramble for -oilskins and caps as all, except Uncle Podger, dashed away to their -stations. - -The ship had now cleared the Isle of Wight and felt the force of the -gale. She began to pitch and roll heavily as the heavy seas threw -themselves against her starboard bow and rushed along her side. - -A minute or two after the "man and arm ship" bugle had sounded, the -China Doll strolled jauntily in and started afresh with his afternoon -tea. - -"When you, Mr. Assistant Clerk, have served as long as I have," -commenced Uncle Podger gravely, "you may perhaps learn to realize that -cheeking your seniors is punishable by death, or such other punishment -as is hereinafter mentioned." - -"Pass us the sugar, Podgy, there's a good chap," grinned that very -insubordinate officer, as a lurch of the ship threw the sugar-basin into -the Clerk's lap. - -"Man and arm ship" having passed off satisfactorily, the ship went to -"night defence" stations, and the bugle sounded "darken ship". - -Barnes, the purple-faced marine servant, still in his shirt-sleeves, -came in and solemnly closed down the dead-lights, screwing the steel -plates over the glass scuttles, and then proceeded to clear away the -debris of seven-bell tea. - -Most of the snotties now trooped down from the upper deck to warm -themselves round the stove. - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *Ordered to the Mediterranean* - - -Up above, under the fore bridge, the Orphan, looking like an undersized -elephant, with all his warm clothes under his oilskins, tramped from -port to starboard, and back again round the conning-tower. The crews of -his four 6-pounders were clustered round their guns, hunched up in all -sorts of winter clothing. Many of them wore their duffel jackets with -great gauntleted gloves drawn up over their sleeves, and had already -pulled the hoods of their jackets over their heads, giving them the -appearance of Eskimo or Arctic explorers; the others were in oilskins -padded out with jerseys, jumpers, flannels, and thick vests. - -Once issue warm clothing to a bluejacket and never will he leave it off, -whatever the temperature, unless he is made to do so. - -The chirpy little gunner's mate had reported "all correct, sir, guns -cleared away, night-sight circuits switched on, sir, and four rounds a -gun ready." - -The Orphan had reported himself to the officer of the watch, on the -bridge above him, and now had nothing to do, for the best part of two -hours, but walk up and down and keep warm. - -"They tells me that one of 'em submarines was nosing round these parts -two days ago, sir," one of his petty officers said, as he stopped at one -gun, looked through the telescope sight, and tested the electric -circuit. "It ain't much weather for the poor murdering blighters." - -It was not. Darkness was rapidly closing in, and the gale howled -angrily out of the west, driving masses of dark rain-clouds and a heavy -sea before it. - -The _Achates_ dipped her fo'c'sle constantly, and when she lifted and -shook herself, the spray shot up far above her bridge screens. - -The Orphan and his guns' crews on the wind'ard side would feel the ship -quiver as a wave thudded against the casemate below them, and then had -just time to duck their heads before millions of icy particles of spray -soused viciously over them. - -Presently the Orphan took shelter in the lee of the conning-tower and -leant moodily against it, thinking of the warmth and gaiety of the dance -he had been at the night before, also of a certain little lady in white -and blue. - -In peace time it is depressing enough to leave a cosy harbour, and face -a wild winter's night in the Channel; but in war time the chance of -blowing up on a mine and the risk of being torpedoed make the strain -very considerable. - -For the first night and the first day or two, most people are inclined -to be rather "jumpy"; though afterwards this feeling wears off quickly, -and one leaves everything to "fate" and ceases to worry. - -Only a few days before, Germany had announced to the world the -commencement of her submarine blockade of the English coast, so the -Channel was probably already swarming with submarines; though even the -Orphan, depressed and miserable as he was then, could not have imagined -that these submarines had orders to sink merchant ships and mail -steamers at sight and without warning, and that a civilized nation had -sunk so low, nineteen hundred years after Christ was born into the -world, as to plot the whole-sale murder of inoffensive women and -children. - -But he was miserable enough without knowing that, and opening up his -oilskin coat, practised blowing up his safety waistcoat. Then he -wondered whether his guns' crews had their swimming-collars with -them--as was ordered--and went from gun to gun, dodging the spray, to -find out. - -It was quite dark now, the foc's'le and the turret below were invisible, -and he had to grope his way along to find the guns' crews by hearing -them talk or stumbling against them. - -One or two of the men had lost their collars; another had burst his -trying how big he could blow it; others had left them down below in -their kit-bags or lashed in their hammocks. - -Plunky Bill, the cheeky A.B. belonging to the picket-boat, was the only -one who had his. The gunner's mate explained that "Plunky Bill 'ad a -sweet'eart in Portsmouth what was fair gone on 'im, and 'ad made 'im -promise to always wear 'is collar". - -Plunky Bill evidently thought he had a grievance, and growled out that -"'E wasn't going to be bothered with young females, not 'im; a-making -'im look so foolish-like". - -"Well, they ain't no use, nohow," the gunner's mate grunted, jerking a -thumb towards the heavy sea. - -"Any news, sir?" the gunner's mate shouted, when he and the Orphan had -regained the lee of the conning-tower, round which solid icy spray -swished almost continuously. "The Ruskies are giving it to them -Austrians in the neck, proper like, ain't they, sir?" - -"Didn't hear any," the miserable Orphan shouted back. - -"D'you know where we're off to?" the other asked. - -"North Sea again," the Orphan told him. - -The gunner's mate had no use for the North Sea--never wanted to see it -again, and said so in blood-curdling language. - -"What about the Dardanelles, sir?" he asked a moment later. "That's the -place I'd like to be in. There's a sight of old 'tubs' gone out there. -Any news, sir?" - -But the Orphan had heard none, and climbed up on the bridge above to -have a yarn with the midshipman of the watch--the Pimple. - -He was full of schemes for "ragging" the China Doll. - -"Patting your 'tummy', Orphan; that was cheek if you like! and the Sub -didn't like it either." - -The Pimple was very deferential to the Sub--rather too much so; what the -Sub did and what he said made up most of the Pimple's daily existence. -"He'd like us to take it out of the China Doll, wouldn't he?" - -"Don't be an ass. Let the China Doll alone--it's too beastly wet and -cold to bother about him. What about that cake you 'sharked' off the -table?" So the Pimple, ever ready to ingratiate himself with anyone, -produced a big wedge of gun-room cake out of his greatcoat pocket, and -the two of them, crouching under the weather screens, munched away -silently. - -It was so dark that they could not see the look-out man, who was holding -the brim of his sou'wester over his eyes to shield him from the rain and -the spray, and trying to pierce the blackness of the stormy night in -front of him. Both snotties were startled by a sudden cry from him: -"Something a-'ead, sir! on the starboard bow, sir!" Another look-out -also spotted something; everyone tried to see it; the officer of the -watch dashed to the end of the bridge and peered through his -night-glasses; the gunner's mate, down below, could be heard shouting to -the guns' crews to "close up"; the breeches of the guns snapped to as -they were loaded; and the Orphan, stuffing the remnants of the cake in -his pocket, scrambled down the ladder. - -"There it is, sir! There! there!--I can see it!' came excitedly out of -the darkness. Everyone thought of submarines. - -"Just like one, sir!" a signalman bawled to the officer of the watch, -who yelled to the Quartermaster "hard-a-port", and rushed into the -wheel-house to see that he did it. - -At that moment a bobbing light began flickering out of the darkness -ahead--a signal lamp. - -"It's the challenge, sir," the signalman shouted. - -"All right; reply; bring her on her course, Quartermaster. Starboard -your helm, hard-a-starboard!" shouted the officer of the watch coolly; -and as the _Achates'_ bows swung back again, she swerved past a long, -black object down below in the water, with its twittering signal light -tossed about like a spark from a chimney on a dark night, and by that -faint light they could just see the outline of three funnels before the -light was shut off and everything disappeared. - -It was only a patrolling destroyer. One could not see her rolling, or -the seas breaking over her, but one could realize the horrible -discomfort aboard her. - -"Poor devils!--a rotten night to be out in--we nearly bumped into her," -thought the officer of the watch, jumping to the telephone bell from the -Captain's cabin, which was ringing excitedly. - -"Nothing, sir; a patrol destroyer; had to alter course to clear her. -No, sir, the wind is steady, sir." - -It was six o'clock now--four bells clanged below--the first dog-watch -was finished, and presently the Pink Rat came up to relieve the Orphan. - -"Jolly slack on it!" grumbled the Orphan as he bumped into him and dived -down below. - -The easiest way aft was along the mess deck--the upper deck was so -dark--and as the Orphan passed through one of the stokers' messes he saw -Fletcher, the old stoker of his picket-boat, sitting at a mess table, -all alone, under an electric light, his face buried in his hands, and a -Bible before him. - -"What's the matter, Fletcher? you look jolly mouldy," he said, stopping -at the end of the table. "What's the matter? Bad news?" - -"Yes, sir," he said gently, standing up, one hand pushing his gold -spectacles back on his nose, the other marking the place in the book. -"A letter from my wife. Our last boy's been killed in France, sir. -That's the third; he was a corporal, sir." - -His old, refined, tired face looked so abjectly miserable that the -Orphan did not know what to say. "Come and get a drink. That'll buck -you up," he stuttered. - -But Fletcher shook his head. "I'm an abstainer, sir; thank you very -much." And the snotty, muttering "I'm sorry", went away along the rest -of the noisy, crowded mess deck towards the gun-room. - -There was comparative quiet there. The Sub and Uncle Podger were -sitting in front of the stove, reading. - -"You know old Fletcher--the stoker of my boat; he's frightfully -miserable; he's sitting down in his mess looking awful; he's just heard -that his last son's been killed; I wish we could do something for him. -The letter must have come when I brought off the postman." - -"How about a drink?" asked the Sub, scratching his head. "I _am_ -sorry." - -"Who's that?" asked Uncle Podger; "that old chap with the gold specs?" - -The Orphan nodded. - -"Fancy having to stick it out--all the misery of it--in a mess deck, -with hundreds of chaps cursing and joking all round you," the Sub said. -"I don't see what we can do to help him." - -"You've got a cabin," Uncle Podger suggested. "Get him down in it; shut -him in for an hour. What he wants most is to be alone." - -"Right oh!" said the Sub, springing to his feet. "I've got the first -watch; he can stay there till 'pipe down';" and he sent Barnes, the -purple-faced marine, to find Fletcher and tell him that the -Sub-lieutenant wanted him at once in his cabin. - -The Sub, swinging his mighty shoulders, stalked down to his cabin, and -presently there was a knock outside, and Fletcher peered in. "Yes, -sir?" - -"I've just heard, Fletcher," the Sub said, holding out his hand. "We -are all very sorry; you'd like to be by yourself for a while. Stay here -till 'pipe down'; no one shall come near you." - -He pushed the old man down in the chair, drew the door across, and went -into the gun-room. - -A few minutes later the Pimple, who had been to his chest, outside the -Sub's cabin, came in. - -"Old Fletcher's blubbing like anything," he said. "I heard him." - -"Get out of it, you little beast!" roared out the Sub. "Get out of the -gun-room till dinnertime. Who told you to go sneaking round?" and Uncle -Podger got in a well-judged kick which deposited the miserable Pimple on -the deck outside. - -The Orphan had the "middle" watch that night, so he turned into his -hammock early, and was roughly shaken before it seemed to him that he -had been to sleep a minute. - -"Still raining?" he grunted to the corporal of the watch who had called -him, as he climbed out and hunted round for his clothes. - -"Raining and blowing 'orrible!" - -He groped his way for'ard, only half awake, stumbling on the unsteady -slippery deck-plates, barking his shins against a coaming, and bumping -into the rest of the watch as they came up from the lighted mess deck -like blind men. He "took over" from the snotty of the first watch, and, -as soon as his sleepy eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, began -pacing up and down across the narrow deck. - -The gale still howled wildly through the fore shrouds, the wet signal -halyards still flapped noisily against each other, and the rain still -came driving under the bridge; but by this time the _Achates_ had -altered course and was running up-Channel, so had the seas on her -starboard quarter, and though she was rolling heavily no spray came over -her. That was one thing to be thankful for, the Orphan thought, as he -looked into the utter blackness ahead of him. - -Presently he leant against the conning-tower. But there was nothing for -his eyes to rest on, and the screaming of the gale and the roaring of -the rushing seas mingling together to make one continual, tumultuous -clamour in his ears, lulled him nearly to sleep. - -He started--he thought he was dancing with the little lady in white and -blue--grinned to himself, and went up on the bridge to have a yarn with -Bubbles, who was now the midshipman of the watch; tracked him by his -laugh and his snorting noise; doubled up he was, at some yarn the -Navigating Lieutenant was telling him--he always laughed long before a -yarn came to an end! - -"The ass jumped on to the top of the conning-tower--got an arm round the -periscope tube, and began banging away at the periscope with a hammer!" -the Navigator was shouting as the Orphan came up. (Bubbles threw his -head back and roared.) "He'd only got in a few whacks when the old -submarine began to dive; down went the conning-tower and the periscope, -and the last that was seen of him was a hand and a hammer giving one -last whack!" - -Bubbles choked and snorted with laughter. - -"What was it--a German submarine--was he drowned--did they catch the -submarine?" the Orphan asked. - -"Yes, they did. It had been badly hit before. We swept for it, and -found it three days later, and the brave ass was still clinging to the -periscope tube with his feet twisted round the conning-tower rail." - -"Who was he?" gasped Bubbles when he could stop laughing. - -"No one in particular, only the deck hand of a trawler," the Navigator -said, in his cynical way. - -Mr. Meredith, the officer of the watch, a tall, good-looking Naval -Reserve lieutenant with a weather-beaten face, and rather bald-headed, -came up. "It's five bells, you fellows. How about some cocoa? I've -got a tin of gingerbreads." - -"That's the ticket, old chap!" the Navigator cried, and Bubbles was sent -off to make the cocoa and bring it up to the chart-house. - -Ten minutes later, the cheery chart-house was filled with the fragrant -odour of cocoa, the Navigator's charts had been rolled aside; two were -sitting on the table, the other on the settee which was the Navigator's -bed at sea, all with steaming cups of cocoa in their hands. - -"Where's the 'War Baby'? Go and fetch the War Baby," the Navigator -shouted; so off Bubbles went, the light going out as the door slid back, -and coming on again as it closed and "made" the electric circuit. - -Presently, in came the youngest-looking thing in soldiers anyone ever -saw, with a face as pink and white as the China Doll's, and the first -buds of a tiny moustache on his upper lip. - -"It's perfectly damnable outside," he piped in his girlish voice, as he -seized a biscuit and a cup of cocoa. - -"Hullo!" sang out the Navigator, as they all heard a knock on a door -beneath them; "there's someone banging at the Skipper's door." (The -Captain, when at sea, slept in a tiny cabin immediately beneath the -chart-house and above the shelter deck.) - -They heard the Captain's voice calling "Come in"; and the Navigator, -seizing his glasses, and singing out that "the Captain would be up on -the bridge in a jiffy--he always does if anyone wakes him," went out, -followed by the others. - -In a minute the Captain came up, shouting for him. - -"Here I am, sir." - -He seized the Navigator by the arm excitedly--the Captain was seldom -anything but calm--and drew him into the chart-house. "Read this," he -said, snapping his jaws together and sticking out his little pointed -beard, as the door was closed and the light glared out. - -The Navigator read: "_Achates_ is to proceed with dispatch to Malta, -calling at Gibraltar for coal if necessary." - -"That means the Dardanelles, sir! Finish North Sea, sir?" - -Captain Macfarlane looked down at him with twinkling eyes and smiled -happily. - -In five minutes' time the _Achates_ had ported her helm and was on her -new course; the news had flown round the bridge, been bellowed down -below to the guns' crews, and shouted down the voice-pipes to the -engine-room. - -"We're off to Malta!--the Dardanelles!" and everyone who passed the good -news added, "Finish North Sea. Thank God!" - -The sober, obsolete old _Achates_ seemed to know where she was bound. -On her new course she once more faced the gale and the seas, diving and -pitching, shaking and trembling, throwing the wild spray crashing -against the weather screens, flying over the bridge and pattering -against the funnels. - -What cared she, or anyone aboard her, however wildly the gale blew! - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *The Bombardment of Smyrna Forts* - - -The _Achates_ arrived at Gibraltar on the fourth morning out from -Spithead, and went alongside the South Mole to coal, just as the warm -Mediterranean sun rose above the top of the grand old rock. - -The gun-room officers---everybody, in fact--were in the highest spirits. -It was grand to have left behind the dreary, cold English winter, and it -was grander still to be on the way to the Dardanelles. Best of all, -they could now go to sea without worrying about submarines and mines. - -Two days from Gibraltar the daily wireless telegram from England told -them that the forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles had been -silenced, and that landing-parties were being sent ashore to demolish -them. - -"Why couldn't they have waited? We shall be too late; we shall miss all -the fun," they cried sadly, down in the gun-room; "just come in for the -tail end of everything; they'll be up at Constantinople by the time we -get there; what sickening rot!" - -"If you'd seen as much fighting as I have," Uncle Podger said -solemnly--he'd only been a year in the Service, and seen -none--"you'd----" - -But he wasn't allowed to finish. They shouted: - -"Dogs of war! Out, Accountant Branch!" and rolled him and the China -Doll on the deck until Barnes banged the trap-door with the -porridge-spoon to let them know that breakfast was ready. - -At Malta there was another hurried coaling. - -It was here they heard that the _Bacchante_, their chummy ship--a sister -ship--the ship which had been next to them in the North Sea patrol--had -already passed through Malta bound for the Dardanelles. - -It was, of course, the Pimple who heard this first, and who climbed down -into a coal lighter alongside to tell the Sub. The Sub, black and -grimy, grinned. "We'll get a chance to knock spots out of them at -'soccer', somewhere or other," he said, joyfully rubbing some of the -coal-dust on his sleeve over the Pimple's excited and fairly clean face. - -"I hope they haven't found out about the sea-gulls," the Pimple said; -but the Sub hadn't any more time to talk to him. - -The sea-gull incident was rather a sore point with the _Bacchante_ -gun-room. - -That ship had not yet fired a gun; the _Achates_ had, and the -_Bacchante_ snotties were jealous and didn't believe it. All they could -find out was that their rival's after 9.2-inch gun had fired at a -submarine early one morning. - -"What happened?" they would ask. "Did you hit it?" - -"Well, we didn't see it again," the _Achates_ gun-room would answer. -"We must have hit it." - -They always forgot to mention that this submarine had turned out to be a -dozen or more sea-gulls sitting close together; and they had told the -story so often--of course leaving out the sea-gull part--that they very -much hoped that their chummy ship would never get hold of the proper -yarn. If once they knew, their legs would be pulled unmercifully. - -It would not have mattered so much if one of the Lieutenants or the -Commander had made the mistake; but the worst of it was that the Sub had -been on watch at the time, so the snotties, the China Doll, and Uncle -Podger would have perjured themselves for ever, rather than give away -the secret. - -At Malta a passenger came on board, a tortoise about eight inches long. -Who brought him no one knew, but in a day or two old Fletcher the stoker -had adopted him as his own. The old man loved to sit on the boat deck -by the hour in the sun, with "Kaiser Bill"--as the men called the -tortoise--and feed the ungainly wrinkled brute with bits of cabbage. - -Malta was left behind; the weather grew hot; white trousers were ordered -to be worn, and were scarce--no one had expected to be sent to a warm -climate--but those who had them shared with those who hadn't; the China -Doll borrowed a pair, much too big for him, from Uncle Podger; those who -had none, and would not borrow, wore their flannel trousers. Of course -the Pink Rat turned out in beautifully creased white ducks and spotless -shoes; the Pink Rat always carried about with him a very extensive -wardrobe, though where he stowed it all, no one could imagine. - -But no one bothered about clothes. It was so glorious to be warm again, -and to be on their way to "do" something and fire their guns. - -"At something better than sea-gulls!" said the Orphan, grinning with -delight. "We'll have shells coming all round us; you'll get plenty of -them, up in your old foretop, China Doll; you and your range-finder will -be blown sky-high in no time. Won't that be fun?" - -The China Doll opened and shut his eyes, and simply trembled with -excitement. - -"The China Doll has his legs blown off!" shouted the Pink Rat--the -senior snotty. "First aid on the China Doll!" - -With a rush the snotties tumbled him on his back. "Lie still!" they -yelled. "Stop kicking--your legs are blown off--you haven't got any!" - -"If I haven't got any, you won't feel me kicking!" the China Doll -squeaked, lashing out with his feet. - -Whilst two ran for a bamboo stretcher, the others captured his legs and -tied them together with handkerchiefs and table napkins, so tightly that -the victim cried for mercy. The stretcher was brought; they lashed him -in it; lashed his arms in, to prevent him grabbing at the furniture and -shouting and yelling, ran him aft along the deck to lower him down into -the Gunner's store-room, below the armoured deck, where the doctors set -up their operating table at "Action" station. - -Fortunately for the China Doll the armoured hatch leading down to it was -shut down and must not be opened. - -On the way back to the gun-room with him, they had to pass the Surgeon's -cabin, where Doctor Crayshaw Gordon was sitting, busy censoring letters. -Dr. Crayshaw Gordon, R.N.V.R.--in private life he had a big consulting -practice in London--hearing the noise and seeing the stretcher, thought -there had been an accident, so jumped out of his cabin. "Hello!" he -sung out, in his funny chuckling way of talking--fixing his gold -eyeglasses on his nose, opening his mouth wide, and pulling nervously at -his little pointed tawny beard. "Hello! what's the matter?" - -"The China Doll, sir!" they shouted, dropping him on the deck. "Both -legs blown off!--he can't kick you, sir, we've lashed him up too -tightly." - -"It's very painful," the China Doll bleated, all the pink gone out of -his face. - -Dr. Gordon went down on his knees and began to unlash him. - -"Rather too much--too much," he said in his agitated manner, when he -found how tightly the handkerchiefs had been fastened, and cried out -with alarm when the China Doll's head suddenly dropped back. - -"He's fainted, you silly fellows!" - -They unbuckled the straps and untied the handkerchiefs in double-quick -time. - -"Put him on my bunk," Dr. Gordon told them; and, very frightened, they -laid him there. - -The China Doll's eyes opened, and he looked round not knowing what had -happened. "Don't play ass tricks; get out of it; leave him here!" Dr. -Gordon ordered gently; and they trooped away, dragging the stretcher -along after them--rather sobered for the moment--to get a lecture from -the Sub and Uncle Podger when they crowded into the gun-room and told -what had happened. - -In half an hour the China Doll was back again--none the worse, except -that the pink had not all come back in his doll's face--rather pleased -with himself than otherwise. - -That happened on a Wednesday afternoon. On the Thursday, orders came by -wireless for the _Achates_ to rendezvous off the Gulf of Smyrna; and as -dawn broke on Friday, the 5th March, she found herself half-way between -the islands of Mytilene and Chios. - -No one knew what was going to happen except, perhaps, Captain -Macfarlane. "And he's probably forgotten," the irrepressible Orphan -said. - -This young gentleman was on watch with his guns, under the fore bridge, -when the rendezvous was reached, and spotted some puffs of smoke rising -above the horizon to the north'ard. Presently he saw through his -glasses the masts of two battleships. - -"What are they?" he asked excitedly of one of his petty officers, who -was training a gun in their direction and looking through the telescopic -sight. - -"I know them, sir!" he cried. "The _Swiftsure_ and _Triumph_. Look at -their cranes--boat cranes--amidships, sir; there can't be any mistaking -them, sir." - -As the Orphan had never seen them before, he had to take his word for -it. - -"Trawlers behind 'em, sir--half a dozen or more," the petty officer -called out. - -In half an hour the very graceful outlines of these two battleships -could be seen without glasses--easily distinguished from any other ship -in the Navy by their hydraulic cranes for hoisting boats in and out. - -The Orphan looked at them with all the more interest, because he knew -that they had just come from the Dardanelles, and he peered at them -through his glasses to try and discover any shell-marks. They looked as -if they had just come out of dockyard hands, and he felt disappointed. - -The trawlers followed, like ducklings out for a morning paddle with -their father and mother. Very homely they looked. - -Signal hoists fluttered and were hauled down, and soon the three big -ships, with the little trawlers clustered at a respectful distance, lay -with engines stopped. - -The Captains of the battleships came across to the _Achates_, and an -R.N.R. Lieutenant--in charge of the trawlers--bobbed alongside in a -trawler's dinghy and scrambled on board. All three went below to the -Captain's cabin. - -It was a perfect morning, the breeze a little chilly, the sea calm, and -just beginning to catch the light of the sun as it rose behind the -misty, grey mountains of Asia Minor. - -The two spotless gigs and the disreputable dinghy lay alongside, and -their crews were soon busy answering questions, as the quarter-deck men -left off their scrubbing decks and bawled down to know the news, and how -things were going, and what was to be done here. "Have you been hit?" -was the chief question. - -"We got an 8-inch in the quarter-deck," the _Swiftsure's_ boat's crew -called up. "Knocked the ward-room about cruel;" and the _Triumphs_, -jealous, told them: "It ain't nothin' compared to Kiao Chau--we got our -foretop knocked out bombarding the forts there; a 12-inch shell what did -that. It's not near so bad here as what it was out there." - -In the hubbub of voices the Commander, splashing out of the battery in -his sea-boots, sent the men back to their holystones and squeegees. - -The Captains and the R.N.R. Lieutenant went back to their ships and -trawlers, and then the three big ships commenced steaming in line ahead -up the Gulf of Smyrna, the _Achates_ leading, the _Swiftsure_ astern of -her, and the _Triumph_ astern of the _Swiftsure_. The little trawlers -were left behind. - -By breakfast-time everyone in the gun-room knew that the forts of Smyrna -were to be bombarded. The Navigator's "doggy"--the Pimple--came down -bursting with this information. "The Navigator says we shall be in -range just after dinner. I heard the Captain tell him they had a big -fort there with 9- or 10-inch guns, and a mine-field in front of it--any -amount of mines." - -"We shall get first smack at them, shan't we?" the others said, beaming. -"Our Captain is the senior one, isn't he?" and they hurried through -breakfast and clattered up on the quarter-deck to have a look at the -land. - -By this time the ships were well inside the Gulf of Smyrna, steaming -along its southern shore. Green olive-clad hills, rising from the -sparkling, sunlit sea, sloped upwards until their sides, becoming -barren, towered ragged into the cloudless sky. For two hours they -steamed along, until, in front of them, the mountain barrier which -circled the head of the Gulf, and sheltered the town of Smyrna itself, -loomed ahead fourteen miles away. - -The three ships were quite close inshore now, and every officer and man -who had no special duties was on deck looking ashore, yarning in the -glorious warm sunshine, pointing out villages, eagerly scanning every -projecting point of land, and wondering whether the Vali of Smyrna knew -they were coming and was prepared. - -They were not long in doubt. The tall, aristocratic Major of Marines, -soaked in Eastern lore by many years spent among Arabs and Sudanese, -suddenly spotted a little pillar of grey smoke rising from the shore. -He pointed it out, saying it was a signal, and was much chaffed by the -other ward-room officers, until even they realized that he was right, -when more curled up from projecting points of land as they steamed past. -The news of their approach was being passed along to Smyrna. - -"Isn't it exciting? I do feel ripping, inside," the Orphan told the -Lamp-post as they both watched the shore and the signals. "Isn't it an -adventure? my hat!" - -"The Greek galleys and the Roman galleys came along just as we are -coming," the learned Lamp-post said excitedly. "I bet the poor -galley-slaves' backs were tired before they fetched up!" - -"It must have been beastly for them not to be able to see where they -were going and not to take part in the fighting." - -"They didn't want to," the Lamp-post told him. "Let's come for'ard." - -So they went along the boat deck, and from there they soon were able to -see a little square shape rising out of the water. It was the fort of -Yeni Kali, which commanded the approach to the Bay of Smyrna and the -town. It was jutting out on low-lying land from the southern shore of -the bay, which here made a broad sweep along the foot of some very high -hills. - -Up above, on the bridge, the Navigator was pointing out to the Pimple a -buoy with a flag on it. "That marks the end of the mine-field. I'll -bet anything they've forgotten to remove it, or haven't had time. You -see that low ground to the right of it--all covered with bushes and -things--they've got batteries somewhere there, and there are more of -them half-way up the hills." - -The Pimple nervously followed the Navigator's finger as he pointed out -the places, and expected every moment that a gun would open fire. He -had felt very brave at breakfast when he talked about them, but he was -not quite sure whether he was enjoying himself so much as he expected. - -The ships stopped engines whilst still out of range, and went to dinner -at seven bells. An excited cheery dinner it was, and the mess deck -hummed like a wasps' nest, the hoary old grandfathers among the men--and -there were many of them--in as high spirits as anybody. - -Punctually at half-past twelve Captain Macfarlane went for'ard to the -bridge, the ships commenced to go ahead, and the bugles blared out -"Action stations"--the ordinary General Quarters bugle without the -preliminary two "G" blasts, but what a difference when heard for the -first time! - -The China Doll, clambering up the fore shrouds to his dizzy perch in the -for'ard fire-control top, found his little heart thumping so much that -he had to have a "stand easy" half-way up, gripping the ratlines and -getting his breath. - -Captain Macfarlane--on the bridge--saw him stop, and guessed the reason. -He had had much experience of shells coming his way--during the Boer -War--and knew how he had hated them, so felt sorry for the youngster. - -"A lot depends on you, Mr. Stokes" (that was the China Doll's name), he -called up to him encouragingly; and the China Doll was up the rigging -like a redshank, tremendously proud and happy, clambered into the top, -and began helping the seamen, already there, take the canvas cover off -the range-finder and unlash the canvas screens. - -The Gunnery-Lieutenant climbed up after him, and snubbed him for asking -foolish questions. "Were they going to fire? Who was going to fire? -How do I know? You'll know soon enough. Just hang on to those -voice-pipes and don't talk." - -So for some time the China Doll, humbled again, had nothing to do but -look round him. Right ahead was the fort, standing square and bold at -the end of the low-lying land. Three miles or so behind it, sloping up -the mountains, were the white houses of Smyrna; over to the northern -shore, to his left, long heaps lay dazzling in the sun--salt heaps these -were; and on the right, the high hills with their concealed batteries. -He looked behind at the two ships following astern, and down below at -the _Achates_ beneath him, and wondered, if the mast were shot away, -whether he would fall clear of her in the water or on top of the boats. -The "top" where he was, looked so small from down below, but when he was -actually in it, it seemed so big that he thought shells couldn't -possibly miss it. - -He looked down at the bridge, and saw the Pimple shadowing the tall -Navigator as he dodged from side to side of the bridge--they would both -go into the conning-tower presently; he saw Mr. Meredith's bald head -showing out of the turret on the fo'c'sle, and Rawlinson squeezed his -head out too. For a moment he rather wished he could change places with -them. - -But then the orders came up through the voice-pipes. The Captain wanted -the range of the fort. The seaman at the range-finder fumbled about with -the thumb-screws and sang out: "One--six--nine--five--o" (the o is -sounded as a letter, not as a figure). These were yards. The China Doll -shouted down his voice-pipe: "One--six--nine--five--o". Nothing more -came up for a quarter of an hour; he noticed how the "top" shook with -the vibration of the engines. Then he had to sing down his voice-pipe: -"One--five--five--o--o"; another interval; the range came down: -"One--four--one--o--o", and the Gunnery-Lieutenant began shouting orders -through his voice-pipes about degrees of elevation and the kind of shell -to be used. - -A bell tinkled close to him, and the red disk showed that the -transmitting-room was calling him. Uncle Podger was there, he knew, -sitting in the little padded room below the armoured deck and the -water-line, with his head almost inside a huge voice-pipe shaped like -the end of a gramophone, listening for orders, and waiting to pass them -on to the various guns. And it was Uncle Podger's voice which came to -him: "What's happening? Are we getting close in? It's beastly hot down -here; aren't we going to fire soon?" - -Before he could answer, a long signal hoist nearly knocked off his cap, -flicking against the side of the "top" as it went up to the mast-head. -Down it came again; a corner of a yellow-and-red pendant caught in a -voice-pipe; he released it, and saw the signalman haul the flags down, -in a gaily coloured heap, on the bridge below him. When he looked -astern again, the two ships were spreading out; the vibration of the -"top" ceased. He knew that the engines had stopped, and presently all -three ships lay in line, with their starboard broadsides turned towards -the old fort. - -The Gunnery-Lieutenant now flew about, jumping from voice-pipes to -range-finder and back again, reporting to the Captain. "Aye, aye, sir!" -he shouted, and then called down, "Fore turret!--fore turret! try a -ranging shot--common shell--one--four--o--five--o, at the left edge of -the fort. Fire when you are ready!" - -[Illustration: "THE GUNNERY LIEUTENANT NOW FLEW ABOUT, JUMPING FROM -VOICE PIPES TO RANGE-FINDER AND BACK AGAIN"] - -The China Doll felt funny thrills running up and down his backbone as he -watched the fore turret move round, and the long chase of the 9.2-inch -gun cock itself in the air. Mr. Meredith's bald head disappeared -through the sighting hood. He heard the snap of the breech-block and -the cheery sound of "Ready!" Mr. Meredith's head came out of his hood -as he gazed at the distant fort through his glasses. He heard the word -"Fire!" and at the same moment the fighting-top swayed as if a squall -had struck the mast, a great cloud of yellowish smoke blotted out the -foc's'le, and the _Achates_ had fired a gun for the second time in the -war--on this occasion not at sea-gulls! - -In a few seconds a column of water leapt into the air behind the -fort--the shell had fallen in the bay beyond. The Gunnery-Lieutenant -roared down: "One--three--eight--five--o; fire as soon as you are -ready!" - -Off went the gun again; another wait, and a black-reddish splash -appeared on the face of the fort, and up shot a cloud of dirty smoke. -"Hit, sir!" - -After that he was too busy to notice anything; he only remembered, later -on, that the Turks had not fired back. More signals were hoisted; the -_Swiftsure_ and _Triumph_ commenced firing, and in a very short space of -time hits were being rapidly made on Yeni Kali fort. - -Then the after turret of the _Achates_ opened fire, and with her second -round landed a lyddite shell square on one corner of the fort--brick -dust and masonry going sky-high. - -The Turks did not return the fire. - -When, eventually, the bugle sounded the "secure", the China Doll could -hardly believe that he had been there for two and a half hours, and at -the order to "pack up" he climbed down below, and ran to the gun-room, -where Barnes, the big marine, in his shirt-sleeves, was already laying -the table for afternoon tea. - -The snotties and Uncle Podger came trooping in, jabbering like magpies; -the Pink Rat, who was in the after turret, and Rawlinson, who had the -foremost one, each claiming that his own gun had made most hits. They -both were getting angry--the Pink Rat cool and cynical, Rawlinson's -temper getting the better of him. - -They seized the China Doll. "You saw; which gun did best?" but the -Assistant Clerk was much too wily to take sides, and wriggled away. - -They pounced on the Pimple, who had been on the bridge all the time. -He, flattered to have his opinion asked, thought that Rawlinson's gun -had made more hits. - -"That rotten, worn-out pipe of a gun of yours," the Pink Rat sneered, -"couldn't hit a haystack at a mile; yours were dropping short all the -time!" - -"Yours may be the slightly better gun" (it was more modern), "but if you -had anything to do with it, it wouldn't hit the Crystal Palace, a -hundred yards away," Rawlinson snorted, getting red in the face. "Ours -_didn't_ go short." - -"Contradiction is no argument," the Pink Rat said loftily; and -Rawlinson, who was half as big again as the senior snotty (that was why -the Pimple had backed him), would have given him a hiding, had not the -Sub come in and stopped them. - -"What the dickens does it matter? We've given old Yeni Kali a fair -'beano'; its own mother wouldn't know it. Hurry up with the tea booze; -I've to go on watch; out, both of you, if you can't keep quiet!" - -Barnes brought in the big teapot, slices of bread and jam and butter -disappeared marvellously as they all ate and gabbled. "Why didn't they -shoot back?--the mean beggars--I expect we've knocked out all their -guns," Rawlinson gurgled with his mouth full. "You didn't, anyway," -sneered the Pink Rat. - -"I wish we'd gone straight in--don't put your sleeve in my butter--I -don't believe those mines would have gone off--wouldn't they?--a bally -lot you know about mines--you pig, Pimple, you've taken half that tin of -jam--the Captain knows all about them--that's what those trawlers are -for--shove across the bread--they'll sweep a passage through them--why -didn't they let us fire more of our 6-inch--your old guns, Orphan--they -ain't as much good as a sick headache--look at that slice of cake the -Pink Rat's cut--put the Pink Rat down for two slices, Barnes, and bring -along the teapot." - -The Hun put his head in at the door. "Twenty-five minutes past four, -sir." - -"All right! Curse it! I'm coming," and gulping down what was left of -his tea, and grabbing his telescope and cap, the Sub went up to relieve -the watch amidst a babel of "Hun! Hun! hold on a jiffy! You were on -the bridge all the time; which 9.2 made the most hits? What did the -Captain say?" - -"The after gun; that's what the Captain said," he told them, and went -out again. - -"I told you so!" laughed the Pink Rat; and Rawlinson, crestfallen and -angry, shouted "that he didn't believe it, and if it was true, that it -was all due to the China Doll passing down the wrong ranges". - -The poor Assistant Clerk flushed with mortification, and squeaked out: -"I know I didn't make any mistake--I just repeated the figures after the -Gunnery-Lieutenant--they were right at my end of the voice-pipe." - -"Well, don't cry!" Rawlinson growled. "You've got such a silly -voice--you can't help it--the figures must have come wrong at our end." - -They seized the luckless China Doll, stuck him on a bench at one end of -the mess, twisted one of the long white table-cloths into a rope, and -made him hold one end, whilst the Orphan held the other to his ear and -pretended to listen. - -"Now pass the range," they laughed; "try one--five--nine--o--o." - -"One--five--nine--o--o," the China Doll called into the end of the -table-cloth, not quite certain that he was enjoying himself. - -"One--four--seven--six--and a half," repeated the Orphan very solemnly. - -"There you are! China! try again!" and they made him give the order. -"Train seventeen degrees on the port beam." - -The Orphan, thinking hard, shook his head and shouted back "Repeat!" - -"Train seventeen degrees on the port beam," the China Doll repeated. - -As solemn as a judge, the Orphan sang out, "Tame seven clean fleas in -the cream;" and as the poor Assistant Clerk squeaked, "Don't be silly!" -there were yells of "He called you silly, Orphan; you aren't going to -stand that. Go for him, Orphan. We'll hold him; he shan't hurt you." -But Uncle Podger told them all to stop fooling and smooth out the -table-cloth. "We can't get things washed properly on board," he said. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *The "Achates" is Shelled* - - -Next morning, the 6th March--a glorious sunny morning it was--the three -ships and the trawlers again moved in towards battered Yeni Kali. The -trawlers went ahead to sweep through the mine-field under the protection -of the _Triumph_, whilst the _Achates_ and _Swiftsure_ followed astern. - -Breakfast was at seven o'clock--a hurried meal--and everyone bolted down -his food in order to get on deck quickly and see the fun. - -"Rotten bad form of 'em not to fire at us yesterday," Uncle Podger -remarked, emptying half the sugar basin on his porridge. "In all the -wars I've been in, we've fired first, then the enemy fired back; we -spotted their guns and knocked them out." - -"And landed for a picnic afterwards," suggested his neighbour, skilfully -bagging the sugar basin. - -"Generally," replied the Clerk. - -"In the last war I was in," began the China Doll, "we generally asked -the enemy to lunch. The Captain said that made them so happy." - -"If we're to have breakfast at this silly time," Bubbles chuckled, "I -call it a rotten war." - -They heard shouts on deck. The half-deck sweeper put his head in to -tell them that the Turks were firing, and they all stampeded on deck. - -Right ahead, the little trawlers could be seen, in pairs, close in to -the old fort and the low-lying land to the right of it. Right on top of -the mine-field they were, and spurts of water were splashing up, every -other second, among them. Flashes twinkled out from the scrub on the -low-lying ground, three, four, five at a time, and the splashes of their -shells sprang up, one after the other, between the trawlers. - -Everyone held his breath and expected to see a trawler hit, directly. - -There was a shout of "The _Triumph's_ started!" A yellowish cloud shot -out from her, then another; they shot out all along her broadside, and, -right in among the scrub, where the Turkish guns had been firing, burst -her 7.5 lyddite shells. - -Then splashes began falling close to the _Triumph_ -herself--short--short--far over her--right under her stern. "Hit under -the fore bridge!" someone shouted. The "Action" bugle blared out in the -_Achates_; officers and men rushed to their stations; and the last thing -Uncle Podger and the Lamp-post saw was the trawlers turning round and -scuttling back, followed by columns of water leaping up close to them. - -Uncle Podger, sedately excited, and the long, thin Lamp-post made their -way along the mess deck, pushing through the crowds of men scurrying to -and fro; guns' crews squeezing into the casemates and closing the -armoured doors behind them; the stoker fire-parties bustling along with -their hoses, and the lamp trimmers coming round and lighting the candle -lanterns in case the electric light failed. - -To get to the "transmitting-room", which was their station, they had to -go down the ammunition hoist of "B2" casemate--the for'ard one on the -port side of the main deck,--and so many men of the ammunition supply -parties had to go down it that there was a squash of men squeezing -through the casemate door. - -"Early doors, sixpence extra," Uncle Podger grinned, as they waited -whilst man after man climbed down the rope-ladder in the hoist. This -hoist was simply a steel tube some fifteen feet long, big enough for a -broad-shouldered man to crawl through, and the rope ladder dangled down -inside it. When the bottom rung of the ladder was reached, there was a -jump down of some five feet or so into the "fore cross passage"--a broad -space, from side to side across the ship, under the dome of the armoured -deck. The magazines were below this fore cross passage, and men -standing in them handed up the six-inch cordite charges through open -hatches. - -Into this space ran the ammunition passages, running aft along each side -under the slope of the armoured deck, with the boiler-room bulkheads on -the inner sides, and the bulkheads of the lower wing bunkers on the -outer. When, as was now the case, the shells in their red canvas bags -hung in rows along both these bulkheads, there was precious little room -for two people to pass side by side. - -The ammunition hoists from all the 6-inch guns, farther aft, opened into -these passages, and under each hoist an electric motor and winding drum -was placed to run the charges and shells up to the casemate which it -"fed". All these spaces and passages were very dimly lighted by -electric lights and candle lanterns. - -As Uncle Podger and the Lamp-post crawled down the tube and dropped into -the "fore cross passage", they were hustled by men dashing out of the -ammunition passages, seizing charges and shells from the men standing in -the magazine hatches, and dashing back again to their own hoists. These -were the "powder-monkeys" of the old days, most of them, now, big -bearded men; one, the biggest down there, a man nearly fifty years of -age, had been earning five pounds a week, as a diver, before the -outbreak of war brought him back to the Navy. And no one was more -cheery than he, as he dashed backwards and forwards from his hoist to -the magazine, laughing and joking, and wiping the sweat off his face. -It was very warm down there, and the smell of sweating men soon made the -air heavy. - -A bearded ship's corporal came down with the key of the -transmitting-room, opened the thick padded wooden door in the bulkhead, -and went in. The Fleet-Paymaster and the tall, depressed Fleet-Surgeon -followed him down the tube. They scuttled out of the way of the -trampling men. - -"A nice little place for you to work in, P.M.O.," chuckled the Pay as -they wormed themselves into a corner. - -"Rats in a trap!" grunted the P.M.O., and drew in his feet and cursed as -a seaman trod on them. - -The chief sick-berth steward and his assistants had already come down, -but vainly looked for a place to stow their surgical dressings. They -had to hang them from hooks in the bulkheads. - -Uncle Podger and the Lamp-post stood waiting for the Chaplain, the Rev. -Horace Gibbons; and when they saw his shoes and scarlet socks dangling -from the lower end of the ammunition hoist from "B2" casemate in a -helpless, pathetic way, they dashed to his assistance; each seized a -foot and guided it to safety on top of a convenient motor-hoist, and as -the Padre let go the ladder and jumped feebly, they softened his fall. -This was always their first job, for he hated that rope-ladder and that -hoist with a deadly hatred, and, most of all, hated falling those last -few feet, suddenly dropping, as it were, from heaven, and appearing in -an undignified manner among all the men there. - -The Lamp-post and Uncle Podger dusted down the little pasty-faced Padre -and put his hat on straight. - -"Thank you so much! I'm afraid I've broken my pipe in that hoist." - -"Hallo, Angel Gabriel!" grinned the Pay, as the three of them passed -into the transmitting-room. "Paying a call in the infernal region?" - -As they shut the felted door they shut out all the noise. - -This transmitting-room was a tiny little place, perhaps fifteen feet -long and five wide, with four camp-stools, and rows of telephones and -brass indicator boxes with their little red and white figures showing -through the slits in them. Voice-pipes, too, everywhere, and in one -corner, over a camp-stool--Uncle Podger's camp-stool--projected an -enormous brass voice-pipe with a gramophone-shaped end. - -Every instrument had its label above it: Conning-tower--After -Turret--Starboard 6-inch--Y group--X group--scores of them; and in front -of the Padre's camp-stool was a little table, like a school table, with -paper lying on it and a pencil chained to it. - -"Nothing happened yet, sir," the ship's corporal sang out, as they -closed the door and seated themselves on their camp-stools with their -backs against the after bulkhead and the door. - -Uncle Podger, sitting with his head in his gramophone trumpet, could -hear people talking in the conning-tower. "Signal to the _Swiftsure_ to -stop engines"--that was Captain Macfarlane's clear, incisive voice; then -the Navigator's infectious laugh, "The trawlers are safe, sir; out of -range, sir. They've had the fright of their lives, sir."--"Port it is, -sir," came the gruff voice of the quartermaster at the wheel. "Steady it -is, sir." - -He rang up the fore-control top, where the China Doll was perched, and a -bell at his side tinkled. "What's going on, China Doll?" he called into -his loud-speaking navyphone, giving the mouthpiece a shake. - -"Stop that confounded ringing!" it bleated out, in the peculiar nasal -tone these navyphones always have. That was the Gunnery-Lieutenant's -irritated voice, so Uncle Podger kept silent. - -Then he heard, loud and clear through the trumpet mouth: -"Transmitting-room! Transmitting-room! Tell the Major and Mr. -Meiklejohn" (one of the Lieutenants) "that the port 6-inch will fire -first." - -"Aye, aye, sir! Port guns will fire first." - -He passed on the message to the Lamp-post, and the Lamp-post, who was in -charge of the port broadside gun instruments, commenced telephoning to -the Major, aft, and Mr. Meiklejohn, up in B1 casemate, above them. - -Then more orders came down, rapidly, one after the other; ranges, worked -from the foretop, ticked themselves off in the slits of the little brass -boxes, were verified, and passed on to the port guns and the turrets. - -"Commence with common shell," sounded the trumpet mouth. Uncle Podger -repeated it. - -"It's showing all right on my dial," the Lamp-post said, a little -bothered with so many telephones asking him questions. - -"All right, Lampy. Don't lose your wool. Pass it on to the guns." - -"What range is showing?" called the trumpet. - -"One--two--nine--five--o." "One--two--nine--five--o." -"One--two--nine--five--o," the Lamp-post, the Padre, and the ship's -corporal told Uncle Podger. - -"One--two--nine--five--o," he spoke into his navyphone. - -"What range are the guns showing?" asked the trumpet. It was the -Gunnery-Lieutenant, anxious to know, at the last moment, whether all the -instruments were recording properly. - -This meant ringing up each gun, and took time. Presently all the replies -were received. - -"Y3 shows One--two--nine--o--o, sir," Uncle Podger telephoned. "The -others are correct." - -"Confound Y3!" he heard the Gunnery-Lieutenant say angrily. - -Then the figures in the slits in the brass boxes began to move--the -"five" gave way to "o", the "nine" disappeared and "eight" took its -place; the range was decreasing. The little labels bearing the types of -shell to be used--armour-piercing, common, lyddite--revolved, and came -to a standstill with "common" showing. - -All these changes down in the transmitting-room repeated themselves in -similar instruments at the different guns, but to make doubly sure that -they were correctly known there, the order "Common shell" was also -passed by telephone. "Tell B1 to stand by to fire," bawled the big -trumpet, and the Lamp-post calmly passed on the order. - -"Fire!" yelled the trumpet mouth. The Lamp-post pressed the key which -rang the fire-gong in B1 casemate. There was a dull thud from above, -and B1 had fired. - -Then orders came down one after the other; the whole battery began -firing. The two turrets started, the fore-turret gun making the -transmitting-room rattle, whilst the after 9.2 only made it wriggle. - -The Padre was busy jotting down times and ranges, the ship's corporal -was helping the Lamp-post with his instruments, and Uncle Podger was -taking in and passing orders to them all. They had no time to think of -what was going on elsewhere. - -Outside, in the "fore cross passage", the noise of the for'ard guns, B1 -and B2, coming straight down their hoists was very loud. The breeze, -too, blew the cordite smoke down the hoists when the breeches of the -guns were opened to reload, and made the air and stench more -disagreeable than ever. The ammunition supply parties were busy; empty -red shell-bags were brought back and flung into the magazines; filled -ones were handed up, and the men ran away with them. - -The Fleet-Surgeon and the Fleet-Paymaster flattened themselves out of -the way. - -"Cheer up, P.M.O.! We'll all be dead soon," the Pay chuckled. - -"Indeed and we shall," snarled the P.M.O. "Listen to those beastly -engines--they've been going ahead for the last hour--we'll be hitting -the mines in a minute." - -"Well, we shan't know much about that, old chap; we're right on top of -the magazines. You'd be an angel before you could say 'knife'." - -"Rats in a trap! Dry up!" growled the P.M.O. "Rats in a trap! That's -what we are." - -"A-climbing up de golden stairs," hummed the Pay, pointing to the end of -the rope-ladder dangling from the hoist above them. "Hullo! That's -something new," the Paymaster broke in cheerfully, as there was a noise -just behind them--on the outer side of the coal bunker--a different -noise to any they had heard before. - -"Do you hear the coal jumping about?" - -"That's summat 'it the harmour," men shouted gleefully. - -"Two more!" Called out a gunner's mate as two more crashes came, a -little farther aft, and the coal jumped and rattled behind the bulkhead. - -A cloud of black smoke poured down one of the hoists. "Black powder," -said the men, sniffing, as it drifted along the passage and made them -cough. "A shell's burst somewhere." - -A man from B3 slid down the rope of his hoist, and sang out that one had -just burst against the side of the gun port. "No one hurt," he added, -with a little tinge of regret. - -A few seconds later a very cheery voice bawled down one of the starboard -hoists to say that shells had come into the mess deck and burst there. - -The men were genuinely pleased that their old ship had at last been hit. - -"Anyone killed?" they shouted up. - -"Don't know yet. The whole blooming place is on fire; port side, half a -dozen knocked out. Old Cooky got one in his leg. No one badly hurt." - -Rumours flew up and down these hoists. No one knew what had actually -happened. A lot more smoke came down the hoists. The Fleet-Surgeon -fidgeted lest he ought to go up, but he had to wait for orders, and stay -there until he was sent for. - -"They're giving it 'em back, a fair treat," the men sang out, as the -guns up above fired very rapidly and the whole ship shook. - -The engines had stopped their rumbling during this time, but now they -started again. No more crashes came against the armoured side, the guns -ceased firing, and presently a message came down: "The Captain wants the -Fleet-Surgeon." - -"Now for it," growled the Fleet-Surgeon, and swung himself awkwardly up -the dangling ladder through the hoist up into the casemate, and so out -to the wrecked mess deck. - -Two shells--5.9-inch shells--had come in through the ship's side and -made a terrible mess of things. The first one had burst in the stokers' -mess deck, smashing mess tables and stools and setting fire to them. -Flying fragments had wounded the chief cook, who, against all orders, -was in the galley, and five men belonging to the "fire" and "repair" -parties. The rest had dashed along with their hoses, and, whilst they -were putting out this fire, the second shell had burst in the next mess -aft on the other side of a bulkhead, and without fuss or worry they had -dragged their hoses along and put this out too. - -Both messes were now ankle-deep in black water, the blackened and -smashed wooden tables and benches lying higgledy-piggledy all over the -deck; pipes and stanchions were torn and twisted; the iron cap and -ditty-box racks hung down fantastically from the blackened beams and -plates overhead, and the whole place was littered with the men's -crockery smashed into the tiniest pieces. - -"I'll give you an hour and a half for the wounded, and then we're going -in again," the Fleet-Surgeon was told, when he found the Captain and -Commander wading about among the wreckage. - -Off went the Fleet-Surgeon to find his wounded; they had already been -dragged into cosy corners and roughly bandaged. - -Dr. Gordon came along, from his station aft, to help him. - -By this time all the ships had withdrawn out of range. The "Secure" and -the "Disperse" were sounded, and everyone hurriedly dashed down to see -the damage and hunt for bits of shell. - -"And there's another on the boat deck," the Pimple, absolutely off his -head with excitement, screamed to the Lamp-post and Uncle Podger as they -came out of B2 casemate, up the hoist of which they had just climbed. - -He dragged them up to see the damage done, and even Uncle Podger went -into raptures when he saw the beautiful hole in the wooden deck, and the -fifty or more small holes which fragments of shell had made in the -engine-room uptakes and in one of the funnels. - -"It doesn't matter if the _Bacchante_ does find out about the sea-gulls, -now," he said, and gloated at the lovely sight. - -The Orphan came up, anxious lest any of the flying pieces had hit his -beloved picket boat; Bubbles came along, chuckling and laughing, and -they all craned their necks over the side to see the holes where two -shells had come in, and where those that had struck the armour had -knocked off the wood sheathing and the paint. - -"Come along or we'll miss lunch," Bubbles gurgled; and they romped aft, -passing old Fletcher, the stoker, coming up, grimy and unwashed, from -his watch below. - -"I've just brought 'Kaiser Bill' up for an airing, sir," he said, as the -Orphan stopped to speak to him. "I took him down out of mischief," and -he carefully placed the idiotic tortoise down on the iron plates, and -tried to tempt him with a piece of cabbage leaf to put out his ugly -head. - -Lunch in the gun-room was a very rowdy meal. If the Sub hadn't been -pretty severe, precious little more crockery would have been left there -than in those two stokers' mess decks. - -"Just fancy! Six times hit--no, eight times--I counted them--all right, -eight times--so much the better--and six wounded. Fancy old Cooky being -knocked out--jolly hard luck; he oughtn't to have been there. You -should have been in B3 when the shell hit the gun port, it did make a -noise. They did make a funny noise all round (this from the China -Doll). I had my cap blown off--one went between my turret and the -shelter deck (this from Rawlinson). - -"We're going back again," the Pimple, who had had to go back to the -bridge and now came down, shouted. "I've just heard the Skipper tell -the Navigator. Give me some soup, Barnes, quick--I say, you chaps, -leave me a bit of pudding. We did get it hot. You should have been on -the bridge." - -"Bet you were safe and sound in the conning-tower," the others cried. - -"I was only there part of the time. They kicked me out--it was too -crowded. When that shell burst on the boat deck, bits came right over -me. A bit hit a signal locker and dropped quite close to me. I've got -it here," and the Pimple produced a bit of scrap iron out of his pocket -and held it up. - -"That isn't a bit of shell," they laughed, as they handed it round; -"it's a bit of a deck plate." - -"Well, it was jolly hot when I picked it up," said the Pimple, rather -distressed. "I say, Barnes, do hurry up with some grub." - -"Oh, you chaps, did you hear?" and the Pimple brightened again. "That -shell which hit the _Triumph_ killed a snotty." - -At first they thought, and rather hoped, he might be someone they knew; -but the Pimple, who got all his news from the talkative Navigator, told -them he was an R.N.R. midshipman, so they were a little disappointed, -because they could not possibly have known him. - -That afternoon the ships again steamed in almost to the edge of the -mine-field, and all of them opened a very heavy fire on the Turkish -guns; but these were so widely dispersed, and so cleverly hidden in the -scrub of the low-lying ground, that hitting them was a matter of pure -luck. - -Two trawlers also made another plucky attempt to sweep through the -mine-field, but had to retire when more guns fired at them--guns which -it was impossible to locate from the ship. - -It was evidently hopeless to clear the mine-field during daylight, so -ships and trawlers retired again. - -A small steamer--the _Aennie Rickmers_--(she had been captured from the -Germans) met them outside. She carried some scouting hydroplanes, and as -she turned out suitable to accommodate the wounded, these were sent -across to her. - -On the Sunday and Monday the ships bombarded Yeni Kali and also a -battery on a ridge, without doing much damage. The hydroplanes went up -on both these days, and circled over the low ground where the batteries -lay hidden, and also over the bay inside. No one in the _Achates_ had as -yet seen air-craft reconnoitring an enemy position, so everybody came up -to have a look when the first one left the water with its pilot and -observer and commenced to climb higher and higher in huge spirals. - -When it had risen sufficiently high, it flew away towards Yeni Kali with -its hydroplane floats beneath it, looking, for all the world, like a big -bluebottle which had stuck its feet in something sticky and could not -fly well for the weight of it. - -As they eagerly watched it, suddenly a puff-ball of white smoke showed -against the blue sky--below it--then another nearer, two more a long way -behind; field-guns were firing shrapnel at it. - -Not a soul on board had seen anything like this; everyone simply stood -and held his breath, and watched the hydroplane and the white puff-balls -following it. - -"Gosh! I'd like to be those chaps, young Orphan," the Sub roared. "My -jumping Jimmy! There's excitement for you! Ten minutes of it worth a -life-time. Eh, you jam-stuffing sybarite?" - -"Very pretty to watch, but give me dry land," Uncle Podger declared -solemnly. - -The little Padre, sucking a big pipe, his face twitching with -excitement, muttered "bother"--a fearful swear-word for him--and spat -out the end of his mouthpiece. He had bitten it off in his agitation. - -The China Doll stood with his pink-and-white face gazing upwards, his -mouth wide open, and his big eyes opening and shutting. - -"My jumping Jimmy! Life! Life! We're seeing life, my jumping Doll," -and the Sub lifted the Assistant Clerk off the deck and dropped him -again. - -"Do you want to go back to the North Sea patrol--my young Blot on the -Landscape?" - -"No, sir;" and the China Doll curtseyed disrespectfully, and bolted -behind the stolid figure of Uncle Podger. - -"By the King's Regulations and Gun-room instructions, disrespect to -superior officers is punishable by death or such other punishment as is -hereinafter--" began the Clerk, but was interrupted by a shout of "Look! -She's coming down now!" - -The hydroplane was coming back, the puff-balls had ceased, and with long -spiral swoops she slid down on the water and spun along the surface to -the _Aennie Rickmers_. - -"Old Yellow Beard wants you, sir," a young A.B.--it was Plunky -Bill--interrupted, saluting the Sub. - -"What! Who?" roared the Sub, glaring at him. - -"Beg pardon, sir; I forgot myself, sir. I means the Captain, sir. -Wants you in his cabin, he does." - -The Sub, with a glare which froze poor Plunky Bill, stalked aft. - -Some half-hour later, the half-deck sentry put his head into the -gun-room: "The Sub-lootenant wants Mr. Orphan--in his cabin." - -That young gentleman had wagered that he could drink a bottle of soda -water more quickly than Bubbles could, and happened to be employed in -the process of deciding this. The first trial had resulted in a dead -heat, but the second had ended rather disastrously for both; and though -the others patted him on the back with any heavy, unsuitable article -they could find, he had not quite recovered himself when he burst into -the Sub's cabin. - -The Sub was excited again. When he was excited his eyes burnt like -coals and his mouth was a slit, tightly shut--shut like a rat-trap. - -"Orphan! my jumping Orphan! we've got it--you and I and your rotten old -picket-boat. Guess what we've got to do, my 'JJ.'! It's simply too -grand!" - -He lighted his pipe. The cabin was already so full of smoke that the -Orphan was coughing. - -"What is it?" he gasped--the soda water inside him still busy. - -"Have a cigarette?" the Sub said, shoving a box towards him. - -"I'm not eighteen yet!" the Orphan said, thinking that the Sub perhaps -had forgotten and might beat him afterwards. - -"You'll have to be twenty-eight to-night, my jumping Son--thirty-eight; -you've got the chance of a lifetime. Squat down on the wash-stand." - -"Jumping Moses!--you and I have to go in to-night and stick a light on a -mark-buoy--a Turkish mark-buoy they've fixed in the wrong place, close -inshore it is, under the old fort. What do you think of that?" - -"What mark-buoy?" asked the Orphan. "How ripping!" - -The Sub drew a few rough outlines on a piece of paper. "There's the -fort, and that's the line of the low bit of land sweeping away to the -right. It sticks out a bit farther along, and just off the 'stick out' -place the mark-buoy should mark a shoal, but the Turks have shifted it -farther in--just about there"--and he marked a cross on the paper--"to -bother us. And we've got to find it to-night, and stick a red light on -it. How's that for 'good'?" - -"They'll see us, won't they?" the Orphan said, catching his breath -again, for he knew that at least three search-lights swept the approach -and the minefield--a big one on Yeni Kali itself, "Glaring Gertrude", -and two this side of the mine-field, from somewhere down by the water's -edge--"Peeping Tom" and "Squinting Susan"; two much less powerful lights -these were. - -"I bet they'll see us. If they don't before, they will after we've -fixed up that red light. The trawlers are going to sweep through behind -us, and that light's to guide 'em," and the Sub smote the table with his -great clenched fist. "What price that for a good night's work? Better -than boarding ships in the North Sea, eh?" - -"Right in under the fort we'll have to go?" asked the Orphan, his breath -still rather short; "and right in under all those guns along the beach?" - -"Right in, my jumping Orphan! Rifle range! pistol range! biscuit range! -The _Swiftsure's_ coming in to have a bang at "Peeping Tom" and his pal. -My jumping O.! what a job!" - -"When d'we shove off?" asked the Orphan, his eyes blazing. - -"Seven o'clock--seven sharp. You bring the grub--shark sandwiches--and -a couple bottles of beer. You're not rattled, my young Orphan?" he said, -springing up and clutching the midshipman's shoulders. - -As a matter of fact the Orphan was rather taken aback, and though he did -his best to look frightfully happy, it was not an absolute success. - -The Sub altered his voice. "Look here. Those confounded trawler -fellows have done their job two days running, under heavy shell-fire, -whilst we've been behind armour. It's time we showed them the -way--understand? It's our turn to-night, yours and mine." - -"I'm all right," the Orphan said. "It was rather a startler, that's -all. I'd been getting up a sing-song, and we were going to court -martial the China Doll." - -"Warn your boat's crew," the Sub continued, perfectly satisfied and -absolutely happy. "Tell 'em to take some grub." - -"How about old Fletcher?" the Orphan asked. "He's rather old for the -job." - -"You know him best. Sound him. Off you go!" - -So Fletcher was sent for and told all that was going to happen. - -"If you'd rather a younger man----" the Orphan began, not knowing how to -best say what he meant. - -"Me, sir! Don't leave me behind. I'm as strong as a horse," the old -stoker broke in. - -"Right oh! The boat will be 'turned out' about six-thirty. Don't -forget to bring some grub." - -"I won't, sir, thank you," and Fletcher went for'ard. - -"I don't think we'll court-martial the China Doll after all," the Orphan -said when he went back to the gun-room. - -"Oh! Rather! What rot! Of course we will! Mustn't we, China Doll?" -the others cried. - -"Well, I'm not going to be there, anyway. You'll have to find someone -else for prisoner's friend." - -"What's up?" they asked. "Got the blight?" - -"Oh, I've got a bit of a job on this evening, you chaps!" And the -Orphan did his best to look unconcerned, but they saw that he was -bubbling over with excitement, and dragged the news out of him. - -"He might be captured, if they don't kill the poor little chap first," -Bubbles gurgled. "Fancy the Orphan being a prisoner," the others -shouted. "Poor old Turks--hard luck on them--you'll have to wear a -fez--and be able to smoke all day--a nubbly-bubbly--won't that be -nice?--and have a dozen wives--and get sixpence a day to keep them" -(this was from Uncle Podger). - -And when it was time for him to prepare the picket-boat, they called -after him: "If you don't come back we'll finish your ginger nuts--oh, -you pig, you're taking them with you--that's not playing the game--we'll -write such a nice letter home--how we all loved you--with all our names -to it--p'raps your daddy will send us a present--wouldn't a barrel of -beer be nice--good-bye, Orphan, we'll never forget you--if he does send -us one--not till it's finished." - -Then they settled down to revise the list of officials at the China -Doll's coming court martial. Bubbles would have to do prisoner's -friend, although he was not much good at it, because when he did think -of something funny to say, he couldn't say it for laughing at what -somebody else had just said. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *A Night's Adventure* - - -The Orphan went up on the "booms" and found Jarvis, the bearded -coxswain, and Plunky Bill busy touching up with black paint any bits of -brasswork on the picket-boat which might show in the searchlights. They -had already done this once, and were making certain, by the aid of a -lantern, that no shiny place had been missed. - -As he climbed into her he heard Plunky Bill say saucily: "'Ow about the -missus and the six kids? Ain't you going to back out of this 'ere lark -in the dark?" - -"'Ere, get on with yer black paint," growled Jarvis. "'Ow about yer -sweet'earts--five of 'em as I knows on. You ain't going to get yerself -killed, are you, and break five bleeding 'earts? Eh, young -feller-my-lad?" - -They were so cheery that the Orphan lost that funny feeling in his -inside that had been so uncomfortable. He climbed on board and went -for'ard to have a yarn with old Fletcher, who was busy in the stokehold -getting up steam. - -"No sparks out of the funnels to-night," he said, stooping down. - -"I'll take good care of that, sir," Fletcher answered. - -It was a very dark night, with a gentle breeze blowing in towards -Smyrna, and as the Orphan straightened himself he saw the glare of the -search-lights over the mine-field, and that unpleasant sensation in his -stomach would come back. He tried to pretend it was only indigestion, -but knew it wasn't. - -"Peeping Tom", the nearest, was flickering here, there, and everywhere, -but it was a very poor light, and he didn't mind that one; "Squinting -Susan" shone, twice as brightly as her brother, right across where the -picket-boat must pass; occasionally she swept round to help him, as if -she knew he wasn't of much use. - -Then right behind these two was that beastly "Glaring Gertrude"--a -splendid light. She was lighting up the salt-heaps on the opposite -shore most of the time; but when she did turn to have a look out -seawards, her beam lighted up the _Achates_, although the ship was at -least five miles away, making the men's faces quite plain to see, and -outlining the masts and funnels and rigging in a most unpleasant manner. - -A signalman came along with the lantern and some "cod" line. "That will -be strong enough, sir, to lash it to the buoy," and he held out the cod -line in the dark for the Orphan to feel. - -Everything being ready, the picket-boat was lifted out of her crutches, -dangled over the side of the ship, and lowered into the water. At seven -o'clock she was alongside the darkened ship, and the Sub, in -monkey-jacket, blue trousers, and sea boots, climbed down and gave the -order to "shove off". - -"What ho! my Explorer of Mine-fields--my Lighter of Beacons--this beats -the band!" the Sub shouted, as the picket-boat left the shadow of the -ship's side, cleared her bow, and headed for the glare of the -search-lights and the mine-field. - -Close to the _Achates_ lay two trawlers and the _Swiftsure's_ -picket-boat--the Orphan could just make out their obscure shadows. - -"They're going in to sweep," the Sub told him. "The _Swiftsure's_ -picket-boat is going to show them the way. My jumping Jimmy!" he -roared, unable to suppress his boisterous excitement. "Isn't this a -grand show?" - -The steamboat pushed her way along, and soon the dark mass of the -_Triumph_ loomed up against the blackness of the high hills behind her. - -On she went towards where they knew the _Swiftsure_ herself was lying, -and as the Orphan strained his eyes to pierce the darkness in towards -the land to find her, a match was struck in the bows, and a splutter of -tobacco sparks trailed down over the side. Jarvis shouted angrily: "Put -out that pipe!" - -"No smoking, you fools!" barked the Sub to the men crouching in the -bows; and Jarvis growled: "It's that 'ere Plunky Bill, 'e's a fair -terror. 'E's been an' gone an' blacked 'Kaiser Bill'," he added after a -pause. "'E said 'e was that shiny 'e'd give the show away. 'E's a -comic, that Plunky Bill." - -"You haven't brought the tortoise?" the Orphan asked incredulously. - -"Grandpa 'as; 'e's got'im down in the stoke'old, the old 'umbug; 'e's -fair wild with Plunky Bill; 'arf an 'our it took 'im to get the paint -off 'im with a drop of turps and a sweat-rag." - -"Hullo! There's the _Swiftsure_, sir," and the Orphan saw her masts and -funnels and cranes ahead of him lighted up for a moment by a quick flash -from "Peeping Tom". Almost immediately a flame shot out from her -side--a roar--and a shell burst with another splash of flame close to -the shore end of that search-light. - -"Peeping Tom" disappeared at once. - -Then "Squinting Susan" twisted round to see what had fired at her little -brother; waggle waggle went her beam trying to find the battleship. - -Bang! Flash! Another gun--another shell blazed up somewhere near her, -and she too disappeared. "They've doused their glim for 'em," Jarvis -grunted. - -"My jumping Jimmy! that's good work," the Sub muttered joyously. - -But in a second or two out shot "Peeping Tom" and hunted about -nervously, to switch off again as another shell burst somewhere near -him. - -As he switched off, "Sister Susan" switched on again, only to vanish as -still another shell came along her way. - -"What a jest, my Galloping Orphan! We'll get past them both and not be -seen." - -And so they did. "Peeping Tom's" beam flashed on them once, and they -held their breath, but it swept astern and left them in darkness, and -before it worked back the _Swiftsure's_ gun had blazed out, and it was -switched off even before the shell burst. - -"Squinting Susan" was much too anxious to help her brother to find the -_Swiftsure_, and didn't bother her head about anything else; her crew, -too, had nerves--very badly. - -"We're past them both," the Sub said, chuckling quietly, shaking his -huge fist at them, and guffawing loudly as he watched first one and then -the other switching on and then switching off--out would shoot one light -from shore--bang would go a gun--off switched the light--darkness--the -other light would try--and disappear again. "Peeping Tom's" crew were -even more flustered than "Squinting Susan's"; they hardly waited to be -fired on before switching off. - -It was the funniest sight in the world. - -"Bet Bubbles is nearly choking himself," the Sub said, "and Uncle Podger -making funny remarks." - -"They're 'court-martialling' the China Doll in the gun-room," the Orphan -told him. - -"Oh, of course; I forgot that." - -The picket-boat was now steaming in darkness, made more intense by the -glare, two miles ahead of her, of "Glaring Gertrude's" huge beam. This -light, by a lucky chance that night, never seemed to leave the white -salt-heaps on the opposite shore. - -"We're right on top of the mines now, sonny. Feeling gay?" - -"Ra--ther!" answered the Orphan, the uncomfortable feeling in his -stomach entirely forgotten. - -"Worth a guinea a minute! My jumping Jimmy, it is!" the Sub kept saying -to himself. "Starboard a little! That's the ticket. Keep her as you -go. We're nearly past the mines now." - -Presently the Orphan could see a dark line to starboard--perhaps a -thousand yards away--and knew that this was the low-lying ground which -swept along to the right of Yeni Kali fort, the land from which the guns -had fired on the trawlers last Saturday. - -If only "Glaring Gertrude" would stay where she was and amuse herself -counting the salt-heaps all would be well. Once or twice she swept away -from them, and the Orphan caught his breath lest she would swing right -round on the picket-boat; but every time, just at the critical moment, -back she would go to see if the salt-heaps were still there. - -The picket-boat throbbed along; hardly any smoke was coming out of her -funnel, and only very seldom a spark; old Fletcher might be a humbug, as -Jarvis said, but he _could_ stoke. - -Then the Sub pointed out, right ahead, the square dark shape of Yeni -Kali itself, its upper edge--broken and jagged where shells had crumbled -it--silhouetted against "Glaring Gertrude's" beam. - -"They're working it from somewhere in the fort itself," he said, -speaking very quietly, "and the fort gives us a shadow. Splendid!" - -"We've come too far; port your helm and ease her a bit, Orphan. Get -that lantern ready--stand by to light it," he told the signalman. - -The picket-boat turned in towards the darkness of the land, and moved -through the black water with just a little rippling gurgle under her -bows, whilst the crew, for'ard, strained their eyes to find the -mark-buoy--the mark-buoy which the Turks had shifted. - -"We ought to see it--it's white," muttered the Sub impatiently, but -their eyes were rather blinded by looking at "Glaring Gertrude", and -they could not pick it up. - -The Sub kept his eyes shut for a minute, and then looked again. - -No result. - -The line of shore was very close now, and it was inconceivable that the -Turkish look-outs at their guns, all along it, could not see the -picket-boat. Round and round, first this way and then that, she -steamed, hunting everywhere for that mark-buoy--without success. - -To seaward the _Swiftsure_, "Peeping Tom" and his sister were still -keeping up their noisy game of "Peep Bo", I spot you!--Bang! No, you -don't! - -But for that, and the gurgling under the bows, and the soft grating of -the engines, there wasn't a sound. Not a sound came from the shore close -to them, not even a dog barked. - -The Sub grew restless. He knew that the two trawlers and the -_Swiftsure's_ picket-boat must already be sweeping through the -mine-field and expecting to see the red light to guide them. - -He swore at the Turks, cursed himself, and above all he cursed "Glaring -Gertrude" and the fort for making the darkness so pitch black round the -picket-boat. - -He steered out towards the opposite shore until he almost ran into the -big search-light's beam, swung her round, and made another "cast", but -the blackness away from the glare and in the shadow of the fort was -absolutely inky. - -No buoy could he find. - -He looked at the luminous face of his wrist watch. "It's getting on for -eleven," he said bitterly. "The trawlers must have nearly finished." - -"There's a light, sir! Look, sir! To seaward!" a man called excitedly. - -"Keep quiet, you fool," growled Jarvis, "or you'll wake them Turks." - -They all looked back towards the mine-field, and saw a small white -light--like a small star twinkling low down on the water--between them -and the _Swiftsure_. - -"The trawlers have finished--that's the signal," the Sub swore angrily, -"and we've not helped them. Go back to the ship, Orphan. Curse it -all!" - -And then at last the Turks woke up. Flash! Bang! Flash! Bang! Guns -began firing one after the other, and the Orphan ducked as he heard -shells whistling through the darkness. - -He could have kicked himself for ducking, because the shells were not -really coming his way, but bursting hundreds of yards beyond the little -white light. It was that the Turks had seen, not the picket-boat. She -had, however, to pass it on her way back. - -"Which side shall I pass the light?" he asked nervously. - -"Keep inside; they won't see us, and they won't hit us if they do--I -almost wish they would," the Sub growled miserably. "Shove her along!" - -As the picket-boat increased speed and approached the light the noise of -shells came much nearer. One especially seemed to be very close, and -burst in the water not a hundred yards ahead. - -"Confound you! Keep your head still; you aren't a jumping marionette," -swore the Sub as the Orphan ducked again. - -"Sorry!" he stuttered. "I try, but I can't help it." - -"Shove her along! Open her out! Let her rip!" roared the Sub. He was -more happy now that there was some danger. - -The picket-boat dashed through the water. She came abreast the white -light, swinging from a pole on a buoy quite unconcernedly. - -"That marks the end of the channel they've swept," the Sub bellowed; but -the Sub was much too interested in the shells which were humming and -shrieking, right over the boat now, some of them bursting as they struck -the sea, others falling in with a "flomp". Another moment and the white -light was left behind, wriggling excitedly as the wash of the steamboat -made the buoy dance. Another hundred yards and they were out of the -line of fire. - -There was a sudden shout from the bows: "Something ahead, sir!" and out -of the darkness came cries and shouts for help. They steered towards -them, stopping engines, and found two men in an almost sinking dinghy--a -trawler's dinghy--one of them trying to paddle with bits of bottom -board. - -They hauled them in and left the boat behind. - -The men were numbed and half dazed. One, a signalman, had a cut on his -head and was bleeding freely. - -"285's blown up, sir; we're the only ones left." - -Neither knew anything, except that there had been a great heave under -their trawler and they'd found themselves in the water, swum about, -found the dinghy, and got into her. One man had started feebly baling -her out with his hands, whilst the other had ripped up one of her bottom -boards and tried to paddle to the ships. - -"She was only a-goin' round in circles and a-drifting inshore," he said. - -They hadn't seen any more of the crew, but the Sub stopped engines and -halloed into the darkness. No answer coming back, he returned to the -_Achates_ at full speed. "Squinting Susan" and "Peeping Tom" had to be -passed, but they and the _Swiftsure_ were still busy with their little -game, and so no one bothered about them. - -Until the Sub brought the news, no one knew of the disaster to trawler -No. 285--not even the second trawler, which had already returned. Some -of the crew of the _Swiftsure's_ picket-boat had seen a sudden glare on -the water---like a flash running along the surface--which they thought -was a shell bursting. Nobody had heard any explosion. - -In case there were any more survivors, the _Swiftsure's_ picket-boat -went back to search the mine-field, and luckily found the skipper of the -trawler and two more men drifting about on wreckage. Even they could -give no definite account of what happened. One thought he heard a -noise; another that he'd seen a flash; they all remembered a great heave -under them and finding themselves in the water. - -And so, in this sad way, the night's adventure ended; and the -picket-boat having been hoisted in, the Orphan, very miserable, -undressed and turned in to his hammock. - -The Sub was wretched. He had not found the mark-buoy, and had done -nothing to help in any way, and he cursed himself for not searching the -mine-field area thoroughly, and for leaving the trawler skipper and -those two men. - -He wished someone would kick him very hard. - - -Next forenoon the Orphan was busy in his picket-boat collecting the -crews of the other trawlers--some men from each--and bringing them -aboard the _Achates_. He also had to fetch from the _Aennie Rickmers_ -her captain--a positively enormous man--and the flying officers, one of -whom was a jovial burly Frenchman with a red beard, very proud of being -called "Ginger". - -On the quarter-deck, officers and men fell in, bare-headed, whilst the -little pale-faced Padre read the burial service for those missing from -the blown-up trawler. - -Nothing more happened that day, but on the Wednesday the wind rose, and -by nightfall was blowing hard--a very black night it was--and at about -two o'clock in the morning an explosion occurred under the bows of the -_Aennie Rickmers_. - -She made signals of distress, and began to sink rapidly by the head. -There had been rumours for some days that two Austrian submarines had -escaped from the Adriatic; it might be a torpedo from one of them, or -perhaps from some Turkish torpedo-boat. Some suggested floating mines; -others that an explosion had occurred inside the _Aennie Rickmers_ -herself. No one knew exactly what had happened. All that anyone did -know, when Captain Macfarlane took the _Achates_ close to her, was that -she was sinking; that her "dago" crew of Levantine nondescripts had -deserted in all her boats; and that her English officers, the flying -officers, their men, and the four wounded from the _Achates_ were left -without any means of saving themselves. - -A most unpleasant hour-and-a-half followed. - -The first the China Doll knew of it was being roughly punched in the -ribs and shaken. He woke to hear men passing from hammock to hammock, -singing out: "Turn out, sir, turn out; submarines about; all hands on -deck, sir!" - -He didn't lie long after that. He was down, had pulled on his trousers, -found a coat and cap, fumbled in his chest until he found his -swimming-collar, and was blowing it up round his neck before he was -really awake. - -Bubbles, whose hammock was slung next to his, had gone to sleep again. -He prodded him feverishly. "Submarines, Bubbles! All hands on deck! -Get your swimming-collar!" he squeaked. - -"Oh, bother! Curse you!" grunted Bubbles. "You aren't pulling my leg? -Oh, hang it!" he grumbled, as he saw all the other snotties tumbling -into their clothes, officers coming out of their cabins into the dark, -crowded "half-deck", and heard the banging down of armoured hatches. "I -do hate this beastly war. Breakfast at seven; then a cold bath at two -in the morning. Beastly!" - -The China Doll went up on the dark quarter-deck and hunted round for -someone to talk to. His teeth were chattering and his knees were -trembling--it was so dark and cold. - -"What's happened?" he asked, stumbling across Uncle Podger. - -"Something blown a hole in the _Aennie Rickmers_, and the Sub's gone -across in the cutter to bring back our wounded." - -"What did it? Was it a submarine?" - -"Don't bother; no one knows. Come and have a look at her." - -He took him round to the other side of the turret, into the wind, and -out in the pitch-black night they could just make out the darker mass of -the hydroplane ship, apparently tipped up by the stern, and a -signal-lamp flashing on board her. They heard shrieks coming from her, -and the China Doll's heart beat fearfully fast. - -Near them, on the quarter-deck, the querulous voice of Dr. O'Neill, the -Fleet-Surgeon, was lamenting that he had ever come to sea. "Mother of -Moses!" he groaned, as "Glaring Gertrude" turned her light towards the -_Achates_ and everybody's face showed up, and the turret and the -superstructure, the masts and the funnels, stood out clearly against it. -"Mother of Moses, they'll torpedo us next if we wait here much longer! -They _must_ see the ship every time that beastly thing passes across -us." - -As "Glaring Gertrude" swept away, and everybody and everything was left -in darkness again, the Fleet-Paymaster's loud, cheery voice bellowed: -"Cheer up, old 'C.D.'; if you have to take to the water, you won't find -any whisky in it!" - -The officers and men standing by tittered, for they well knew that Dr. -O'Neill was a rabid teetotaler, and that "C.D." stood for "Converted -Drunkard". - -"I've never tasted the beastly stuff in my life, and know it you do!" -snapped the Doctor furiously. - -"Sadly lacking in the sense of humour you are, old C.D. What could be -funnier than the whole seven hundred and fifty of us to go drifting -ashore, under those salt-heaps, with swimming-collars round our necks?" - -The Fleet-Surgeon stalked away, muttering angrily: "I hate fools." - -By this time everything that could be done to make the _Achates_ safe, -in case she was attacked, had been done; water-tight doors and hatches -were all closed; the Orphan was under the fore-bridge with his 6-pounder -guns' crews; Bubbles was on the after-shelter deck with his; look-out -men, all round the quarter-deck and fo'c'sle, peered into the darkness; -the Sub had gone across to rescue the wounded men and, if need be, bring -back everybody from the _Aennie Rickmers_, and all the officers and men -who had no jobs to do stood waiting for whatever was going to happen. - -To those who realized what might happen, and who thought it more than -probable that whatever had fired a torpedo at the hydroplane ship--and -by now everybody said it was a torpedo which had blown a hole in -her--would come back out of the darkness, wait for that search-light to -show up the _Achates_, and then take a pot-shot at her;--to those, that -next hour-and-a-half was probably the most trying, and longest, in their -lives. The wind blew so fiercely, and the water was so cold and dark, -that there was very little chance of anyone being picked up once the -_Achates_ did sink, as there was every prospect of her doing--the poor -old ship--once a torpedo got home. - -Fortunately most people have not vivid imaginations, and to go into the -battery during this time no one would have imagined that anything at all -out of the way was happening. The men crowded there, just discernible -by the blue-stained fighting-lights, walked up and down or stood in -knots, smoking, and talking quietly about everything under the sun -except what was going on. It was only when that hateful search-light -passed along the ship, and one saw that practically all these men had -their swimming-collars blown up round their necks, that one realized -that they did know what the next few moments might bring them, and that, -knowing this, they did not worry about it. - -All had been done that could be done; of course, the _Aennie Rickmers_ -and their own wounded messmates aboard her could not be left in danger, -and old "Yellow Beard", as they called Captain Macfarlane, was on the -bridge up there above them. - -So why bother?--and they didn't. - -Uncle Podger, going up on the boat deck--really to get away from the -China Doll, who would worry him with questions--stumbled against someone -crawling on his hands and knees. The search-light sweeping round just -then, he saw that it was Fletcher. "What are you hunting about there -for?" he asked him. - -"I can't find the tortoise, sir," the old man said. "I did not want to -leave him behind if anything happened." - -"He can swim, can't he? You'll be able to hold on to him, and he'll tow -you ashore!" Uncle Podger laughed, and tried to help find "Kaiser Bill", -waiting for "Glaring Gertrude" to come back again and throw a little -light into the corners the "savage" beast most frequented. He left -Fletcher still looking for him, and on his way for'ard to pass the time -with the Orphan, collided with the Pimple stumbling along from the -bridge. - -"She's safe--she's only got her fore compartment flooded---the -bulkhead's holding. Our wounded are coming across in the cutter. The -Captain's sent me to tell the Fleet-Surgeon," and away the Pimple -dashed. - -A few minutes later the cutter with the wounded splashed alongside. -They were hoisted in and taken to the sick-bay. Two of these--Cookey, -the chief cook, and the leading stoker--both of whom had had their legs -smashed, were very big men indeed; and no one who has not had to do it -can imagine the difficulty of handling helpless men of that great size -and weight, and lowering them into, or hoisting them out of small boats -even in daylight. In darkness it is much more tedious and awkward; yet, -abandoned by their crew, and with the ship apparently sinking under -them, the first thing the officers of the _Aennie Rickmers_ and the -French and English flying officers and men did, after they had been -thrown out of their bunks by the force of the explosion, was to get the -wounded ready to be lowered over the side, and, directly the _Achates'_ -cutter had come alongside, to lower them safely into it. This was an -incident of quiet, unostentatious coolness and courage which deserves -recording. It is, perhaps, easy to be courageous at 2 p.m.; at 2 a.m. -it is a very different matter. - -And another thing must be put down. As the first of those two helpless -men was being carried for'ard, an officer--the first he met, and it was -not the Fleet-Surgeon--took off his own swimming-collar, pushed it into -his hands, and disappeared in the dark before he could give it back. - -Shortly afterwards the miserable "dago" crew came screaming alongside -and begged to be taken on board. They were; and they'll never forget -the "feel" of the ammunition boots of the tender-hearted marines who -shepherded them that night into a casemate and locked them up inside. -Then off went the _Achates_ to get out of the limit of "Glaring -Gertrude's" range of vision, and to lose herself in the pitch-black -night, where neither torpedo-boat nor submarine could find her. - -The Sub had been left behind in the damaged ship, to shore up that fore -bulkhead and to keep an eye on it all night. He was as happy as a -"fiddler" to be able to make a good job of it and "wash out" the -recollection of his bad luck and judgment two nights previously. - -The remainder of the Honourable Mess crowded down into the gun-room with -the joyous relief of danger past, demanding sardines, onions, and beer. -They got them, too, at that unearthly hour of half-past three in the -morning, for the purple-faced Barnes and the miserable little messman -knew from long experience what would be wanted, and had spent the last -half-hour preparing for them. It all went down as "extras", so the -messman didn't mind. - -The Pimple brought the news that it was a torpedo-boat that had attacked -the _Aennie Rickmers_. "A signalman saw her dropping astern directly -after the noise--the Navigator says he saw it too," he told them. - -"Have an onion, Pimple?" they jeered. - -The China Doll, at the first rumour of "sharks and onions", had dashed -down from the quarter-deck, entirely forgetting that his swimming-collar -was still round his neck; and they made him keep it there--blown up, -too--so that he had the very greatest difficulty to swallow his fair -share of the food--as for his glass of beer, Rawlinson drank half -that--before the Commander sent the sentry to tell the Pink Rat to "'out -lights' in the gun-room and stop that confounded noise!" - -Then they crept noisily to their hammocks in the half-deck, and, -marvellous to relate, slept like tops. - - -This finally concluded the operations off Smyrna--they were only -intended temporarily to divert the Turks' attention--and a few days -later the _Swiftsure_ and _Triumph_, with the trawlers, were recalled to -the Dardanelles, and the _Achates_ ordered to Port Said to repair her -small damages, leaving "Peeping Tom" and "Squinting Susan" to play "I -spy you" by themselves, and "Glaring Gertrude" to go on counting her -salt-heaps on the opposite shore or not, just as she pleased. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *Off to the Dardanelles* - - -The _Achates_ arrived at Port Said on the 18th March and made fast, head -and stern, to the Senior Naval Officer's buoys, off Navy House. - -It was on this date that the combined French and British fleet made the -attack on The Narrows--the attack which ended so disastrously with the -loss of the _Ocean_, _Irresistible_, and _Bouvet_, and the crippling of -the _Inflexible_ and _Gaulois_. - -A very bad day it was, only relieved by some daring acts of bravery, of -which none so roused the admiration of the whole fleet as the courage -displayed by those destroyers which went alongside the mortally wounded -_Ocean_ and _Irresistible_, and removed their crews under a concentrated -fire from many heavy guns. - -It was magnificent. - -But the _Achates_ lay comfortably at Port Said all that tragic day, -making preparations for repairing the damage caused by the Smyrna -shells, and talking by wireless to her chummy ship the _Bacchante_, -anchored off Suez, at the other end of the Canal. - -Barely six weeks ago the Turks had made their feeble attack on the Suez -Canal, and of course the first thing that the Honourable Mess decided to -do was to visit Kantara and Tussum, where the fighting had taken place. -The Lamp-post had an elder brother on the staff at Ismailia, the Pimple -had a long-lost cousin in an Indian regiment at Kantara, and by dint of -much worrying of these two unfortunate young soldiers, everyone had the -opportunity of visiting these places and picking up a few bullets. - -Anyhow, they had a very joyous three weeks, only slightly damped by the -almost entire disappearance of the damage done by the Smyrna shells; but -a few holes remained in one funnel, and they looked forward intensely to -showing these to their chums in the _Bacchante_. Eventually that ship -came back through the Canal, the _Achates_ followed her outside, and -both of them steamed away to join the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron at -its base at Mudros, the harbour in the island of Lemnos, sixty miles or -so from the end of the Gallipoli Peninsula and the commencement of the -Dardanelles. At last they were to take a hand in "The Great Adventure". - -At two o'clock in the afternoon of the 12th April they both slipped -through the "gate" in the submarine net, and anchored in that great -land-locked harbour. - -It was extraordinarily impressive to see the enormous assemblage of -ships there--both French and British ships of every kind--battleships, -cruisers, destroyers, submarines, huge transports, store ships, -colliers, auxiliaries of all sorts, two white-painted hospital ships, -trawlers, and tugs. - -At the top of the harbour lay the little white town of Mudros, with its -white twin-towered Greek church, and its row of spidery windmills on the -ridge behind it; though the Honourable Mess had not much time to gaze -open-mouthed at all these things, and to grin with pleasure when the -_Bacchante_ anchored in the wrong place and was obliged to shift billet; -because a collier came alongside almost immediately, and down they had -to go, get into "coaling rig", and, for the rest of that bright sunny -afternoon, "coal ship". - - -Everybody knew that the next attack on the Dardanelles would be a -combined naval and military operation, and as transport after transport -came steaming into Mudros harbour, the enthusiasm and excitement -increased. - -Also the Honourable Mess dined their pals of the _Bacchante_, and -proudly showed them the few traces still remaining of the damage done to -the ship at Smyrna. This was a beautiful occasion, because it washed -out all memory of the incident of the "sea-gulls"--not one of them -mentioned it--and also because the _Bacchante_ snotties introduced a -delightful new form of "drag" hunt round the "half-deck", the "drag" -being a piece of decomposed cheese (which they brought with them) and -some Tabasco sauce and Chile vinegar dropped discreetly at intervals. -As a special privilege, the "War Baby" was invited to the "meet", and -the "Youngest Thing in Marine Subalterns" joyfully left the exalted -atmosphere of the ward-room, unbuttoned the trouser-straps under the -soles of his boots--the straps which kept his trousers and their broad -scarlet stripes so beautifully straight--and prepared for the fray. - -Blindfolded, and on hands and knees, these young gentlemen enjoyed a -famous "run"; and though the Padre did object to the "drag" being placed -on the pillow in his cabin bunk, even that did not seriously diminish -their enjoyment. As a matter of fact, it slightly added to it. - -Exactly what part the Navy would take in the approaching "landing" on -the Gallipoli Peninsula no one exactly knew; but when the news came that -men were being told off for "beach parties", and then when the Pink Rat, -Bubbles, and the Lamp-post were ordered to be prepared to land with them -and provide themselves with some sort of khaki uniform, excitement rose -to fever pitch. - -Within half an hour the Pink Rat appeared in the mess in proper -soldiers' kit--beautifully fitting--which, he explained, "he'd brought -out with him in case of accident". - -"If you went to Heaven you'd turn up at the gate, and sign your name in -old Peter's book with a pair of wings on and a mouth-organ!" the Sub -snorted when he saw him; and Uncle Podger suggested that "he probably -had a tail, with a sting on it, and a brand-new shovel, stowed away -somewhere on board, lest, "in case of accident", he found himself in the -other place." - -The whole Honourable Mess concerned themselves with the fitting out of -Bubbles and the Lamp-post. Proper khaki was unobtainable--at that -time--so they dyed their white uniform in Condy's fluid, and as it -shrunk in the process, and the resulting colour was a dirty yellow, -streaked with brown, the effect was not good. - -"Most unsatisfactory!" said Uncle Podger, when they first tried it on -and he saw the Lamp-post's ankles and wrists sticking out far beyond the -ends of trousers and sleeves, and Bubbles hardly able to breathe in his. -"Most unsatisfactory! It will be an insult to the Honourable Mess if -either of you are found 'corpsed'." - -"You mustn't tell them you belong to the _Achates_ when they come to -bury you," the others shouted. "You must promise that!" - -"You're perfect scarecrows," roared the Sub when he saw them--"a pair of -confounded convicts!" - -Everybody laughed at them and devoutly envied them--and they laughed at -each other. - -Rawlinson, who prided himself on being a really great poet, burst out -with: - - "Two little convicts going out to fight, - One had his clothes too short, the other much too tight!" - - -There was a roar of laughter as the Honourable Mess lifted up their -voices, chanting this, and dancing round the quaint pair, whilst -Rawlinson, exhausted with the production of this exquisite couplet, -retired to a corner to think out something which would rhyme with khaki. - -The Lamp-post, grimacing, and trying to twist himself so that he could -get a back view, didn't know or care what he looked like, but said he -felt "like a prize idiot". - -"How nice to feel natural for once, Lampy!" that insubordinate officer, -the China Doll, squeaked. - -This was simply asking for trouble. The two convicts chased him round -the table, just missing him as he dashed out into the half-deck. -Piercing shrieks for help followed, and the others rushed out to rescue -him. - -A glorious scrap followed. - -"At any rate," said the Sub, when they'd come back again to repair -damages, and the Hun had apologized for tearing the Pink Rat's -coat-collar, "you'll both frighten the old Turks. That's one comfort." - - -There were so many things to keep up the excitement during those days of -preparation. The transports, with their cheering loads of British, -Australians, New Zealanders, French, and Algerian troops; the quaint old -battleships from home, the dear old "mine bursters", with their clumsy, -projecting spars and tackle, over the bow, for booming off mines; the -balloon ship practising its funny, yellow gas-bag at the outer -anchorage, and the enemy aeroplanes and their bombs. These last were, -at first, a source of immense delight to the Honourable Mess, but -eventually they became a little sorry for them--they flew so high and -dropped their bombs so very unsuccessfully. - -"How very disappointing!" said the Lamp-post one day. "Just fancy -having brought along those bombs, to drop 'em harmlessly, and then have -to fly back, all that way, without having done any damage." - -He was quite serious about it, and, as a matter of fact, one could not -but feel sorry for the poor chap, up there in his Taube, who, having -expended all his four bombs uselessly, found he had to fly back some -sixty miles to wind'ard, before he could go and "turn in" and try to -forget about it. - -Then, one day, they heard that their old friend the torpedo-boat, down -at Smyrna, had come out to sea and fired three torpedoes at a crowded -transport without hitting her; and by nightfall came the news that she -had been chased, driven ashore, and destroyed by gun-fire. That was -very good "business". - -Next came the order that steel plates were to be built round the -steering-wheels of the steam pinnace and the picket-boat, to protect the -midshipmen and coxswains from rifle-fire. Almost at the same time the -Orphan and the Hun (who was in charge of the steam pinnace) had been -ordered to provide themselves with khaki, and told that their boats -would be required to tow the soldiers to the beaches, on the day of the -grand attack. - -It was a great moment for both of them; and what a mess they made of -their hands and clothes with Condy's fluid, and what prize burglars they -looked when at last they showed themselves arrayed for war! - -Every ship had to supply one or more steamboats, and each ship devised -its own rifle protection. The _Achates'_ boats had a steel plate about -five feet high bolted to the deck, in front of their steering-wheels, -with a narrow, horizontal slit just below the upper edge, so that when -those behind it stooped down under cover they could steer through this. -The ends of the plates curved back a couple of feet, so as to give side -protection. - -Some ships built regular steel boxes with "all round" protection, others -carried the side plates so far aft that they protected men standing in -the stern-sheets; and the snotties in the boats with the least -protection made great fun of those who had more. Probably, among the -hundred thousand men in that harbour, during the days prior to the -landing, the twenty or thirty snotties in charge of these steamboats -were the most supremely happy of all. - - -The Hun and the Orphan went away, several times, and practised towing -the transports' boats. Each steamboat had to tow four of these, one -behind the other. On one day the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers came on board -the _Achates_, and practised climbing down into the boats, down -specially constructed wooden ladders, and were then towed ashore in -twenty-four packed boats, each four being towed by a steamboat, and all -six steamboats steaming in line abreast. - -On another day all the snotties and men "told off" to land as beach -parties, or as crews of boats, were fallen in on the quarter-deck, and -Dr. Crayshaw Gordon, mounting the after capstan, gave them a few words -of advice and instruction in case any of them were hit. - -"Don't frighten them, Doc," the Commander had hinted previously--and he -didn't. He had such a funny way of "putting" things that he had the men -laughing in no time. - -He explained how the little first-aid dressing should be used, tearing -open the cover, showing them the pads to go next the wounds, the pieces -of waterproof to cover the pads, and the bandage to wrap round all. He -held up the safety-pin which is in every packet--held it so that all -could see--and finished up with: "You men will probably come under heavy -fire; some of you will get bullets through you; but if any of you come -back wounded _without_ your safety-pins, there will be the devil's own -row." He had such a quaint, nervous, amusing way of talking, and was so -kind-hearted and so popular with the men, that they grinned and guffawed -with amusement. - -Of those men who stood there that afternoon, fifteen were killed on the -day of landing, and some twenty-five or thirty wounded. - -"Thank God, they have no imagination," Dr. Gordon told the Commander, -"and can't realize what is in front of them!" - -"They simply don't bother to think about it, Doc." - - -On the 23rd April the first move began. Transports crammed with -cheering troops, cruisers, and battleships slipped out through the -"gate" in the net. The _Achates_ spent the night at sea, and anchored -off Tenedos Island next morning. Here were gathered the men-of-war, -transports, fleet sweepers, and trawlers told off for the landings at -the end of the Peninsula. It was a dull, grey-looking day, and a fresh -breeze rising in the morning made the sea choppy, and must have caused -intense anxiety to those in command, because the great landing was to -take place next morning, and unless the sea was absolutely smooth, -boat-work would be much more difficult. - -That afternoon the Sub was ordered to go in the Orphan's picket-boat as -"second in command" of the six steamboats which were to tow the -battalion ashore. He was dumb with delight, and the Orphan almost as -pleased. - -In the afternoon the breeze did die down, and the Turks sent an -aeroplane to see what was going on. It dropped a few bombs from a great -height into the water between the ships, and flew back again. - -Later on, the _River Clyde_ came along and anchored close to the -_Achates_. Poor old _River Clyde_! She was to make her last voyage -that night, with 2000 troops on board, to run herself aground under the -mediaeval castle of Sedd-el-Bahr early next morning, and make her name -famous in the annals of the British Navy and Army for many ages. - -Large square openings had been cut in her side, and under these ran -plank gangways, meeting at the bows, where a hinged platform was all -ready to be lowered into the hopper and the lighters which were to fill -the gap between her stem and the shore. - -Her soldiers were intended to pour out of these openings, along the -planks, down into the hopper and lighters, and so ashore. - -At dusk the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers came on board--old -soldiers all of them. Very silently and quietly they "fell in" on the -quarter-deck and in the batteries, unslung their packs, laid their -rifles alongside them, and were dismissed. - -This was the moment for which the bluejackets were waiting. They had a -great feast prepared on the mess deck, and hustled them down to it. - -Five of the subalterns were grabbed by the Honourable Mess and brought -down to the gun-room; the remaining officers were entertained in the -ward-room. - -"Thank God!" roared the Sub, "I'm coming in with you chaps to-morrow, or -I couldn't face you. Buy up the place--beat the China Doll--break the -blooming furniture--chuck your gear on the deck outside. Bless you, -we'll give you a better dinner than you had in that old transport of -yours. And there's my cabin for two of you--the bunk for one, and a -shake-down for another. Barnes! Barnes! Bring round the sherry, and -tell 'em to hurry up with the dinner." - -Every delicacy the gun-room store possessed appeared on the table. The -soldiers swore it was the best dinner they'd had since they left -England; and the Honourable Mess spun them yarns about Smyrna--by order -of the Sub, who had forbidden them to mention the morrow. - -Dinner over, Uncle Podger took charge or the five subalterns, and -piloted them into the crowded ward-room, where a "sing-song" had already -been started. The Sub, the Pink Rat, Bubbles, the Lamp-post, the Orphan, -and the Hun changed quietly into their war gear. The Sub, the Orphan, -and the Hun climbed down into the two steamboats, went across and made -fast to the trawler which was to tow them and their eight transport -boats (empty) across to the Peninsula during the night. The other three -snotties, laden with leather gear, water-bottles, field-glasses, -revolvers, ammunition-pouches, haversacks with food for twenty-four -hours, and blankets rolled up in their straps, were taken across to the -_Newmarket_--fleet sweeper--along with all the men of the beach parties. - -The sing-song in the ward-room was in full swing as the last crowded -boat pushed off, and up through the open ward-room skylights came the -rousing, roaring chorus of "John Peel", following them in the darkness -until they were almost alongside the _Newmarket_. Many of those who -sang it were singing it for the last time. - - -At ten o'clock the _Achates_ weighed anchor. - -The sing-song went on until nearly eleven, but breakfast had been -ordered at a quarter to four, so older heads suggested sleep. The -"Lancashire" officers were stowed away in cabins, beds were made up for -them on the deck; the ward-room cushions and arm-chairs all helped, and -the men of the battalion lay down on the upper deck, with their heads on -their packs. - -At 3.15 everyone turned out, and half an hour later breakfast was ready -for the soldiers--eggs and a good helping of bacon, bread and jam and -butter to fill up corners, and as much coffee, tea, or cocoa as they -wanted to wash it down. - -This was all the _Achates_ could do for them, and, little though it was, -everyone felt happy that each officer and man of that grand battalion -started on The Great Adventure with a good breakfast under his belt. - -The little Padre, whose gentle soul had been in anguish all that night, -was not the only one who wished that their mothers and wives could know -this. - -At half-past four the _Achates_ stopped engines; the Lancashire -Fusiliers "fell in", and out of the darkness covering an absolute calm, -almost unruffled sea, came the six steamboats and the twenty-four -transports' boats, each with its crew of five bluejackets. - -Into these the soldiers filed, down the long ladders, and in twenty -minutes the last boats had been filled and towed away. - -There are no words which will properly and soberly describe the -admiration felt by the officers and men of the _Achates_ for that -battalion. When the last boat had shoved off, and the transports' boats -and their six steamboats had taken up their stations in line abreast and -began to move slowly away, Captain Macfarlane turned to the Commander -and said gravely: "I've seen, Commander, a good deal of war on shore, -but I have never seen anything which has stirred me so greatly as the -quietness and discipline of those fellows--as the majesty of their -bearing." - -He went up on the bridge, and the _Achates'_ engines rumbled slowly -ahead. - -It was now a quarter to five on Sunday morning, the 25th April, the -greyest of shadowy dawns--the formless clouds were grey--a darker streak -of grey, where grey sea and sky met, was the Gallipoli Peninsula; and -three grey patches, darker still, were the _Swiftsure_, _Cornwallis_, -and _Albion_, close inshore, waiting for the moment to commence -bombarding. - -Behind the _Achates_, like a shoal of minnows, followed the steamboats -and their twenty-four transports' boats; behind them were fleet -sweepers, and looming indistinctly in the distance, as wide as the eye -could pierce, came transports and store-ships in great numbers, the -_River Clyde_ among them. - -On board the _Achates_ the fo'c'sle and after shelter deck were crowded -with officers and men anxiously gazing ahead. - -"You know that R.H.A. officer," the China Doll kept on telling anyone -who would listen to him--"that cheery chap who's going in with them to -make signals. He promised to send me off a Turk's rifle. Wasn't that -decent of him?" - -On the bridge Captain Macfarlane, tugging nervously at his pointed -beard, and standing next to the Commander, muttered to himself: "Thank -God! they had a good breakfast." - -"Every one of them, sir," the Commander jerked out, in the most -matter-of-fact way. - -"There's nothing like having your stomach full to keep up your pluck, -Commander. It makes all the difference." - -"I expect it does, sir. The books say so, at any rate." - -"I know it does," the Captain said, thinking of what he had been through -himself, and turning to speak to the Navigator, busy taking bearings. - - -The thudding of heavy guns broke the stillness, and splashes of flames -lighted up the greyness of the daybreak. - -"Hullo! they've started!" said the Commander. "They're three minutes -late by my watch. I expect the blessed thing is losing again. I'm -hanged if I know what's wrong with it." - -The Great Adventure[#] had commenced. - - -[#] The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps had already effected a -landing beyond Gaba Tepe, 15 miles to the north-east. - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - *The Landing on Gallipoli* - - -For half an hour there was one constant rumbling of guns fired by the -_Swiftsure_, _Cornwallis_, _Albion_, _Prince George_, _Lord Nelson_, and -_Agamemnon_; and shells from the first two of these, bursting in scores -on the last half-mile of the Peninsula, hid it almost continuously under -a cloud of lyddite smoke. - -The six picket-boats steamed in steadily towards this smoke cloud with -the Lancashire Fusiliers behind them, not advancing very rapidly because -the current, flowing out of the Dardanelles, was against them, and the -transports' boats were so heavily laden. - -The crews of these boats had already tossed their oars--four in each -boat--in readiness to pull in to the land when the steamboats should -cast them off. - -The Orphan steered his picket-boat--the fifth boat from the left--with -one hand; in the other he held a half-eaten sandwich. Jarvis stood one -side of him, the Sub the other, all three behind the bullet-proof -protecting shield. Jarvis had slept a little through the night; the -other two had not. - -"Practise stooping and steering through the slit," the Sub ordered. "If -you keep standing up and looking over the top, you'll get a bullet in -your head when the time comes." - -"But there can't possibly be anyone left alive there," the Orphan -protested, as he watched the shells bursting. - -"Just wait! You'll soon find out!" the Sub answered grimly, and -noticing that the picket-boat was forging ahead of the line, sung out to -the stoker petty officer to "ease her". This man was looking out of the -engine-room hatch, just in front of the bullet-proof screen, and popped -his head down to give another twist to the steam-valve. Old Fletcher, -peering out of the stokehold hatch, farther for'ard, thought he, too, -had been told to do so, and also bobbed his head down. - -"Has the tortoise come along with us this time?" the Sub asked. The -Orphan did not know; but Jarvis snorted: "Yes, 'Kaiser Bill's' 'ere all -right; the old 'umbug!"--though whether he meant the tortoise was a -humbug, or the old stoker, he didn't say. - -The picket-boat fell back into line, and the Hun, standing behind his -bullet-proof screen in the pinnace on the right, waved cheerfully across -to the Orphan. - -It was now clear daylight--about a quarter-past five. - -The battleships still pounded the end of the Peninsula, and the six -steamboats drew ahead of the _Achates_, which had now stopped engines. -Behind them followed the trawlers, and the _Newmarket_, fleet sweeper, -with the Pink Rat, Bubbles, the Lamp-post, and their beach parties, and -behind her--far behind--came many transports. - -"There's the _River Clyde_," called the Orphan, pointing away over the -starboard quarter to where she was coming along, very slowly, towing the -hopper and lighters which were presently to bridge the gap between her -bows and the shore. After her, and with difficulty keeping pace with -her, more ships' steamboats towed half a battalion of the Dublin -Fusiliers. - -"That's Cape Tekke--that high end bit, and that's Cape Helles--the -higher cliff to the right, with the white lighthouse 'affair' on top," -the Sub explained. "We've to land in between them. There's a bay -there--'W' beach--underneath that smoke." - -The sun itself had not yet been visible, but now it shot up from behind -a distant ridge, humped like the back of a huge pig, and blazed straight -in their faces. - -"Old Achi Baba," said the Sub, shielding his eyes. "If they get as far -as that to-night, they'll be able to look down on the Narrows and on the -forts there." - -"The Navigator told the Pimple that the soldiers expect to have dinner -at Achi Baba," the Orphan said. "I jolly well hope they will. Isn't -this sun beastly? I can't see where I'm going." - -"Well, don't get too far ahead, and don't look into it," the Sub -growled. "This isn't a race; ease down and give the pinnace a chance." - -They were now about a thousand yards off the smoke cloud which concealed -"W" beach, and the incessant crash of high-explosive shells bursting -there, and on the high ground above it, made the most infernal din. At -this point the two left-hand steamboats diverged from the other four and -steamed towards the rocks under the actual end of the Peninsula; the -Sub, with the remainder, maintained the original course. But "W" beach, -and the scooped-out gully which led upwards to the high ground, and the -cliffs at each side of it were hidden in dense clouds of lyddite smoke -and by a thick morning haze which lay on the water. Unfortunately the -sun, shining over Achi Baba, shone full on this smoke and mist, and -lighted it up to such a dazzling extent that from the boats one could -see nothing whatever of the shore, and judging distances was impossible. - -The boats were now drawing very near their destination, and the Sub had -all the responsibility on his shoulders of judging the moment when to -slip them. A blast from his steam-whistle was to be the signal for all -to be cast off, and Jarvis picked up the whistle lanyard and only waited -the order to tug it. Plunky Bill, in the bows, kept a sharp look-out -for'ard, and every now and then dipped the boat-hook in the water to -find its depth. - -The Sub, his face set and anxious, seized a megaphone and shouted: "Out -oars!" - -The transports' boats' crews immediately dropped their tossed oars into -the rowlocks, and the soldiers in these boats turned round to have a -look where they were going. They had, until then, been sitting stolidly -in the boats with only their packs and the backs of their caps visible, -and this sudden swinging round of heads as the oars dropped, and the -almost simultaneous appearance of five hundred faces, made an -unforgettable sight. Nothing could be seen through the dazzling smoke -and mist. - -"It's twenty to six," the Sub jerked out, looking at his wrist watch. -"We're a few minutes late. We ought to be right there now." - -Not a shot had been fired from shore, and the ship's shells were still -bursting--very close the explosions seemed to be. "They must be able to -see us," the Orphan whispered, nervously peering through the steering -slit. - -Then there was a yell from Plunky Bill: "Stakes right ahead, sir! Only -four foot of water, sir!" Others took up the cry--the crew of the Hun's -steam pinnace had seen them and were shouting and pointing. - -The Sub looked under the bows and saw them himself. - -"We're there!" he roared. "Pull, Jarvis; one long blast! Let go aft! -Full speed astern! Hard a-starboard!" - -The steam spluttered out for a moment--the Orphan thought the whistle -would never clear itself--then it shrieked--the echo came back from the -shore almost immediately, proving how close they must be--splash went -the tow-rope into the water--the other steamboats slipped their -tow-ropes--the stern of the picket-boat swerved to port and trembled as -the screw went full speed astern, and the oars of the transports' boats -splashed madly in the water. - -Not a rifle-shot came from the shore. - -As the picket-boat gathered stern-way, the crowded transports' boats -splashed past on either side; their coxswains, perched in the sterns, -yelling: "Go it: give way! Pull hard! Shove your backs into it!" - -"Good luck to you all!" the picket-boat's crew shouted. - -The soldiers turned round with grim, set faces, their hands on the -gunwales gripping very tightly, ready for the moment when they would -have to jump out. The leading boat wavered; she had come up against the -stakes and the barbed-wire netting stretched between them. These -checked her for a moment, but her weight carried her through, and she -almost disappeared in the very thick and dazzling haze. The other boats -dashed after her. - -In the bows of one--with his machine-gun--was a very cheery subaltern -who had dined in the gun-room the night before, and also his equally -cheery chum the subaltern of Royal Horse Artillery--the brigade -signaller. The latter, as he passed, called out: "Tell your China Doll -I won't forget his rifle." "Good luck!" shouted the Sub, "I'll tell the -little beggar." - -"Turn her round! Take her out to the trawlers!" he roared to the -Orphan. Round the picket-boat swung, and just as she commenced to steam -out there was a shout of "The first one's beached herself, sir! The -soldiers are scrambling out, sir!" And then from behind the haze and -smoke clouds, from both sides and above, there burst out the most -terrific rattle of maxims, and rifles and the bark of something heavier -than either.[#] - - -[#] One-inch Nordenfeldts. - - -The picket-boat steamed out at full speed, whilst stray bullets hit the -water near her and others pinged overhead. The Orphan and the Sub -looked back. They could only see indistinctly through the haze with the -sun on it; they could not see what was happening, but neither of -them--down inside them--could imagine that any men in those crowded -boats could pass through that fire and live. The Orphan held his breath -and gripped the steering-wheel. His heart seemed to stop beating: the -Sub's face was set, and he had bitten his lip. "They're getting it in -the neck--my God, they are!" Jarvis said, as the awful rattling and -banging went on without a moment's pause. - -The steamboats reached the trawlers, a thousand yards or more from that -glare of mist and smoke which hid "W" beach and its tragedy, and there -they waited until, suddenly, first one and then another, then half a -dozen--a dozen transports' boats, some with three oars working, others -with only two, one with only one, scarcely any had all four, came into -view, emerging from the mist, and bullet splashes leapt up in hundreds -around and among them. - -For one horrible second they thought that the boats had been beaten off, -but then they saw that they had no soldiers in them, and knew that, at -any rate, the soldiers had managed to land; the haze still made it -impossible to see what had happened to them. - -Breathlessly the crews of the steamboats, clustering round the two -trawlers, watched these boats struggling off. The boat with only one -oar working, and no coxswain, was turning circles, but drifting slowly -out with the current. The man himself was evidently sitting on the -bottom boards, because only his hands appeared above the gunwales, and -he kept changing the oar from side to side. - -Another boat near this one had two oars working, and they watched the -coxswain in the stern crouching down and trying with his free hand to -make these two keep time. - -Just picture to yourself a stream with a tin floating some ten yards -from the bank, and half a dozen boys, with their caps full of stones, -throwing stones at it as fast as they can. Picture to yourself that tin -with the splashes round it, and you will be able to realize something of -what the Sub and the Orphan saw; only, instead of one tin, there were -sixteen crippled boats--some of them already half filled with dead and -wounded--and the bullet splashes leapt six feet and more out of the -water. - -Then imagine that, instead of a tin, it was a struggling cat the boys -were trying to drown with their stones, and that you were making up your -mind to slip off your clothes, swim in, and rescue it, knowing that the -boys on the banks would throw stones faster than ever, and bigger ones -too, which would really hurt. - -Well, at this moment the Sub decided to steam into the hail of bullets -and rescue those boats. - -He roared out: "We can't sit here doing nothing. Go in and help them!" - -The Orphan, pale and staring, rang "full speed ahead", turned the -picket-boat's bows round, and dashed back towards the boats. The Hun, -yelling and half mad with excitement, followed in the pinnace, and so -did some of the other steamboats. The Orphan hardly knew what happened. -Bullets hit the protecting screen, a chip of wood from the gunwale hit -his cap; splashes leapt up all round him; his ears hummed with the -whistling noise. He remembered hearing the Sub roar: "Go for those two -over there!" and feeling him grip his hand on the steering-wheel to turn -towards the two most crippled boats. He got alongside one--saw Plunky -Bill and another hand get hold of her--had a picture of grey faces -looking up at him from the bottom of her, and a muddle of khaki lying -there across her thwarts; towed her across to the boat with only one -man; saw the Sub get hold of her painter, and then found himself, dazed -and horribly shaky and sick, back again at the trawler. Plunky Bill -came aft, grinning: "There's a 'ole in the funnel, sir, slap-bang -through!" and proudly showed a bullet which he had found lying on the -deck. - -No one who looked into those transports' boats as they were towed -alongside the trawlers will ever forget what he saw: men dead, dying, -and wounded, all huddled and jumbled together on the thwarts of the -boats and on the bottom boards, with legs and arms twisted strangely; -wounded unable to free themselves from the weight of dead bodies on top -of them--those grey, placid faces and sightless eyes which, ten minutes -before, had glowed with excitement as they turned them to the sun; the -blood-stained, torn khaki; the blood-stained water lapping round them, -and the one, two, and in some boats three bluejackets, in their -Condy's-fluid-dyed jumpers, sitting among them, flopping, exhausted, -over their oars. - -In one boat there was a Scotsman, in gold spectacles--not unlike -Fletcher the stoker--a St. John's Ambulance man, and now a Territorial -ambulance orderly. He had already dressed all the wounded in his boat, -and now stepped into another, working away quietly, as if he was doing -it in the accident-room of a hospital. - -"We must get a doctor," he told the Sub; and as the trawlers had not -one, the boats requiring most urgent assistance were towed across to the -_Newmarket_ anchored near. Here the wounded--most of them--received -further treatment. - -There was no time for sentiment. The boats were all urgently required -to take more men ashore; three of them, those with the most dead and -wounded, were told off to take on board the wounded from the others; -bluejackets were told off to take the places of those of the crews who -had been killed and wounded; and then the beach parties, Bubbles, the -Pink Rat, and the Lamp-post, tumbled down into them. Bullets began -flying round them and the _Newmarket_, but no one was hit. "Shove off!" -was shouted; "land them under the rocks to the left of the beach;" and -the Sub and the Orphan towed them inshore. - -There was much less rifle-firing now, but many bullets came over and -splashed round the picket-boat. The mist and smoke had cleared away, and -the _Swiftsure_ was still firing very rapidly at the Turks' trenches on -the edge of the cliff, to the right of the beach, the _Achates_ -assisting with her small guns. Their shells burst along it one after -the other, all along the dark line which marked the trenches, and -scarcely a Turk dare expose himself to fire down at the beach. - -The Sub, as he approached, saw through his glasses two Turks close -together, leaning over and pointing their rifles down at the beach, and -saw spurts of sand fly up where the bullets struck among a line of men -lying prone, half in and half out of the water, in front of lines of -barbed wire. One of the shells from the _Achates_ burst close to them, -and when the smoke had drifted away the two Turks were still -there--motionless--in exactly the same attitude, but their rifles were -sliding down the rocks. He cast off the boats with the beach parties, -and waved to them as they pulled past him inshore. The three snotties -crowded in the stern, and looking up at the cliffs with eyes wide open, -were, however, too excited to take any notice of the Orphan's shout of -"Good luck, you chaps!" - -Back he went to the _Newmarket_, meeting steamboats towing in boats -packed with more troops. Another trip ashore with sappers and "details", -and then he towed those three boats with the wounded to the _Achates_, -where they were taken on board. - -It was exactly half-past seven when he got alongside her, busy firing -her small guns in the port battery, and her for'ard 9.2 turret-gun. - -The Captain wanted to see the Sub, so he climbed up and went for'ard to -the bridge. - -The Orphan, left to himself, was sent off to a transport to tow more -soldiers ashore; and on the way to her he saw, over against the Asiatic -shore and the fort of Kum Kali, the French fleet, the _Jeanne d'Arc_ -with her six quaint, squat funnels, and the Russian _Askold_ with her -five thin, tall ones, and two battleships, all firing very rapidly. - -Behind them lay big transports, and dozens of boats loaded with -dark-coated infantry on their way ashore. - -He reached the transport, got his orders, and steamed back to "W" beach -with a long string of crowded boats behind him. - -It was then, whilst he waited for them to be emptied, that he had the -first clear view of "W" beach and the broad gully leading up to the -green ridge above it. - -No bullets--or only very few--came near him, and he could look on -undisturbed. On the right, where the barbed wire was thickest, a row of -dead Lancashire Fusiliers lay as if they had all been swept by the same -torrent of maxim bullets. He knew that they were dead, because other -men, springing into the water and wading ashore, stepped over them, -looked down at them, and left them. - -Higher up the beach, men were hanging on the barbed wire itself. At -first he thought it was only clothes hanging there; then he saw that -they had been men. Fresh troops were scaling the cliffs; soldiers -advanced up the green slope above, singly and in little groups. Away to -the left, under the rocks, more men clustered; and as some of them -limped along to the boats, some with bandages, some without, he knew -that these were wounded waiting to be dressed. They crowded into the -boats he had just brought ashore, and many were carried down--among -these being a wounded Brigadier shot through the leg. He saw nothing of -Bubbles, the Pink Rat, or the tall, lanky Lamp-post; but he did feel -certain that the landing had been made good. - -Trawlers, loaded with stores, approached as close inshore as they could -get; boats of every description were flocking in, and already the -sappers were lashing pontoons together on the left, under the rocks, to -make a temporary pier. - -Then the boats he had towed in came out to him, and he towed them and -their wounded back to the _Achates_. For the remainder of that morning -the Orphan was employed taking Staff Officers backwards and forwards -between the ship and "W" beach. - -The beach parties had laid down six buoys at about ten yards apart and -some fifty yards from the beach, and had led ropes from these to the -same number of stakes driven into the beach opposite to them. The -intervals between these ropes made waterways into which the big lighters -could haul themselves ashore without colliding with each other. But -there was a certain amount of jostling just beyond the buoys, and the -Orphan had his work cut out, whenever he went near the beach, to prevent -his boat being damaged by the crowds of steamboats "mothering" the big -lighters into position. She had a big rope fender projecting across her -bows, another lashed across her stern, and two lengths of six-inch -"grass" hawser secured all round her side to protect her from bumps; -but, in spite of these, she soon had one corner of her stern crushed, -and her steering gear was jammed. The Orphan managed to take her back to -the _Achates_ safely, and, very sad about it, reported the damage to the -Commander. - -The Commander, at his wits' end for boats, was very angry. - -"I'll take you out of her, Mr. Orpen, if you can't manage her," he said -angrily, but then sent him away to get his boat coaled and watered -whilst the repairs were being made. "You and your crew can come -in-board and get some food," he called after the miserable Orphan. - -So presently he was able to dash down to the gun-room, where Barnes had -some cold meat and pickles waiting for him. He had had nothing to eat, -except a couple of sandwiches, since the previous night, and the sight -of food made him realize that he was ravenously hungry. It was now -half-past one. The China Doll--the only one there--lay fast asleep on -one of the cushioned benches; and he ate his food in peace, with the -burly Barnes waiting on him. He was nearly as hungry for news as he was -for food; but the old marine would not talk or tell him anything. "Just -you go on with your food; there ain't no time for talking," and he gave -him a cup of strong coffee afterwards. "That'll keep you awake," he -said, as he cleared away. - -The Orphan looked at the China Doll and longed to throw himself down on -a cushion and sleep; but heavy firing broke out again, and, too excited -to think of doing so, he went up on the quarter-deck to see what was -going on. - -"Your boat will be ready in half an hour," the officer of the watch told -him. - -The _Cornwallis_, _Swiftsure_, and _Albion_ were now firing at a small -knoll which showed up above Cape Helles, the big cliff half-way between -"W" beach and Sedd-el-Bahr. This knoll was known as Hill 138, and -barbed-wire entanglements round its slopes were plainly visible through -the Orphan's telescope. - -He asked the Fleet-Paymaster and the Navigator, standing on the -quarter-deck and looking through their glasses, what was happening. - -"The Turks still hold it," the Navigator said. "Our chaps are preparing -to rush it when the ships have finished their bit of work." - -"How are they going on down in the _River Clyde_?" he asked. - -"Badly; they've been terribly cut up; haven't landed a man since nine -this morning; something went wrong when they tried to get the lighters -in position under her bows. Look through your glass! You see those -chaps there under the little bank on top of the beach, this side of her; -those are all who are left of some six or seven hundred who tried to get -ashore early this morning. They can't budge; they have been there all -the time. And those are their dead, those brownish lumps scattered -along the beach. Those two transports' boats, stranded under Cape -Helles, drifted there. Every man aboard them was killed before they got -near the shore. They've been drifting about all the morning, and -fetched up on the rocks. Look at that splash jumping up close to the -_River Clyde_--that's another 8-inch shell from the Asiatic shore. They -hit her three times before she took the ground, but have missed her ever -since. Ah! There goes a salvo from the _Prince George_--she's looking -after the Asiatic guns--that'll quiet 'em." - -"Any news from the Australians, sir?" the Orphan asked, feeling horribly -miserable. - -"They and the New Zealanders have done grandly," the Fleet-Paymaster -answered cheerily. "Pushed inland a devil of a way. They'll be across -the Peninsula in no time--with luck." - -No news had come from the French on the Asiatic side. "They seem to be -doing all right," the Navigator said; "but it's precious difficult to -make out what's happening there." - -Some men came through the battery door carrying a stretcher with a man -on it, his face covered with a cloth. They bore it right aft on the -quarter-deck, lifted back a tarpaulin, which the Orphan then noticed for -the first time, laid the body on the deck, drew the tarpaulin over it, -and went for'ard. - -"That's the seventeenth," the Navigator told him; "most of them -soldiers." - -Dr. O'Neill, capless and haggard, came up the after hatchway. "By the -powers that be, but the General has a bad leg!" he said as he hurried -past them on his way to the sick-bay. - -"That's the General you brought off this morning," the Fleet-Paymaster -explained. - -The Sub and the China Doll came up from below, the China Doll just -wakened by the heavy firing. - -"That R.H.A. chap promised to send you off your rifle, China Doll; he -called out to us just before he landed," the Orphan said; but the -Assistant Clerk shook his head sorrowfully. "No, he's dead; he died as -they brought him on board; he and that chum of his are both there," and -he pointed to the tarpaulin. - -"Someone told me," said the Sub, "that the R.H.A. chap got ashore all -right, fixed up his signal things, and sent off one or two messages -before he was knocked over. He was more lucky than a good many of those -there; they never got out of the boats." - -"Why did the Captain want you?" asked the Orphan. - -The Sub took him aside, his eyes very bright. "He'd forgotten why he -sent for me, but then wanted to know if we'd had orders to go after -those crippled boats that time. I told him that we hadn't, but that I -couldn't stand by and do nothing. I thought he was angry; he said that -if the steamboats had been disabled it would have meant a serious delay. -I told him we'd only had a bullet through the funnel and a bit chipped -out of the gunwale. He looked me up and down, tugged at his beard, and -I saw that he was smiling. So that's all right, my jumping Orphan!" - -"Did he know that the Hun went in too?" - -"I told him." - -"What did he say?" - -"Oh, you know that funny, slow way he has of talking when he's trying to -be humorous. He just tugged his beard and said: 'I thought I noticed -that young officer's boat'. Gosh! what a morning it's been!" - -The picket-boat's steering gear having been reported repaired, the -Orphan was sent away again, and kept busy until nightfall, backwards and -forwards between "W" beach and the ships. Once he took Captain -Macfarlane on board the _Queen Elisabeth_, now anchored off the _River -Clyde_, and waited for him whilst the big ship fired salvoes of 6-inch -shell into Sedd-el-Bahr village and the earthwork on Hill 141 above it. -Another time he went alongside the sappers' pontoons, and Bubbles dashed -down to speak to him. "My dear chap, it's a great game; we're having a -ripping time!" he gurgled and snorted, looking a terrible brigand in his -clothes--already very dirty. "Oh, that's nothing!" he laughed, as he saw -the Orphan smile. "We lay in the old Turks' trenches for two blessed -hours this morning. It was a great time. If you get a chance, bring us -in some butter and some sausages--and, my hat! old chap, I'm dry--dry as -a lime-kiln, and my water-bottle's been empty for the last three hours." - -The Orphan had some water in the boat and gave it to him. The next time -he went back to the ship he got a barricoe filled and took it inshore; -but there was too much of a crush for him to go alongside, so the -Lamp-post waded in up to his waist and fetched it. "We've almost run -out of it; all our people gave their water to the wounded, and there are -any amount more coming down now. We've just heard that the Worcesters -have rushed Hill 138, and they and the Lancashires are going to try and -take Hill 141. Yes, there they come," and he pointed up the gully, down -which many stretchers were being carried. He shouted to a couple of the -beach party, and seizing the barricoe of water, they ran it up the beach -towards a little tent under the rocks to the left, with a Red Cross flag -flying near it, and crowds of men in every attitude of weariness -gathered round it. These were all wounded men. - -At this time, about a quarter to five, there was a period of comparative -quiet. The Worcesters had cleared the Turks out of Hill 138, so that -"W" beach was practically free from rifle-fire; and now they and the -Lancashire Fusiliers were forming up to attack the earthwork on Hill -141. This dominated both Hill 138 and "V" beach, where the _River -Clyde_ lay, so that, until it was captured, it was impossible to join -hands with the remnants of the Dublins on "V" beach. A very brave -attempt was made about half-past five to take this earthwork; but the -two gallant regiments were almost exhausted after their hard day's -fighting under a hot sun, and they met more wire entanglements, so -thickly laid, and commanded by such a heavy fire, that they were unable -to advance farther. At nightfall the Turks still held Hill 141, and -separated the troops who had landed on "W" beach from those who had -landed on "V" beach. - -These poor chaps had suffered terribly all day, and still remained -crouched under the low cliff or bank there, unable to move. - -During the fighting for this last hill, the Orphan towed in two -horse-boats with two field-guns and their limbers. They were covered up -with tarpaulins, and he was not certain whether they were English -18-pounders or French 75's. At any rate, the beach parties soon got -hold of them with hook-ropes and drag-ropes, hauled them ashore, and -"man-handled" them up the gully. The Orphan knew, in a general sort of -way, that things were not "going" as well as had been hoped, but he was -kept so busy, and was so fatigued, that by sunset he could hardly keep -his eyes open. Several times he had to hand over the wheel to Jarvis; -but at last, after having spent nearly an hour hunting in the dark for -an important transport which had anchored in the wrong place, he found -himself at nine o'clock back again alongside the _Achates_. - -The Sub, on watch, told him that he would not be wanted for some time. -"Go and get something to eat, and a rest," he said; "you've had a pretty -hard day of it." - -He stumbled down into the gun-room, where he found the Hun fast asleep -with his head on the table. Barnes brought him a glass of beer, and he -swallowed it in one draught. "Give me a biscuit--anything--I'm too -sleepy to eat." - -But Barnes had some sandwiches ready. "Plenty of mustard on 'em--made -'em myself--mustard'll ginger you up. Just you lie down on the -cushions, and I'll stick the plate alongside you." - -The Pimple found him, and wanted to tell him the latest news. The -Orphan told him to "chuck it". The China Doll came in and would have -asked him questions, but the Orphan pretended to be asleep, so he -tiptoed out again like a mouse. Uncle Podger strolled in, smoking his -pipe, and began to play patience. He watched him shuffling and dealing -the cards, and then fell asleep. - -He woke. The corporal of the gangway was shaking him. - -"The Commander wants you, sir." - -He dragged himself up. The gun-room was empty. The alarum-clock on the -notice-board showed a quarter to eleven, and he went up to the dark -quarter-deck, where he found the Commander and reported himself. - -"Oh! there you are, are you? I've been sending all over the ship for -you. The 'wounded' launch is going down to the _River Clyde_; I've no -one else to send with her; Rawlinson has gone away in a cutter and I -can't trust anyone else; the steam pinnace will tow you down, and the -doctors are going with you. I've sent four hands into the launch -already, and she's at the starboard boom; drop her astern and alongside -the port gangway. Hurry up!" - -Still half asleep, the Orphan found this big pulling boat (fitted to -transport wounded, she had been), dropped into her, and five minutes -later brought her alongside. - -The Hun, in the pinnace, came along out of the dark, bumped into her, -and got her painter made fast to the towing-cleat. "They're having a -jolly lively time down at the _River Clyde_!" the Hun called across. - -The Orphan, turning his sleepy head in that direction, listened, and -heard a good deal of rifle-firing, and occasionally the spluttering of a -maxim. - -"Right into it," he thought, and forgot his tiredness. - -Dr. O'Neill and Dr. Gordon scrambled down the ship's side into the -launch; the big chief sick-berth steward came down after them. Bags of -dressings were passed down; and Dr. O'Neill cursed irritably when a bag, -fumbled owing to the darkness, slipped through the hands of the people -on the gangway above, fell into the boat, and only just missed falling -overboard. - -The Commander called down to the Doctor: "Keep the steam pinnace if you -want her." The Sub roared out orders to the Hun, and he started his -engines and towed the launch away from the ship's dark side. - -Six bells struck on board her--it was just eleven o'clock. - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - *The "River Clyde"* - - -The night was not very dark, a pale moon--past the quarter--appeared -occasionally between slowly drifting clouds, and the sea was still quite -smooth. The Peninsula showed as a dark wall rising gradually from Cape -Tekke to the high cliffs at Cape Helles, beyond and under which the -_River Clyde_ lay. - -The Orphan--wide awake now--steered the big clumsy launch, and listened -to the two weary doctors talking of their day's work and the job in -front of them. Dr. O'Neill, the Fleet-Surgeon, had a grievance--he -generally had. This time it was with the Padre and the Fleet-Paymaster. -They had tried to make out a list of the men killed and wounded--the men -who had been brought on board the _Achates_--but the sights and sounds -in that crowded sick-bay, with the for'ard turret-gun firing directly -over it, every two or three minutes, had been too much for them. Their -stomachs would not "stick it". - -"The only job they have, and they can't do it," he growled. "It took me -another two hours getting in all the names and the official numbers on -their identity disks." - -"It was pretty beastly in there, P.M.O., and they've never seen anything -like it," Dr. Gordon said soothingly. "They did their best; the Padre -fainted outside, and the Fleet-Paymaster was sick." - -"Never seen anything like it before! Nonsense! Nor have I! Did you get -them all safely to the hospital ship?" - -Dr. Gordon told him that he had only just returned from doing so. "The -whole thing's silly, confoundedly silly, and this is the stupidest of -all--this trip of ours," the Fleet-Surgeon snapped. - -"It's not much of a joy ride, is it? You must be awfully tired," Dr. -Gordon said in his nervous, self-disparaging manner, as if he too had -not been hard at work the whole day. - -Silence followed for some time, until the steam pinnace, swerving -suddenly to port to pass two trawlers, indistinct in the darkness, -jerked the launch after her and waked the Fleet-Surgeon. "Why the devil -can't that young imp in the pinnace steer properly?" - -The noise of furious rifle-firing coming from Sedd-el-Bahr stopped him -for a moment, but then he went on again with his dismal groan. "A nice -little job at this time of night. Running straight into it we are." - -As the boats had altered course so much to port, they presently found -themselves close under the high cliffs, and whilst being towed along in -front of them, the moon, peeping out for a few moments, made them -conspicuous. - -Dr. O'Neill had just asked angrily: "Why the devil they wanted to go in -so close! Didn't they know the Turks still held the end of them!" when -ping! went a bullet over the stern of the boat and plunked into the -water. - -Another came, and another. - -"Keep down, under cover!" growled Dr. O'Neill, more savagely than ever, -and he and Dr. Gordon, the chief sick-berth steward and the four men of -the crew, sat themselves down in the bottom of the boat. The Orphan, -sitting exposed in the stern-sheets, wished he was ten sizes smaller. - -They were close to the _River Clyde_ now; its dark shape loomed just -ahead of them, and the noise of firing crackled fiercely, tiny spurts of -flame from hundreds of rifles lighting up the water's edge. - -They ran under the starboard quarter and gained shelter; the launch -scraped against a rough wooden ladder and stopped; the doctors scrambled -up it, followed by the chief sick-berth steward; their surgical -dressings and lantern were handed up to them, and they disappeared -through the dark gangway port in the ship's side--one of those ports -which had been cut to allow her troops to pour out quickly. The Orphan -and his crew in the launch, and the Hun in his steam pinnace, were left -to themselves. - -A maxim rattled--fired somewhere from the _River Clyde_ herself; and -when it stopped, Dr. O'Neill's harsh voice could be heard asking: "Where -the wounded were; what he could be expected to do in that damnable -darkness! and calling for a match to light the lantern." A head peeped -out from the gangway port, and a voice called down: "That's not a very -'ealthy spot, mate. The trawlers, what comed for the wounded, were -sniped something 'orrid down there. They 'ad to shove off out of it." - -"We've come for the wounded," the Orphan sang out. - -"Well, you bally well won't get 'em. All that are left are hup on the -hupper deck, and can't be got down whilst this 'ere shooting's going -on--they're quite all right up there--be'ind the bulwarks they are." - -From inside the ship came shouts of: "Put out that light! Curse you! -We don't want any light here!" Evidently Dr. O'Neill had managed to -light it, and was looking round for wounded. - -"They'll begin sniping again--they starts directly they sees a -light--better keep down in those boats. Off they go--I'm 'opping it!" -sang out the man above. - -Ping! Ping! Ping! Three twinkles from somewhere to the right--a -bullet hit the water, another clanged against the pinnace's steel -wheel-screen, another hit the side of the ship just under the ladder, -slid down and fell into the water. - -The Hun, from behind his shield, sang out to the Orphan to know if he -was enjoying himself. The shouts from inside grew louder; then there -was silence. Evidently the lamp had been extinguished. - -The voice from the gangway called down: "'Ave they stopped? Hany one -got a souvenir in 'im?" - -"Where are they firing from?" asked the Orphan. - -"That old castle sticks hout in the sea, this 'ere side," called back -the voice, "and them there snipers 'ave been doin' themselves something -proud." - -The Orphan strained his eyes and could just distinguish, about two -hundred yards away--ahead of the _River Clyde_--the battlemented outline -of the castle walls and, farther to the right, a much more indistinct -and blurred mass sticking out into the sea. This was actually the sea -walls of Sedd-el-Bahr castle, jutting out on a reef. - -No more shots came from there, and there was quietness everywhere for a -few minutes. He began to feel sleepy, but then one or two solitary -rifles rang out on the cliff side of the ship, five or six followed, -thirty or forty seemed to chip in, and, almost before he knew it, a -perfect pandemonium of rifle-fire burst out, making a ruddy glow against -which the stern of the ship and the masts stood out quite plainly. -Presently maxims started on shore, whether English or Turkish he could -not know; and then, up above, from the foc's'le of the ship herself, -several maxims added their voices to the din. The snipers from the sea -walls did not take part in this "show". It died down after a while; a -few crashes of musketry, then a few scattered shots apparently answering -each other, and silence--silence which seemed absolutely -extraordinary--as if it was something tangible. - -What had happened, the Orphan had not the faintest idea. He could only -stay where he was, and hope that Dr. O'Neill would decide something -shortly. - -Presently he heard the Doctor's voice in the darkness: "Steam pinnace! -Steam pinnace!" and the Hun calling back "Aye, aye, sir!" "Go back to -the ship and ask the Commander to send for me half an hour after the -next attack ceases." - -"Right, sir!" and jeering at his pal, the Hun, shoved off and -disappeared back to the _Achates_, drawing a solitary twinkle from the -sea wall of the castle and a solitary bullet which hit the ship's side, -above the Orphan's head. - -In a few minutes a voice called down: "You've got to make fast and come -along inside 'ere--you and your crew," so he clambered up the wooden -steps with his four men. Very willingly he did this, for he was anxious -to be able to say that he had been aboard the _River Clyde_, and he felt -lonely and very exposed, waiting alongside. - -Inside her was absolutely pitch dark; a man who bumped against him could -not be seen. The Orphan heard Dr. O'Neill's voice, and elbowed his way -towards him, stumbling across something which he knew was a stretcher, -but evidently not waking the man asleep on it. - -"Sit down, and keep out of the gangway," Dr. O'Neill snapped, "unless -you want a bullet in you. There's nothing any of us can do. There they -go again, curse them!" as more rifle-firing started, just as it had done -before--one or two shots, then more, then apparently a whole line -blazing away as if they had millions of rounds of ammunition to spare. -This time he heard hundreds of bullets pattering against the opposite -side of the ship, and the glare showed him another gangway port opposite -the one by which he had just entered. - -"It's blocked up with boards, and you can see the light between them," -someone sitting next him said; "and those blighted Turks can see a light -inside here, through them, too." - -This burst of firing died away very rapidly; and as he sat there, jammed -among a lot of soldiers, his eyes gradually became accustomed to the -darkness, and he made out that he was close to a big hatch leading down -into absolute blackness--the hold probably--and that above him was -another hatchway, with a coaming round it, the edges of which stood out -quite clearly against the clouds. A broad wooden ladder--the foot of it -quite close to him--led up to this and, as he knew it must, to the upper -deck, where the remaining wounded lay. The gangway port through which -he had come, showed as a lighter patch than the ship's side, and anybody -moving across it could be just distinguished; but people did not move -across it more than they could help, because a lot of bullets had -already come through it from the sea wall. Under this, his launch -lay--at the foot of the ladder he had just climbed up. Dr. Gordon kept -on talking, evidently trying to pacify Dr. O'Neill, and a man near him -kept rattling something--a ship's lantern it sounded like--so he guessed -that the chief sick-berth steward sat quite near. People conversed all -round him, in a drowsy sort of way, as if to prevent themselves being -nervous or of going to sleep; farther away, hundreds of people seemed to -be snoring. A soldier leant against his back; he knew it was a soldier -because a bayonet kept pressing against his thigh; someone slid down -across his legs, snoring loudly; he pulled up his knees, and the man -went on snoring peacefully; out from a distant corner came the sound of -a man in pain, in his sleep. - -Some men were sitting at the foot of the ladder, and, because he heard -Dr. O'Neill talking to them, he guessed that they were officers. He was -evidently suggesting the possibility of getting down the wounded now -that the firing had died away, but they kept on saying: "They'll start -off again in a minute! It can't be done." Every now and then came the -noise of heavy boots trampling hurriedly across the deck above; a figure -would appear over the coaming, silhouetted against the clouds for a -moment, and then someone would come hastily clattering down the ladder -as if he were glad to get away from there. The whistle of an occasional -bullet over that hatch explained this. - -Another burst of firing broke out, swelled to a perfect fury of noise, -and then subsided just as the others had done. - -During a comparatively quiet interval which followed, several men -scrambled down the ladders. They called out: "Worcesters to go ashore at -once!" and then went back again, screwing themselves over the coaming -and disappearing along the deck. The group of officers stirred -themselves and stood up wearily--a tired, lackadaisical voice kept -repeating "Sergeant-Major! Sergeant-Major!" then seemed to wake -properly, and yelled it out. - -Men began to stir. '"Ere, wake up, Major! You're wanted," came out of -the dark; the sound of a man waking irritably from his sleep, scrambling -to his feet, a long yawn, and then a sharp, decisive "Yes, sir! -Sergeant-Major, sir!" - -"Fall in, the Worcesters! Worcesters! The Worcesters have to go -ashore," the officer shouted. - -"Fall in, Worcesters! Fall in, Worcesters! Fall in! Fall in round the -ladder!" Men all round took up the cry, waking those asleep. Men -cursed and yawned, and yawned and cursed again. - -"Who are you a-shaking of? I ain't a ruddy Worcester," growled someone. -The darkness was full of bustle and noise as the Worcesters dragged -themselves to their feet and groped round for their packs and rifles. -Rifles clattered to the deck; men jostled, cursing, against each other, -and the Sergeant-Major's voice kept calling out: "Come along, lads! -We've got to go ashore! Hurry up, Worcesters! This way, Worcesters! -Fall in near the ladder!" - -Men began humping on their packs. The Orphan--by this time on his feet, -to keep out of the way--had a rifle shoved into his hands. "'Old on to -it, mate, while I shoves my blooming pack on." He helped the man whilst -he secured the webbing-straps. Then a plaintive voice came out of the -dark: "I cawn't find me pack! Where's me pack?" - -There was a titter of amusement as the Sergeant-Major yelled for the men -to help him find it. - -"'Ere it is, you blighted idiot!" someone shouted. "You was a-sittin' on -it." - -"'Elp me on! 'Elp me on!" the idiot pleaded. - -"You'll 'ave to 'ave a lady's maid, that's what you'll 'ave to 'ave. We -cawn't go waiting for you, Bill 'Awkins," bawled the Sergeant-Major; and -to judge by the silly cries of Bill Hawkins, they were strapping him up -too tightly. - -"Where's me rifle? I 'ad it in me 'ands, and now I cawn't find 'e," the -company idiot stammered helplessly; and the man whom the Orphan was -helping chuckled: "'E's a fair treat, that 'ere 'Awkins; 'e can never -find nothink." - -The rifle had to be found. The Captain with the lackadaisical voice was -getting impatient. Matches were struck to look for it. - -"Come along, Worcesters! Get up on deck!" shouted the Captain; and they -began clattering up the wooden ladder, actually bandying jokes as they -disappeared over the coaming, and went pattering along the deck. The -company idiot, who was in a pitiable state of terror lest he should be -left behind, found his rifle at last, and, clutching it, he rushed up -the ladder after them. - -"Now 'old on to it, and don't let it out o' yer 'ands. You'll 'ave to -look arter yerself now," said the Sergeant-Major kindly, as he followed -him. - -Whilst these men had been getting ready, another outburst of firing had -commenced, and the fusillade on shore sputtered furiously. - -"I shouldn't care to have to go ashore, out into that," Dr. Gordon said; -and Dr. O'Neill answered: "I wouldn't go as cheerfully as they seemed -to. Grand chaps those!" - -"That's the first time I've heard him praise anyone," thought the -Orphan. - -Firing died away again, until only an occasional shot broke the silence; -and with that company of Worcesters gone, there was much more room. - -The two doctors talked in a low voice. The Orphan heard Dr. O'Neill say -cynically: "You can't get a night like this in Harley Street;" and the -volunteer reserve doctor laughed, in his funny, nervous manner: "No, I -can't. I expect my old butler wouldn't sleep much if he knew how I was -spending my night. He looks after me as though I were a baby." - -Someone came down the ladder--the Orphan thought he had on a naval -cap--sat with his back against a stanchion, and went to sleep. A man -coming down presently, knocked against him and woke him--a perfect -torrent of oaths, in a very childish voice, following. - -"Why, that's old Piggy Carter from the _Queen Elizabeth_," thought the -Orphan. "I'd know his voice anywhere." He went across and shook him, -for he had fallen fast asleep again. "Carter! You are Piggy Carter, -ar'n't you? I'm Orpen; you remember me?" - -He did; and listened sleepily to the Orphan telling him all about the -shell and splinter holes in the _Achates_ deck and funnel, until Dr. -O'Neill called out irritably: "Stop chattering!" - -"Look here, Piggy, I want to go up on deck and have a look round," the -Orphan whispered; but Piggy said he'd spent all day there, and in the -water, with the lighters, and if the Orphan wanted to go along, more -fool he, and he could go by himself. He--Carter--wanted to sleep, and -didn't want to hear any more of "W" beach, or "X", or "Y", or "A", "B", -or "C", or the whole tomfool alphabet of beaches. - -And he went to sleep, with his back against the stanchion; and the -Orphan, left to himself, sat on some sacks, watched the clouds moving -across the open hatchway, and listened to the firing ashore, the -pattering of bullets against the ship's side, and the snoring of tired -men. - -He went to sleep, and woke in the midst of a tremendous din. There was -a perfect scream of rifle- and maxim-firing. He longed to go on deck, -and wondered whether Dr. O'Neill would see him. Perhaps he was asleep -too. - -There was a new noise now--a much louder boom following a glare which -lighted up the clouds, and then a smaller glare and a lesser sound; -nearer they were, much nearer. "Those are field-guns," he said to -himself; and after listening to them for some minutes, judging the -distances of the different sounds, realized that they were our own guns. -They began firing two shots, one after the other. "Two guns," he -thought; and then felt certain that these were the very same guns which -he had towed ashore that afternoon at "W" beach. He _must_ see what was -going on. - -He wriggled cautiously to the foot of the ladder--Dr. O'Neill's voice -didn't call out to him--he went up it on hands and feet. As he reached -the top a bullet whistled by; he ducked, and threw himself over the -coaming, clung there, found himself on deck--the noise seemed louder -there--and doubled himself up as he ran across to the shelter of the -bulwark. He waited for half a minute to pull himself together, and then -drew himself up and peered over. - -Right in front of him was the dark mass of the cliffs--they seemed to be -not 200 yards away--and twinkles of flame sparkled out all along the -tops of them. As he looked, there was the glare of a field-gun flash -which outlined the whole cliffs--the crash--and then a glare farther -inland, and a fainter report of a shrapnel bursting. For an instant he -saw before him a narrow strip of beach with a dark shadow above it. -Then it was dark again; but all along it, all the time, spurts of -rifle-flame, ten times as distinct and large as those twinkles of the -Turks' rifles on the cliff, marked an irregular, uneven line, where he -knew our own troops must be--those Worcesters, who had just landed, -probably among them. - -A little to the right, down in the centre of that spluttering line of -flashes, there was a regular spout of flame--a maxim was rattling; -farther away inland, twinkles darted out everywhere--the whole air -seemed full of noises. Then he jumped nervously, for suddenly two or -three maxims at the other end--from the bows of the _River -Clyde_--opened fire at something or other, just as they had done before. -He could see nothing moving; it was all very uncanny, and fearfully -exciting. He forgot that bullets occasionally pinged overhead or -splattered against the side of the ship, and waited there until that -attack had been beaten off--or perhaps, after all, it had been a false -alarm--and gradually first the maxims, then the volleys, then the -individual firing died down, and left only a few snipers trying to find -each other. - -Then he had time to look round the deck. Close to him he saw -something--some queer shape--moving in the shadow of the bulwark, and he -put out his hand and felt the rough hair and the long, smooth ears which -could only have belonged to a donkey. There were two of them, both tied -up behind a little deck-house. They were glad for anyone to touch them; -they nosed at him, as if he gave them comfort, and stamped their little -feet on the deck to show their pleasure, and to make him understand how -they wanted to be taken on shore. - -He gave them each a friendly pat and scratched their ears, wondering -what they were doing there. - -But what he wanted to see were those maxims, away at the other end of -the ship; to be actually behind them when they next opened fire, and to -find out what was happening, and what they were firing at. So he crept -along the deck, along a row of stretchers, with shapeless forms on them, -lying close under the bulwark. One or two groaned, but they all seemed -to be asleep, and then he gained the entrance to the dark passage or -alley-way under the superstructure. In it a man was smoking--he saw the -glowing end of his cigarette. - -"Can I get along here?" the Orphan asked. "I want to get to the -maxims." - -A rough Yorkshire voice told him the passage was full of people asleep. -"You'd be doing better to go up along; keep away t'other side, it's -safer so." - -So the Orphan retreated, crossed the open deck in front of the mast and -cargo winch, found the ladder leading to the superstructure, and was -just going up it, to the shelter of the starboard side of the -deck-house, when he saw a stooping figure bending over a stretcher, and -Dr. O'Neill's harsh voice growled out: "Here, you! come and lend a hand. -Lift that corner of the stretcher." - -A wounded man lay on it, very heavily asleep; and as the Orphan lifted, -the Doctor pulled free a blanket which had caught under the stretcher, -and spread it over him. - -He had not recognized the Orphan, who promptly darted up the ladder lest -he should do so, and stop him going to find those maxims. He groped his -way to the ladder, which he knew must lead down to the for'ard "well" -deck; found it, climbed down, and then the fo'c'sle itself was in front -of him, and an iron ladder to climb up. He was up it like a redshank, -and at last found himself right in the bows of the _River Clyde_. - -Two almost simultaneous glares from the field-guns lighted the clouds -and showed up, for a moment, the high battlemented curtain-walls and the -bastions of Sedd-el-Bahr castle, and showed the fo'c'sle he stood on, -the cables, the capstan winch, some sand-bags piled up in the bows, some -men standing behind them, and three box-shaped structures--two on the -port side and one on the starboard. - -He did not know what these were. - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - - *A Night Attack* - - -The Orphan, holding his breath, crept forward to look over the sand-bags -in the bows, treading on hundreds of empty cartridge-cases which rolled -about the deck. - -Another glare from the field-guns, and he saw that one of the men -standing there, peering through his glasses into the gloom below, was an -officer of the Royal Naval Division--the "R.N.D."--a Sub-lieutenant, -wearing a naval cap with the silver anchor badge. (He actually belonged -to the Armoured Car Section.) - -"Hello! Who are you? Where've you sprung from?" this officer called -out. - -The Orphan told him, and, thirsting for information, asked what was -happening. "What's going on, sir?" - -"I'm hanged if I know." - -"But what were you firing at? Those maxims were firing a minute ago, -weren't they?" he asked, disappointed. - -"Were they?" the Sub-lieutenant repeated to the figure next to him, who -replied dryly: "I fancy I heard them." - -"I feel sure I heard some little noise too, now I come to think of it," -said the Sub-lieutenant jocularly. - -"What are those things?" the Orphan asked, pointing to the two dark, -square, box-like structures along the port side of the fo'c'sle. - -"Come along and see," said his new friend; took him to one, slid back an -iron plate, and pushed him into a little space where three men crouched, -in the darkness, round the breech of a maxim whose barrel stuck out -through a loophole in the front. - -"Quiet little cosy place, that," he heard the Sub-lieutenant say from -the outside. "Come along and we'll shut them in again, or they'll catch -cold." - -He slid the rear plate into place, and led the Orphan back to the maxim -in the bows. "They're comfortable enough in their little boxes, aren't -they? Steel plates all round them, and a steel plate on top--all home -comforts!" - -"But what's going on? Do tell me," the Orphan begged, looking down over -the bows. - -"Would you like to start a battle? I bet you would;" and before the -excited Orphan had time to think what he meant, he sang out: "Get hold -of that gun," and pushed him down astride the tripod. - -Mechanically the bewildered and flustered midshipman gripped the two -handles, and stood by to press his thumbs on the firing-button. - -"Now don't be in a hurry; point the thing over there. No, not there; -that's where our chaps are; they wouldn't like it--beastly 'touchy' they -are; point the other way; that's better." - -The Orphan found himself training the gun towards where he could just -distinguish the biggest and nearest of all the bastions, straight ahead -of the ship. - -"There's the front door of the castle, down there," continued his -friend. "Turks are always coming in or out--lazy beggars they are--they -want 'gingering up'. Wait till those field-guns, up beyond Cape Helles, -fire; then you'll see it; the front door-steps show up white. Ah! there -they go! That's about right! Keep her there! Let her rip!" - -The Orphan, not really realizing what he was doing, pointed the gun -towards a white patch, and jerked both his thumbs against the button. -His eyes were blinded as "tut! tut! tut! tut!" flashed the gun, and the -jar on his unaccustomed thumbs and wrists took off the pressure. - -"Keep her going!" he heard his new friend shout; and setting his teeth -and pressing with all his might, he tried to keep the maxim gun pointing -in the right direction as it shook and rattled, and the empty -cartridge-cases tumbled on to others upon the deck. - -Immediately there were answering twinkles and sparks of rifles--a maxim -somewhere above the castle doorway flamed out--the firing rang along the -length of the beach, was taken on up above the cliffs; hundreds, -thousands of shots were fired, and bullets whizzed over the fo'c'sle of -the _River Clyde_, one or two thudding against the sand-bags. - -"All right; let 'em go to sleep again," the Sub-lieutenant laughed, as -the Orphan's tired thumbs and wrists refused to press the button any -longer and the maxim stopped. In two minutes there was absolute -silence. - -"Well! Enjoy your battle?" - -"Thank you very much!" the Orphan answered, tremendously pleased, and -picking up a couple of the cartridge-cases he had fired, to keep as -curios. - -"What did happen?" he asked as he stood up again. - -"A strong attack on the _River Clyde_ was beaten off with heavy loss, -thanks to the brilliant handling of the maxims under the charge of--what -did you say your name is?" - -"Orpen of the _Achates_." - -"----under the charge of Midshipman Orpen of H.M.S. _Achates_." - -"But there wasn't any attack, was there, sir?" - -"Not as I know of; but it sounds better, and we'll leave it at that," -laughed the Sub-lieutenant. - -He kept on peering into the darkness; he seemed a little anxious, taking -advantage of the frequent glares from the field-guns to look very -closely through his glasses. - -"There's something going on down there--I'm blest if I know what! You -have a look," and he handed the glasses to the midshipman. The Orphan -peered through them, waited for the sudden coming of a glare, thought he -saw figures moving, and said so. - -"So do I; but I can't make out whether they are our fellows or not." - -"Where are our men?" the Orphan asked. - -"More to the left, along the beach--there's no cover just in front of -the bows down there. You see those dark shadows under the bows; they're -the lighters your chaps fixed up. The Turks have some maxims in one of -the bastions of that old castle; they're the guns which did all the -mischief this morning. We've been trying to knock 'em out all day, but -can't seem to get hold of 'em." - -"Was it very bad this morning?" - -"Bad! My God! it was awful. You see those pontoons or lighters--wait -for a flash from the field-guns. Ah! now you see them! By half-past -eight this morning they were actually heaped with our men--dead and -wounded. If a wounded man moved a finger, they filled him with bullets. -Not one man out of three got ashore. They're still lying on them; thank -God, the night hides them! Keep your eyes skinned; I'm certain there's -something going on down there," he added sharply. - -A messenger came from the bridge, climbing the fo'c'sle ladder, and -calling out: "The officer! Where's the machine-guns officer?" - -"Here I am." - -"The Colonel thinks the Turks are going to try and rush the pontoons. -He wants you to 'stand by' with your maxims." - -"All right; let 'em try," and he calmly filled his pipe, struck a match, -the flare of which seemed to the excited Orphan to illuminate the whole -fo'c'sle, and proceeded very slowly to light it; whilst the Orphan -hardly knew whether he was standing on his head or his heels for -excitement. - -"Tell those two guns in the 'boxes' to train on the shore, near the -pontoons, and 'stand by' to fire," the Sub-lieutenant said, casually -giving the order, and sucking at his pipe as though he was thoroughly -enjoying it. - -"I'm certain there are some chaps down there, but we've landed nearly -twelve hundred more since dark, and those may be some of them. I'm -hanged if I know!" - -"Ah, look!" he said quietly, as a glare from the field-guns showed, -unmistakably, a figure approaching the end of the pontoons. "What kind -of a cap has he? The Turks wear a shapeless thing, almost like one of -our Balaclava helmets." - -The Orphan, hugely excited, had caught a glimpse of him, but could not -see the shape of his cap. He was scrambling from one pontoon to the -next, moving about and then disappearing in a particularly dark shadow. -It struck him that the man seemed to be putting his feet down very -cautiously, almost as if he were looking for something and was afraid of -treading on it. - -"He has to move carefully, there are so many dead lying there," his -friend explained. - -"He's going back now," the Orphan whispered. - -"That's rummy; so he is! and there are a lot more other chaps--a whole -mass of them--coming towards him." - -As he spoke a tremendous fusillade broke out on shore, above where the -dark line of pontoons ended and these dark figures were moving, and the -air over their heads seemed to be filled with whistling bullets. Bullets -rattled up against the bows of the ship and smacked into the sand-bags, -one or two pinged against the plates in front of the other two maxims; -rifles began firing from the other side of the ship, from the lower sea -walls. An answering crackle of musketry broke out along the shore to -the left; and as the Orphan ducked his head below the sand-bags, his -friend the officer, not waiting for any further orders, opened fire with -all three maxims, and two more, down on the port side of the fo'c'sle -well deck, joined in as well. - -It was the most furious firing the Orphan had heard since he came aboard -the _River Clyde_. He pushed his hand and arm between the sand-bags, -and tried to look through the gap. Rifles began firing below him, close -to him, and _towards_ him; the men firing them must be on the pontoons -themselves. The Sub-lieutenant saw them; jumped to the gun, yelling, -"Depress! depress! fire on the last two pontoons." A sand-bag was -pulled away to allow the maxim to depress, and it spurted fire and -bullets; left off to correct the depression, and started again. The -Orphan thought he heard shrieks (afterwards he swore he did); those -rifles on the pontoons dropped from twenty or more to three--then to -one--then to none; but the firing behind, up above the bank, went on -more furiously than ever, and the bigger flashes of the English rifles, -along the beach to the left, seemed to be blazing all the time. Two -maxims among them made spouts of flame quite three feet long. - -The din was so terrific that the Orphan could only just hear what his -friend yelled in his ears: "Pretty to watch, sonny; but you'd better -scoot back aft--they may come on again, and that doctor of yours may -want you. Keep your head down, well down, as you go." - -The Orphan, who had entirely forgotten Dr. O'Neill, and would have given -his soul to stay and see the end of this, found himself stumbling down -the ladder from. the fo'c'sle, up again and along the superstructure, -down and along the line of stretchers; bumped into the donkeys at the -top of the hatch, crawled over the coaming, and very gently went down -the ladder, hoping that Dr. O'Neill had not missed him and would not see -him coming back. - -He need not have bothered himself about that. There was a great deal of -confusion down there; orders were being yelled out, men were gathering -at each side of the gangway port, rifle-butts were banging on the deck, -and bayonets snapping on the muzzles. He was pushed out of the way, and -found himself next to Dr. O'Neill and the chief sick-berth steward. He -expected to get a "wigging", but Dr. O'Neill only snarled: "They've -started a silly yarn that the Turks are trying to board along the -platforms--all this silly, stupid fuss--it's confounded nonsense. -You've slept through the last two hours, you lucky little devil!" - -The Orphan was just going to say that it wasn't nonsense, that he had -seen the Turks trying to get across the pontoons to the platform, but he -thought it wiser to keep quiet. He asked the chief sick-berth steward -where Dr. Gordon was. - -"Gone back, sir, an hour ago; a steamboat came along, and the -Fleet-Surgeon sent him back to the ship. I wish he'd sent me. I'd be -just as happy there, sir." - -That snotty--Piggy Carter--was still sitting with his back to the -stanchion, at the foot of the ladder, his chin on his chest, and -snoring. The Orphan thinking that he would love to know that the Turks -were trying to board through the gangway port (about twenty feet away -from him), shook him till he woke, asking: "What's the matter?" - -The Orphan told him excitedly. - -"Oh, bother the Turks! I don't care a tuppenny curse for them; what -d'you want to wake me for?" and promptly went to sleep again. - -For a few minutes everyone was in a state of nerves, expecting at any -moment to see the heads of Turks appearing at that big opening in the -ship's side; the noise of firing, on the other side of the ship, rose to -a perfect frenzy. - -Although the Orphan had seen the first attempt crumpled up, he could not -know what would happen to a second, and felt very jumpy, too; but -presently the firing gradually subsided, and word was passed down that -all the soldiers there were to go ashore. These men unfixed bayonets, -strapped on their packs, and went on deck, knocking against the sleeping -midshipman, who cursed them in his juvenile voice. That was about three -o'clock, and for some time afterwards things were very quiet. The -Fleet-Surgeon, the Orphan, the chief sick-berth steward, and Piggy -Carter snoring against his stanchion, were alone, as far as they could -see although from the dark recesses of the space round them they heard a -great multitude of snores of every variety. The Orphan's launch's crew -had not been seen since they had come inboard, and no doubt four of -those snores belonged to them. - -The Orphan himself dozed off once or twice, but kept on being awakened -by bursts of firing. He did not want to go to sleep, for fear of -missing any of the excitement, so went and leant up against the edge of -the gangway port, only putting his nose out, because bullets were still -coming along from those snipers on the low sea walls which jutted into -the sea on this side. A cool breeze blew in through the port and made a -pleasant "popple" against his launch, which was bumping gently against -the side of the _River Clyde_. It was raining a little, and the cool -drops on his forehead were jolly refreshing. - -Even standing there he could not keep awake; his brain began to lull -itself with the burbling noise of the sea and the boat, until suddenly -the most appalling, panic-stricken shrieks came from overhead, and the -noise of heavy boots trampling along the deck. - -The Orphan, with his heart in his mouth, dashed to the foot of the -ladder, just in time to see a half-naked figure, his chest and neck -swathed in blood-stained bandages, throw himself over the coaming of the -hatchway above him; dragging a blanket after him he came scrambling down -the ladder, yelling that the Turks had boarded the ship and were -bayoneting everyone on deck. There happened to be the sound of many -feet running about overhead at the time, and for a moment the Orphan was -entirely terror-struck--his heart really seemed to stop beating; but the -Fleet-Surgeon, jumping to his feet, seized the man, who was still -yelling, "Save me! save me! the Turks will get me; they're bayoneting -everyone!" cursed him, and told him to lie down in a corner and cover -himself with his blanket. - -With another yell the man tore himself away, shrieked out that "it -wasn't safe anywhere in the ship"; and before the Orphan could stop him, -he dashed to the big gangway port and half-fell, half-slid down the -ladder into the launch. There, in the stern-sheets, he coiled himself -up, covered himself with his blanket, and appeared to go to sleep. - -"Nightmare, that's what's the matter with him," the Fleet-Surgeon said, -a little shakily. "If he prefers to lie there in the rain and the -sniping, he can. Phew! it gave me a bit of a fright." - -Piggy Carter snored peacefully--even through this incident. - -After it, nothing exciting happened for a long time. Occasionally a few -solitary rifle-shots rang out, and sometimes there were rapid bursts of -heavy musketry and volleys. Those two field-guns kept on, at intervals, -all through the night, but by now they were accustomed to them. Dr. -O'Neill, who was trying to sleep, would curse whenever he heard three or -four sniping shots, and then perhaps a volley in reply. "Curse those -snipers!" he would growl; "they'll start the whole lot of them off -again, and I can't sleep." - -Eventually the Orphan must have fallen asleep, for the next time he -remembered anything it was growing dimly light. He looked out of that -big opening in the side, away over the grey water--absolutely still -now--and made out the obscure shape of a battleship, the _Albion_, he -knew. To the left he saw, gradually becoming distinct, the lower walls -and fantastically crumbled ruins of the Sedd-el-Bahr castle stretching -out into the Straits. Putting his head out and looking for'ard, along -the side of the _River Clyde_--rather nervously, because he did not know -that the snipers behind those projecting ruins had been withdrawn--he -saw two great round bastions and a huge curtain-wall with its -battlemented parapet--the main "keep" of the old castle. Down at his -feet the "nightmare" man lay in the launch's stern-sheets fast asleep. - -Inside the _River Clyde_ there was now sufficient light to see that they -had spent the night in a big cargo space, littered with boxes of stores -and ammunition, and quite a hundred men lay there soundly sleeping. By -the Red Cross badges and by the Red Cross marks on the panniers and -store boxes among them, he knew that they were R.A.M.C. orderlies. Two -men with blood-stained bandages lay on stretchers--also asleep--and near -them his launch's crew. On the opposite side of the ship he saw the -planks which filled in the opposite gangway, and close to it a heap of -"something" covered with a tarpaulin. - -Piggy Carter had gone, and so had Dr. O'Neill and the chief sick-berth -steward. - -Everything seemed quiet and peaceful, except for some solitary -rifle-shots which came, every now and again, from the direction of the -cliffs. - -A man walked down the ladder smoking a pipe, and winding a woollen scarf -round his head in turban fashion. The Orphan recognized him as his -R.N.D. friend of the maxims. - -"Hullo, youngster! want a smoke? Try one of my 'gaspers'." - -The Orphan, who was dying for a cigarette, took one and lighted it. -"Did the Turks try again?" he asked. - -The Sub-lieutenant shook his head. "Come over here," he said, and -showed him the holes made by three 8-inch shells in the deck above, and -in the side of the ship where they had gone out. - -"That was when we were coming along here. Lucky they didn't burst, for -our chaps were packed as thick as thieves. One had his head taken clean -off--nothing left of it; two others were killed--we stuck 'em down there -in the hold." - -The Orphan, looking down through the hatch, was glad he couldn't see -them. - -"There are a lot more 'deaders' under that tarpaulin. Come on -deck--your Doctor is 'nosing round' there." - -When they went up the ladder, the Orphan concealed his cigarette in his -hand. But Dr. O'Neill was not worrying about a midshipman, under -eighteen years of age, smoking; he was examining the wounded on the -stretchers lying under the bulwarks, and looked very old and haggard in -the dim light of the dawn. - -The two donkeys seemed horribly miserable, nosing wearily at some dirty -straw and cabbage-leaves on the deck. "Poor little blighters!" said the -Sub-lieutenant. "They've not been really happy since one of those shells -went through the deck between them--look at the hole it made. We've -brought them along with us, from Port Said, to carry ammunition--poor -little chaps!" and he fondled them as they put up their noses to be -petted. - -He was a very restless individual, and seemed not in the least affected -by the strain of the last twenty-four hours. He pointed out the grey -cliffs of Cape Helles. They seemed uncomfortably close, and looked -right down upon the deck. - -"That's where those snipers are--they're there still--I thought -so--d'you hear that?" (a bullet pinged past); "you needn't worry--they -can't shoot for toffee. If we move about and show ourselves, some more -of them will start potting at us. Let's try!" - -The Orphan found himself crouching behind one of the donkeys, but stood -up again as his extremely cool friend laughed at him. - -Dr. O'Neill now sent him to collect a dozen of those sleeping orderlies -and start handing the wounded men, in their stretchers, down the ladder -from the upper deck, and then down into the launch. They were very -sleepy, and not too inclined to stir themselves; but he found a -weather-beaten R.A.M.C. sergeant--a regular "terror"--who soon began -"rousting them up". For the next hour this job kept him busy, his -maxim-gun friend sitting all the time on top of the hatchway, smoking -his pipe contentedly and warning him whenever the snipers from the cliff -became too busy. "Better keep under cover for a bit, sonny," he would -sing out; "your chaps are getting on their nerves." He never shifted -his own position, although he was entirely in view; and after a few -minutes, would call down: "All right; you can carry on!", and the Orphan -and the orderlies would rush up, and start moving more men down. It was -quite safe moving them along, under the bulwarks; but what the Orphan -did not like was taking them across the deck, and lifting them over the -coaming, with the delay there, whilst men standing on the steps of the -ladder took charge of the stretcher. Those cliffs seemed so horribly -near. - -At last they had all been struck down below, and the Orphan was -listening to a very humorous dissertation from his loquacious friend, on -the merits of different kinds of rifles (they were both standing at the -foot of the ladder, and it was broad daylight), when suddenly there was -a roaring noise, followed immediately afterwards by a most terrific -explosion, which made them both quail, and made the _River Clyde_ -tremble as though a mine had exploded under her bows. The youthful -orderlies handing the stretchers down into the launch dashed for cover, -their nerves much "rattled"; but the Orphan and his friend, recovering -themselves, jumped across to the gangway port to see what had happened. -As they did so, the _Albion_--perhaps a thousand yards away--fired one -of the 12-inch guns in her fore turret, and another terrific -thunder-clap crashed out as a lyddite shell burst against one of the big -bastions of the castle. When the smoke cleared away, they saw that the -top half of it had been almost destroyed. - -The R.N.D. Sub-lieutenant grinned. "'Finished' that battery of maxims -they had up there all day yesterday; we couldn't turn them out." The -_Albion_ continued to fire her big shells, and the bursting of the high -explosive against the solid masonry of the castle, not more than 250 -yards from the _River Clyde_, made the most overwhelming and -overpowering noise inside the poor old ship. Some of those youthful -orderlies were very nerve-shaken indeed. - -A steamboat came alongside soon afterwards, and Dr. O'Neill, singing out -that he would borrow her to tow away the wounded, went up on deck. - -The Orphan, very anxious to have another look round, followed him to the -superstructure deck, and there he left him talking to a white-haired -naval Captain in khaki--the Beach-master of "V" beach--and a big, burly, -red-faced man, in very much stained khaki, with Commander's -shoulder-straps. This was Commander Unwin, who had won the Victoria -Cross the day before. - -The midshipman went for'ard to where some army officers and signalmen -were standing watching the shore. From there he saw the foc's'le, the -maxims, and the sand-bags behind which he had crouched. He could not see -the lighters and pontoons because they were hidden by the fo'c'sle, but -right in front of him was the great mediaeval castle of Sedd-el-Bahr, -with its bastion towers--one of which he had just seen demolished--its -curtain-walls, and arched gateway at which he had fired that maxim. -Farther to the right, the height of the walls decreased as they jutted -out into the Straits; they were much battered about, and, in several -places, huge breaches had been blown in them by the ships' guns. Fallen -masonry sloped down from these breaches into the sea itself. Scrambling -along the rocks below the walls, and wading through the shallow water -round the masses of fallen masonry, he saw many of our soldiers. -Officers were evidently forming them up below the breaches; men were -crawling up these slopes and kneeling down in front of barbed-wire -entanglements, which he could plainly see across the top of one breach; -somewhere close by a maxim spluttered, and a few single shots--whether -English or Turkish he did not know--rang out. The _Albion's_ shells -were now bursting some way in rear of these breaches. - -Close to the water's edge, sheltered by some rocks, a dark-blue army -signal-flag began waving to and fro. The Orphan could "take in" Morse, -and spelt out "R-E-A-D-Y T-O A-D-V-A-N-C-E". He heard one of the -signallers standing behind him repeat this, and a tired, weary voice -called out: "Signal to the _Albion_ to cease fire." He heard the rustle -of the Morse flag signalling to the ship; a minute later the signaller -called out: "They've taken it in, sir." - -The weary voice sang out again, in the most matter-of-fact way: "Tell -Colonel Doughty-Wylie to carry on the advance--as arranged;" and, -fearfully excited, he heard the blue flag behind him whipping backwards -and forwards, and saw the blue flag on shore answering. - -Then men seemed to appear in hundreds; they swarmed at the feet of those -breaches, and began dodging and climbing up them. Rifle-fire burst out, -maxims rattled, and the Orphan held his breath to watch what was -happening; but then he was pulled away, and Dr. O'Neill, savage with -rage, ordered him back to the boat. "I've been looking for you -everywhere; now's our chance to get away to the hospital ship." So, -very reluctantly, he went back to the launch. - -As he and Dr. O'Neill were going down the ladder, at the foot of which -they had spent most of such an exciting night, a big man, his face -wrapped in bandages, rushed down after them, and wanted to know if it -was necessary for him to go off to a hospital ship. His tunic was -soaked in blood. - -"I feel all right; I don't want to go," he said. - -"Take off those bandages," Dr. O'Neill snapped, and he rapidly unwound -them. - -Dr. O'Neill sniffed. - -"It's my nose, I think, sir." - -"Hang it, man! you've not got a wound anywhere. Who was the fool who -wrapped you up like that and sent you back?" - -"One of the ambulance men. Can I go back?" - -"Of course you can. Get out of it!" and, intensely relieved, the man, a -magnificently built sapper of the West Riding Field Company, darted up -the ladder on his way ashore. - -"That comes of having half-trained idiots," Dr. O'Neill snapped, as he -went down into the launch. "A stone thrown up by a bullet must have hit -his nose and made it bleed. He looked confoundedly pleased to get -another chance of being killed--the fool. Shove off? Of course you -can! D'you think I want to stay here all day? Tell the steamboat to -take us to the hospital ship." - -So off they went with their wounded, and as the boats cleared the stern -of the _River Clyde_, and the high cliffs came into view, a sniper up -there sent a last bullet pinging over them. He did not fire again, and -in a couple of minutes or so they were out of range, and being towed -towards the crowds of ships of all sorts which were lying off the end of -the Peninsula; the noise of the rifle-firing gradually fading away as -they left it behind. - -It was a perfectly glorious morning--about six o'clock--and the Orphan -was fearfully hungry--too excited still to feel sleepy. As they were -towed across the bows of the _Cornwallis_, she saw the wounded lying in -the launch, and waited for them to pass before firing her fore turret -again--she was shelling Achi Baba. In twenty minutes the steamboat -towed the launch alongside the hospital ship _Sicilia_, and left her -there. - -Dr. O'Neill scrambled up the ladder, and told the Orphan he could come -too. "We may get a cup of coffee," he said, less harshly than usual. - -After the scenes they had just left, the _Sicilia_ was so quiet and -peaceful that when they were taken into her saloon, trod on the thick -carpet, and sank on soft, plush-covered settees, the Orphan fell asleep, -even before his cup of coffee was brought. - -It was after half-past eight when the launch, now emptied, reached the -_Achates_. The Sub was on watch. "You won't be wanted until the -afternoon; go and have a bath, something to eat, and turn into my bunk," -he said. - -Down in the gun-room Uncle Podger, the Pimple, Rawlinson, and the China -Doll were just finishing breakfast. They all shouted questions at him, -and he was also talking and answering them when the Sub came down and -cleared them all out. - -"Leave him alone!" he roared angrily. "Let him have his food in peace -and turn in; he hasn't had any sleep for forty-eight hours." - -"I had a bit last night," the Orphan expostulated; he rather wanted to -tell them about firing the maxim. - -"Do as I tell you." - -"Are things going on all right?" he ventured to ask. - -"I don't know," growled the Sub. "Go on with your breakfast." - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - - *The Beach Party* - - -We must now follow the adventures of the Pink Rat, Bubbles, the -Lamp-post, and the fifty men of their beach party whom we had left being -towed across to the _Newmarket_ on Saturday night. - -On board her had embarked details of Royal Engineers, Army Service -Corps, and a weak company of the "Anson" Battalion, Royal Naval -Division; also a Commander (from another ship) who took charge of the -beach party, and a naval Captain to take charge of "W" beach--to act as -Beach-master there--as soon as the landing commenced. - -This little steamer slowly steamed across from Tenedos Island during -Saturday night, and on Sunday, at daybreak, anchored about twelve -hundred yards from "W" beach, just as the first of the Lancashires -jumped out of their boats on to the shore. Almost immediately -afterwards, stray bullets began to whistle over her or splash in the -water round her. - -The three midshipmen, almost too excited to notice these, stood with -their hands shading the sun from their eyes, trying to pierce the cloud -of smoke and haze over "W" beach and see what was happening beneath it. - -The _Swiftsure_, quite close to them, fired her 7.5-inch guns very -rapidly, and they were spectators of a most beautiful bit of gunnery -work. This ship had already cleared the Turks away from the trenches -running along the edges of the lower cliffs, on the left of "W" beach, -and had driven them over the ridge above; now she began bursting shells -on the higher cliffs, to the right of the beach, and as the smoke cloud -melted and gave her a clear view of them and the little groups of -Lancashires forming up beneath them, her shells, which had been -searching those cliffs in a blind, indeterminate way, began bursting -with the most marvellous accuracy, first in the galleries the Turks had -cut in the cliff face, and when these were cleared, in the trenches -above. Shells from the _Achates_ helped her; but the _Swiftsure_ was -within shorter range and could enfilade them, so that most of the credit -of stopping the murderous fire of rifles, maxims, and nordenfeldts from -this position, and of driving the Turks away, is due to her. This made -it possible for the Lancashires, who had already gained possession of -the top of the low cliffs to the left, to press on across the head of -the gully, and for those still on the beach to advance up it. - -As they advanced, the three tongue-tied midshipmen could see them -plainly, and as they gained ground, so did those shells drop farther -along, always some fifty or seventy yards in front of them. It was -grand and most efficient gunnery, a remarkably fine example of the -co-operation of supporting guns and advancing troops. To realize this -thoroughly, you must put yourself in the place of the men who were -actually firing her guns, and who, looking through their telescopic -sights, could actually see the Lancashires in the lower half of the -field of vision. The slightest unsteadiness, the lowering of a sight by -a hair's-breadth, at the moment when they pressed their triggers, would -have sent a 200-lb. lyddite shell to burst right among them. If there -had been the slightest roll on the ship this feat would have been -impossible, but, as you know, the sea was absolutely calm. - -All the three midshipmen could do was to gaze, open-mouthed, and burst -out with excited "Oh's!" and "Look at that one!" "Look at them there--up -there; those are our fellows!" "There's another shell, just in front of -them! Isn't that grand!" - -Then the emptied transports' boats were towed alongside by the Orphan, -and down into them they and their beach party had to scramble. The boat -in which they found themselves had a pool of blood in her stern-sheets, -and the thwarts and gunwales were smeared with it. They were too -excited to pay any attention to this, because bullets were flying round -the _Newmarket_ pretty thickly at that time, and they had to shove off -as quickly as possible, being towed inshore with the _Swiftsure's_ -shells passing over their heads. - -This beach party was actually the second unit to land, and Bubbles said -afterwards that it was exactly ten minutes past six when he scrambled -out on to a large boulder, and found himself at last in the enemy's -country. As a matter of fact, his watch must have been nearly twenty -minutes slow. - -They landed, without casualties, among the rocks and under the low -cliffs to the left of the sandy stretch of "W" beach, the calmness of -the sea enabling the boats to run alongside, and shove themselves -between the boulders scattered there, without damage. This place was -hardly exposed to fire, and the whole of the beach party scrambled -ashore and reached the foot of the low cliffs without loss. - -Here they were met by a Staff officer, who ordered the Commander in -charge of them to scale the cliff and occupy the trenches along the top. - -The men had brought their rifles; were extremely pleased at the prospect -of getting a shot at the Turks, and climbed up eagerly, throwing -themselves into a broad, shallow trench running along the top. They -waited for a few stragglers and for the men of the "Anson" Battalion, -and then the little party of perhaps a hundred and fifty men trotted up -the slope and towards the right, passing across one or two communication -trenches, many craters made by the ships' shells, and one or two dead -Lancashires. No one was hit in this little "jaunt", although many -bullets were flying past. At last they were told to lie down in a -trench--a deeper one--and remain there. - -It was interesting to see the different behaviour of the three -midshipmen. Bubbles, big and burly, bustled along with his elbows bent, -his head thrown back, a laugh on his face, and his mouth wide open as -usual, his red face perspiring and the collar of his tunic unbuttoned, -charging through the little scrub bushes and running straight, never -looking behind. The Pink Rat, with his eyes bulging out of his head, -dodged and stooped, and set his teeth, very obviously conscious of the -bullets; whilst the Lamp-post trotted along, swinging his long legs, and -looking as little discomposed as if he was at some silly -manoeuvres--possibly he was setting the noise of the bullets and the -ships' shells to music. He was the only one of the three who looked -back, at all, to see how the men were coming along, and to keep his -section in something like order, preventing them from bunching -together--as sailors always will--and steadying those who wanted to run -too fast. - -Once in this trench, the Pink Rat was sent along to make the men spread -out and take cover properly, for again they were "bunching". The -"Ansons", though they were mostly sailors, had had six months' military -training, and so did not want telling what to do. - -Next to where Bubbles sprawled, panting and blowing, was a bluejacket -who, even at this time, had begun collecting "curios", and now showed -with pride a Turkish bayonet and a trenching tool which he had picked up -on his way. "If I'd left 'em there," he told Bubbles, "I'd 'ave never -seed them again." - -From the moment he had commenced to scramble up the low cliffs and then -to trot along the slope above them, Bubbles had been entirely oblivious -of anything except pushing on and saving his breath, but now he was able -to look about him and see what was happening. - -The trench in which he knelt ran almost at right angles to the sea and -the cliff they had just climbed, and whilst the lower portion dipped -into the gully which led down to the sandy portion of "W" beach, the -upper part reached the sky-line formed by the ridge which extended from -the end of the Peninsula, parallel to the sea, above the cliffs. - -He, Bubbles, was almost in the middle of the trench, with most of the -beach party lower down, and the "Ansons" above him. Looking along it -and up the slope, he saw that the sky-line was, here and there, dotted -by soldiers lying prone, and apparently firing inland. Straight in -front of him the ground sloped a little downwards to the gully, to the -ruins of a little house--a farm-building, perhaps--and then gradually -rose again, rising with the higher cliffs beyond "W" beach, till it -reached the spot where the white lighthouse buildings of Cape Helles -stood very conspicuously. There it made another sky-line, perhaps eight -hundred yards away from Bubbles, joining up with the sky-line of the -ridge on his left. Behind, where these two sky-lines met, was a small -eminence, and through his glasses he could see the barbed-wire which -surrounded it. This was Hill 138, still strongly held by the Turks, and -had to be taken before "W" beach could be used in comfort. Looking -downwards to the right--where the gully sloped to the sea--a strip of -"W" beach showed at the foot of the steep cliffs facing him there, with -the galleries and the trenches along the upper edge, from which the -_Swiftsure's_ lyddite and the shells from the _Achates_ had driven the -Turks only three-quarters of an hour ago. - -The green slopes were brown with a maze and network of trenches, -rifle-pits, and shell craters; and beyond these the Lancashire Fusiliers -still advanced towards the lighthouse--pressing forward by rushes of -little groups; men running a few yards, throwing themselves down among -the bushes, and firing; springing up and advancing again. When Bubbles -saw a man fall, he could not know whether he was hit--so naturally did -he fall--unless the line of scattered khaki figures went on and left him -lying there. The _Swiftsure's_ shells screeching over the trench in -which Bubbles knelt, burst continually just in front of them. Firing was -very brisk at this time, both on the ridge to his left and also from the -sky-line near the lighthouse, and the crackling of musketry and the -angry swish of bullets over the trench were almost continuous--minor -noises among the deep, thundering bellow of the ships' guns and the rush -of their shells. The Pink Rat came along the trench, stooping well down. - -"What's going on? What are we supposed to be doing?" Bubbles asked as -he stopped for a moment. - -"Doing support to the firing-line," he squeaked, and hurried along with -a message for the "Ansons". - -Left to himself again, Bubbles looked out across the blue waters of the -Straits to the Asiatic shore and its high mountains fading away in the -distance. The reddish ridge showing on the Asiatic shore was Kum Kali -fort, and under it the French fleet was hammering away at the shore, the -most conspicuous ships being the _Jeanne d'Arc_, with her six funnels, -and the curiously shaped _Henri IV_. Not far from them was the lighter -grey of the Russian _Askold_ and her five tall, thin funnels, lighted by -continuous flashes from her guns--the "Packet of Woodbines" the sailors -called her. Farther away lay the big Messageries Maritimes transports, -the huge _La Provence_, and rows of boats being towed inshore. -Destroyers and French torpedo-boats dashed about; the whole surface of -the sea was a mass of ships--one solitary white-painted hospital ship -among them; and away beyond the lighthouse on Cape Helles--far up the -Straits--Bubbles could hear the heavy guns of the _Lord Nelson_ and -_Agamemnon_, and the 6-inch salvoes of the _Queen Elizabeth_. He could -not see these ships because the cliffs hid them from sight. - -Firing died down, and the Lamp-post came sauntering along, looking -bored, and sat down beside him, with his long, thin legs drawn up, -resting his chin on his knees. "Those are the Plains of Troy," he said, -pointing across the Straits to the belt of green pastures lying behind -Kum Kali fort. "We should be able to see the ruins of Troy itself," and -he got out his glasses, and looked disappointed when he failed to find -them. - -Bubbles watched him with amusement. "Go it, old Lampy, keep your head -in the clouds, and get a bullet in it! Who wants to see your silly old -Troy! let's have some grub. I'm terribly hungry." - -They pulled some stale sandwiches from their haversacks, and commenced -munching them contentedly. - -"I'm jolly glad I'm not the Orphan--out there," said Bubbles, talking -with his mouth full, and waving a half-eaten sandwich across beyond "W" -beach--"pegging away in his old steam bus. I wouldn't be him for -anything." - -"Jolly hard luck on Rawlins to be left in the ship," added the -Lamp-post. - -"Hello! there's a chap badly knocked about--look--dragging himself -towards us through the grass!" The Lamp-post had "spotted" him about a -hundred yards away from the trench. - -"Let's go and give him a hand," suggested Bubbles. - -"Right oh!" said the Lamp-post, pushing his field-glasses back into -their case, and together these two midshipmen stepped out of the trench -and walked towards the man. Only a few stray bullets were coming along -just then. "Hullo! What's up?" they asked the soldier when they -reached him. - -"Got me in the knee," he said--his face ghastly white--as he turned over -on his back, with one leg helpless and that trouser-leg soaked in blood. - -The Lamp-post knew all about "First Aid"--there were not many things he -did not know something about--and the two midshipmen, kneeling down -beside him, lashed his two legs together with his puttees, and began to -carry him back. - -On the way the Lamp-post stumbled once, and the wounded man let out a -groan: "For God's sake be careful!"--but they got him into the trench -and laid him down. Then the Lamp-post crumpled up. "Something gave me -an awful whack when I stumbled," he said; "I believe I'm hit," and put -his hand to his side. - -Bubbles, frightened, made him lie down, and examined him. "There's no -blood outside--I can't find any--oh! but look here!" and he lifted up -the field-glass case. It had a slanting hole right across it, and when -he wrenched out the glasses themselves, the "joining" piece had a ragged -notch in it, and a small piece of torn white metal had been caught in -it. - -"My aunt! Old chap, that's a bit of nickel casing--a bullet hit it--you -_are_ a lucky chap! If you hadn't put those glasses away you'd have -been a 'deader'." - -The two snotties examined the field-glasses eagerly, and passed them to -the men close by. They all looked at the Lamp-post as if they envied -him very much, and Bubbles kept on gurgling: "You are a lucky chap, -Lampy!" - -They hunted to see if there was a bruise under the Lamp-post's shirt, -and were disappointed when they found none. - -"It feels jolly sore," the Lamp-post said as he felt the place. - -"There'll sure to be a bruise to-morrow," Bubbles gurgled excitedly; -"you _are_ a lucky beggar." - -By this time the stretcher-parties were already out, and they handed -over their wounded "knee" man to some of them. The others went up past -the trench towards the firing-line, searching the grass and bushes. The -two snotties watched them moving about. They would go across to a bush, -stoop down, and Bubbles and the Lamp-post would know that a man was -lying hidden there. If someone sat up between them, or they put down -and opened out their stretcher, they knew they had found a wounded man. -If nothing happened, and they went on with their stretcher, still -folded, they knew that it was a dead man who was lying there. - -More soldiers now began coming up the gully, extending in long lines as -they debouched at the top of it. They turned to the left, coming over -the trench, and marching up to the slope behind and to the left. A -bluejacket shouted out: "Who are you, matey?" "Essex!" they called back -as they scrambled past, panting beneath their heavy packs. A youthful -subaltern, struggling under the weight of his, stopped a moment to get -Bubbles and the Lamp-post to hold it up, whilst he pulled the -webbing-straps more tightly. - -"Thanks! that's better," and off he went. - -"Good luck!" they sang out after him. - -Almost directly after this, the order came for the "Ansons" and the -beach party to fall back to the beach. "That finishes soldiering; now -we've got to be labourers," the men grumbled as they straggled down the -gully, helping any wounded they met on the way. - -And now they saw that horrible line of dead, lying at the water's edge, -with the sea lapping round their legs and bodies, and the men hanging -over the rows of barbed wire. - -"It's rotten. It spoils all the fun," said the Lamp-post, as he stepped -across the body of a very finely-made man lying face downwards in the -sand, one hand still gripping his rifle, and the fingers of the other -still dug into the sand. "Look at those bits of firewood in the straps -of his pack. Poor chap! He'll never want them to cook his food with. -It's rather rotten, isn't it?" - -"Don't be an ass," Bubbles said comfortingly. He wasn't much of a -philosopher, and these sights did not affect him. - -It was now about half-past nine, and by this time a large number of -boats, full of stores, had wedged themselves among the rocks--farther -along, where the beach party had landed--and the crews were throwing -them out, shoving off, and going back for more. Army Service Corps men -were already taking charge of them and taking them higher up the beach; -the Sappers were already busy building a pier with casks and pontoons; -and among all this hustle and bustle, the wounded sat or lay huddled up -against the foot of the cliffs, waiting whilst the army doctors went -from one to the other. The first thing that the Lamp-post and Bubbles -had to do was to drive six stakes into the beach whilst six buoys were -being moored, some sixty yards out, in the sea, and then stretch hawsers -from each stake to its opposite buoy--as you have read before. That -took a good hour, and when the big lighters came hauling themselves into -these rope "gangways" they and their men had to unload them. - -Whenever there was not a boat to unload, there were wounded men to carry -down to the empty boats. They were not idle for a moment, and all the -time stray bullets were falling on the beach and occasionally wounding -some of the men there. One of the Lamp-post's "section" got a bullet in -his side and had to be sent off to the _Achates_, but no other of the -beach party was hit that day. However, they were all much too busy to -worry about, or even notice, these bullets, and never had a "stand easy" -until about two o'clock, when they watched the shells from the _Albion_ -and _Cornwallis_ bursting round Hill 138, beyond the lighthouse ridge, -and listened to the _Swiftsure's_ shells screaming overhead again to -burst in front of the advancing Worcesters. They hastily munched a bit -of biscuit and tore off a bit of bully beef, had a pull at their nearly -empty water-bottles; but more lighters coming in, crammed with stores, -they went on with their work. Much heavy firing went on, stray bullets -flipped about in all directions, and by half-past three they heard that -the Worcesters had captured the hill; and, half an hour later still, had -to help the wounded who streamed back down the gully from that gallant -little assault. - -The Orphan brought them in a barricoe of water about this time, but that -the wounded drank. Fortunately, a water lighter was brought ashore and -beached shortly afterwards, and the Sappers pumped the water into a -canvas tank they set up at the water's edge, so they didn't really want -for long. It was rather unpleasant to go and get it, because you had to -pass along and step across those dead men lying there. There was no -time to move these, and they lay where they had fallen, when scrambling -out of the boats, all that day and all the night, until next morning. - -After the Worcesters captured Hill 138, there was very little firing for -some time. Later on, before sunset, the beach party had the joy of -helping to run two field-guns out of horse-boats, and helped to haul -them up the gully with hook-ropes--hauling them almost as high as the -trench they had occupied in the early morning, then hurrying back for -their limbers. - -"What a thing to remember!" the Lamp-post said, patting the -tarpaulin-covered gun, and panting with the exertion of hauling it up -the steep gully. "Fancy helping with the very first gun to land!" - -Dusk came, and night fell grey and calm. Flares--oil flares, the same -as those one sees over a green-grocer's barrow, in a market, at -home--were lighted and placed along the beach. No one had a "stand -easy". - -"What have you got?" would be shouted as a loaded boat crept in through -the dark. "Come over this way--haul on that rope under your -bows--that's better--there's room here." - -Perhaps they were Ordnance stores or Army Service stores--each had to be -kept apart--the coloured stripes on the boxes would be scanned by the -light of a lantern or of the flares. The bluejackets hoisted them on to -the shore, and placed them in separate heaps for the soldier -working-parties to take away to their proper "depots", already formed, -one on one side of the gully, the other on the other side. Hour after -hour this work went on; the men commenced to realize that they were -almost "played out", and, without thinking, would throw themselves down -and rest whenever there was the chance. Rifle-fire grew as the night -went on, and wounded came back with stories of strong Turkish -counter-attacks on the ridge beyond the cliffs. If they had had time to -notice it they would have heard one continuous splutter of musketry, but -they were too tired to do anything except go on working mechanically. - -At about midnight things became serious. Several men on the beach had -been hit by stray bullets, and word was passed round to put out all the -flares; news came that the troops up above were exhausted and running -short of ammunition, and eventually the order ran along the beach: -"Everyone with a rifle to fall in!" - -The bluejacket beach party dropped their boxes and groped for their -rifles, fell in, and were marched by the Lamp-post and Bubbles up the -gully again. The Pink Rat dashed about carrying orders from the -Commander and the Beach-master. - -Those who had no rifles were told to get hold of ammunition-boxes and -find their way up to the firing-line. The position was really serious at -this time, though Bubbles and the Lamp-post were much too stupefied with -fatigue to realize this. - -Once up at the top of the gully, someone gave the order to turn to the -left, and led the beach party up the slope. Things were evidently -pretty lively; the air seemed alive with bullets, and the ridge was -outlined by spurts of flame. They came to a trench running parallel -with, and below, this ridge, and were told to lie down in it. "Line -out, men! You may be wanted to reinforce the firing-trench in front. -Don't fire unless you get the order," and the officer, whoever he was, -disappeared in the dark, leaving Bubbles and the Lamp-post--now -thoroughly awake--to spread their men along the trench. Some of their -friends--the Ansons--joined them, and presently the Beach-master, the -Commander, and the Pink Rat found them too. - -For an hour they lay there doing nothing, Bubbles and the Lamp-post -lying flat on their stomachs, next to a Staff officer at a telephone, -who told them from time to time how things were "going". They both -hoped that the front trench _would_ require reinforcing. - -Then they were taken out of that trench, and brought back to one still -farther in the rear--almost on the edge of the cliffs. The men, losing -interest, coiled up and went to sleep. - -Some time afterwards there were calls for "volunteers to carry up -ammunition"--the firing-line was "shrieking" for more cartridges. - -"Let's go!" the Lamp-post suggested. "We're not doing any good here; we -can carry boxes all right." - -They found the Commander, who gave them leave. "Be careful," he said; -"and you're not to stop up there." - -They scrambled to their right, to the foot of the gully, and found the -stacked ammunition-boxes by marking the line of men who came from them -carrying boxes on their shoulders. - -They seized a box between them. A small man--it was the Beach-master's -servant--was trying to lift one on his shoulder. The three of them took -the two between them--Bubbles gripping a loop of each box--and together -they "lugged" them up the gully. - -At the top stood someone shouting out: "You go straight on along the -edge of the cliff.--Keep along the Turks' trench there, as far as you -can go; that'll take you right.--You go straight up the slope, away from -the sea.--You get along to the left, as far as you can go--keep going -uphill." - -As the Lamp-post, Bubbles, and the little servant came panting up, he -sent them along the edge of the cliff, in the lighthouse direction. -"Hurry along!" he called after them. "Keep along the trench." - -Off they went as fast as they could; an ill-assorted trio, for the -Lamp-post's long legs and the servant's short ones did not keep step. -The little man panted in the rear, but kept on bravely; Bubbles's two -hands soon began to be cramped. - -They found the trench and followed it. The night was almost pitch-dark; -but the rifle-firing ahead, to the left of them, gave an unsteady light, -just sufficient for them to see the dark line of the trench. On their -right, the cool wind blew gently up from the sea and the edge of the -cliffs; it seemed to be humming with bullets. People kept meeting -them--appearing out of the darkness, bumping into them, and -disappearing; all had the same cry--"Hurry up!" as they dashed down for -more ammunition. - -"How much farther?" Bubbles, whose hands were so cramped that he could -not now feel his fingers, called to a passing soldier. - -"A hundred yards," the man shouted as he ran past. - -The Lamp-post caught his foot in something and fell; the box of -ammunition fell out of Bubbles's cramped fingers--fell on something -soft--a dead man. The Lamp-post jumped up, seized the box, hoisted it on -his shoulder, and disappeared ahead; Bubbles and the servant followed -with the other. - -[Illustration: "THE LAMP-POST JUMPED UP, SEIZED THE BOX, HOISTED IT ON -HIS SHOULDER, AND DISAPPEARED AHEAD"] - -They were very near the front trench now; the whole ridge near the -lighthouse and to the left of them was almost continuously outlined by -the flashes of incessant musketry. - -Bubbles panted--his ear-drums were splitting--the little servant was -catching his breath with half-frightened gulps. Then they cannoned -against a bend in the trench, and were going on, when a gruff voice sang -out: "Put it down here! Keep your heads down, damn you! Cut away back -for more!" - -The Lamp-post joined them, breathing hard, and together, empty-handed, -they ran back as fast as the narrowness of the trench and the darkness -would allow them; the noise of the bullets coming along from behind, and -pinging round their ears, making them go faster. - -Those two field-guns began firing just about then, lighting up the whole -place with the glare of their flash, so that they could see, every time -they fired, the trench in front of them, and the "drawn" faces of the -men coming along it with more ammunition-boxes. - -The noise of these guns and their bursting shrapnel was most comforting. -They realized then why it is that soldiers so love the sound of -supporting guns. - -They regained the gully, dashed down it, and got hold of more -ammunition. Each of the midshipmen put a box on his shoulder this time, -and left the little servant to bring up a case by himself as best he -could. On their way along the trench, at a place where it was deep and -narrow, they had to push past two men crouching together. - -"What's the matter? What are you doing?" they asked, taking a breather. - -"We're wounded," they answered in a dull, stupid way. - -"Can you walk?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, don't block up the place. Get away back to the beach." - -When they returned, these two were still there. - -The Lamp-post had tripped over their feet and their rifles, and they -blocked the trench. - -"Where are you wounded?" he asked savagely. - -"In the arm," one said, holding his right arm; the other growled -sullenly that he'd been hit in the shoulder. - -Like lightning the Lamp-post pulled up the man's sleeve and his -shirt-sleeve, and ran his fingers up the arm. He tore open the other -man's tunic, and passed his hand under his shirt and over his -shoulder--felt nothing--felt no blood on his hands--looked at them as a -field-gun flashed, and found none. - -"Get out of it!" he yelled at them. "You're neither of you touched." - -"We ain't 'ad nothink to eat since last night," one of them whined. - -"Get out of it!" the Lamp-post kept yelling. "Go back to your -regiment," and losing his temper completely, as the two men never -attempted to move, struck one in the face--hard; but he was so -absolutely cowed and exhausted that he only uttered a pitiful moan, and -sunk a little farther down in the trench. - -"If you are here when I come back," the Lamp-post hissed, "I'll shoot -the two of you!" and the two snotties doubled back for more ammunition, -passing the little servant staggering along under his load. "I'm all -right, sir!" he gasped as they passed along the trench. When they did -come back for the third time, those two men had disappeared, they never -knew where. They were the only panic-stricken men they saw that day or -night. - -On their third return journey the volume of fire was appreciably -lessening, and they brought back word that no more ammunition was wanted -in that direction. They were sent back to the beach party, and wandered -about for a long time on the exposed slope above the gully until they -stumbled across them, and reported themselves to the Commander. "We took -up six cases between us, and the Captain's servant--that little -chap--took up two at least." Then they flung themselves down beside -their friend with the telephone, who told them that "all was gay". - -Most of the men in that trench were sound asleep, and the two tired -snotties would have fallen asleep too, had not the Pink Rat glided along -the trench to ask them where they'd been and what they'd done. - -"I should have loved it," he kept on saying, "only the Commander -wouldn't let me go." - -They did not altogether believe him. - -Rifle-firing had now dwindled to an occasional shot from some nervous -rifle. The Turks by this time had given up any idea of pushing our -people back into the sea, and only the two field-guns kept up a -monotonous barking all night through. - -Just before dawn the beach party was withdrawn, and staggered down to -"W" beach to commence another day's work; and, later on, Bubbles -overheard one horny A.B. explain to a fat A.S.C. sergeant: "If those -soldier chaps 'ad given way a bit, us chaps would 'ave 'ad a chawnce; -but they 'eld on--the silly blighters!" - -That beach party, ever afterwards, had a grievance. - -Before the men "set to" again, they were given a little time to get -food. Then they started to unload more stores. Stores simply poured -ashore: clumsy bulky things like water-carts--more guns--two 60-pounder -"heavy" guns and their limbers (these were placed in position behind the -ridge, almost at the end of the Peninsula)--reels of telephone -cable--tents for stores--hundreds and hundreds of boxes of -ammunition--balks of timber for piers. - -Horses began to arrive--big fellows for the heavy guns--Clydesdales -perhaps--great lovable fellows with a roguish eye for the beach, which -made the sailors love them all the more. These last they handled as no -one else in the world can handle them. Give a bluejacket anything on -four feet, from an elephant to a pig, and he'll get it ashore all right. -They've got "a way with them", and can coax a nervous horse or an -obstinate mule better than anyone else--or think they can, which is more -than half the battle. Perhaps the whole secret lies in the fact that -they are so accustomed to shifting heavy weights that, if a beast -resists all their blandishments, they know that hauling on to a rope -passed round their "sterns" will work the oracle. - -Luckily, by the time they reached the shore in horse-boats, these poor, -patient creatures had gone through so many extraordinary experiences -that they did not worry much what happened to them. It was grand to see -their pleasure when they felt firm ground once more under their feet -and, when they were taken up the gully, saw grass growing once again. -Mules came--mules in hundreds; but nobody can be really fond of a -mule--not in a passing acquaintance, anyway. - -The Sappers made great headway with their pier of trestles, casks, and -planks--No. 3 Pier--some way to the east of the pontoons they had placed -in position, the day before, and called No. 2 Pier. They also -discovered a freshwater spring at the foot of the cliffs, about two -hundred yards beyond "W" beach. The discovery of this seems now a -little matter, hardly worth recording; but quite possibly it was the -most important event of the twenty-four hours. - -That day, also, the few Turkish prisoners who had been captured, -unwounded, set to work with a will to build a small breakwater, which -eventually became the base of No. 1 Pier. - -The "Howe" Battalion, R.N.D., also began making roadways. - -Work for the beach party became slacker towards night, not because there -was less to do, but because the men were absolutely "played out". -Officers and men had a regular "stand off", after dark, and a proper -meal. They also had time to peg off the site for the naval camp with -ropes, just below the Ordnance Store Depots, and to lay down some strips -of canvas on the sandy ground. They were also put in two "watches", -half of them working for four hours, and the other half working for the -next four, and so on. - -Bubbles, who had the first watch "off", crept under his bit of canvas -and fell asleep in a "brace of shakes", whilst the Lamp-post stalked -back to the beach with his own section of men, and went on working. If -it had been light enough to see that young officer's face, you would -have noticed that his eyes seemed to have sunk back into his head, and -that he kept on biting his lips to keep himself awake. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - - *Off Cape Helles* - - -The movements of the transports, store ships, and auxiliaries of all -kinds were controlled from the _Achates_, and to cope with this work -additional officers had been attached to her. An Admiral hoisted his -flag in her, and brought his Staff, including two Assistant Clerks; -three Captains joined as Naval Transport Officers--"N.T.O.'s"--and round -her gangways hovered, night and day, a restless crowd of steamboats, -picket-boats, and pinnaces--lent for various purposes from other ships. -Each of these steamboats had its midshipman--some of them two, working -watch and watch, twenty-four hours "on", and twenty-four hours "off" -duty--with the result that the Honourable Mess was completely overrun -with strangers. - -With the Pink Rat, the Lamp-post, and Bubbles away _all_ the time, the -Orphan, the Hun, and Rawlins--who relieved these, two in turn--away -_most_ of the time, and the Pimple spending most of his days and a good -many of his nights visiting transports with the Navigator, when that -officer went away to anchor them in their proper places, there was -practically no one left except Uncle Podger, the China Doll, and the -Sub. Now the Sub was in charge of all steamboats; it was his duty to -hoist them out of the water when they required repairs, to get the -repairs carried out as quickly as possible, and then hoist them into the -water again. He also was in charge of all the coaling and watering of -these boats. These duties kept him so constantly employed that he very -seldom spent much time in the gun-room. In fact, Barnes generally left -something in his cabin for him to eat, whenever the opportunity -permitted. - -Of all the Honourable Mess, practically only Uncle Podger and the China -Doll remained and came to meals as before. The result was that, -twenty-four hours after the _Achates_ had anchored off "W" beach, the -mess groaned under the weight of the Barbarians, and the Midianites, in -the guise of tired, hungry snotties from other ships, and the Admiral's -two Assistant Clerks had descended, pretty completely, on the fruitful -land of her gun-room. They crowded down into it in their -Condy's-fluid-stained "ducks"; they lay on the cushions and slept; lay -in the one easy-chair and slept; came in at all hours of the day and -night, demanding food, and drove the patient Barnes and the little -messman nearly off their heads. - -The miserable little rat of a messman, thoughtless of the morrow, and -eager to turn an honest penny just as quickly as he could, produced all -the stores he had laid in at Portsmouth and again at Malta--stores which -had been intended to delight the stomachs of the Honourable Mess for -many "moons": tins of dainty biscuits, cakes, boxes of chocolate and -preserved fruit, bottles of anchovies, jars of bloater and anchovy -paste, jars of Oxford marmalade, and tins of Oxford sausages and of -tongue--and many other rare delicacies, impossible now to replace; and -this insatiable crowd of sojourners realized, like one man, that though -their work was hard and the hours long, their feet were indeed cast in -fruitful and pleasing places. Now the Pimple and the China Doll -worshipped their stomachs with an unswerving devotion, unalloyed by the -pangs of indigestion, so watched these intruders working havoc among the -gun-room stores with feelings of keen agony. They realized, only too -well, the barrenness which would soon fall to their lot, and they -implored the Sub to stop these devastating demands on luxuries and -"extras" before it was too late. Worst blow of all: that one last barrel -of beer wouldn't drip another drop, however hard you blew down the vent. - -But the Sub was so seldom in the gun-room that he did not, for the first -few days, realize the impending danger. It was on the third day, just -as he had received an imploring, urgent order from the Commander, "to -hoist in the General's picket-boat and hack away a coil of rope which -had wrapped itself round the screw and shaft, and get her into the water -again as quickly as ever he could", that he was waylaid by these two -young gentlemen, who rushed to him with anxious faces. "Can't something -be done? It's simply awful! One of the _Lord Nelson's_ snotties has -just had his second box--his second box to-day--of those "chocs" with -walnuts on the top!" - -They ran back much faster than they came; but that very day the Sub had -the whole tragedy brought vividly before him, when, later on, going down -to his cabin for a cup of tea, and feeling he wanted something "tasty", -he ordered a pot of anchovy paste. - -Barnes came back with a long face. "That 'ere rat of a messman, 'e's -been and gone and let all of 'em strange young gen'l'men 'ave all the -han-chovy, sir. 'E ain't got none left, sir, but 'e 'as just one pot of -chicken-and-'am what's gone an' got a bit mouldy. There won't be 'ardly -nothink left of nothink, what with them strange young gen'l'men, and the -young gen'l'men what's gone with the beach parties a-sending off chits -for this and chits for that, as if this 'ere ship was a Lipton's -store-shop." - -"It's just as bad along in the canteen, for'ard, sir," he added -dolefully; "beach parties and all of these stranger boats' crews, -they've just been and gone and raided it, that they 'ave; nothink there -now, scarcely, but penny bottles of Worcester sauce and tins of -blackin'. It ain't 'ardly fair; no, nor it isn't." - -Even Uncle Podger thought things were going too far when one day a -midshipman from one of these ships ordered four tins of Oxford sausages -to be sent down to his boat's crew. - -"It may be very pretty to watch," he said, finding the Sub in his cabin, -"but it's rotten bad luck on us." - -The Sub was worried. "You see, it's like this," he answered; "they're -rather like guests, and we can't be rude to them. But I'll write out a -notice which won't hurt their feelings, and may be some good; we'll -stick it on the notice board." - -He wrote out several; he didn't like any of them, and tore them up, -saying: "We can't be rude, can we?" And then, getting impatient, tore -up the last, and burst out with: "Well, let the blessed things go, and -don't let's worry, Uncle, old chap! You and I aren't particular." - -So things took their course unchecked, till the messman, at the end of -ten days or so, announced to the rapacious throng, and the miserable -Pimple and China Doll, that he had nothing left in his private store -except one bottle of pickles and a bottle of Eno's fruit salt. Even that -pot of mouldy "chicken-and-ham" had been "taken up". - -It is certain that if the Pimple or the China Doll were asked, now, what -went on during the days following the landing of "The Great Adventure", -and what struck them most forcibly, both of them would tell of the -snotty who had eaten two boxes of "walnut chocolates" in one day--the -two last boxes in the messman's store. - -The China Doll would also recount days of unaccustomed toil, when he was -attached to one of the Naval Transport Officers as Clerk, and had to -copy out sailing orders and check lists of arrivals and sailings of -ships; work which frequently interfered with his great delight of -climbing to the main-top, and looking through the range-finder there -(against all orders, it may be said) at the shells bursting on the -slopes of Achi Baba and among the windmills and houses of the village of -Krithia. For the first few days he had felt very proud of his new job, -carried a big correspondence book about with him, and felt himself as -important as those very important young officers, the Admiral's -Assistant Clerks; but as the days wore on, it became monotonous and -irksome. The Captain whom he thus "assisted" was none too gentle with -his mistakes--which were many--and he wished that the old days would -return, when he had nothing to do but sit on the office stool in front -of a ship's ledger, and kick his feet against the bulkhead until Uncle -Podger told him to clear out of it. If only he kicked that bulkhead -hard enough and often enough, Uncle Podger would never keep him long. -It had been such a pleasant kind of a life, and in those days he had -only to run into the gun-room and make some cheeky remark, to be rolled -on the deck and be ragged; but even that was finished; the gun-room was -no longer like home nowadays, for the snotties were mostly strangers, -who took no notice of him if they were awake; and even if the Orphan, -Rawlins, or the Hun happened to be there, they were much too tired to -skylark. With the Pimple, who was more often available, he did not like -skylarking, for the Pimple generally hurt him--intentionally. - -So, what with one thing and another, the China Doll was not entirely -happy whilst he copied out these "silly" orders, and guns thudded from -the ships all round him--guns whose shells he could not always run up on -deck to see burst. - -There was so much to see, and it was so irritating to come out all this -way to the Dardanelles, and then to find that he had to stick in a -stupid office just when some of the most exciting things were going on. -However, he could always make sure of watching a duel between the -howitzers on the Asiatic shore--somewhere behind Kum Kali fort--and the -ship told off to keep them quiet--the _Prince George_ or the _Albion_, -sometimes the _Agamemnon_. At almost any hour of the day he went on -deck, he could make certain of soon seeing a splash leap up, close to -whichever ship was on duty, and then see her fire her 12-inch guns, and -watch till the brownish-red or black clouds flew up behind Kum Kali -ridge as the shells burst, hoping intensely that bits of "Asiatic Annie" -were flying up in it, and wondering what the spotting aeroplane, -circling high above in the blue sky like a hawk, had seen and signalled. - -Then there were the shrapnel bursting behind "W" beach, and the little -shells which sometimes burst there, but, more often than not, only -buried themselves with a little spurt of dust. He would wonder whether -Bubbles or the Lamp-post had been hit, and hoped they had not, because -they had promised to send him off a shell, or anything interesting, as a -curio. And, later on, there were the high-explosive shells, which -sometimes burst in the air over that beach, and at other times burst on -the ground with a horrid noise which frightened him, even where he was, -in the ship, and made him rather alter his mind about going ashore to -see the fun. - -The Turkish aeroplanes, or German most probably--the "Taubes" he had -heard so much of--they came often; and at the first news of "hostile -aeroplane approaching from the north-east" he would dash on deck, and -try to spot them as they appeared over the top of Achi Baba--little -moving spots which he lost sight of, if he was not very careful, until -they came nearer and nearer, and the sun made their wings glisten like -silver. He knew that each carried bombs, and often he could actually -see these little things at the moment they were released from the body -of the aeroplane, to burst somewhere near "W" beach, raising a cloud of -dust and smoke, or drop in the sea among the ships, sending up a rather -silly splash--such a waste of energy. And it was so "ripping" to hear -guns firing at the aeroplane and see the shrapnel bursting. He did so -long to see one crumple up and come tumbling down, but he was always -being disappointed; and when that particular aeroplane had seen what it -wanted, dropped all its bombs--seldom where it wanted--and turned back -up the Straits, the China Doll felt rather miserable. - -Sometimes British and French aeroplanes went up after the Taube, and -chased him to his home up above the Narrows, whilst the Turkish shrapnel -burst round them just as they had done at Smyrna, only making better -shooting as the days went on and their practice improved. - -At first the British and French aeroplanes had their home at Tenedos; -and if they rested, slid down on the open ground close to Helles -lighthouse, flighting back to their island before dark to spend the -night. That, too, was always "pretty to watch", as Uncle Podger would -have said. - -Then the bombardments of Achi Baba and Krithia, on the days that the -troops attacked, gave him intense enjoyment; and sometimes, though not -often, the China Doll, from his post up aloft in the main-top, could -see, through the forbidden range-finder, little groups of khaki figures -darting about among the scrub and the ravines which intersected that -plain, though he could never be sure whether they were British or Turks. -But what excited him most, and kept him in some quiet corner for hours, -holding on to the rigging or a stanchion, stretching his head out in the -dark, and hardly daring to breathe, were the night attacks by the Turks. -The noise of them would wake him, and up on to the after shelter deck he -would slip, in his ragged pyjamas, and watch the glare of the -field-guns, the bursts of shrapnel-flame, the bright star-shells as they -sunk in graceful curves of dazzling white light, and would listen to the -rattle of the musketry and the Maxims, and the fierce barking of the -guns--especially of the French "75's". - -On one of these nights Mr. Meredith found his funny little figure -squeezed up against the rails, close to the life-buoy. - -"Hullo, youngster!" he said cheerfully. "Would you like to be right in -among it all--there on shore?" - -"No, sir! I mean yes, sir! No, sir!" - -"Which do you mean?" he asked. - -"I don't know, sir. It sounds so awful." - -"Well, you'd better turn in. They're packing up for the night now." - -And so the China Doll would patter down the ladder in his bare feet, -listen for a moment at the top of the hatchway to make sure that they -had stopped fighting, and then go back to the dark half-deck and his -hammock, and lie listening until he could not keep awake any longer. - - -In the picket-boat and steam pinnace the Orphan, the Hun, and Rawlins -(who first relieved one and then the other) had never, all that first -week or ten days, six hours' consecutive sleep. - -Steamboats! Why! fifty more would have found plenty to do; and of those -which were actually available, so many were constantly in the Sub's -hands being repaired, or back on board their own ships being repaired, -that those remaining were running practically day and night -continuously. The Hun's pinnace smashed in her stem and stove in her -bows against a trawler on the Thursday, and that laid her up for two -whole days whilst she was being patched. On one of these two days he -took charge of a boat whose midshipman had been killed by a stray bullet -at another beach--"X" beach--round the corner, and on the second he and -the Orphan kept "watch and watch" in the picket-boat. For all practical -purposes their only chance of a rest was when their boats ran short of -coal and water and had to go back to the _Achates_. The job of filling -up with water and coal often took half an hour--time enough to get some -food, sometimes even a bath; more often, all they wanted was sleep. -Occasionally they had a stroke of luck after getting back to the ship, -and might be told that they would not be wanted for an hour, perhaps -longer. Then the Orphan, Rawlins, or the Hun--whoever it was who had -such luck--would coil up on a cushion in the gun-room and sleep, or lie -down on the Sub's bunk--if he was not there--which was more peaceful. -More often than not, something would happen: an urgent signal would come -from somewhere or other, to take a Staff officer "off" from "W" beach to -the _Arcadia_--the General Head-quarters Staff ship---or to tow inshore -a lighter full of stores, urgently needed--bombs, barbed wire, empty -sandbags, whatever it might be; his boat might be the only one -available, and away he would have to go. - -This used to happen day and night, for during those first ten days there -was no relaxation of effort whatever, all the twenty-four hours round -the clock. - -Very often the Orphan had to take his boat alongside hospital ships, and -several times it happened that men climbed down their tall, white sides -and asked for a passage ashore. One of these, on one occasion, was a -stretcher-bearer of the Worcesters, an old soldier evidently. The air, -just about this time, was full of rumours of Turkish atrocities, and -these caused much anger until they were contradicted--as they generally -were--although the contradictions never went the rounds as did the -original rumours. The Orphan had just heard one particular story, -vouched for, of four English--evidently prisoners--having been found -burnt to death in Sedd-el-Bahr castle. So, thinking this man might know -something about it, he asked him. - -"Know about them? I should think I did; all nonsense, that story. They -were burnt right enough--I saw them myself--but so was the wooden -storehouse the Turks had put them in. Everything was burnt, and there -was the base of a 6-inch lyddite shell lying close by them; one of our -ships' shells which had set the place on fire during the bombardment." - -He told him of his own experiences. "Why, sir," he said, "twice the -Worcesters have had to fall back a bit at night, and leave wounded -behind; and at daybreak we got back the ground again and found them all -right, though we never expected they would be alive. 'We thought to -find you scuppered,' we told them--at first, that was; not afterwards. -I remember one--the Sergeant-Major of my company. We found him in the -morning, and we asked him how he'd managed to keep clear of the Turks. -'Keep clear of 'em,' he says; 'keep clear of 'em! why, they crept up -after you'd fallen back, found me in the dark, and gave me water; pulled -me along behind some cover--your firing being so hot--and covered me -with a blanket.'" - -"Then haven't you seen anything wrong?" the Orphan asked. - -"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that; there's a young chap in there"--and -he pointed to the hospital ship--"what has some thirty-five bayonet -wounds--just pricks--in him. They caught him in a trench and did handle -him pretty rough, till he pretended to be dead; then they left him. -He'll be up and about in ten days' time. Then I saw two of those -Senegalese chaps see 'blue murder' one day; but what can you expect?" - -"Are our fellows playing the game?" the Orphan asked. - -"You don't know Bert Smith, he's in my section. Well, he and I was -carrying a wounded Turk in our stretcher, he taking the head, and me -going along in front with his feet, and I notices that he starts -a-jerking his end up and down pretty violent, so I says to him: 'Here, -Bert, what are you a-doing of? you'll hurt the poor blighter!' and he up -and says: 'Poor blighter be darned; he's only a blooming Turk!'" - -"What did you do?" asked the Orphan, smiling at the man's so very -transparent earnestness. - -"I just told him that, Turk or no Turk, he was a-fighting for his home -and country, and it wasn't for us to say he was doing wrong--us who was -trying to drive him out of it--and to go a-hurting of him." - -"He carried him proper like after that, but of course, sir, you don't -know Bert Smith; he's a fair 'card'." - -The Orphan, noticing that he had a blood-stained bandage round his neck, -asked him what he had been doing aboard the hospital ship. - -"They sent me off," the man said indignantly. "Just had a bit of a -clip--went in in front--came out at the back--under the skin--nothing. -I stayed aboard there a little, and then, when the doctors were too busy -to notice, I skipped into the first boat that would take me ashore, and -am off back again. I can do all the doctoring I wants, and they're -getting pretty short of chaps like me up there," and he jerked his thumb -Krithia way. - -During these days the Orphan allowed a good many men to scramble down -from the hospital ships into his picket-boat--men slightly wounded, and -who wanted to go back to their regiments. Many of these were -Australians and New Zealanders, a brigade of whom had been brought round -from Anzac, and had suffered extremely heavy losses in a most gallant -but unsuccessful endeavour to capture Krithia. - -He often had to take his picket-boat into "W" beach when shells were -dropping on it or into the water close by; and these were times when he -had to pull himself together, so that Jarvis and the crew should not -know that he hated it; especially did he dislike the buzzing noise which -just gave him sufficient warning to make him wonder where _that_ shell -was going to hit. He also had an extremely narrow escape one day when -he was taking a General and his Staff officers to "V" beach. As he -approached the _River Clyde_ he saw that some big shells were dropping -close to her, and just before he reached her, swish--sh--sh came along -the noise of one and it flopped into the sea just ahead, fortunately -without bursting. It heaved the bows of his boat right clear of the -water, and the splash that fell over them fell on the deck, the General, -and on his Staff officers. The Orphan's breath came very fast then; but -he could not help laughing as he saw Plunky Bill, who'd been standing in -the bows with his boat-hook all ready for going alongside the _River -Clyde_, turn a complete somersault and disappear, head first, down the -little hatch there. It was such a relief to have something to laugh at. - -One day he was sent to the French flagship--she was probably the -_Suffren_--with a note to the French Admiral, and had to wait on her -quarter-deck for an answer. The Admiral brought it up himself; a dapper -little man he was--all springs--and when he saw the Orphan standing -stiffly to attention, he darted across, laid both his thin, aristocratic -hands on his shoulders, gave him a friendly, encouraging shake, and -talked French to him, the only words the Orphan was able to understand -and remember being: "Ah, mon petit brave! mon pauvre petit garcon!" - -On the way back with the answer he told Jarvis about this. "He called -me lots of things, and he called me 'his poor little boy'--rather cheek, -wasn't it?" In fact, the Orphan rather thought that his dignity had -been hurt. - -"A funny old bird, that 'ere Gay Pratty, sir," Jarvis said. "D'you know -Porter--'Frenchy' Porter, they calls him now--that 'ere leading -signalman what comed from the _Swiftsure_? 'E was lent to that 'ere -French ship for the 18th March--when the _Bouvet_ and _Ocean_ and -_Irresistible_ were 'outed'. 'E tells me that that 'ere little ladylike -gen'l'man was on the bridge all the time, a 'opping about like a -bloomin' sparrow, and wouldn't go down in the conning-tower nohow. They -had shells all over 'em and all round 'em, and Frenchy Porter couldn't -'elp ducking 'is 'ead. Just as a big one come sloshing along--right -over the bridge, it seemed--an' Frenchy 'ad ducked--that 'ere little -box-of-tricks comes up to 'im, a-smiling and as jaunty as you please, -and says to 'im, a-jerkin' 'is arms and 'is 'ands: 'When the noise come, -you duck your 'ead--but then she 'as gone--you are too late'--it ain't -no bloomin' use, or words to that heffect. A great, little gen'l'man, -that be, sir." - -After hearing this story, the Orphan was jolly glad the Admiral _had_ -spoken to him. - -During the days whilst the piers were being built, the weather was -magnificent and the sea quite calm. It never blew at all until the 3rd -May, when a breeze got up from the north-east and swept clouds of sand -off the ridge above "W" beach--a regular sandstorm, which hid it from -the view of the ships for several hours. This fact is very good proof -of the enormous amount of trampling which had converted the green ridge -and gully into a waste of dry sand in only nine days. The wind -increased all the night of the 3rd May, and blew quite hard on the 4th; -and though "W" beach gave a "lee", a very unpleasant swell swept round -the end of the Peninsula, and made the going alongside the pontoon and -trestle pier very tricky work. Lighters empty and lighters loaded broke -adrift, and the Orphan had the job of rescuing several; and in doing so -knocked his picket-boat about a good deal, and stove a hole in her side, -abreast the engine-room, which made it absolutely necessary for her to -be hoisted in and patched. The Commander cursed him for his -carelessness, and made the poor Orphan miserable until Captain -Macfarlane happened to see him. "A day off to-day, Mr. Orpen?" he -asked, with a twinkle in his eye, for he knew what had happened. - -"I knocked a hole in the picket-boat, sir," the Orphan answered -gloomily. - -"Only one?" the Captain said, tugging at his yellow, pointed beard. -"Only one? Why, when I was a midshipman---- Oh! Here comes the -Admiral! I have not time to tell you what I could do in those days in -the way of breaking up boats. Come to my cabin and have tea with me in -half an hour." The Orphan felt a different "man" after that. - -He took the opportunity of his boat being inboard to give her a coat of -paint, which hardly had time to dry before she was hoisted out and back -again in the water. - -Now all this time the Orphan had scarcely set foot on shore, because -whenever he took his picket-boat alongside one or other of the piers at -"W" beach, there was so much risk of her being damaged that he dare not -leave her. He was as wild and harum-scarum a young officer as could be -met with, when not in his beloved picket-boat; but once he took charge -of her he never forgot that he _was_ in charge of her, and responsible -for her safety; and this not because he feared the Commander's sharp -tongue or the displeasure of Captain Macfarlane, but from a very firm -sense of duty, which he would probably have most indignantly denied if -told that that was the reason. - -"Hang it all!" he often said, when Bubbles tempted him "to just leave -your old boat and come along and see our dug-out"; "but, old Bubbles, I -can't, that's all, I'd love to, but I can't." - -However, virtue was rewarded, for when the _Achates_ became "bombarding" -ship, he and his picket-boat were placed under the orders of the -Beach-master at "W" beach. Nothing could have given him greater -pleasure. Whenever she was not actually required for duty, and could -safely anchor off the beach, he lived ashore with Bubbles and the -Lamp-post, and shared their tent, or their "dug-out" if they were being -shelled. He had a splendid time: the best time of the three of them, -for he was away in his boat most of the day, so escaped nearly all the -heavy shells and the abominable pestilential flies; had every other -night "in"--often two or three "running"--and could wrap himself up in -his blanket and sleep splendidly, outside the tent and under the open -sky, with his picket-boat safely anchored a hundred yards off the beach, -with Jarvis in charge of her. - -Probably of all the Honourable Mess, the Orphan enjoyed himself the most -thoroughly. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - - *The Army comes to a Standstill* - - -On the day after the landing--the Monday--the French troops who had been -disembarked on the Asiatic shore and had captured 500 prisoners were -re-embarked, and the whole of the French Expeditionary Force commenced -to land on "V" beach, where the poor old _River Clyde_ lay, aground, -under the castle. - -On Tuesday the whole Allied forces advanced for two miles along the -plain towards the white village of Krithia and the high ridge of Achi -Baba, which barred their way. They met with very little resistance. - -On the Wednesday a further advance was made; but at the end of the day -the Turks counter-attacked so fiercely that it became necessary for our -troops to dig themselves in, when they were yet a mile from the village. -The Allied army was now "up against" the position which the Turks had so -carefully prepared with all the ingenuity and skill their German -instructors had taught them, and, for all practical purposes, no real -further impression was made on this position during the remainder of -"The Great Adventure". - -It was on the Tuesday afternoon that Bubbles and the Lamp-post first -came under shrapnel-fire. They had obtained leave, for half an hour, to -climb up the ridge above "W" beach, and watch the progress of the -advance in the plain below them; and whilst there, the Turks began -bursting shrapnel above and all around it. This they took all as part -of the game, and were rather pleased than otherwise when one shell, -bursting not very far above and in front of them, scattered bullets in -the ground close by. - -Bubbles burst out with a loud guffaw of enjoyment, and would have -remained standing where he was--on the sky-line; but the Lamp-post, who -had a very old head on his young shoulders, made him take cover in the -Turkish trench there--a trench which our Sappers had already begun to -deepen. - -"It's no use for us to be knocked out," he said; "and it's a rotten kind -of bravery not to take cover when you aren't doing anyone any good by -making a target of yourself." - -It was on that afternoon that Captain Macfarlane, coming ashore to -stretch his long legs and to see how things were going with the beach -party, happened to find Bubbles and the Lamp-post. The Beach-master's -servant had just made them a cup of tea, so they, rather nervously, -asked him if he would have one. Of course he would; so they sent the -little man away to borrow the Pink Rat's enamelled mug. The Captain had -just walked back from the lighthouse, and along the trench up which the -midshipmen had carried those boxes of ammunition on the Sunday night. -He had heard of this, and was speaking about it when the servant came -back. Frightened out of his life he was, the miserable-looking little -man, to wait upon so important an officer as Captain Macfarlane. The -sight of a strange naval Captain simply terrified him, and made him -quite incoherent. - -"He helped us," they said. "He took up two by himself, and then helped -with another. He was jolly plucky, sir!" - -"You must have found them very heavy, didn't you?" the Captain said -kindly. "It was a very plucky thing to do, under those conditions. -What is your name? I must remember it." - -But the little man looked more frightened than ever, dropped the cup he -was carrying, opened his mouth, couldn't speak a word, and simply fled. - -Captain Macfarlane smiled and pulled his beard. "A strange thing is -courage," he said. "It comes at times to the most unlikely people. You -can't legislate for it. Now, that little chap probably deserves the -D.C.M.[#], if anybody does; and if he had it he would very likely suffer -agonies all his life, dreading lest he should have to 'live up to it'." - - -[#] D.C.M. = Distinguished Conduct Medal. - - -Before he went away, the Captain advised them to dig "dug-outs" for -themselves. - -"But the shrapnel hardly comes as far as the ridge," they said; "and -they tried to reach the beach this morning from the Asiatic side and -couldn't. We saw the shells falling three or four hundred yards -short--four of them. Nothing but a few bullets come near here." - -"Young gentlemen,"--he smiled, with that kindly, humorous expression of -his--"the Turks will bring up more guns in a few days, mark my word, and -probably advance those they have. When they do, it won't be only -shrapnel and small stuff, so you had better be ready." - -But they thought this rather useless waste of time; they didn't mind -what came--or thought they didn't--and besides, the soldiers would -capture Achi Baba in a few days, and then no Turkish guns could reach -them. - -"We _shall_ capture that hill in a day or two, shan't we, sir?" they -asked; but he only smiled his inscrutable smile, and added: "Young -gentlemen, take my advice." - -He took them round to select a spot, but nowhere within the limits which -the Navy had pegged out as its camp was the ground anywhere steep enough -to dig a cave, which, as he told them, "was of course the best of all." -He tugged at his beard and smiled again as he looked at a very suitable -place just to the left and below the Naval Camp boundary. "Well, you -will have to do your best--where you are: the Navy cannot poach, can -it?--not on these occasions." - -So that very night, whenever they had any time to spare, they began to -dig a hole for themselves in the gentle slope on the left of the gully, -just behind where the naval mess-tent was eventually put up. Spades -were plentiful, and they thought it great fun, although they were rather -shy of being the first to do this. However, everyone followed their -example--in fact the Beach-master ordered some form of protection to be -dug for everyone. - -They scooped a place away about four feet wide, and by digging -downwards, and nibbling, and broadening it, they soon had a "funk-hole" -where all three of them could squeeze uncomfortably. They did try, by -undermining the slope, to get some protection overhead; but the slope -was too gentle for this to be a success, and the top kept falling in, -especially if someone happened to walk near it. No timber was as yet -available, so their "dug-out" had really no cover at all, but was simply -a deep furrow, deeper at one end than the other. - -Though they did this at first for fun, and because Captain Macfarlane -had advised them to do it, they were very glad they had taken his advice -when, a few days later, the Turks did advance their field-guns and -peppered the ridge, the gully leading to it, and "W" beach itself very -liberally, not only with shrapnel, but also with common shell. Few of -these common shell burst, and when they did, seldom hurt anyone; but no -one, however brave or however small, can stand in a place which is being -shelled, without feeling that he is the biggest thing there--for miles -round--or the most conspicuous person, however many others are round -him. The casualties from this first day of thoughtful and thorough -shelling were very slight, considering the crowded state of the area, -and the men's principal anxiety was to obtain fragments of shells or -intact unexploded ones, digging those out before they had time to get -cool. However, the competition in making "dug-outs" certainly became -much more keen afterwards. - -Neither the periods of being shelled nor the making of "dug-outs" was -allowed to interfere with the work of the beach parties. - -Those men who happened to be off duty crawled into their "funk-holes", -but the others went on working; and of course, as most of them were -employed below the cliffs, they really were not--as were the soldiers' -working-parties stacking stores on the slopes--exposed the whole of the -time. - -In those first four days an enormous amount of work was done; mountains -of stores were piled on either side of the gully, mules and horses in -hundreds were landed, guns and their limbers--18-pounders, long -60-pounders, heavy guns and squat 6-inch howitzers--water carts, -transport carts, and ambulance wagons. Hundreds of light two-wheeled -carts were brought ashore, in readiness to follow the Army when the -advance, which was fated never to take place, commenced; and by the end -of the first week the slope between the ridge and the cliff, from the -end of the Peninsula to Cape Helles lighthouse, was one orderly mass of -mule and horse lines, transport "parks" and stores, and the ground which -had been so covered with grass and scrubby bushes had been worn bare, as -barren as the beach and the cliffs themselves. - -Until the fifth day the beach parties had lived in the open, but on that -day several marquees and tents were brought ashore and pitched for them. -Quite a cosy little collection of white tents they made, at the bottom -of the left-hand slope of the gully. - -On the Thursday and Friday very little happened. The Army was digging -itself in a mile and a half from Krithia, and about three miles from the -ridge over "W" beach; practically all guns had been landed; the whole of -the Royal Naval Division and other reinforcements had disembarked; and -several thousand wounded had been safely sent on board the hospital -ships, and transports used as hospital carriers. - -On the Saturday night the Turks, at about ten o'clock, commenced a -desperate effort, first to pierce our lines (which they did, -momentarily, but only momentarily), and afterwards to drive the French -into the sea. - -The Lamp-post had a night "in" that night; and when the noise of firing -woke him, was comfortably snuggled in a corner of the mess marquee, -rolled in his blanket. The crackling of rifle-firing broke out on the -left at first, and grew so fierce and incessant that he realized this -was something quite different to anything he had heard before. - -That counter-attack on the first Sunday, when he and Bubbles had helped -to take up ammunition, was as nothing compared to it, and had not made -him feel nervous--or perhaps anxious is a better word--as this did. He -then had had something to do; but now, after a very hard day's work, and -two spells of being shelled, he had nothing to do but lie there and -listen to the really appalling din of musketry, field-guns, and the roar -of the two 60-pounders on the end of the Peninsula, above him, which, -every time they fired, lighted up the inside of the marquee and shook -the ground beneath him. - -As he lay, undecided as to whether or no he should get up and see what -was happening, the intensity of the firing grew, until it reached such a -pitch of frenzy that he felt certain that this must be the prelude to -hand-to-hand fighting. He could not help but feel nervous. He was not -blessed with a dull imagination, and he could not prevent himself -picturing what was happening beyond the ridge, and what _would_ happen -if the Turks drove in our thin lines and forced them back to the sea -below. He worked himself into such a state of nerves that at last, when -the French "75's" broke into rapid firing--one continuous screech--he -could stand it no longer, pulled on his boots, and went outside the -marquee. Out over the Straits the sea was all a glitter of transports' -lights as usual, and the row of "flares" along the beach lighted up the -beach parties unloading boats, and the working parties wearily carrying -stores towards the two flares which marked the depots on the slopes of -the gully--all went on just as usual. But horse teams with their -limbers were coming down from the ridge, past him, towards the -ammunition depots, at the bottom of the gully--coming down at an -unaccustomed speed; and he heard their drivers shouting impatiently for -their limbers to be filled. - -He ran to one of these, who had swung round his limber and was now -trying to calm the big horse he was sitting--the "near leader" of the -team. - -"What's going on?" the Lamp-post asked. - -"They've broken through the 86th," the man told him; "came on without -firing a shot--the beggars!" But the midshipman could get nothing more -out of him. - -"I don't know nothing more. Curse this darned horse! Keep still, can't -you? My job's to get more of the stuff up to the guns. I don't know -nothink. Chuck it, yer blighted fools! Ain't yer been long enough -together? Cawn't yer smell who you've got next yer?" - -The two horses were nosing each other, one trying to bite, and both -fretting. - -"They ain't worked together afore," he said, as the Lamp-post, who loved -horses, separated their heads and rubbed their noses soothingly. "I 'ad -to get a fresh 'off leader' this morning; the other was killed just -t'other side of that 'ere ridge--shrapnel summat cruel there, all -day--cawn't move a team but bang bursts a shrapnel--and they've been -bursting shrapnel now, all along the road we've just come and have to go -back by--curse them! This darned fool brute--chuck it, you -blighter!"--as the horse he was sitting slyly bit the neck of the new -"off leader", who sidled and trembled--"'e cawn't abide a stranger. -'Ere, stop that kicking! 'Old yer 'eads up, cawn't yer?" - -He jerked the two horses apart as the two "wheelers" behind them began -to plunge, and their driver to curse as he steadied them. - -"'Struth! Ain't they fair cautions? Almost 'uman," growled the -Lamp-post's friend. - -Someone in the rear of the limber banged down the limber covers and -shouted: "Right away, Bob!" - -"Stand clear! Get up, you brutes!" and the drivers cracked their whips; -but the wheels of the limber had stuck in the sand, and the four horses, -excited and plunging, and not pulling together, could not move them. - -"Clap on, you chaps! Give us a start!" shouted the drivers; and the -Lamp-post and some more men hauled on the spokes of the wheels; the -whips cracked, and this time the horses moved the limber, and away it -went, jolting up the gully, on its way back with more shells for its -battery, somewhere in the valley. - -The Lamp-post followed it up the ridge, and there, for two hours and -more, he watched the battle in the dark, hundreds of men standing near -him. Compared to that Sunday night fight, the noise was as the inside -of a boiler-shop, with work in full swing, to the noise of a country -blacksmith's forge; and the sight of it like a Crystal Palace firework -night, to the five or six shillings' worth of squibs and rockets he and -his brothers used to have at home on the 5th November. - -He had read of the famous French "75's", but he had thought the -descriptions probably more picturesque than real. Now, as he listened -to their extraordinarily determined voices, they seemed so -self-confident, so absolutely sure of themselves, that he no longer -wondered why the French almost worshipped them; and when they started -rapid fire, as they did occasionally, a whole battery, sometimes two -together, he realized that this was the glorious _rafale_ he had heard -so much about. - -More empty limbers came toiling up from the valley, unable to go fast -because of the darkness, and only dashing across the area over which -shrapnel were bursting. The drivers of these passed the word, as they -went down the gully, that the Turks had been driven back again, and the -line made good. That was reassuring. - -He heard Bubbles laughing and guffawing somewhere near, and found him. -"The Commander let me come along for half an hour. Isn't it a grand -show?" - -Whilst they stood there, many tilted wagons passed down into the valley, -their wheels creaking and the mule chains jangling; and as those -60-pounders fired, their glare lighted up the white patches and the red -crosses painted on them. - -A regiment (it had only come back from the trenches the previous -afternoon) came up the gully, the men dragging their shuffling feet -through the sand, and voices calling wearily: "Step out, men! Don't go -to sleep, lads! Close up, lads! Pull yourselves together!" The head -of it bent over the ridge and trailed down into the valley, till, like a -long snake, it disappeared in the darkness. - -When the half-hour which Bubbles had been allowed was "up", the -Lamp-post went back with him. The Turks had evidently broken -themselves, and their attack was weakening; also, he was dead tired. He -threw himself down in the marquee and slept till daybreak, not even -wakened by a still more furious attack delivered, later on, against the -French flank--an attack which was only repulsed after very heavy losses. - -The ambulance wagons came back in the morning crammed; wounded who could -walk, stumbled down to the beach, lay down, and slept; also, a large -batch of Turkish prisoners came along with a grinning escort. That day -there was another general advance, with heavy casualties but little -progress; and on the following night the Turks attacked again, more -impetuously than the night before. This time they threw their whole -weight against the French flank and against the section held by the -Senegalese troops, who had been very severely punished already. These -troops are not suited for defensive night-work, and again they gave way. -The Lamp-post--on duty this time--down on the beach, could be almost -certain that they had given way, by the continuous roar of the -_rafales_, and again he could not help being anxious until news came -that all was well. - -These two nights completely cured him of the nervousness which is only -natural for anyone who has had no previous experience; and though there -were countless attacks and counter-attacks in the nights to come, they -never worried him, nor, if he were asleep, was he often wakened when -those 60-pounders "chipped in" and shook the ground under him. - -In the early mornings, after these nights, the tired, haggard, -earth-stained "working-parties" came back from the trenches, where they -had been fighting all night, bringing tales of creeping bombing-parties, -of furious rushes right up to their parapets, and of encounters between -their night patrols, helping back the wounded, and perhaps escorting a -few Turkish prisoners. These tales made each night's fighting a little -epic of its own. - -To Bubbles, the Lamp-post never confided his ideas or emotions, because -that fat, joyous midshipman looked upon the whole thing as one vast -"spree", with a spice of danger that only added to its attractions. -Each wounded man who was sent off to the ships, he envied his honourable -wound, and the fact that many of them were maimed for life never entered -his mind, nor the tragedy of the women and children dependent on them. - -The day after that second big counter-attack, during a bout of shelling -from some field-guns concealed below Achi Baba, a shell came into a -"dug-out" where a petty officer and two men of the beach party were -sitting, and killed all three. After this, more spare time than ever -was spent on deepening these "dug-outs". Then followed two more days of -desperate fighting for the capture of Krithia village, and ghastly, -never-ending streams of wounded came down the gully to the casualty -clearing-station, whose white tents had been pitched above the cliffs, -to the right of it. Our losses were terrific, and our gains practically -nil. As a set-off to the splendid failure of the centre, the Gurkhas -captured a commanding cliff on the left flank--Gurkha Bluff--and under -protection of fire from the _Talbot_ and _Dublin_, dug themselves in so -securely that these gallant little men never let go their hold on it. - - -The continual strain of those first two weeks was already beginning to -tell on the three snotties--hardly noticeable, perhaps, in the case of -Bubbles, though he was undoubtedly thinner; but the Pink Rat was one -mass of nerves--he jumped if anyone spoke to him suddenly--and he lost -his appetite. The Lamp-post became more silent and thoughtful than -before, and his nerves, too, were very "rocky", but he had such strong -control over himself that no one could have thought that this was so. - -Their clothes were stained with good honest dirt, and torn and ragged -from honest hard work. They became such unpresentable scarecrows that -at last the Beach-master suggested that an improvement was desirable. -So they went across to the Ordnance Stores and hunted out the stock -sizes of the soldiers suits in store, which would fit them best. They -also obtained puttees, and after those first ten days or two weeks the -only thing "naval" about them was their caps. - -On the 12th May--a most perfect day it was--the three snotties were -sitting outside their tent after lunch, smoking cigarettes, and watching -an aeroplane, circling gracefully above them, looking for a good -landing-place on the cliffs, close to the lighthouse Suddenly a great, -tearing, rending noise seemed to fill all space. Everyone dropped, -automatically, what was in his hand and bent his head; then, looking up, -saw a cloud, black and oily--a hellish-looking balloon of -smoke--suspended in the air above the ridge. - -This was the first high-explosive shell which burst near "W" beach. -"Gallipoli Bill"--a stumpy 6-inch howitzer--fired it, and fired many -more that afternoon and again an hour before sunset, some of his shells -bursting on impact, others in the air--all with that rending, -awe-inspiring crash. - -There was by this time, on top of the ridge, a broad sandy track, which -must have been most conspicuous from Achi Baba. On each side of it, six -or eight hundred horses and as many mules had been picketted, and those -poor creatures suffered most. The snotties had fled to their dug-out; -the Pink Rat lying flat on his face with his hands over his ears, whilst -the other two peered over the edge, watching where the shells dropped. -They did not--not even Bubbles--want to see them, but the terrible roar -fascinated them, and they were obliged to do so. They would hear the -noise of another approaching, and, three or four seconds later, up would -go a cloud of black smoke and that thunderclap of an explosion--not one -farther away than three hundred yards. "Right among the horses!" the -Lamp-post would say, with a catch in his breath; and when the smoke -drifted clear, there would they see six, a dozen--often more--of these -gallant animals lying dead, or feebly trying to regain their feet -horribly mutilated. - -Other shells burst in open spaces, doing no harm; others among the mules -and transport-wagon "parks". After every explosion, men would leave -their "dug-outs" and rush to the place, a couple of stretcher-men would -perhaps dash down from the casualty clearing-station; and then the noise -of another approaching shell would send them scurrying back--scurrying -fast, all of them, except the stretcher-men, who if they had found an -injured man had to bear him slowly and steadily. - -One shell, on that first day, fell right among a warren of crowded -"dug-outs", and the Lamp-post turned away his head with a shudder, so as -not to see what would come to view when the smoke cleared away. When he -did turn round--it was so horribly fascinating--he saw men scrambling -from those "dug-outs", jostling each other in the crater just made among -them, shouting and laughing, and squabbling and searching for -"souvenirs". - -Farce and tragedy are, thank God! perpetually associated; if they were -not, and only tragedy stared one continually in the face, human brains -could not endure the strain of modern warfare as they do. - -Writing of "dug-outs", it did not really make much difference where one -took shelter, for those "funk-holes" gave no protection from a direct -hit, only from sideways-flying splinters and fragments; a hare crouching -on its "form" is no more protected from being trodden under foot than a -man in one of these from the actual shell itself. - -All through these periods when high-explosive shells burst on the ridge -and the slopes down to the gully, the empty limbers, water-carts, and -transport wagons would jolt down to the depots, fill up, and go back -again, up the slopes through the area where those shells were falling, -up that broad road between those huddled masses of quivering mules and -horses, just as though nothing unusual was happening. - -"Gallipoli Bill" at first fired for half an hour in the middle of the -day, and again for another half an hour before the close of it; but -presently, when he had received a more plentiful supply of ammunition, -often gave an additional "hate" in the forenoon. - -The one thing in his favour, as compared to the field-guns, was that -after he had fired his ten or twelve rounds, you knew he would not fire -again for several hours. With the field-guns it was different--their -little shells fell at all hours and all through the day. - -To add to the attractiveness of "W" beach--or "Lancashire Landing", as -it was afterwards called--as a health resort, hostile aeroplanes often -dropped bombs there. Nobody attempted to take cover when these -aeroplanes flew past, for the simple reason that no "cover" existed, -except actually underneath the very foot of the cliffs. They had to -carry on their work, wait until they heard the rushing noise of the -bomb, and when the explosion followed, wait for the second one which -almost invariably followed it. Afterwards they knew that this "show" -was concluded, and that "Cuthbert", as they called the aeroplane, would -not drop any more on that trip. "Cuthbert's" average "bag" in three -days would seldom exceed two men wounded and one killed, and perhaps -three or four horses or mules killed, or so much injured that they had -to be shot. Generally, at about seven o'clock in the morning the first -aeroplane would come, on its way to wake the General Head-quarters Staff -aboard the _Arcadia_, anchored close by; and then occasionally in the -evening, when he was off to see if he really couldn't--this time--manage -to flop a bomb on top of the captive balloon or its parent ship. - -This last was one of the pleasures of the day, and the Lamp-post and -Bubbles would often sit and watch "Cuthbert" flying towards the big -yellow balloon--flying well above it to keep out of range. - -The parent ship would haul the balloon down just as fast as she -could--"to lessen the bump if it was hit", as Bubbles used to gurgle. -Then the Lamp-post, through his glasses, would see first one, then -another bomb drop from the aeroplane; would shout: "He's dropped -one--two!" and in a few seconds, whilst they held their breath and -watched, up would go the splashes these explosions made. Never did they -hit either balloon or parent ship. It really became a perfect farce; -though, as Uncle Podger told them, when one day, coming ashore to pay -the beach party, a small shell had buried itself quite close to him and -his money-bags, and a bomb had dropped and burst not fifty yards away: -"It's all very pretty to watch, but I prefer watching it from the ship." - -Directly it became evident that "Gallipoli Bill" had come to stay, all -those horses and mules were brought down and placed in safety beneath -the cliffs, and along ledges which the Turkish prisoners and a large -number of imported Greek labourers cut for them in the face of the -cliffs. - -When they were all safely stowed away, the end of the Peninsula -presented a most extraordinary sight, and if only the crippled _Goeben_ -could have come out and had half an hour's practice, she would have -killed them all. Magazines also were dug beneath the cliffs, and the -vast stores of small-arm ammunition, shells, charges, bombs, grenades, -and explosives of all sorts were placed out of danger. - -Water, or rather the scarcity of it, made life still more unpleasant; -water for drinking was sufficient, but had to be used carefully; the -amount allowed for washing was entirely inadequate. However, whenever -the snotties had the chance, they would scramble along to the rocks -right at the end of the Peninsula, under Cape Tekke, and have a bathe. - -Many a grand hour they put in down there, and forgot, for a time, the -discomforts and perils of the day which had passed, or of the days which -were to come. - -But now, worse than the bombs, the field-guns' shells, or those roaring, -rending high-explosives, came the flies. A fortnight after the landing -they had been a nuisance; at the end of the third week, bred in the -horse and mule lines, they became an unbearable plague. The food on -one's plate was covered with them, they crawled over it; they crawled -over hands and faces; rest during the day was almost impossible. It was -horrid to see a man asleep, with his lips, nostrils, and eyelids hidden -in a dense mass of them, clinging there and sucking the moisture. At -night, and only at night, was one free from these beastly things, and -then they gathered in countless millions on the upper parts of the -insides of the tents, waiting till the warmth of next day's sun woke -them to start their intolerable persecution. - -The mental torture caused by these was infinitely greater than the total -effect of the shells and bombs; worst of all, they brought dysentery. - -The Pink Rat was the first one to go down. He had worked hard and well, -but the strain of the shells had, very evidently, upset his nerves; he -had been moody and depressed for some days, and the flies finished him. -He had to be sent on board to Dr. O'Neill, thinner, and more like a rat -than ever. He was quickly followed by six or seven of the men; but -Bubbles and the Lamp-post, though both were affected by a mild form of -dysentery--as was practically everyone--and their hands were covered -with small "chipped-out" bits which would not heal, "stuck it out" until -they, and all who remained of the original beach party, were replaced by -officers and men from the sunken _Ocean_ and _Irresistible_. - -The same day on which the Pink Rat left them, the Orphan joined the -little naval camp at the foot of the gully, with its marquees and tents, -and boundaries marked neatly with white-washed stones. - -"My aunt! Isn't this splendid?" he said, as Plunky Bill gave him a hand -up the beach with his uniform tin case. - -His coming was a great event, just what the other two snotties required -to cheer them up. There was so much to show him, and so much to do when -all three happened to be off duty--the bathes among the rocks at the -foot of Cape Tekke, the 60-pounders above it to show him, the trenches -down in the plain, the trench up which they had carried ammunition, the -big Turkish guns on Hill 138; and one afternoon they all three had time -to walk across to "V" beach, and wander about the neat, orderly French -camp, ingratiate themselves with the sentries to let them pass forbidden -places, and to look over the old castle itself. The Orphan proudly took -them to the "front door", as his friend the Royal Naval Division -Sub-lieutenant had called the great arched entrance, and explained to -them how he had fired at the Turks coming through it, with a maxim, and -started a battle "on his own", pointing to the bows of the _River Clyde_ -to show where he and his maxim actually had been. - -"You _do_ come in for all the tit-bits; you are a lucky chap!" Bubbles -gurgled excitedly. - -The late afternoon was not the most pleasant time to choose for such an -excursion, because "V" beach was seldom "healthy" at that time of day, -and proved to be more than usually "unhealthy" on this particular -occasion, for "Asiatic Annie" plumped fourteen or fifteen big 8-inch -shells among the stores and the camps whilst they were there. - -They all took shelter behind a small mountain of corned-meat -packing-cases, in company with a couple of gaily dressed, shiny-black -Senegalese, who were not in the least happy, and a young, equally -gaudily dressed "Foreign Legion" soldier, who was quite happy--a slim, -sunburnt, laughing man in a red fez with a long tassel, a grey-blue -embroidered Zouave jacket, a blue sash, and baggy scarlet trousers. One -shell came very near them, and burst with a terrific crash on the other -side of the packing-cases, blowing in two or three, so that the -meat-tins showed through the cracks, but only covering the three -midshipmen with dust. This was the first high-explosive shell which had -burst near the Orphan, and he did not like it a little bit. Bubbles and -the Lamp-post, who had had more experience of them, liked it still less; -but the Zouave only smiled: "Mon Dieu! le mechant! le misereble!" and -offered them little twisted cigarettes of black tobacco. They were not -in the least miserable when a long pause ensued after one shell, and a -bugle sounded to tell everyone that "Asiatic Annie" had "packed up", and -they were able to leave the protection of their tinned-meat -packing-cases. - - -On the afternoon when the first German submarine arrived, and sent the -old _Achates_ flying to Mudros in the scurry of transports and -store-ships, they watched her go without any real regrets. The Orphan -and Bubbles certainly preferred to stay where they were; and though, -perhaps, the Lamp-post, at the bottom of his heart, longed to get away -from the flies and shells, they could never get him to admit it. - -Then, three days later, the _Triumph_ was sunk--along the coast, off -Anzac--and all the battleships left Cape Helles; all except the old -_Majestic_, who came along and anchored so close to "W" beach that you -could almost throw a stone on board her from the casualty -clearing-station tents on top of the cliffs. - -"They won't 'get' her there, not with all those trawlers and little -steamers round her," Bubbles said. But on Friday morning, just as they -were turning to work, and the Orphan was "standing by" in his -picket-boat to "run an errand", they heard a rumbling explosion, looked -round, saw a huge column of water spout up alongside her, close to her -after bridge, and heard and felt another explosion. - -"They've got her!" everyone sang out as she began to turn over very -rapidly; and the Orphan, shouting to Plunky Bill to shove off, dashed -towards her to pick up men already jumping from her sloping deck into -the sea. She heeled over so extraordinarily rapidly that the Orphan -never had a chance of going alongside, but stood off, and with other -steamboats, with trawlers, drifters, a French torpedo-boat, and any -number of other boats of all descriptions, made a ring round the doomed -ship, to which her crew swam. The Orphan pushed his boat so close that -he had to back out to prevent her fore mast-head and "wireless" gear -fouling him as it heeled down to the water's edge. It was a horrid and -sad sight; but the Orphan was too busily engaged pulling people out of -the water to pay much attention to that; and when his picket-boat could -hold no more, he turned them over to a small coasting steamer anchored -near, and went back again. By this time she was bottom up. - -The sinking of this ship had a most depressing effect on everyone; and -even the casual Orphan and thoughtless Bubbles wondered what "Gallipoli -Bill" would do, now that there was no ship left with guns big enough to -annoy him. However, that elusive howitzer had evidently very little -ammunition to spare--probably one of our "E" submarines in the Sea of -Marmora had sunk a steamer with a supply she was expecting--so six -shells, twice a day, were as much as he could allow himself. - -You will notice that no mention is now made of the small shells. They -still fell on "W" beach and in the sea, close to the piers, at all hours -of the day; but unless they came in numbers, no one took any notice of -them. Their fuses were so poor that they seldom burst, and when they -did, they seldom did any harm. - - -The three midshipmen's time ashore was now drawing to a close, and four -days after the _Majestic_ had been sunk--how they did wish her ram -wouldn't stick out of the water and remind them of her!--a signalman -brought down a signal: "Officers and men of _Achates_ beach party will -embark in Trawler 370 at 11.30 to-day. Trawler will take _Achates_ -picket-boat in tow." - -It was not until they had embarked, and the Orphan had made "fast" a -hundred feet of rope from his picket-boat to the trawler's stern, that -they learnt that the _Achates_ had been sent to Mytilene, and that they -were to join her there. - -They waved good-bye to "W" beach just as "Gallipoli Bill" dropped a big -shell half-way down the gully, and the Lamp-post and Bubbles realized -the relief of not having to wonder where the next one would come. - -"Well, we've had a jolly good time--take it all round--but for the -flies," Bubbles said. "It will be a good thing to get back to the ship -for a while." - -"Won't we have a bath, and won't it be grand to get into uniform--clean -uniform and under-things again!" said the Lamp-post; and Bubbles -gurgled: "Won't I have a grand feed!" forgetting what the Orphan had -told him of the state of the gun-room stores. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV* - - *Submarines Appear* - - -Down in the gun-room of the _Achates_, during this month after the -landing, the air was full of rumours--buzzes of all sorts and little -"titbits" of information, gleaned haphazard everywhere and anywhere. -Every snotty--the Orphan, the Hun, Rawlins, or any of the "stranger" -midshipmen--who took his boat alongside a transport or man-of-war, or to -one of the piers at "W" or "V" beaches, came back stuffed with yarns -which lost nothing by the telling: the Dublins had lost every officer; -the Worcesters all but two; the Turks were torturing prisoners; there -was a fearful shortage of doctors; the beaches were simply crowded with -wounded, and there was nowhere to put them; Krithia had fallen--the yarn -spread after every attack; the _Prince George_ had a huge hole made in -her by one of "Asiatic Annie's" 8-in shells; the poor old _River Clyde_ -would have to be abandoned--she was being hit so often; the _Goeben_ and -two Turkish battleships were just above The Narrows--the aeroplane had -seen them--and they might come down at any moment; the _Agamemnon_ had -knocked out three "Asiatic Annies" in one afternoon; the _Queen -Elizabeth_ had fired three of her big 15-inch shells across the -Peninsula--the first had sunk two big lighters filled with ammunition, -the second had dropped short and only wiped out a regiment on the march, -and the third had sunk a nine-thousand-ton steamer, anchored above -Nagara, crowded with troops, none of whom was saved. The Pimple, who -brought this last piece of news, knew it was true, because the Navigator -had heard it from a man, who had heard it from the friend of a man, who -had been told by the "observing" officer in the captive balloon which -"spotted" for the _Queen Elisabeth_. - -Then there was the constant rumour that "last night's counter-attack by -the Turks was just their last final effort; they were going to make -peace now it had failed". Poor old Turks! they had nothing to gain by -being so obstinate, and they had no food and were short of -ammunition--everything; they were simply longing to "throw up the -sponge" if only the Germans would let them. - -Russia intended landing five hundred thousand troops quite close to -Constantinople; Italy was about to declare war and send fifty thousand -to help in the Peninsula; the French had a hundred thousand already on -the way; and Kitchener, good old Kitchener, had made up his mind to send -out two hundred thousand. Shan't we walk through them? - -Another snotty would burst in with the news that he had heard, on good -authority, that directly all the mines had been swept up, the ships were -to make another dash up The Narrows, this time towing pontoon "things" -alongside them to stop torpedoes. Another heard that all destroyers had -been ordered to rush through one night, steam up the Sea of Marmora, and -bombard Constantinople. - -There was no limit to the inventive genius of the "rumour spreaders", -and the appetite for fresh, spicy news became so keen that anybody who -brought back no titbit was thought a "hopeless rotter". - -But one day, on the 12th May, Uncle Podger came into the gun-room with a -long face: "Two German submarines have been reported passing Malta," he -said. This yarn was too incredible to be believed by the young warriors -coiled there, on the cushions, in their dirty Condy's-fluid-stained -clothes; and they greeted it with such derisive yells, shouting, "Go -away and make up something else, Fatty!" that Uncle Podger, who did not -appreciate any such familiarity from strangers, did not bother to tell -them that it happened to be the simple truth. This was the first day on -which it became generally known that German submarines were approaching; -and the certain fact caused much consternation to all, especially to -those who had previously buoyed themselves with the hope that these -craft could not make such a long voyage in time of war. - -A very general feeling of uneasiness made itself felt. - -That same day the first high-explosive to burst on "W" beach had brought -everyone on deck, drawn there by the sound of its mighty thunder-clap; -and sent them down again wondering whether it would be possible to hold -"W" beach under such conditions much longer. The most optimistic looked -grave, and even the cheery, irresponsible Navigator realized that this -was not the occasion to invent yarns and send them rolling. - -Discussion in the ward-room that night was carried on fitfully and in -low tones, and whenever the door opened everyone would turn to see if -the newcomer's face showed that he had heard anything "fresh". Among -all brooded a very pervading feeling of depression. The tall, -aristocratic, and also pessimistic Major of Marines explained in a low -voice to the anxious little Padre, sucking nervously at his big pipe, -the terrible anxieties of a General whose army has no secure base and -whose lines of communication--in this special case, the sea--are -threatened; the Navigator, on the other side, pointed out to the -Fleet-Paymaster how impossible it would be for the battleships to stay -where they were, when the submarines did put in an appearance. The -cheery Fleet-Paymaster kept on saying: "But, my dear chap, we've got -plenty of destroyers and trawlers; they ought to keep them away at -night-time, and surely we can look after ourselves in the daylight." - -The Fleet-Surgeon, more gloomy and querulous than ever, growled: "What -the dickens d'you know about it? They'll come right enough. We're just -like sheep waiting for the little dog that's coming across the field to -worry them; they pretend they'll stick together and show a bold front, -and know all the time they'll be off like redshanks directly he gets -near. We're rats in a trap, that's what we are." He seemed to obtain -great satisfaction from the last idea. - -The Gunnery-Lieutenant, stamping nervously from one end of the ward-room -to the other, joined in all the conversations, and kept on bursting out -with: "We must have a 'go' at that high-explosive chap to-morrow, and -try and knock him out before they come;" they being, of course, the -submarines. - -The War Baby--that youngest thing in subalterns of Royal -Marines--sprawled over the ward-room table, with his chin on his fists, -anxiously listening to everybody, hoping to glean something or other -which would point a way out of the difficulties and comfort him. The -Commander, coming down from making certain that the ship had been -darkened properly, snapped out: "I can't get those transports to 'darken -ship'. The Admiral has ordered everything, big or little, not to show a -single light; and there they are, many of them, showing a blaze of -lights as bright as the Strand by night." He rang the bell and sent the -sentry to find Mr. Orpen. Presently that young officer appeared, and -was ordered "to go round every ship in that darned anchorage and make -'em put out their lights--and don't let me catch any of your boat's crew -smoking alongside the ship, as they were this morning, or I'll----" But -the Orphan didn't wait for the penalty to be mentioned, answered "Very -good, sir," exchanged undetected winks with the War Baby, and went out -again. - -Everybody turned in, that night, with their thoughts full of submarines. - -An hour after midnight the poor old _Goliath_ was struck by three -torpedoes, and sank. She had anchored only that afternoon, up beyond -Sedd-el-Bahr and opposite a promontory known as "De Tott's Battery" to -protect the left flank of the French army and she lay farther up the -Straits and nearer to Chanak Fort--the big fort at the entrance to The -Narrows--than any other ship. Beyond this fort a Turkish destroyer was -known to be lying, just above The Narrows; and to prevent her making a -sortie, four of our destroyers patrolled the waters between Chanak Fort -and De Tott's Battery, dodging a very brilliant search-light on Chanak -Fort which lighted up this area night after night. - -Now the previous evening, just before sunset, a heavy and most unusual -bank of fog had rolled slowly out of The Narrows, and made the night so -dark that the look-outs on board the patrolling destroyers and on board -the _Goliath_ could hardly see a cable's length in front of them. It -was just the night that that Turkish destroyer would be waiting for; and -when Chanak search-light was not switched on at all, and the Straits -were shrouded in thick, ominous darkness, the _Goliath's_ people had a -suspicion that "something" would happen, and kept a more ready -watchfulness. - -Shortly after one o'clock the "look-outs" on her bridge, and round the -guns on the fore shelter-deck, sighted a dark mass on her starboard bow, -and made it out to be a destroyer, drifting, stern first, with the -current, towards the ship, just as our own patrolling destroyers had -been accustomed to do. They used to steam towards Chanak and its -search-light, stop engines, and drift back with the current which always -flowed down through The Narrows, drift down until they were abreast De -Tott's Battery, and then steam back again. - -At first she was thought to be a British destroyer, but something roused -suspicions, the "challenge" was flashed across; she flashed back, but -incorrectly; and, realizing that she was an enemy, orders were given to -open fire on her. Two shots blazed out, but they were too late; she let -fly three torpedoes, one after the other, all of which struck "home"; -and in four minutes the _Goliath_ had rolled over, taking down with her -more than five hundred of her officers and men. - -Those on deck in the _Achates_ had heard the muffled explosions, and -seen the search-lights from the other battleships above Sedd-el-Bahr -searching the surface of the water there; but not for some time did -anyone know what had really happened--not until a signal flashed across -to say that the _Goliath_ had been sunk, and to ask for steamboats to be -sent to search for survivors. - -The Orphan, who had only just returned from his long job of making all -the obstinate transports and other ships "darken ship" properly, was -immediately sent up to the scene of the catastrophe, and the Hun, with -his steam pinnace, followed. They picked up and brought back one dead -body and a mere handful of very much shaken men. As you know, everyone -had turned in that night with "submarines on the brain"; so when Dr. -Gordon went to the Fleet-Surgeon's cabin and woke him with "Get up, turn -out, P.M.O., the _Goliath_ has been sunk, and our boats have gone for -survivors!" you can imagine that the Fleet-Surgeon naturally thought -that a submarine had done this, so was none too happy. "It'll be our -turn next; rats in a trap! My God! I wish I'd never come to sea," he -kept groaning as he slipped into his clothes, found his -swimming-belt,[#] and hurried on deck. - - -[#] By this time the swimming-collars had been replaced by belts with -greatly increased buoyancy. - - -The news, when it came at last, that she had been sunk by a destroyer -came almost as a relief, because, in spite of the official signal to the -contrary, everyone hoped, down at the back of his brain, that perhaps a -mistake had been made, and that those submarines reported from Malta -would turn out to be a myth. - -In fact, next morning at breakfast, the Torpedo-Lieutenant was quite -bright and cheery. He was a destroyer expert, and always pooh-poohed -submarines as much overrated craft, so now never tired of saying -"Destroyers are some good after all, you see," and seemed to take as -much pride in the success of the Turkish destroyer, as if it had been an -English one which had sunk a Turkish battleship. - -Without a doubt, everyone admired the pluck and cunning of this -destroyer and its German crew (it was known afterwards that the crew was -German), however much--or little--the loss of the _Goliath_ affected -him; and, truth to tell, it was not the loss of the ship nor of the men -that affected most people, but the moral effect and the addition to the -general feeling of depression and uneasiness--uneasiness which, it must -be remembered, was not by any means chiefly caused by fear for the -actual safety of the ships and themselves, but by the dread of what -would happen to the Army when left unsupported in its very insecure -position on the Peninsula, with the difficulties of supplying itself -with stores and reinforcements so enormously increased. Those -howitzers, too, might render the position untenable, especially as, -given time, there was no reason why the Turks should not bring up more -and still heavier guns. - -Some of the surviving officers lived on board the _Achates_ for a few -days, and slept in hammocks on the half-deck, close to the China Doll. -He will never forget those nights when he turned in--always nervous of -submarines, and with his swimming-belt all ready round his chest, in -case of need--and then had to listen to them relating their gruesome -experiences before and after the old ship rolled over and they had -jumped into the water. They were suffering the after effects of their -shock, and could talk of nothing else all day long, and most of the -night as well. - -The China Doll would hear, out of the dark, coming from one of them: -"You remember when that second explosion came--you were standing close -to me--in the battery--the one that shot up that column of water which -cut the cutter in half--you remember--it fell on old Tompkins--it was -old Tompkins, wasn't it?--it crushed him--don't you remember him -howling?--just for a second--and then, not answering when you sung out -to him." - -Another voice--a big, gruff one--would "chip in": "I'd just said to the -Gunner, 'That's not one of our destroyers--look at her funnels--you mark -my word--that's not one of ours'--just before we fired that first -shot--it didn't hit--I swear I heard a torpedo fired--the first one--the -one that hit us under the bridge--and I'm certain I heard someone sing -out: 'Gut! sehr gut!'--he must have been a German--he sang it out after -each torpedo hit us." - -Another voice out of the darkness, from a hammock close to the China -Doll, broke in with: "My word! she did topple over--I could never have -believed it I was in my cabin--just had time to rush up to the -gangway--the water was pouring over the coaming--couldn't stand on the -quarter-deck--I don't know how I got to the rails--I dragged myself up -somehow, and crawled right round her--oh, my God! the cries inside -her--men who couldn't get out." - -The big, gruff voice, which had stopped to listen, interrupted again: "I -got out through a gun-port, crawled along the side--when she turned over -the bilge keel caught me and dragged me under--I never knew how I came -up again--a man close to me--swimming in the water--had his face smashed -in by a plank which shot up from below--I got hold of the plank--it kept -me up till the _Lord Nelson's_ picket-boat found me." - -It was not as if these disjointed remarks were made only once, but they -were repeated over and over again; just as if the thoughts they -expressed had been fixed so indelibly in their brains, to the exclusion -of everything else, that when night and darkness came they were again so -vivid that they had to be given utterance to. - -The poor China Doll, with his swimming-belt round his chest, would -listen, with hair on end, until he could stand it no longer; then he -would jump out, and run up on deck and wait, perhaps for an hour, until -they were silent. How grateful he was to wake up and see daylight -coming through the gaps in the hatchway awning-cover, and to know that -another night was over! A good many more were as thankful as he was. - -Next day the early morning "air" reconnaissance--made by -aeroplane--reported having seen five submarines travelling past Kephez -Point. - -"That puts the hat on it," moaned the Fleet-Surgeon when he heard of -them; and everybody marvelled how they had managed to elude the scouting -trawlers and destroyers. But most people felt a sense of relief that -the days of waiting for their coming were now over, and that whatever -was going to happen would do so soon. However, the evening "air -reconnaissance" reported that these five submarines were still there, -but had now turned out to be buoys which we ourselves had moored--so the -grim tension was relieved for a little while. - -On that day "Gallipoli Bill" burst very many high-explosive shells on -"W" beach, apparently chiefly out of bravado, to express his glee at the -sinking of the _Goliath_. Next day the _Agamemnon_, the _Swiftsure_, -and the heavy batteries on shore "went" for him, but could not hit him. -The "spotting" aeroplanes did their best to locate him and to direct the -firing; but a dummy gun is so easily put somewhere, where it can be seen -from above, and a real gun can so easily be shifted and hidden, where it -cannot be seen, that quite possibly the ships and the shore batteries -were never firing at the real gun. At any rate, directly they ceased -fire, "Gallipoli Bill" threw half a dozen more shells along the ridge -above "W" beach, and "pulled their legs" pretty thoroughly. - -Things went on quietly for the next two or three days, although the -howitzers did a lot of mischief on shore. Rumours came that a trawler -had sighted a periscope off Imbros island, thirteen miles away, and it -seemed definitely ascertained that two submarines had arrived at Smyrna. - - -On the 18th May the _Achates_ relieved the _Swiftsure_, and from this -date, until driven away by submarines, she became a "bombarding" ship. -She once more ceased to fly a flag; the Admiral left her, taking with -him his two Assistant Clerks; best of all, the devouring host of strange -snotties and their steamboats also departed, and quietness and peace -reigned in the gun-room. But, like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, the -gun-room store was bare--a fact which brought bitter grief to the Pimple -and the China Doll. - -There was another submarine scare that night. A trawler fired two -Very's lights, which meant "have sighted a hostile submarine", and -things "hummed" considerably until it turned out that she had mistaken -E11, on her way up the Straits, from Mudros, for an enemy submarine. - -Also, during that same night the Turks commenced their desperate -thirty-six-hour attack on Anzac, and for all that period an almost -incessant roar of heavy guns came down wind from there. This attack -ended most disastrously for the enemy, who lost more than three thousand -men killed. The Honourable Mess heard afterwards many yarns of this -fight--yarns of the Turks pressing through gullies against the -Australian and New Zealand trenches, pouring through in dense masses, -shouting "Allah! Allah!" and never ceasing that cry, because they -believed that no bullet would touch them with the sacred name on their -lips, and being shot down in hundreds and hundreds, until, in fact, some -of the Australians, who had clambered on top of their parapets the -better to shoot, refused to shoot any longer. Pressed along by the -masses behind them, the front ranks could not retreat--some, throwing -away their rifles, ran towards the trenches with their hands above their -heads, apparently demented, shouting "Allah! Allah!" - -Perhaps they thought that God would give them victory over the "infidel" -with their bare hands; perhaps they wanted to surrender; but none -reached those trenches. In front of one maxim alone, 380 dead were -counted when at last the attacks had melted away, and the Turks had -obtained an armistice to bury their dead. - - -Now that she was "bombarding" ship, the _Achates_ had the job of looking -after "Gallipoli Bill", and often an aeroplane would fly up to "spot" -for her whilst she tried to knock him out. - -Such a day's firing would be arranged and start something like this. - -Perhaps Captain Macfarlane had been ashore the afternoon before, to -stretch his long legs, and on coming back to the ship would send for the -Gunnery-Lieutenant. "Oh, look here, I've been ashore this afternoon. -That 6-inch howitzer is bothering everyone a good deal; it dropped one -near me--it may not have known I was there--but I thought it distinctly -rude; the Left Flank Observation Post--I was up there this -afternoon--think they have spotted him--just to the left of that single -tree near the windmills--you know it--the place where those dummy -field-guns used to be; how about having a try for it in the morning?" - -"Yes, sir! Certainly, sir! We had better ask for an aeroplane, I -suppose," the very "strict-service" Gunnery-Lieutenant would suggest. - -"Certainly! Certainly! Ask them to send a specially nice one this -time, perhaps a white one with blue spots would look pretty." - -The Gunnery-Lieutenant, who was absolutely devoid of all sense of -humour, would look up startled, only to see the Captain thoughtfully -tugging at his pointed yellow beard. - -"I don't think there are any like that, sir. They have tried various -colours, but none are invisible. I think they have none like that, sir." - -"Oh! Very well, we must just take our chance. Perhaps they will send us -one with pretty red, white, and blue rings," the Captain would reply -gravely, without a tremor of an eyelid; and off would go the bewildered -Gunnery-Lieutenant to write out a signal "requesting permission to -bombard Target 159G7", or whatever was the dot on the military map -nearest to "Gallipoli Bill", and wonder whether Captain Macfarlane was -going "off his head". Whilst waiting a reply from the Admiral, he might -run across the Fleet-Surgeon and tell him what the Captain had said. "I -suppose there's nothing the matter with him, Doc.? You don't think the -strain is telling on him?" - -"Nothing the matter with him! Of course not," would snap Dr. O'Neill. -"It's yourself, you fool; your silly noddle's so stuffed with wretched -gunnery, you haven't room for a joke. He was pulling your leg." - -"But where's the joke about 'white with blue spots'--I've never seen one -like that?" and the Gunnery-Lieutenant would scratch his head. - -"Oh! get out of it; you're hopeless!" Dr. O'Neill would growl. - -Presently the signal would come that the proposed bombarding had been -approved by the Admiral, who would make arrangements for a "spotting" -aeroplane at ten o'clock. - -Thus were details fixed for another attempt to destroy "Bill". - -In the morning the Gunnery-Lieutenant waited to see how the current, or -the breeze, or both together, made the ship swing. Perhaps that -especial morning she swung with her stern inshore, so that "X" group of -6-inch guns--the group on the starboard side, aft--bore most easily. -So, after breakfast, the Gunnery-Lieutenant sent for the War Baby--in -charge of these guns--and showed him the exact spot on the map and, -taking him up into the main-top, the special tree close to which "Bill" -had last been seen--the tree on which he had to train his guns. - -The aeroplane with its pilot, the "observer" and his wireless apparatus, -started away from the "advanced" aerodrome near Helles lighthouse, -commenced to climb up into the "blue", and, when ready, signalled "Ready -to Commence". - -By this time the Gunnery-Lieutenant in the fore-top, the Captain on the -bridge, the War Baby in the sighting hood of X1, and the guns' crews in -X1 and X2 beneath it, just abaft the gun-room, were all ready and -waiting. "Ranging shot at eight--five--o--o, common shell," the -Gunnery-Lieutenant sang down through his voice-pipe; and watched, as X1 -fired, away along to the right of Krithia, between the last of the -windmills and that single tree, where he hoped that the aeroplane could -see "Bill", although he could not do so himself. Up went the -cloud-burst, and in perhaps fifty seconds the voice-pipe from the -"wireless" room called "Short 200"--the signal that had just come from -the aeroplane. - -Frequently, on these occasions, the enemy "wireless" stations would -"block" the "wireless" signals from the aeroplane, or make "spotting" -signals of their own, to confuse the annoyed Gunnery-Lieutenant. Always -if the aeroplane ventured too near "Bill", the Turks burst shrapnel -round her. - -Sights were corrected, and another shot fired; out of the "blue" came -the signal "Right, one hundred and fifty yards". That meant altering -the training or, if the gun was kept on that single tree all the time, -altering the deflection scale on the sight. - -And so, for perhaps twenty rounds, firing went on. "Bill", wherever he -was, had never spoken a word; the aeroplane signalled "O.K.", the -interpretation of which being that, as far as she could see, the last -shell had made a direct hit; and presently the Gunnery-Lieutenant, who -generally had the idea that the aeroplane "spotter" didn't know his left -hand from his right, or "overs" from "shorts", and also was as blind as -any bat, thought it was about time to finish, and would climb down and -ask the Captain if he should "pack-up". - -The War Baby's guns' crews were then ordered to secure and "sponge out" -their guns, and a searchlight signal was made to the aeroplane that the -firing was finished. Down she would circle to her aerodrome, and if she -had anything exciting to tell, would signal it across from the Naval -Signal Station close at hand. - -After such a proceeding it often happened that, almost before the -aeroplane had come down to land, "Bill" would plump three or four -high-explosive shells on "W" beach or in the soldiers' "rest" camp. He -was a facetious fellow, very wanting in tact, and most elusive. - -To understand the difficulties of hitting him, you must try and imagine -yourself on the deck of an ordinary steamer, standing somewhere about -twenty feet above the level of the water. The distance of the sea -horizon is then just a little over five miles. If you now imagine that, -instead of a continuous, uninterrupted curved line, the curve of the -horizon is broken up by small gullies and ravines and depressions, in -any one of which "Gallipoli Bill" may be concealed--in fact, _is_ -absolutely hidden from you--and all you know is that he is supposed to -be in line with, perhaps, a particular tree which you can see; that up -above, there is an aeroplane quite possibly "spotting" on a dummy gun, -and that only a direct hit will destroy "Bill", you obtain a good idea -of the difficulties of hitting him from where you are--standing in your -steamer. - -One day, in order to reduce the range, the _Achates_ anchored in another -billet, off "X" beach, farther along the "outside" coast of the -Peninsula, and had hardly dropped her anchor before a cheeky battery of -4.1-inch guns began dropping their shells all round her. It was -impossible to locate the battery, and there was no option but to shove -off again, out of range. Again, you must bear in mind that the flashes -these guns make when fired are very slight, and quite momentary, also -that dummy flashes were also fired some distance away. The only sure -proof that the actual position of the firing gun had been located was by -observing the cloud of dust blown up from the ground in front of the -gun. The size and density of this depends naturally upon the kind of -ground, and also, of course, a position behind ground thickly covered -with bushes is generally chosen to reduce the dust to a minimum; so -that, at a range of five miles, what dust is thrown up is very, very -seldom visible. - -In the course of the campaign many of the Turks' guns were knocked out -by the ships; but every shell must fall somewhere, and if you fire a -sufficient number, sooner or later a lucky one may do the "trick" and -fall on the exact spot required. - -But a ship's magazines are not inexhaustible; with very little effort -she could empty them in an hour, and be as useless as a Thames barge -until they were refilled. If there had been an inexhaustible supply in -the ammunition ships at Mudros, and if a ship had made full use of it, -she would have worn out her guns in next to no time; accurate firing -would be impossible, and the ship again practically useless. - -Knowing all these things, you should now be able to realize the -extraordinary difficulties of hitting a single gun from ships at those -necessarily long ranges, and be able to understand their comparative -failure to do so. - - -To return to the submarines. It was on a Saturday, the 22nd May, that -the first German submarine actually made its appearance off the -Peninsula. Just as the Honourable Mess had finished their meagre lunch, -a signalman brought the Sub a signal, just received from the _Triumph_, -at anchor off Anzac. The Sub read it aloud: "Hostile submarine sighted -N.E. of Gaba Tepe". - -"Well, it's a good thing to get the show over," the Sub said; and Uncle -Podger remarked that "At any rate it will be pretty to watch." They all -went on deck; and the sight of a long line of transports, store ships, -and hospital ships hurrying across from Anzac to the little protected -harbour of Kephalo, in the island of Imbros, made it certain that they -evidently did not doubt that a submarine had been seen. - -"They're in earnest, at any rate; there's a pretty picture for you," -said Uncle Podger as he watched them, the smoke simply pouring out of -their funnels as they made haste to get out of danger. All ships round -Cape Helles--some forty or fifty ships of all kinds--were ordered to -raise steam, and the _Achates_, shortening in her cable, waited for -whatever would turn up. Close to her lay the _Swiftsure_; and both had -to rely for protection on the keenness of their "look-outs" and the -quickness of their guns' crews, because neither ship had -torpedo-nets--the _Achates_ never possessed any; the _Swiftsure's_ were -lying in a store-house in Bombay Dockyard, where she had left them a -year before war broke out. - -Everyone felt sure that "something" would happen shortly, and actually -experienced a sense of relief to at last be faced with the danger which -had so long threatened. Very many took good care--very good care--to -secure their swimming-belts under their tunics, in readiness to blow -them up should the necessity arise. - -It was a glorious day, with a very slight "ruffle" on the sea; and, as -Uncle Podger told the nervous China Doll: "My dear chap, you couldn't -want a better day for a swim." - -At half-past one the _Prince George_, in a new coat of paint, steamed -under the _Achates'_ stern. She had returned from a twenty-four-hours -"spell" up the Straits, looking after the Asiatic howitzers, and as she -turned slowly into position, to anchor, she suddenly began to blaze away -with her small guns, for'ard, and went full speed ahead. At the same -moment the cruiser _Talbot_, about a mile away, hoisted the signal -"hostile submarine in sight", and fired a blank charge to draw attention -to it. "Close water-tight doors" was piped along the decks; the crew -dashed down below; and the China Doll, trembling with excitement, made -his way for'ard, and saw the splashes of the _Prince George's_ shells -following and bursting all round what looked like the swirl and heave of -water which a big fish would make when swimming just below the surface. -One of the gun's crews near him shouted that he saw a periscope; -another, an obvious liar, swore that he could see the tail rudders. - -Two destroyers came dashing down--a smother of black smoke and white -foam--dashing right in among the shell splashes--or so it seemed to the -nervous Assistant Clerk--and then began scurrying round and round in -circles, seeking something to pounce upon. - -But the submarine had dived, and, whatever her skipper's intentions -were, she never showed herself again that day. - -The _Prince George_ came solemnly back and let go her anchor, like some -half-worn-out old watch-dog who had gone barking round to drive off -intruders and then returned to his kennel door; whilst the _Swiftsure_ -started off to join the destroyers in their search. - -But then commenced a most extraordinary exodus of shipping from Cape -Helles. Transports and store ships hove up their anchors and started -off on their sixty-mile journey to Mudros to seek safety behind the -submarine net across the entrance. The _Achates_ received orders to -proceed there too, and, you may be sure, was not long getting under way, -steaming on a straight course until a signal came from the Admiral, -"_Achates_ zigzag". The sea from Cape Helles was one long line of -hurrying steamers. Two big "crack" French liners, the _France_ and _La -Provence_, the first of which had only arrived that morning, and had not -yet begun to disembark the four thousand troops on board, lingered at -anchor for nearly an hour. They were such huge ships, and were such -tempting submarine targets, that everyone wondered why they delayed. -Presently, however, they joined in the race for safety, and catching up -the _Achates_, steamed past her as though she had been at anchor. - -Was not the China Doll, and many more, too, aboard her, delighted when -the _Achates_ slipped through the "gate" in that submarine net! - -That night the _Albion_ and _Canopus_, off Anzac, remained under way, -for safety. During the night the _Albion_ "took" the ground off Gaba -Tepe, and, not being able to get off, was exposed to a very heavy fire -at daybreak from howitzers, field-batteries, and also from the 12-inch -guns of a Turkish ironclad, somewhere above The Narrows, and firing -across the land. Fortunately, this fire was as inaccurate as it was -heavy; but the situation was most dangerous and unpleasant until the -_Canopus_ came along, in the thick of the shells, laid out some hawsers -to her, and at the second attempt towed her clear, with a total loss of -only one man killed and nine wounded. - -The next two days passed quietly; no submarines were seen or heard of, -until on the second morning, at half-past eight, a periscope was -suddenly observed passing along between the _Swiftsure_ and _Agamemnon_, -at anchor off Cape Helles not six hundred yards from each other. Fire -was opened immediately, and down dipped the periscope, to appear again -just ahead and on the _Swiftsure's_ starboard bow. The _Swiftsure's_ -14-pounders blazed away, under went the periscope and did not appear -again. - -It is a mystery why she did not fire a torpedo; presumably she had no -time to get into position to make a good shot. A signal sent to the -ships off Gaba Tepe and Anzac warned them; but just before half-past -twelve the _Triumph_ there was struck by two torpedoes. The news that -she had a list brought all the _Swiftsure's_ officers and men on deck. -Sure enough, they could see her through telescopes listing heavily, and -two destroyers standing by. In twenty minutes the red composition on -her bottom showed above the water; she rapidly fell over, remained -bottom upwards for some eight minutes, and then disappeared. -Fortunately, very few of her crew were lost. - -Another exodus of ships followed, and only the poor old _Majestic_ and -the _Henri IV_, that quaint old Frenchman--with the Captain who feared -neither mine nor torpedo--remained off the Peninsula. Three days' grace -the _Majestic_ received, and then she too met her fate, a submarine -creeping up, with her periscope just showing, and firing two torpedoes -at her through a gap between two small store ships. At 6.45 a.m. on -Friday, 28th May, the poor old ship received her death-blows, and seven -and a half minutes later capsized. For months her ram just appeared -above the water off "W" beach, until the autumn gales made her settle -farther down and mercifully hid her from sight. - -It is not surprising that the general feeling of uncertainty and -uneasiness due to the approach or German submarines should, now that -they had arrived, sunk two big ships, and driven the others away, give -place to one of foreboding and depression. - -The army, which had landed with such proud hopes of opening the gates of -The Narrows for the fleet to pass through, had fought itself to a -standstill at Helles and Anzac; its supply beaches were constantly under -shell-fire, and even the "rest" camps daily gave up their toll of dead -and wounded from shells shrapnel or high-explosive. - -The big ships could not use the narrow waters with freedom or safety; -and if one, two, three, or five submarines, whatever their number was at -this time, had already made the long voyage from Germany, ten, fifteen, -or twenty might follow; and even if the big ships forced their way to -Constantinople, these submarines could make it impossible for them to -stay there. - -Everyone wondered what would be the next move--what would happen next. - -There were two bright patches of cheerful sky between the dark clouds: -our own submarines, working with unparalleled daring and skill, passed -up and down The Narrows, through the nets laid across to catch them, -almost at their ease, and prevented the Turks from using the Sea of -Marmora to bring up troops or stores; the Commander-in-Chief himself -remained optimistic, in spite of all. - -Dr. O'Neill, meeting Captain Macfarlane, who had just returned from the -yacht _Triad_, which now flew the Commander-in-Chief's flag, asked him: -"How about the Admiral, sir? I suppose he is even more depressed than -we are?" - -"Not a bit of it," Captain Macfarlane told him. "He is quite cheery; he -has a lot 'up his sleeve' yet." - -From now onwards, the battleships remained behind the nets at Mudros or -Kephalo. From these, every now and again, one or other of them would -dash out with escorts of destroyers; an aeroplane would circle overhead -to 'spot' for her; and she would bombard the Asiatic guns, Achi Baba, -Sari Bair, above Anzac, or the Olive Grove, near Gaba Tepe, where the -Turks always had several guns. Having done as much damage as possible, -back she would steam, zigzagging all the way into safety. - -And from this time all stores, ammunition, and reinforcements were -carried across to the Peninsula at night in trawlers, small coasting -steamers, and what were termed "fleet sweepers"; these being small -steamers, of a thousand to fifteen hundred tons, which had--most of -them, at any rate--previous to the war, been employed in the passenger -and freight traffic on the cross-Channel, Irish, or Channel Island -services. - -Splendidly did they carry out their work--very frequently under fire. - - - - - *CHAPTER XV* - - *A Peaceful Month* - - -The day after the _Triumph_ had been torpedoed, and two days before the -_Majestic_ met the same fate, the _Achates_ left Mudros for the island -of Mytilene, zigzagging all the way, because Mytilene lay at the mouth -of the Gulf of Smyrna, and Smyrna harboured several submarines which -might possibly be in wait for her. - -A grand day it was, the sun shining out of an almost cloudless sky, the -sea bluer than the sky, and ruffled pleasantly by a gentle breeze. In -the evening she passed through a narrow channel between tree-clad -heights, and anchored in the land-locked harbour. - -For the last month it had not been possible to go on deck without seeing -a gun fired or a shell burst. Down below, in cabin, ward-room, or -gun-room, you did escape the sight of them--and the sight of those high -explosives bursting among men and horses on the beaches can never be -forgotten--but you could not escape the sound of them. Each time the -air, coming through scuttle, doorway, skylight, or hatchway, thudded -against your ears, the shock, big or little, from far or near, made you -wince, and made your mind stop momentarily to picture the actual -explosion; your ears tingled, alert and braced, to receive the next -shock, until the constant, expectant waiting and wincing became a strain -which affected many people, even those who were not then exposed to -personal danger. It made them irritable or taciturn, or brought about -little alterations of character and disposition, not sufficiently -definite, perhaps, to state in words, but real enough to notice at the -time. In addition, the constant sight of trawlers and boats full of -wounded, passing the _Achates_ on their way to hospital ships, had a -constant depressing effect, not perhaps fully realized at the moment. - -Later, when there came the more imminent personal danger from submarine -attack, culminating in the capsizing of two battleships, torpedoed in -broad daylight and in full view of thousands, in circumstances which -showed how impossible it was, under those conditions of service, to meet -submarine attack successfully, the effect of the strain became more -pronounced. - -Above all, there lacked the success of the expedition, which alone could -act as an antidote to the strain. - -When, therefore, the _Achates_ wound her way through the tortuous -channel into Ieros harbour, her yards almost touching the thick -brushwood which clothed the cliffs, and these cliffs, shutting out all -sight of the sea, opened out to give a view of an inland lake surrounded -by olive-clad hills fading away in the distance, and glowing at the warm -touch of the evening sun, their many-tinted green slopes reflected in -its placid waters; of villages, quiet little peaceful villages, with the -peasants clustering along the water's edge as the ship floated past, or -white-sailed boats crowded with smiling, gaily-welcoming Greek men and -women, it seemed as though a magician's wand had suddenly guided and -wafted her into some fairy harbour, where war and the brutalities of -bloodshed could never have been known and would never dare to intrude. - -Officers and men stood, drinking in, in their various ways, the beauty, -the peace, and the overwhelming quietness of it all. - -"Old 'Gallipoli Bill' will drop one among those people in a moment; -they're exposing themselves terribly," the Hun grinned. - -"They've got 'dug-outs' all handy, somewhere close by; you bet they -have!" Rawlins said. - -"I wonder how our three chaps are getting on at 'W' beach;" said the -Sub, smacking the open-mouthed and staring China Doll on his back, so -that his doll's eyes nearly fell out. "My jumping Jimmy, what a place! -My blessed stars! What a bathe we'll have when we've dropped the -'killick'. I'll ask the Commander," and stalked away to find him, -banging every member of the Honourable Mess he met with his fist, with -shouts of "My jumping Jupiter, what a place!" The Pimple pointed out to -the China Doll one of the boats they passed. Half full of oranges and -bananas it was; and their mouths watered and their eyes brightened as -they thought of the feast they would have if it came alongside and the -ward-room messman did not buy them all. - -The ship slowly turned round another bluff, and a collier with two -English submarines lying alongside her came into view. - -"They rather spoil the picture," Uncle Podger said, "but we needn't look -at 'em." - -Then the _Achates_ let go her anchor, the cable rattled noisily, -stopped, and the ship lay still. - -A quarter of an hour later, "hands to bathe" was "piped", and in less -than ten minutes, at least five hundred officers and men were bobbing in -the water alongside, and the air was alive with their cheery shouts. -The men dived off the booms, the nettings, out of the gangways, or -climbed down her sides; the water for'ard was so thick with black heads -and white shoulders, that when another man and yet another, a constant -stream of them, dived in, one could not help wondering if there was a -clear space for them to dive into, though the others always did manage -to "open out" and let the newcomer in without accident. - -Aft, some of the Honourable Mess were diving off the top of the -accommodation ladder; others, the more cautious ones, preferred to drop -off the foot of it. The Hun went off the top, so did Rawlins. Uncle -Podger walked sedately down the ladder, turned a back somersault, and -bobbed up again, in time to see the Pimple make a show of diving off the -top, decide that it was too high, and walk down it. The China Doll, -trying to attract attention, wouldn't even dive from the foot of the -ladder. "You'll promise not to duck me, won't you?" he squeaked, and -lowered himself down, holding on to a rope. The Sub, with his gnarled -muscles showing under his bathing dress, and disdaining the twenty-foot -dive from the ladder top, climbed to the edge of the after bridge with a -water polo ball under his arm, threw it far out from the ship, climbed -the rails, balanced himself for a moment, roared out "Look out, you -jumping shrimps!" and dived forty feet into the water, cutting it like a -knife, and coming to the surface some thirty yards farther away. The -more sedate ward-room officers, disrobing in their cabins, heard his -stentorian, roaring shouts of, "My jumping Jimmies! What a place!" -Presently they too appeared on deck, twisting their towels round the -quarter-deck rails before they joined the merry splashing throng; the -little Padre had his swimming-belt round his chest, and his everlasting -pipe in his mouth. The Hun and Uncle Podger, seeing him come down the -ladder, winked at each other, and waited to see what would happen when -he jumped into the water; but were disappointed, for he lowered himself -carefully; the swimming-belt kept his head well above water, and he -paddled about, still smoking. - -Around and among all these swimmers paddled the Greeks in their quaint, -picturesque boats, watching them and smiling with amusement. - -The Hun and Rawlins, slightly out of breath, after having disappeared -for a few brief moments below the surface of the water in their efforts -to decide which had ducked the other, caught hold of the stern of a boat -which happened to be near, and drawing themselves half out of the water, -grinned happily at a bevy of plump young damsels sitting there. The -girls, laughing merrily, gave them each an orange; whereupon they -slipped back into the water and proceeded to eat them. But the sight of -these two lying placidly on their backs and devouring their oranges was -too much for the others. Uncle Podger with his trudgeon stroke reached -the unsuspecting Rawlins first, seized his orange, ducked him, and -dived, only to come up among the enemy--the Pimple, the Sub, and the -outraged Rawlins. The War Baby threw himself into the melee; the Hun, -swallowing the rest of his orange, joined in too; and the life of Uncle -Podger was only saved by a shower of oranges, and peals of girlish -laughter from the boat. - -Securing their prizes they shouted, "Thanks, awfully! Merci beaucoup!" -hoping that they might understand French; and the War Baby, who knew a -few words of Spanish, called out, "Gratia! Senoritas!" hoping they could -understand that. But language did not matter; they knew what was meant -to be expressed, and shrieked with laughter. - -The Fleet-Paymaster, puffing along by the side of Dr. Gordon, who looked -exactly like a walrus in the water, grunted out: "We're too old, I -suppose, for 'em to chuck oranges at us? Let's try!" - -And they did; and each got his orange, and his shriek of laughter when -he tried to eat it without spoiling the taste with sea water. - -All this time the China Doll, who could only swim a few strokes, did not -venture far from the foot of the ladder, very miserable that everybody -seemed to have forgotten him, and knowing that if he did venture out -among the others he would certainly be ducked--which he hated--and very -probably drowned. - -Up on deck, Captain Macfarlane, grimly looking on, met the -Gunnery-Lieutenant coming up from performing his trick of tossing a hoop -off the top of the ladder, and then diving through it as it lay on the -surface of the water--he had done this about ten times already, as if he -were carrying out some drill or religious exercise. - -"Mr. Gunnery-Lieutenant," Captain Macfarlane said, tugging thoughtfully -at his beard; "the Great War is still on, is it not?" and the startled -Gunnery-Lieutenant, the hoop in one hand, the other raised to his -dripping hair in wild salute, replied: "Oh! Yes, sir! As far as I know, -sir!" and, later on, gave it as his opinion that "the Skipper must be -going off his head". - -Presently the bugle sounded the "retire", and everyone splashed back to -the ship, the members of the Honourable Mess going down to the -half-deck, chattering like magpies round the Pink Rat's cot whilst they -rubbed themselves down and dressed. - -"I never got an orange. I do think you chaps might have brought me -one," the China Doll squeaked, a little upset because no one had taken -any notice of him; so they chased him round the half-deck with their wet -towels, till he shrieked for mercy and was happy again. - -Then they rushed up on deck, because the Hun and Bubbles meant to ask -those girls on board to show them the holes made by the Smyrna shells, -as some little "return" for the oranges. - -The others had "dared" them to do this; and they would have asked them, -but were too late--their boat had paddled back to the village. - -What a dinner they had that night! - -The miserable little messman, for once, had risen to the occasion, and -bought potatoes, cabbages, lettuce, and onions, and fruit--oranges and -bananas--which of course were "extras". - -"I'm jolly sorry that the other three aren't here," Uncle Podger -remarked, as he skinned his fourth orange. "Wouldn't old Bubbles have -loved them? Wouldn't he have been pretty to watch?" - -On these occasions, when "extras" had been provided, a comic scene -always followed in the pantry. In order that the messman could know who -devoured his precious "extras", and could put the names down in his -book, he had to keep a very smart "look-out" through the sliding doors -in the pantry bulkhead; and Barnes, who hated him like poison, would -block one and then the other with his huge head and shoulders, so that -he should not see which of the "young gen'l'men" had taken an orange or -banana. As Uncle Podger always said on such occasions: "It was pretty -to watch him and Barnes dodging each other backwards and forwards, from -side to side." - -Barnes would slide across one of the trap-doors, then block up the -other; across would dart the little messman, slide back the one which -had just been closed, and peep through it. Bang would go the other, and -Barnes would be seen pushing the messman aside, muttering "'Ere you; -you're getting in the way, you are", reaching through, and making -pretence of drawing back any dirty plates or dishes which stood on the -sideboard. And so this game went on; whilst the Pimple and the China -Doll, keeping their eyes about them, would seize fruit at the most -favourable moment, drop the skins on someone else's plate if possible, -and if not, throw them far under the table. - -Barnes, afterwards, when he cleared the table and swept up the deck, -would do it to a muttered accompaniment of: "That nawsty little beggar, -a-countin' up and a-puttin' down everythink of 'is beastly hextras. -'Umph!" (bang would go the broom against a leg of the table). "And who -eats 'em? 'Umph! the nawsty, slimy toad. I'll learn 'im, me as what -'as a pub of 'is own at 'ome--or 'ad, afore this 'ere war a-started." - - -The days which followed were days of real delight, never to be forgotten -by the Honourable Mess, who revelled in them and in the noiseless, -peaceful nights when they slept on the quarter-deck, and woke to slip -off their pyjamas and plunge over the side into the transparent water. - -In a week's time, very early one morning, up the harbour came the grey -picket-boat with the Orphan; behind her followed Trawler No. 370 with -Bubbles, the Lamp-post, and all that was left of their beach party. - -"Come along, you chaps!" called Uncle Podger, waving his towel, when at -last they came aboard. "My! but you do look scarecrows! Off with your -grubby clothes and flop in. It's simply splendid!" They did flop in; -and that morning's bathe, when the Honourable Mess was once more united, -was a memorable one, especially to the "War Baby"--the officer of the -watch--who could not make them come out of the water until long after -the regulation time, and until the Commander had twice sent for him to -know why he didn't stop that confounded noise round the foot of the -ladder. - -They arranged a grand picnic next day, and hired two of the little Greek -sailing-boats which ferried people across from one side of the harbour -to the other. They bought a basketful of oranges from the Greek boats -alongside--it was cheaper to do this than to get them through the -messman--they took a kettle of water, tins of jam, milk, and butter, -loaves of bread; and away they went, with a merry breeze, the whole -crowd of them, the Sub, Uncle Podger, the Orphan, Rawlins, and Bubbles -in one, the Lamp-post and the remainder in the other. They raced the -two boats to a tiny island at the mouth of the entrance of the harbour, -beached them without rubbing off much paint, stripped, and larked in the -water and out of it, on the grass under some trees. - -Then the China Doll and the Pimple were appointed "cooks of the mess", -and wandered off to collect driftwood to make a fire on the beach, -whilst the others stretched themselves on the grass to dry themselves -until they were too hot, then plunged in again till they were cool. By -the time the fire had begun to crackle famously the Sub, Uncle Podger, -and two of the snotties--the Lamp-post and Bubbles, who were over -eighteen years old--had found their pipes, lighted them, and were -puffing away luxuriously. The Sub, whose heart warmed benevolently -within him, called out: "Carry on smoking, my bouncing beauties--every -mother's son of you--so long as you aren't sick!" So off dashed the -others to their clothes, and produced the well-worn pipes which they had -brought with them, hoping that the Sub would be in a good temper. Even -the China Doll produced a cigarette case, and made a great fuss of -lighting a "Virginian", puffing at it like a girl, then holding it in -his fingers because the smoke made his eyes water. "No 'stinkers'! No -'gaspers' here! Phew. What a horrible smell!" the others shouted. The -Orphan pretended to faint, Bubbles threw himself down in the grass and -groaned. - -"I haven't any 'Gyppies'," pleaded the Assistant Clerk. "You smoke -'stinkers' yourselves sometimes. - -"Only on board, China Doll, to drown the smell of the gun-room, when -you're in it," Bubbles gurgled. "Get to leeward, you little stink-pot!" -The Pimple and Rawlins made a rush for him; he dodged them, and waded -into the water. - -"Come back!" they shouted as they followed him. "We're getting wet; we -can't swim a stroke," and drove him out until only his head and neck -were above the water. They made him smoke it there, throwing clods of -earth at him whenever he attempted to take it out of his mouth to -prevent his eyes watering. - -"Nice, quiet, gentlemanly lads," said Uncle Podger from the grass. -"Very pretty to watch, aren't they?" - -But the Pimple--earnestly occupied in keeping the China Doll and the -"overpowering" smell of his tiny cigarette from destroying the aroma -from nine fairly foul pipes loaded with "ship's" tobacco--and the China -Doll thus engaged, with only his head above water, were neglecting their -duty as cooks to the Honourable Mess. The kettle was trying to lift off -its lid, and threatened to fall over. - -It was saved just in time, and the Pimple, violently seized by the Hun -and Rawlins, escorted back to his duties, whilst the China Doll waded -out with his cigarette damped and "dead". - -The Sub, Uncle Podger, and the Lamp-post lay and smoked, and watched the -others carrying all the paraphernalia of tea from the two boats to a -little place under a shady tree, cutting slices of bread, and opening -the tins of milk, butter, and jam. - -"Isn't this an extraordinary change from ten days ago?" said Uncle -Podger presently, with a great sigh of enjoyment. "The whole place -looks as if it had never even heard of such a thing as war." - -"It may look like it, Uncle, but you'd be nearer the mark if you said -that it had never really known peace," the Lamp-post said. "Why, -Mytilene, and the other islands round about here, have seen fighting all -through history--history was made in these parts--right away from the -year one--five hundred years before it, too, and they haven't known -peace--not for any length of time--ever since. The Phoenicians, -Athenians, Carthaginians, Romans, Persians, Syrians, Turks, and -Greeks--they've all had a "go" at it--landed and killed the men, -garrisoned the place for a few years, till they were "booted" out or -killed by the next little lot to come along. - -"I was only asking the Interpreter[#] this morning, and he told me that -there are villages up there" (and the Lamp-post pointed across the -harbour to the slopes of the hills) "which are full of Turks, and they -daren't come down to the Greek villages except in numbers and in the -daylight--nor dare the Greeks go up to them--for fear of being killed. -He told me that the Greeks and Turks are always fighting on these -islands, and on the mainland right along the coast to Smyrna. The Greek -chaps get on their nerves; they work hard, are smarter business men, -lend money, which makes them very unpopular; and there are so many of -them in the coast towns that the Turks are really frightened of them, so -they kill them whenever they get a comfortable opportunity and can raise -the energy. Hereditary enemies they are, and vendettas go on just as -they have done for centuries; but the Turk has generally got an old -rifle, of sorts, so it's the Greek who gets killed in the long run. - - -[#] The _Achates_ had a Syrian interpreter on board. - - -"You see," went on the Lamp-post, "all the Turkish soldiers who used to -keep the peace--sometimes--in the villages and small towns have been -withdrawn to Smyrna or the Dardanelles, and now they are away the Turks -and Greeks are at each other's throats hammer and tongs. The -Interpreter told me that there are more than thirty thousand refugees -from the coast in Mytilene alone, and thousands more are trying to -escape before they are killed." - -"That's why the Greeks here are giving the Turks in the hills such a -rotten time, I suppose?" the Sub asked. - -"It rather spoils the picture," Uncle Podger said; "I wish you hadn't -told us." - -"Let us go, some day, and see the castle at Mytilene," the Lamp-post -suggested. "The Interpreter says that it was started five hundred years -B.C.--by the Phoenicians or someone like them, and has been added on to -by everybody else ever since. He says you can see some parts which are -Roman and some which the Persians built. I'm frightfully keen on things -like that," he added apologetically: - -"Come along, you chaps! Everything's ready!" the others shouted, -carrying up the kettle of boiling water. - -A grand tea they had, although the Orphan upset a good deal of the only -tin of milk over himself. That did not matter much, for they managed to -save most of it with spoons. - -"Pass the Orphan, please," one or other would say, "I want some more -milk;" and whoever was sitting next to him, Bubbles or Rawlins, would -sing "He's too heavy," and pretend to scrape more milk off his -bathing-suit. - -The China Doll and the Pimple, however, felt that there were two things -lacking to make the picnic a complete success--sardines and some tinned -sausages to cook over the fire; but, of course--and they sighed -heavily--the gun-room store was empty. - -The China Doll, presently, blinked and blushed, and suggested that they -should ask the War Baby to the next picnic. There was a shout of "He's -all right, but he doesn't belong to the gun-room--this is a gun-room -picnic." - -"But, if he came, he might bring some sardines and 'bangers'. I know -they have some in the ward-room--I asked their messman." - -"You're a perfect marvel, China Doll; fancy thinking all that out in -your noddle!" the Pimple said admiringly. "I votes we do ask him." - -Then the Orphan, catching sight of the wet remains of that "Virginian" -cigarette lying in the grass, pretended to faint; and when he'd been -revived by a convenient twig twirled round inside his nose, groaned: -"I'm awfully sorry, you chaps, but didn't you notice that awful smell -again," and pointed to that unhappy cigarette end. - -"Don't be silly," the China Doll kept on saying, blushing and trying to -hide it; but they sent him twenty yards along the beach, made him scrape -with his hands a hole, a foot deep, in the muddy sand, and bury it -there. "You've eaten all the oranges," he almost "blubbed" when he -returned. "My back's all sunburnt, and my feet are tingling. I've been -treading on something which hurts." - -They threw some oranges at him and made him happy, but he kept on -looking at the soles of his feet. - -"Well, if you will tread on sea-urchins' eggs you can't expect anything -else," the Lamp-post said, having a look at them himself. - -"Lend us a knife, somebody; he's got thirty or forty of the spikes in -his feet." But the pain of having them extracted with a pocket-knife -was too much for the Assistant Clerk; he said he'd get Dr. Gordon to -take them out when they went back to the ship. He ate his oranges, and -looked rather miserable whilst he dressed, slowly. - -The others played the newly invented "submarine game", standing in a -ring with the water up to their chins, their legs wide apart, and stones -in their hands; whilst the Orphan, who took the part of a submarine, -started in the middle, dived, and had not to come to the surface before -he had torpedoed somebody by swimming between his legs. If any part of -him showed up above the surface, or he came up to breathe, the others -threw stones at him; and if he was hit he had lost, and started again. -The torpedoed one had to change places with the "submarine"; and when -the fat Bubbles was at last torpedoed and had to take this leading part, -you can imagine that parts of him showed very often, and he laughed so -much that he couldn't keep his head under for ten seconds at a time. - -"Very pretty to watch," remarked Uncle Podger. Then they all scrambled -out, dried themselves in the sun, dressed; stowed away all the tea -"gear" in the boats--the kettle, teacups, knives, spoons, and plates; -carried the China Doll down to the boat to the tune of "John Brown's -body lies a-mouldering in the grave"; had a search for a missing spoon; -found it; shoved off, and raced back to the ship, the losing boat's crew -to pay for the oranges. - -"Off you go to Dr. Gordon," the Sub told the China Doll, "and just -pretend those feet of yours don't hurt you. If you go limping about -looking like a dying duck in a thunderstorm, you won't get the kind of -sympathy you want--not from me!" - -"That youth behaves like a little girl. He always wants people to take -notice of him and pet him. Whatever will he be like when he grows up?" -the Sub said afterwards to Uncle Podger. - -"A good beating twice a week would make a man of him," advised the -Clerk. "He is a good enough little chap, but he does want beating." - -"I'll see what can be done," answered the Sub thoughtfully. - -At that time the Greek population was extremely polite, and glad to see -British Naval uniforms. Everyone who passed took off his hat, the girls -were all smiles, and the children flocked round, holding out flowers, -though their homage was slightly diminished by insistent demands for -"one pen-ny". In fact, they became a beastly nuisance after a while. - -Now you must understand that the _Achates_ had not been sent to Ieros -for the purpose of providing entertainment for the gun-room officers, -but to superintend the blockade of Smyrna. To make this blockade -effective, she had under her orders two mine-layers, some destroyers, -and some submarines. These were always going out or coming in through -the picturesque entrance, and the submarine off duty used to make fast -alongside the _Achates_. Naturally she proved a great attraction to the -gun-room officers, who used to bother the lives out of the -sub-lieutenants--seconds in command--to show them round. - -One of these, a cheery sportsman, burst out with: "Oh, hang it all! -Come along, every one of you; four at a time, and I'll work through the -whole blooming Mess and get it over and done with." - -He did get it 'over', though the last four, the China Doll among them, -were rather a trial. - -"But if," bleated the Assistant Clerk, standing on the plates below the -open conning-tower, "if you did happen to dive when the lid was open, -wouldn't the water come in?" - -There was a roar of laughter from the others (which he wanted); but the -second in command, whose patience had not yet quite vanished, said: "Oh, -that's nothing! that often happens. We just stand down here, puff out -our cheeks, and blow up through the conning-tower--blow very hard until -someone climbs up and puts the lid on again." - -"Is that really true?" gasped the China Doll, not quite certain whether -he was being made a fool. - - -Much as the officers appreciated the change of scene at Ieros, the men -appreciated it still more. All except the beach party and the boats' -crews (a very small proportion) had been cooped up in the noisy, crowded -mess-decks ever since leaving Port Said. They to could now go ashore -occasionally; twice a day they could jump overboard and swim in the -glorious, buoyant water alongside, and once a week route marches took -place early in the morning, before the sun became too hot. These route -marches, however, were not very popular. - -You may be certain that the first time Fletcher the stoker went ashore, -he took "Kaiser Bill" with him. - -"You should have seen him nipping off the bits of grass," he told the -Orphan later on; "he did enjoy himself, sir!" - -Whilst here, the wireless press news came each morning, and was not -reassuring, for the Germans had commenced their advance through Galicia -and into Poland, and nothing seemed able to stop them. News, too, from -the Peninsula was bad--nearly a thousand men had been lost when the -transport _Royal Edward_ was sunk by a submarine, and another desperate -attempt to capture Krithia had failed with heavy losses. - -As a set-off against all these dismal tales there were rumours of -mysterious monitors on their way out with heavy guns, of reinforcements -pouring eastwards, and of the brilliant exploits of our own submarines -above the Dardanelles, in the Sea of Marmora. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI* - - *A Glorious Picnic* - - -Among the many queer characters they met at Ieros, none was more quaint -than a Mr. M'Andrew, who appeared on the scene in a very smart, rakish -little motor yacht with two masts and a gay awning, very reminiscent of -the River Thames. Sometimes he appeared flying the Greek flag, and -bringing the rubicund military governor of Mytilene to "protest" against -the British having done "this" or "that"; with a cheery "Au revoir, -Messieurs; a Constantinople!" when he left the ship. At other times he -flew the red ensign, and took Captain Macfarlane and the Commander -for--as far as the gun-room knew--pleasant little sea trips. Generally -he flew no flag at all, and had a most motley crew of picturesque -brigands with him. - -Occasionally the yacht used to lie alongside the _Achates_, and once or -twice the Sub tempted Mr. M'Andrew down into the gun-room to take a -glass of iced soda-water, of which he seemed excessively fond. He never -touched alcohol. - -He looked like a retired bank-manager who possibly devoted his leisure -to teaching in a Sunday or "ragged" school; he was broad and plump, and -perhaps fifty years of age--a most placid-looking individual who always -wore an old, but not shabby, blue suit, across the ample waistcoat of -which stretched a very thick gold watch and chain. He talked very -simply--as if talking was mere waste of breath--and his conversation was -chiefly about soda-water and the places he remembered where you could -buy it cheapest. He always carried a bunch of raisins in one of his -side-pockets, and ate them deliberately, one at a time, whenever he was -not smoking a very old briar pipe. The Sub used to ask him to dinner or -lunch, but he would refuse. "No, thank you; I never have meals; I just -go on munching raisins, and have some bread occasionally." - -Rumour had told the Honourable Mess that he was really a daring pirate, -and led forays against the Turks in the little bays on the -mainland--over against Mytilene--though never a word could they get from -him about his adventures--about anything, in fact, except soda-water, -the merits of dried raisins, and the unfortunate family troubles of his -crew. - -There was one old man who used to sit on the top of the deck-house all -day long without saying a word to a soul--a shrunken old Greek with very -sharp features and black eyes which seemed to blaze from their deep -sockets in the most startling way. When you first saw him he looked a -poor, withered, feeble old "dodderer", in spite of the Winchester rifle -he always gripped across his knees, and the two filled bandoliers of -cartridges round his waist and shoulders; but when he turned to look at -you the fierceness of his eyes gave him a most extraordinary appearance. -Mr. M'Andrew used to take him down a loaf of bread--provided by the -gun-room--pat him on the shoulder, and say a few words to him. "Poor -old man!" Mr. M'Andrew told them, "poor old man; he's rather miserable. -You see, he and his three sons kept a flock of sheep on some little -island near the coast, and the Turks came along, killed his sons and the -sheep, and tried to kill him, but he managed to escape. He knew of a -crack in a rock, where he hid by day--for three days--crawling out at -night to suck the grass and eat berries and leaves, until the Turks gave -up looking for him and went away--thought he must be dead. I just -happened to be going past there yesterday, saw him wave, and brought him -along. He won't be really happy again until he's killed a Turk for each -of his sons; he thinks I'll give him the chance soon, so won't leave -me." - -"But shall you?" the Honourable Mess cried with one accord. - -"This really is not at all bad soda-water," Mr. M'Andrew went on in his -slow, deliberate way. "I remember when I was in Mexico--no, it reminds -me of some I got at Haiti during the revolution, the one of 1901. As I -was saying, most of my crew have had a good deal of family trouble one -way or the other. There's that little lad who cleans the brasswork. -He's the only one left of a family of twelve--father, mother, brothers, -and sisters. He hid in the roof when the Turks cut the throats of the -others one night. He came along here--no, I don't know how--and wants -me to let him have a rifle. Oh, those other chaps; nice, gentle-looking -fellows, aren't they? They can't bear the Turks--more or less for the -same reason! Some of their relatives have been killed by them, or -they've been driven away from the mainland and have nothing left of -farms, or shops, or flocks, wives or children. They just come along to -me, and I lend them some old rifles I just happen to have." - -"Have they had a chance of using them?" the snotties asked. "Most of -them say they have killed a Turk or two; tell me so when they come -first. And I expect they have," went on Mr. M'Andrew in his placid -voice, feeling in his pocket for another raisin, and fumbling with the -fob of his gold watch-chain. - -The China Doll, in fact all the gun-room officers, spent a good deal of -time watching him moving about among the fierce, black-eyed ruffians, -who sat about the deck of the smart little motor-yacht with their -bandoliers across their shoulders, their rifles (which Mr. M'Andrew just -happened to have lent them) gripped firmly in their hands. They cleaned -these interminably, and Mr. M'Andrew walked about and spoke a few words -to each, just as you could picture him walking about the boys in his -Ragged School in Glasgow, distributing raisins and bread to them just as -he might have done to his boys. - -One day the motor-yacht towed in a clumsy, old, local trading schooner, -and anchored her abreast the _Achates_. She turned out to be a Turkish -trading ship which had been becalmed off some Greek village. The Greeks -captured her, and had killed at least one of her crew, for his body -still lay on the deck, just at the break of the poop. - -"Oh, no!" said Mr. M'Andrew, in genuine surprise, "I had nothing to do -with it. I simply found her a derelict and towed her in here. The rest -of the crew were probably killed as well, but thrown overboard. Oh, no! -that's nothing unusual." - -The dead Turk was handed over to the authorities, and this lumbering old -derelict--she looked at least fifty years old, and was probably a -hundred--swung at anchor, close to the _Achates_, for some days. - -The Sub had a brilliant "brain wave", and suggested that the gun-room -should commission her, one day, for a picnic. Captain Macfarlane gave -permission, and then came the question of asking the War Baby. Finally -it was unanimously decided to do so; and--"Well", as Bubbles said when -he gave the invitation, "if you can bring some sardines and sausages -along with you, so much the better." They asked Mr. Meredith, the -R.N.R. Lieutenant, and Dr. Gordon, the R.N.V.R. Surgeon, and they asked -the Padre too; and, wonderful to relate, that pale-faced little man -jumped at the offer--"so long as he could smoke his pipe all the time". -The other two of course accepted. - -After dinner, and after considerable deliberation and more noise, the -following notice appeared on the board in the gun-room, under the -alarum-clock and the five broken-down wrist-watches:-- - - - NOTICE - - To-morrow, Thursday, 17th June, H.M. Schooner *What's Her - Name* will be commissioned, at 1.30 p.m. - - The following appointments have been made to her:-- - - Captain ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... The Sub. - First-class Passenger ... ... ... ... Mr. Meredith. - First Lieutenant and Boatswain ... ... The Pink Rat. - Officer of Marines and Master-at-Arms The War Baby. - Surgeon and Captain of the Main-top ... Dr. Gordon. - Chaplain and Official Photographer ... The Rev. Horace Gibbons. - Paymaster and Man-of-all-Work ... ... Uncle Podger. - Captain of the Fore-top ... ... ... ... The Lamp-post. - Foretopmen ... ... ... ... ... ... ... The Hun, The Orphan, - Rawlins - Maintopmen ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Bubbles, The Pimple. - Cabin Boy ... ... ... ... ... ... ... The China Doll. - Second Cabin Boy ... ... ... ... ... Barnes. - The Ancient Mariner ... ... ... ... ... Fletcher the Stoker. - The Albatross ... ... ... ... ... ... "Kaiser Bill". - - *Uniform of the day--Pirate Rig.* - - Coloured shirt, vest, or jersey. - Trousers or shorts. - Head-dress--any old thing, as long as it's hideous. - - -Fletcher they asked because they thought the old man would enjoy "a bit -of an outing", and "Kaiser Bill" was asked because Fletcher wouldn't -enjoy it without him. - -Barnes, on reading the notice and seeing his own appointment, growled to -the messman: "What did them young gen'l'men a-think they was a-doin' of; -no, 'e wasn't a-goin' a-sailorisin' in that 'ere craft what murder 'ad -been done in, an' the blood-stain on 'er deck an' all--not 'e;" but he -changed his mind and went aboard with the Pirate Crew, grinning like a -huge schoolboy, with his big basket of food (including the War Baby's -sardines and sausages), a bucket of coal and wood to make a fire, a -kettle, frying-pan, and a barricoe of water. They climbed aboard, -handed up all the "gear" and their towels, and the Sub ran a boat's -ensign, which he had borrowed, up to the main masthead. - -"Hello, Doc! brought your Harley Street bag with you, I see." Dr. -Gordon laughed. "Yes," he twinkled, "it might be useful." The little -Padre, beaming, passed aboard his camera, and climbed up after it. - -To give you an idea of what this piratical crew looked like, the Orphan -wore a red tam-o'-shanter, a yellow-and-black sweater, running "shorts", -and gymnasium shoes; and Bubbles had an old kicked-in bowler hat on the -back of his head, a green football shirt stuffed into striped bathing -drawers, and a pair of sea-boots. He made a picturesque villain, -especially when he gripped a captured Turkish bayonet between his teeth -and gurgled at the China Doll. Most of them started with naked Turkish -bayonets tucked into their belts; but, on Uncle Podger's advice, the Sub -sent these back in the boat which had taken them all to the _What's Her -Name_. What a funny old-fashioned tub she was, and what stories she -could have told of all the years she had been toiling round the coast, -among the islands! Her high poop had rails round it, some of the wooden -posts beautifully carved, but most of them of rough wood, which showed -that she had "come down in the world" in her old age. Between the poop -and the still higher fo'c'sle was a "well" deck, with its dark -blood-stain, the foremast right amidships, and two big open hatchways, -one for'ard and one abaft the mast. Round her fo'c'sle were more rails, -some handsomely carved, and on it was an antediluvian windlass for -hoisting the anchor. The cable was so rusted and worn that it seemed -hardly possible that she could trust to it to ride out even the lightest -of gales. - -Her masts--the lower masts at any rate--and the wide-spreading foreyard -were good, sound bits of timber, but the top-masts and fore-tops'l yards -looked anything but sound, and her "standing" rigging was so chafed and -so badly "set up" that her murdered crew must have been "past masters" -in the art of sailing her gently to prevent her masts carrying away. - -"Well, what about it?" the Sub asked Mr. Meredith, with a note of -anxiety in his voice. "The breeze is blowing straight out of the -harbour; if we run to lee'ard, 'twill be too narrow there to beat back, -won't it? We'd best start beating to wind'ard, hadn't we? Look here," -he said, "this is rather out of my line; you'd best run the show. You'd -better start a mutiny right away." - -As Mr. Meredith had been in sailing-ships for years, and had been -Captain of a full-rigged ship before he was thirty, what he didn't know -about sailing wasn't worth knowing. "All right," he smiled, "I'm game;" -and seizing the unresisting Sub by the neck of his coloured jersey, -hurled him to the deck with fierce yells, and planting one foot on his -chest, roared: "Clear lower deck! I'm now the Captain of the _What's -Her Name_. Now, you dog," he hissed, as the pirate crew "fell in", "get -up and 'fall in' among those rascals; another word and you'll walk the -plank, and your bones shall bleach on the coral islands of the Spanish -Main. Ha! ha!" - -The crew, overawed by his daring, and the ferocity of his appearance in -a Turkish fez, a red shirt, Sam Browne belt, and khaki riding-breeches, -gave three cheers for the new Captain; old Fletcher, who had put "Kaiser -Bill" in a safe place where he could not fall down the hatchways, smiled -indulgently; and Barnes, trying to enter into the spirit of the game, -grumbled in an undertone: "This 'ere 'clear lower deck' and 'fall in' -sounds too much like the real thing," and "'e didn't see quite where the -fun came in." - -Then the Lamp-post and his foretopmen, the Hun, the Orphan, and Rawlins, -were sent off to clear the jibs and slack away the tops'l gaskets up -aloft, and to learn where their proper halyards "ran"; Dr. Gordon, the -Pimple, and Bubbles went aft to get the big spanker ready for setting; -Barnes and the China Doll were ordered to explore the little cook-house, -just under the fo'c'sle; Fletcher had strict orders to keep alight the -cigar which the Sub had brought him, and enjoy himself at all costs, and -all the others followed Mr. Meredith up on the fo'c'sle to heave up the -cable. - -In five minutes after getting on board, the Orphan and Rawlins were -climbing out along the bowsprit and jib-boom, and the Lamp-post and the -Hun were up aloft, out along the tops'l-yard, unlashing the gaskets and -having a grand time; whilst the crowd on the fo'c'sle began levering -round the old horizontal windlass ("wild cat", Mr. Meredith told them, -was its proper name) with two long levers, like crowbars, stuck in the -holes at each end of it. - -"Let's have a 'chanty'," they called, and the Sub started "We'll rant -and we'll roar"; but that did not "fit in", so Mr. Meredith gave them a -very old one: - - "For the times are hard, and the wages low; - Leave her, Johnny, leave her. - Last night I heard the Old Man say, - 'Tis time for us to leave her." - - -Whilst he sung the first line to a mournful dirge, they shifted the -crowbars into fresh holes, and then, hauling aft on them, joined in the -chorus: "Leave her, Johnny, leave her"; shifted them again whilst he -chanted the third line, and pulled to "'Tis time for us to leave her"; -and each time they pulled the "wild cat" round, the links of the old -rusty cable came creaking in through the hawse-pipe, and the metal pawls -of the "wild cat" fell, "clink-clank", into the ratchet notches. - -In a minute everybody had joined in the chanty, the Orphan and Rawlins -out beyond the fo'c'sle on the bowsprit, the Lamp-post and the Hun busy -aloft, Dr. Gordon and his "hands" aft. The China Doll, dashing up to -have one pull at the levers, chipped in too; whilst Barnes bellowed -"Leave her, Johnny, leave her" (thinking it was something about a girl) -from inside the cook-house; and old Fletcher, busy with his cigar, -beamed at everyone through his gold spectacles. - -Presently Mr. Meredith, leaning over the bows, sang out: "She's 'up and -down'. Heave away, my hearties! 'Leave her, Johnny, leave her'," and -ran aft to take the wheel; the Orphan and Rawlins, scrambling back on -the fo'c'sle, hoisted the jib, and in a few more turns of the "wild cat" -the clumsy old "tub" began to pay off before the breeze. - -Dr. Gordon, the Pink Rat, and the Pimple set the spanker, hauled taut -the clumsy "sheet", and the poor old _What's Her Name_ slowly pushed her -way through the water. - -"Stand by aloft!" Mr. Meredith hailed the fore-top. "Let go gaskets! -Overhaul buntlines! Come down from aloft! You on deck, there! Sheet -home! Sheet home! Haul taut lee braces! Right you are!" as, somewhat -confused and muddled, the foretopmen managed at last to set that tops'l. -"Belay all!" - -Mr. Meredith made a wry face. "She won't reach to wind'ard much, Doc, -with that old fore-tops'l drawing. - -"Haul taut your lee braces, lads! Hoist your fore stays'l! Ease off -jib sheets!" - -The foretopmen were having all the sport, so the maintopmen dashed -for'ard to help them; and by the time the anchor had been catted and -secured, the _What's Her Name_ was, as Mr. Meredith said, "moving as -fast as a snail and as sideways as a crab". "We shan't get far to-day, -Doc." - -Nor did they; though what mattered that? They were as happy as kings; -the "going about" was such fun; everybody had something to do, -especially when the Padre, the China Doll, or the War Baby slacked off a -wrong rope at the right time or a right rope at the wrong time. It was -grand fun, and old Fletcher, sitting on the poop yarning with Uncle -Podger, thoroughly enjoyed himself; whilst from for'ard a little column -of grey smoke, and an occasional bellow of "Leave her, Johnny, leave -her", showed that Barnes, getting tea ready, was also quite happy. - -The China Doll stole aft and called up to the Pimple, standing on the -main "cross-trees", above the spanker "jaws": "Pimple, I say, Pimple, -there are five tins of sausages. Isn't that grand?" - -Suddenly, from for'ard, there came shrieks and agonized yells for -Fletcher. - -"Fletcher! Hurry! Come quickly! Help! Help!" - -The Orphan and the Hun flew up the rigging, yelling "that 'Kaiser Bill' -had broken loose, and was attacking them"; Bubbles, bursting with -laughter, climbed the dangerously weak ratlines after them; the -Lamp-post and Rawlins swarmed up the rigging on the other side, and even -the little Padre, catching the infection, sprang up as well. - -"We won't come down till he's chained up. Look at him! Careering round -and snapping at everything. Save us, Fletcher! Save us!" - -Old Fletcher, smiling kindly, came along from the poop, asking: "Where -is he?" - -"There; there--near the water-butt! Do be careful! Get at him from -behind. Wave a lettuce leaf in front of him. We've brought a lettuce -in case he attacked us. Barnes! Barnes! Bring the lettuce! 'Kaiser -Bill' has broken out!" - -The old stoker, peering about for the tortoise, found him just where he -had left him--his legs and head well tucked "inside"---picked him up, -placed him inside his "jumper"; got a lettuce from Barnes, who grunted -"they young gen'l'men will be a-breaking their blooming necks afore -long, I reckon"; and went aft again, to try and tempt the tortoise to -put his head out, and show some interest in the picnic. - -Then the Padre and some of the snotties ventured on deck, again, though -most of them preferred to lie out on the tops'l-yard, which was so -frail, and its "lifts" so badly "set up", that it bent ominously, as did -the fore-topmast itself. - -"Come down off that yard!" Mr. Meredith shouted. "Only two of you are to -be there at a time." - -They begged him to let them set the upper tops'l, but that yard was more -like a broom-handle than anything else. - -"The Hun can do it; no one else. The mast is rotten, and the yard too," -Mr. Meredith shouted. (The Hun was the lightest of all the midshipmen.) -So the others gathered in the "top" and watched the Hun swarm up the -topmast, and so out on that tiny yard, casting off the gaskets of the -tiny sail. - -Then they dashed down on deck, before Mr. Meredith's voice bellowed out: -"Let fall upper tops'l gaskets; overhaul your buntlines; sheet home, -sheet home. Belay all!" - -Then came the "pipe": "Clear lower deck! All hands 'bout ship'!" - -When once the ship had tacked away from the shore, most of them made -some excuse or other to find their way aloft again or out on the -bowsprit; and though it may have looked curious to see the _What's Her -Name_ slowly beating to wind'ard, backwards and forwards, across the -harbour, with most of her crew up aloft or clinging to the bowsprit all -the time, what did anything matter? They all enjoyed themselves hugely; -those up aloft sniffing as the fragrant odour of cooking sausages -floated up to them from the cook-house. - -Tea-time came before they knew it. - -"Seven bells, Bos'n," Mr. Meredith called out. The Pink Rat found an old -tin and beat it. Everybody sang out for Barnes, came down from the mast, -the bowsprit, or the poop, and rushed to help bring aft all the -luxuries. - -Old Fletcher fidgeted and looked at the Sub. - -"Right you are, Fletcher!" he said, knowing that the old stoker would -enjoy his tea more with Barnes than with them; so whilst they all sat -round the poop and had a gorgeous tea--what a tea!--Barnes and Fletcher -and "Kaiser Bill" had tea by themselves at the break of the fo'c'sle, -and Bubbles, good-natured Bubbles, steered. However, there was so -little breeze that it did not much matter whether anybody steered or -not; and Dr. Gordon, finishing his meal quickly, relieved him. - -"Where are we going to have our bathe?" Bubbles asked. - -"Nowhere, my jumping Jimmy! I'm not going to weigh that anchor again, -it is too much like work; we'll just sail about," the Sub said. - -When nothing but empty plates, empty tins, and an empty teapot remained, -and they were just going to fill their pipes, Dr. Gordon at the wheel -called out: "Fetch my surgical bag, someone. I knew it would be -wanted." - -The Hun fetched it, opened it, and inside were three tins of pine-apple. - -"You _are_ splendid, sir," they shouted, as they opened the tins and cut -the pine-apples into fat slices. "Won't these fill up odd corners?" - -What a grand feast that was! - -Then it was time to go back. The breeze had fallen still more, so the -helm was put up, sheets were eased, the foretops'l and its little upper -tops'l squared away, and the _What's Her Name_ wafted slowly back to her -anchorage, whilst everybody lay back, contentedly smoking and thoroughly -happy. - -They came abreast the _Achates_; sail was taken off her; the anchor let -go; the "wild cat" whirled round (they knew then why it was called a -"wild cat"); and there was nothing to do except pack up and stow away -everything "shipshape", and wait until the Officer of the Watch sent the -cutter across for them. - -She came. They were taken back to the _Achates_, and the poor old -_What's Her Name_ left desolate. Never could she have made a more happy -voyage or borne a merrier crew than she did that afternoon--not in all -her long life. - - -They had noticed that the motor-yacht had come in and run alongside the -_Achates_ soon after they had started on their picnic; and when they -went on board, the Officer of the Watch told the Sub that Captain -Macfarlane wanted to see him directly he had shifted into uniform. In -ten minutes he was ready, went aft, and found the Captain in -conversation with Mr. M'Andrew. - -"Oh! Come in!" the Captain said. "Had a good picnic? No lives lost? -Your crew seemed to spend most of their time aloft. I was afraid that -you'd kill someone before you'd finished." - -"Everyone all right, sir. We had a grand time." - -"Well, we have a job for you. Mr. M'Andrew has brought in two refugees, -escaped from a place called Ajano, a little village, up a creek, not far -from Smyrna. They say that there is a Turkish patrol-boat hiding up -there. I want you to take the picket-boat and "cut her out" to-morrow -morning at dawn." - -The Sub grinned with delight, and forgetting where he was, burst out -with: "My jumping Jimmy! what a show!--I beg pardon, sir. I meant 'what -a splendid job.' Thank you, sir, I'd love to go;" whilst the Captain -crossed his thin knees, tugged at his beard, and smiled at his -eagerness. In ten minutes he had given him all instructions; and the -Sub, going out, found the Orphan waiting for him outside his cabin in a -great state of excitement. - -"What is it? What's going to happen? They're sticking the maxim in the -picket-boat, and bolting on those shields in front of the wheel. Jarvis -tells me that they are going to fix steel plates all round the -stern-sheets as well." - -"My perishing Orphan! What a show it's going to be!" And the Sub -pulled the Orphan inside his cabin, shoved him down on top of the -wash-stand, and spread out the rough chart which Captain Macfarlane had -just given him. - -"It beats the band, Sonny. We've to go out at midnight. The -motor-yacht is coming along with us, and we have to rendezvous with the -_Kennet_ at about three o'clock. She will take us to the mouth of the -creek--here," and the Sub pointed to the creek marked on the chart. -"Two refugees from the village are coming with us to show the way in--up -we sprint--cut out a Turkish patrol-boat hiding up there in front of the -village--tow her out to the destroyer, and bring her back--a prize. -What d'you say to that, my guzzling Orphan? What d'you say to that for -a job? Fancy catching them asleep, waking them up, and banging them on -the head if they don't hand over their old junk quietly." - -"Or toppling them overboard," gasped the Orphan, wild with delight. In -his wildest dreams he had never imagined such a grand adventure. - -"Well, off you go. See that the boat is all right. Oh," the Sub called, -as the midshipman began to run off, "we're to take four more 'hands'. -I'll choose 'em. I've got 'em in my mind. Everybody has to take rifle -and cutlass. You'd better take a pistol, but don't shoot me with it. -That's all. I'll arrange about the grub. Off you go." - -The Orphan dashed away to supervise the fitting out of the picket-boat. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII* - - *A "Cutting-out" Expedition* - - -Down in the picket-boat the Orphan found armourers and blacksmiths -busily fitting the additional plates all round the stern-sheets. - -"That'll make a snug place aft, sir," Jarvis said sarcastically, as the -midshipman climbed down into the boat. "What's in the wind now?" - -"That's 'summat' like a job," he grinned, when he had been told; "summat -like a cutting-out job in the old days--that." - -The motor-yacht lay alongside the picket-boat, her crew looking very -fierce with their rifles and bandoliers and long knives, and as though -they were wildly keen to go and slay Turks, especially so when Mr. -M'Andrew spoke a few words to each of them, and set on fire their -passionate hatred of the enemy. - -He brought the two refugees across to the steamboat, and explained to -them that they would have to lie one on each side of the maxim -gun-mounting in the bows, and guide the boat in through the creek of -Ajano by pointing their hands in the direction of the channel. One of -these two the Orphan called "the Bandit"--an oldish man in a fez, dirty -white shirt, black voluminous trousers, a black cloth wound round his -waist, blue cloth wrapped round his legs puttee-fashion, and clumsy -leather boots. He had an honest face, which the other man had not. In -fact, the Orphan immediately dubbed this one "the Hired Assassin". His -swarthy face, glittering black eyes, and bushy eyebrows gave him an -exceedingly treacherous appearance. He was, at any rate, a picturesque -scoundrel, with his knives sticking out of the folds of a dirty red -sash, and the sunburnt skin of his neck and chest showing through the -open, dirty shirt he wore. - -"You are going in first," Mr. M'Andrew said, "and, if necessary, I shall -come along afterwards. I expect that it will be difficult to keep back -my chaps. Watch that old 'grandfather man'." - -The old Greek with the burning eyes sat under the motor-yacht's awning, -with his rifle across his knees, and his wizened old head turning from -side to side, looking exactly like a vulture that has sighted some -likely carrion. - -The Sub, coming down, sent the Orphan and Plunky Bill aboard with the -cutlasses, to have them sharpened on the grindstone. - -That was a grand job--with half the crew looking on. - -"I pity the poor Turk who gets that on 'is 'napper'," Plunky Bill -grinned, as he felt, with his great horny thumb, the new edge on one of -them. - -By eight o'clock everything had been done, so the Orphan went down to -the gun-room to get a "watch" dinner, and ate it amidst a babel of -gramophone tunes and noisy horse-play as the Honourable Mess wound up -the day, after their joyous picnic in the _What's Her Name_. - -"You've got a job in front of you. Come along with me," said the Sub -when he had finished. He took him to his cabin, gave him a rug and a -pillow to lay on the deck, climbed on his bunk, and turned out the -light. "Now coil down and go to sleep," he growled. - -The Orphan did sleep after a while--slept until the sentry banged on the -door and sang out: "Seven bells just gone, sir!" - -"Come along, my jumping Orphan! Come along! Wake up! Show a leg!" the -Sub cried, turning up the light. "Now we're off for our picnic." - -They pulled on their boots, buckled their revolver-belts round them--the -Orphan feeling a funny sensation of emptiness under his belt, just at -first--and went on deck, creeping under the hammocks in the half-deck, -and hearing Bubbles snoring luxuriously. - -They climbed down into the picket-boat and found Jarvis. - -"Everything ready, sir! Old Fletcher 'as just gone up to bring down -that there hanimile of 'is--the old 'umbug. 'E'll be along in a minute. -I've got some 'ot cocoa for you two officers--down in the cabin." - -Alongside, in the motor-yacht, the Greeks were coiled up asleep, and Mr. -M'Andrew could be seen, walking round in his usual ponderous way, waking -them. A little oil-lamp in her engine-room showed the Greek engineer -overhauling the motors. - -The Bandit and the Hired Assassin, with rifles and bandoliers, were -brought across and taken down into the forepeak. - -From the dark gangway above them the Captain's voice called down: -"Everything ready to start?" - -"Yes, sir," the Sub called back. - -"Well, good luck to you! I hope you'll bring back a prize by -breakfast-time." - -"We'll have a jolly good try, sir," the Sub answered. - -"It's time for you to shove off, Mr. M'Andrew," the Captain sang out. -"Good luck to you!" - -The motor-yacht let go her ropes; there was a smell of petrol, and a -tut-tut-tut from her stern, and off she went in the dark. - -"That there old 'umbug ain't come back yet," Jarvis told the Sub. But -just as he was about to send a "hand" to look for him, Fletcher came -climbing down. - -"Very sorry, sir, but I can't find 'Kaiser Bill' anywhere. The picnic -must have made him so giddy that he's started climbing over the boat -deck." - -"Bad luck, Fletcher!" the Sub said sympathetically. - -"Well, he did seem a bit of a mascot--as the saying goes." - -"The old 'umbug!" snorted Jarvis. "'E ain't no blooming mascot." - -"Well, off you go! Good luck!" called the Captain. - -"Shove off for'ard!" cried the Sub. - -The Orphan rang "ahead" to the engine-room, and the picket-boat followed -the motor-yacht out through the narrow, very dark channel into the open -sea. The two boats then changed places, the picket-boat leading and the -motor-yacht following, because Mr. M'Andrew's compass could not be -trusted. This was the first time that the Orphan had ever had a -twenty-mile "run" in a picket-boat before him, and, with no lights -showing (except the tiny little glow in the compass-box), on such a dark -night it was rather eerie work. - -By half-past twelve they were clear of the harbour. In a couple of hours -they expected to pick up the destroyer _Kennet_. By twenty past three -there ought to be enough light to see a mile and a half ahead, and by -that time they hoped to be close in to the mouth of the creek. By -half-past four the job might be over--should be finished--and they ought -to be on the way home, with the Turkish patrol-boat in tow. - -"My jumping Orphan! It's a grand show, isn't it?" said the Sub, -swallowing some of the cocoa. "Nothing like ship's cocoa to stand by -one's stomach." - -The Orphan, awed by the solemnity of the night and the blackness and -emptiness of everything, and too excited to talk, gripped the -steering-wheel and peered into the compass-box. - - -A little before half-past two the black outline of a destroyer loomed -up. The signalman in the picket-boat, Bostock--a thick-set, -criminal-looking man whom the Sub had chosen--flashed across with a -shaded lamp. The _Kennet_ flashed back, stopped, and took both boats in -tow, then very slowly steamed ahead. By a quarter-past three the -coast-line became faintly visible, with a break in it--the creek of -Ajano. The destroyer stopped, the towing hawser was cast off, and then -the Orphan knew that their time had come. How his heart beat! - -"Shove along in!" called the Captain of the _Kennet_, coming aft. "I'll -keep an eye on you. Get back as soon as you can. Good luck to you!" - -The Orphan had a glimpse of Mr. M'Andrew fumbling with his watch-chain, -and of the Greeks springing about and fingering their rifles as though -they wanted to let them off then and there; and then the destroyer was -left behind, and he was steering for the mouth of the little creek, with -the picket-boat throbbing and panting under him. - -"You've got your revolver? Yes, that's right. For goodness' sake don't -fire it unless you are obliged," the Sub said in a low voice. - -Jarvis had already buckled on his cutlass. He, too, had a revolver. -The Bandit and the Hired Assassin crept out of the forepeak and lay down -on each side of the maxim--they looked very keen on their job. Plunky -Bill went for'ard to the maxim, opened a belt-box, and slipped the end -of the belt through the breech. The other "hands", including Bostock -the signalman and the three extra men--great horny chaps--stirred -themselves, and buckled their cutlass-belts round them--they would -probably find these more useful than rifles, though rifles also lay -handy. - -"I'd better have one of these cutlasses," the Sub said. "Got a spare -one down there?" - -They passed up one and its belt, and he fastened it round him, drawing -the cutlass half out of the scabbard to make certain that it would not -stick. "Clumsy things," he said, "but mighty good in a scrap; can knock -a chap's teeth down his throat with the hilt--fine." - -"You men all ready?" he asked. "Two of you go for'ard, abaft the maxim. -The others keep down below the plates; and when we run alongside the -patrol-boat, and you hear me "sing out", out you jump and give 'em -'beans'." It was almost daylight now, and the picket-boat had entered -the mouth of the creek--some four hundred yards wide. The Bandit and -the Hired Assassin, lying with their hands pointing straight ahead, were -very excited. - -"Keep your eye on them," the Sub snapped. "Hello! there's the village; -you can see it over the land--masts there too, lots of them." - -Everything was absolutely quiet, except for the noise of the engines and -the rush of water under the bows. The creek began to narrow rapidly; -they were approaching a bend in it, and the two Greeks pointed their -hands over one bow, and made a hissing noise to draw attention. "All -right; we see you; don't lose your 'wool'. Follow the 'pointer', -Orphan." - -He touched the wheel, the picket-boat swerved into the channel, and the -Sub rang for half speed. Five hundred yards ahead they saw a small -building standing some fifty yards back from the bank. It looked like a -ferryman's house, or perhaps a small toll-house. The Bandit cried out -"Turko! Turko!" but no one could be seen moving about there. He kept -pointing away to the left--away from the toll-house--and so did the -Hired Assassin. - -The Orphan followed the direction they indicated. - -"They're taking us mighty close to the other bank," the Sub said -anxiously, and sent Jarvis for'ard to look out for the water shoaling. -The boat was now not fifty yards from the left bank when, just as Jarvis -threw his hand up and waved for the helm to be "ported", she suddenly -slowed, the bows gave a heave, she pushed on for some ten feet, and then -came to a standstill. - -"We're stuck," the Sub muttered tragically, seized a boat-hook, and -sounded. - -"Deep water ahead," Jarvis, coming aft, reported. - -"Turko! Turko!" the Greeks whispered hoarsely. - -The Sub ordered the engines full speed astern, then full speed ahead, -then astern again, but the boat did not shift an inch. - -"Turko! Turko!" the Greeks hissed. - -The engines were stopped. "Everyone overboard," the Sub sang out -softly, and slid over the side into the water, up to his waist. "It's -only soft mud, we'll push her through." - -The Orphan let himself down into some sticky mud, and all the men, -except the two Greeks, Fletcher in the stokehold, and the stoker petty -officer in the engine-room, followed. - -"Now get hold of her and shove her ahead." - -Nobody required to be told what to do; they shoved hard, but with no -result. Then the Sub made them keep time together. "One! two! three! -shove!" he called in a low voice. "Ah! she moved then; now another. -There she goes!" - -She glided off; the black mud swirled up under her stern, and the crew, -clinging to the life-lines, dragged themselves on board. - -"Phew! I didn't like that," the Sub said, as the black mud dripped off -his clothes. He put the engines "easy ahead", and the two Greeks -pointed towards the toll-house, whining "Turko, Turko," and looking -frightened. The picket-boat now headed almost straight for the -toll-house, some three hundred yards away; and just as the Orphan caught -sight of someone moving close to it, crack went a rifle, and "ping" came -a bullet overhead. - -"Phew! we're discovered; we must chance it now; full speed ahead! We -must hurry if there's to be a chance of surprising that patrol-boat. -Confound those Greeks; they're pointing to the other bank, again," the -Sub said. - -The picket-boat increased speed; one or two more bullets came whizzing -past--one hit the new plates round the stern-sheets. Plunky Bill swung -his maxim towards the toll-house, but could see nothing to fire at. The -two Greeks squirmed on the deck, their faces pressed against it, and -their hands pointing away from the toll-house. The head of the creek -opened out; the little white village of Ajano came into view, with some -sailing craft anchored close inshore, but never a sign of any -patrol-boat. Another minute, and they saw that the mud-bank on which -they had run ashore was part of an island, and that, some eighty yards -farther on, a narrow channel ran between the mainland and the end of it. - -"Port your helm!" the Sub cried, "we're getting too close; these Greeks -are terrified; we'll be ashore again in a minute;" and hardly had he -said this, before the picket-boat pushed into something soft, her bows -came up out of the water, her stern swung round, in towards the bank, -not forty yards away, and she came to a dead stop. - -"Full speed astern!" the Sub yelled; and full speed astern went the -engines, her stern shook, and the black mud, churned up from the bottom, -swirled for'ard. But not a movement did she make. - -"She's right in it, sir," Jarvis, rushing aft, told the Sub; "there's -not a foot of water for'ard." - -The Sub jumped overboard abreast the wheel. - -There was not two feet of water there, and he walked round her bows, -pulling his feet out of the sticky mud. He could walk all round her -except at the stern. That last swerve she had made had turned the stern -right in to the shore, and the dark back of another mud-bank showed not -six yards away, just under the surface of the water. He knew, perfectly -well, that she would never get off without assistance. - -Bullets kept flicking past--Zip! Zip! Ping! Ping! Some struck the -water quite close to the boat; another smacked against those new plates -round the stern-sheets. Someone was certain to be hit in a moment or -two; and the first was the Hired Assassin, who got a bullet through his -left arm, and scrambled aft, behind the plates, bleeding like a pig and -whimpering with fright. - -The engines were still going astern, but quite uselessly. Everybody had -to scramble out; most of them did so on the protected side, the side -away from the toll-house. "Some of you come this side," the Sub shouted -angrily; and the Orphan, Jarvis, and Plunky Bill followed him round. -"Now shove her astern! One! two! three! Altogether--one! two! three! -Heave!" - -They tried a dozen times, but not an inch did she move. It was -terrible. Some bullets now began coming from the side opposite to the -toll-house, from beyond that gap of water which separated the island on -which they were aground from the mainland. They could see some men -creeping among some low, scrubby bushes there, and some puffs of rifle -smoke. Plunky Bill was ordered to turn the maxim on to them, so climbed -on board, swung the gun round, and let "rip" some fifty rounds. Those -kept them quiet for a few minutes. - -"If Mr. M'Andrew came in, he could tow us on," the Orphan suggested; but -the Sub, although he felt sure that it was helpless to think of getting -off without assistance, would not signal to ask for it, not yet. He -tried making the engines go full speed ahead and then full speed astern, -the men all pushing and shoving at the same time. Then they all climbed -on board, crowded as far aft as they could, and tried jumping, up and -down, in time, whilst the engines went full speed astern. But you might -as well have expected to move a house. The picket-boat showed not the -slightest sign of coming off. - -All this time some ten or twelve rifles were being constantly fired at -them from different points in the direction of the toll-house, only -about two hundred and fifty or three hundred yards away. Some of these -rifles were evidently mausers--they recognized their sharp crack; but -several were old-fashioned ones which gave a duller noise when they -fired, and their bullets, coming almost simultaneously with the report, -made a bigger splash when they hit the water. Also, every now and then, -little white wisps of powder smoke drifted up from behind some of those -bushes. Those wisps were practically the only "targets" Plunky Bill had -to fire at, but occasionally he caught sight of something creeping about -among the bushes. - -The shooting of these Turks was, of course, execrable; otherwise -everyone in the picket-boat must have been killed. - -Soon some of those rifle "cracks" began to sound appreciably nearer. - -"The Turks have come down to the bank, near the toll-house," the Orphan -gasped out. "I think they're trying to creep along the bank towards -us." - -The Sub, wading round the bows, climbed on board and told Bostock to -signal to the _Kennet_, "Have run aground, send motor-boat"; and whilst -Bostock, jumping on the top of the cabin, where he was entirely exposed, -wagged his semaphore flags, Plunky Bill searched the opposite bank with -his maxim. - -"Scramble aboard, all of you!" the Sub shouted to those still over the -side. "Get down behind the shields. Four of you, fire your rifles at -the bank near that white house, and two at those Turks beyond the -island." - -They scrambled behind the cover of the plates, picked up their rifles, -and tried to find something to aim at. - -Bostock now took in the reply to that signal: "Am sending in -motor-boat". The Sub, looking out to sea, saw that the destroyer was -about twelve hundred yards away, and that the motor-yacht was at that -time alongside her. - -"Mr. M'Andrew will be here in a few minutes; we'll get off all right -then," he said confidently. - -There was a yell from Plunky Bill, crouched behind the maxim-gun shield -looking for a target. He put his hand to his face, and found it covered -with blood. He cursed horribly, swung round the maxim towards the scrub -bushes beyond the island, and let off a dozen rounds "into the brown". -Splashes kept jumping up out of the water on both sides; the cracks of -the rifles and the "ping" "flop" as the bullets struck the side of the -boat or the water, or whipped overhead, being almost simultaneous. -Within the protecting shields round the stern, people were practically -safe. Everyone was there now except Plunky Bill, Fletcher in the -stokehold, and the man in the engine-room. Theoretically, these last -two were not safe at such short range, though, actually, no bullets did -penetrate the sides of the picket-boat--none that were noticed. - -"That motor-yacht has not shoved off yet," the Sub cried, looking over -the edge of the plates. "I wonder what has happened. Motors have -broken down, I expect. Phew! that's rotten; we'll never get off without -her." - -Jarvis, much excited, shouted: "A lot more men have come along to that -white house, sir; they are coming this way, but I can't see them now." - -"Ask the _Kennet_ to open fire on the white house, and to search the -banks near it," the Sub told Bostock, who jumped on top of the cabin -again, and, though bullets were "zipping" past every few moments, made -the signal quite unconcernedly, then slowly climbed down into safety -under cover of the steel plates, grinning as he spread out one of the -flags and showed a bullet-hole in it. - -A minute later the destroyer's for'ard 12-pounder fired, and a shell -burst just in front of the toll-house. Others came in quick succession, -searching the banks between it and the picket-boat. - -Rifle-fire died down at once; one or two men could be seen crawling -away. A seaman down aft fired his rifle, and swore that he had hit one -of them; the others fired whenever they saw a chance, and so did Plunky -Bill with his maxim. - -The motor-boat had not yet cast off from the destroyer. - -There was a shout from Plunky Bill, and they saw a ferry-boat crowded -with men start across the creek from the toll-house side. Two of the -bluejackets fired at this boat, and the maxim was turned on it; but -before there was time to steady it the men in the ferry had scrambled -out, and were hidden among those thick bushes there. - -"They'll be trying to wade across that gap to the island presently," -Jarvis growled. "If they do get across, they'll be able to crawl up to -within fifty yards of the boat without us being able to touch them. Bad -show this, sir!" - -"Curse that motor-boat!" the Sub growled. "Why doesn't she come along?" - -Then came a warning shout from for'ard; and the Orphan, looking over the -edge of the shield in front of the wheel, saw that some twenty or thirty -men with rifles were commencing to wade across the gap to the island. -At the same moment Plunky Bill fell on his face. Without thinking, the -Orphan dashed out of his cover and ran to him; but before he reached him -he had risen to his knees, and was endeavouring to swing his maxim round -to fire on them. - -He was streaming with blood, both from a wound in his cheek and from -another through the right shoulder. - -"I can't hold it, sir; you take it." - -The Orphan's hands trembled, and his head felt as though it were -bursting; but he gripped the handles, looked along the sights, and -somehow or other got them in line with the cluster of men who had begun -to wade across the gap, and pressed the firing-button with all his -might. Plunky Bill, with one hand, "fed" the cartridge-belt. - -The Orphan did not feel the recoil nor notice the jar on his wrists. He -saw the splashes his bullets were making, swung the muzzle of the gun a -little to the left, depressed the handles ever so little, until these -splashes flew up right among the Turks. His shaking hands made the -bullets spread from side to side. - -Six or seven of the men disappeared under the water; most of the others -began hurrying back to the cover of those "scrubby" bushes, but two, -three, five pressed on, and in twenty more paces would have gained the -cover of the end of the island. Once there, they would crawl along till -they could fire right into the picket-boat at point-blank range. - -The Orphan gave a yell; something had hit his left foot, and the pain -shot up his leg; but he held on to those handles, swung the maxim back, -and pressed the button. - -"A little more to the left, sir," came from Plunky Bill. "Quick, sir!" - -And how he did manage to do it he never could explain, but those five -men all fell; and it was not till Plunky Bill called out "Cease firing, -sir!" that he looked, and saw nothing but a shapeless kind of a hat -floating on the water. - -"Got the whole bag of tricks, sir." - -"They're going to try again; they're gathering behind the bushes." The -Orphan looked up, and saw the Sub standing behind him. "Steady, sonny; -wait a minute; they'll be in sight directly. That blessed motor-boat -hasn't started to shove off yet. Ah! there they come! there they are! -Now, let her 'rip'!" - -"The Orphan noticed the Sub kneel down behind the maxim shield, on the -opposite side to Plunky Bill, who was still tending the belt with his -left hand. A bullet, then another, smacked against the little shield, -and through the sighting slit he saw a line of men creeping towards the -ford where those others had attempted to wade across. His left foot -pained--horribly. - -"Aim low, sonny! aim low! You will see your bullet-splashes." He -pressed the firing-button, and the gun spluttered out a dozen rounds, -their splashes jumping out of the water below the bank along which the -Turks were creeping. - -"Now, up a bit! Good! Now you've got into them! Keep as you are!" -The Sub was speaking quite quietly as the midshipman held on to the -jerking, shaking maxim. "Now, down a bit! That's the ticket! -Splendid! Phew! they won't try that again," the Sub said, and yelled -aft for another belt. - -Old Fletcher, dragging himself up from the stokehold hatch, ran aft, -seized a new box which someone held over the edge of the shield in front -of the wheel, brought it for'ard, knelt down and opened it. The Sub -ordered Plunky Bill to go aft. He staggered back under the protecting -plates round the stern-sheets holding up his right arm with his left -hand. - -All this time the _Kennet's_ shells were bursting along the bank on the -toll-house side, and these and the rifle-fire from the seamen in the -stern-sheets kept the Turks fairly quiet in that direction. Then Jarvis -shouted: "Here comes the _Kennet's_ whaler, sir. She's quite close. The -_Kennet's_ making a signal." - -Bostock, waving his flags, took it in. "Abandon steamboat--am sending -in whaler for you." He shouted this to the Sub. - -"I can't, I can't!" the Sub moaned. "Orphan, I can't do it! You look -after those chaps; keep your eye on them. My aunt! your left boot's -nearly torn off. Keep them from getting across to the island;" and he -dashed aft just as the black whaler ran alongside. - -A Royal Naval Reserve lieutenant was in charge of her, and called out: -"You've got to abandon her. Take everything you can get into the -whaler--and come back. It's been pretty warm work coming in here; -they've been potting at us all the way." - -"Why doesn't that motor-yacht come in? She could tow us off. What's -the matter with her?" the Sub asked angrily. - -"Her crew won't face it; they refused to come, and the engineer won't -start the motors. He's disabled them in some way or other, and we can't -make them work. Get your gear in here quickly." - -The Sub raved and cursed. He couldn't make up his mind to abandon the -boat. - -There came a low, sobbing "Oh" from the stern-sheets, and the other -Greek fell forward--the Bandit. A bullet had come in through a gap -between two of the steel plates, and he had been shot through the body. - -"It's the Captain's order," the _Kennet's_ officer cried impatiently. -"You'd best hurry up; we can see any number of men coming along from the -village. None of us will get away unless you 'get a move on.'" - -Sullenly the Sub gave the order to abandon the picket-boat. - -Plunky Bill crawled into the whaler; the two Greeks were lowered into -her. Everything that could be taken was taken--the box of -ball-cartridge, the compass box, the rifles and cutlasses, signal-book, -even the first-aid bag. - -The Orphan, still for'ard with Fletcher, who was reeving the new maxim -belt through the feed-block, saw more men start to wade towards the -island. He opened fire on them; but then the Sub and Jarvis came -rushing for'ard, told him to "cease fire", and commenced dismounting the -maxim, slinging out the belt, lifting the gun and its shield off its -pedestal, and carrying it aft between them. The Orphan tried to pick up -the empty belt-box, but couldn't stand, and had to crawl aft without it. -Fletcher brought along the almost full box, then ran back and jumped -down into the stokehold. Everyone except him was already in the whaler. -They shouted for him. He did not come, but a black cloud of smoke -belched out of the picket-boat's funnel. Bullets were splashing all -round them. Those Turks were half across to the island--in another five -minutes they would be able to fire right down into the crowded whaler. -Another cloud of smoke came from the funnel. - -"He must have gone off his head," the Sub cried, and yelled "Fletcher! -Fletcher!" - -The old man appeared, dragged himself up, and scrambled down into the -boat. - -"What the devil were you doing? Shove off! Shove off! Give way!" - -"I put on a few shovelfuls of coal, sir, and closed down all the -valves--thought she might blow herself up presently." - -"Shove off! Get hold of your rifles; half of you blaze away at one -side, half of you on the other--at anything you see!" yelled the Sub as -the very heavily laden whaler pulled away from the poor old picket-boat -and made for mid-stream. - -The _Kennet_, out beyond the mouth of the creek, still kept up a -continuous fire to cover the retreat of the crowded whaler as it pushed -along out to her, with the picket-boat's crew blazing away at anything -they saw which looked like a man's head. She must have seen the people -wading across to the island, for she opened fire on them from another -gun, and its shells whistled over the whaler and burst above the bank -alongside the abandoned boat. - -The Orphan, huddled down at the bottom of the boat between two thwarts, -felt sick and faint. His left foot was quite numb. He looked at it. -The toe and front part of the sole of his boot was all ripped up and -torn, and his sock was dripping with blood. He did not know what had -happened. The two Greeks lay under the thwarts--very silent. Fletcher, -near him, kept on saying: "If only I'd found 'Kaiser Bill' and brought -him along with us, it wouldn't have happened." - -Although a few bullets followed them, no one was hit, and in ten minutes -they were alongside the destroyer, and the Orphan was being hoisted up -the side. They wanted to carry him, but he would not let them; he -hobbled on his left heel to the ward-room hatch, and got down it -somehow; found a chair, and sat on it. He heard the _Kennet's_ -12-pounder still firing, and guessed what she was firing at--his beloved -picket-boat--the poor old lady. She had shared so many adventures with -him, and now was being ripped open by the _Kennet's_ shells, even if her -own boiler did not burst with the added fuel and the screwed-down -valves. It was better than that she should fall "alive" into the hands -of the Turks, and the Orphan hoped she understood. - -A chief stoker belonging to the _Kennet_ came along presently, cut away -his boot, and took it off (how it did pain!), and cut away the sock. He -knew how to dress wounds, and did his work well. - -"A bullet, sir, right along the top of the boot, then through that toe; -broken the bone, I think--it's all 'wobbly'. I've a lot of doctoring to -do this morning. That there young Greek chap has a bad smash, my word! -but I don't rightly know about the other. Stomachs are rather beyond my -'line'. That there seaman--he'll be all right." - -By the time the foot had been dressed, the guns had left off firing, and -the _Kennet's_ engines began to make the whole stern rattle. The Sub -came down, looking haggard, but trying to be cheerful. "We did our -best, sonny; don't bother. It was all my fault. If we hadn't been -steaming so fast, we might have got her off. So you've got a bullet -through your foot, have you? I thought I saw the sole of the boot all -ripped off. When did that happen?" - -"Just after Plunky Bill was hit the second time. Just after I'd started -firing the maxim." - -"So you kept going, did you?" said the Sub. "Good for you, Orphan! If -you hadn't, those chaps might have got across, and we should have been -'in the soup' in next to no time. There wasn't a sign of a patrol-boat -there," the Sub went on. "The _Kennet's_ skipper, from her bridge, -could see every square yard of the creek. You remember how those -confounded Greeks kept pointing over to port directly after they began -singing out 'Turko', 'Turko'. So long as they kept away from the -toll-house, where they had seen them, and gave them a wide berth, they -didn't care a 'fish's tail' what happened to the picket-boat--never -thought of the channel. That chap you call the Hired Assassin--I expect -he came along with that 'cock and bull' yarn just to get us to go in -there and smash up the village--a girl had jilted him, or something like -that, I expect. Oh, if only that motor-yacht had come in!" - -"Have you seen Mr. M'Andrew?" the Orphan asked. - -"Yes! He wouldn't speak. He wouldn't look at me. He was fumbling with -his watch-chain. He looked as if he'd been blubbing. That Greek -engineer found out what was wrong with the motors directly everything -was over. Curse the chicken-livered swine!" - -"Did they smash her up? The Turks won't be able to use her?" the Orphan -asked. - -"Yes, old sonny; either her boiler blew up or a shell burst there. -She's done for." - -The Orphan bit his lip--hard. - - -There happened to be a spare cabin aboard the _Achates_, and, after Dr. -O'Neill had dressed the wounded foot, the Orphan was placed in the bunk -there. - -"The toe may have to come off, or it mayn't," Dr. O'Neill growled. "It -won't be any use to you, whichever happens." - -Captain Macfarlane came to see him, looking grave, but smiling at him in -his kind, fatherly way. "The Sub tells me you cleared off a lot of -Turks with that maxim after you'd been hit." - -"I didn't really know I had been, sir." - -He tugged at his beard, and then began to talk, as though what he had to -say was not pleasant. "I have some news for you. It will be a great -disappointment, I fear, to you, but you will understand why I wish you -to know this before the others. I may as well tell you that I -recommended the Sub and you, in the picket-boat, and the midshipman of -the steam pinnace for the Distinguished Service Cross." - -"Did you, sir? Really, sir!" The Orphan's heart beat fast. "The old -Hun, too, sir?" - -"Yes, I did. It was for taking your steamboats in and bringing off the -crippled transports' boats, after the Lancashire Fusiliers had landed. -The Sub and the Hun, as you call him, have been granted it, but I am -very sorry indeed" (the Orphan knew what was coming and caught his -breath) "that you have not. The Sub was in charge of your boat at the -time, and you were not. You see, that makes a difference, I suppose." - -The Orphan, biting his lips, nodded. He could not trust himself to -speak. - -Captain Macfarlane, putting his hand gently on his shoulder, said: "Now -you know how the land lies. I only heard last night, and thought you -yourself should give the news to the other two. I hope that will rather -soften the blow. Won't it, Mr. Orpen?" - -"Right, sir! Thank you very much for telling me first, and for telling -me yourself," the Orphan managed to say. "And thank you very much for -recommending me. None of us knew anything about it." - -"Well, good-bye! Perhaps you'd like to tell the news now; I'll send -them along." - -So, in a minute or two, the Sub and the Hun arrived. - -"Hello! my jumping Orphan! Patched you up, have they, my wounded -warrior! The Skipper says you want to see us." - -"You both have got the D.S.C. The Captain's just told me. Isn't that -grand?" - -They didn't believe him for a moment. Then the Sub, roaring like a -bull, threw the Hun on the deck and nearly strangled him. "And you? -What about you?" he sang out, letting the Hun get up; and seeing by the -Orphan's face that he had had no such luck, became quiet. - -"Whatever for?" they both asked. "What did they give it to us for?" - -"For going in and fetching the boats back from 'W' beach that first -time." - -"Oh! that!" growled the Sub. "What a rotten shame! You did as much as -I, or the Hun, did. That's the rottenest thing I ever heard of. Well, -old chap, I'm confoundedly sorry," said the Sub, gripping the Orphan's -arm; "confoundedly sorry." - -The Orphan, left to himself, felt about as miserable as he could be. -Dr. Gordon came in to give him an injection of morphia, just as Barnes -came to the cabin carrying a tray with his breakfast. - -"Which will you have for breakfast?" Dr. Gordon asked, in his funny -way--"a little morphia or some bacon and eggs?" - -"I think I'd rather have the bacon and eggs," said the Orphan. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII* - - *Bombarding at Suvla Bay* - - -The Orphan's wound gave a great deal of trouble, and for the next -fortnight--a "precious" long fortnight--he remained in his bunk. The -Honourable Mess looked after him, and kept up his spirits. Captain -Macfarlane occasionally came in and talked to him, sitting with his long -thin legs crossed, smoking his inevitable cigarette, and tugging gently -at his pointed beard. He told him of the transports pouring -reinforcements into Mudros in great numbers; of the old "Edgars" coming -East, and of the newly built monitors which had begun to arrive--big -ones with 14-inch guns, and practically unsinkable; small ones with a -6-inch or 9.2-inch gun in the bows, and drawing so little water, that a -submarine would stand but little chance of torpedoing them. "There is -no doubt, Mr. Orpen," he would say in his quiet, humorous manner, "they -are only waiting for you to be on your feet again to begin a great -advance." - -Mr. Meredith, Dr. Gordon, the little Padre, and the cheery -Fleet-Paymaster often came to see him; so did Plunky Bill, with his face -and shoulder swathed in bandages, extremely proud of himself. "If it -wasn't for the Fleet-Surgeon a-saying they'd to be dressed twice a day, -and 'im a-poking round and 'urting somethink 'orrid, I wouldn't care a -blow--not me!" - -Fletcher brought him "Kaiser Bill" to play with. "He brings luck, does -that tortoise; if we'd only had him with us last time, things would have -been different, sir. Well, well, the picket-boat has gone, poor thing; -but I was getting too old for her. My eyes aren't what they were; for -the last month I could hardly read the gauge-glass in her stokehold--not -even with my spectacles." - -He liked to talk to the Orphan about his sons who had been killed in -France, and, what was most unusual, could talk about them without -worrying him. - -However, the Orphan was presently allowed to hobble about on crutches; -and one morning shortly afterwards the weekly trawler from Mudros -brought down all the gun-room stores which the messman had ordered from -Malta. - -"We needn't ask the War Baby to our picnics now, need we?" the Pimple -and the China Doll burst out excitedly, as they saw the piles of -sardines and sausages, tins of biscuits, jars of bloater paste, and all -the luxuries their souls craved. - -By the end of July the Orphan returned to duty with a slight limp, which -he kept up rather longer, perhaps, than was absolutely necessary. - -The air was full of rumours once again, many of them more ridiculous -than ever; and at last, on the 7th August, came the news that nearly -sixty thousand men had been thrown ashore at Anzac, and at Suvla to the -north of it. "The new landing", stated the message, "took the enemy -partially by surprise"--and from that the most optimistic conjectures -were made. - -Also came the news that E11 had sunk the _Barbarossa_, an old German -battleship bought by Turkey some years back--sunk her in the Sea of -Marmora. You can guess what a noisy, rowdy night that was down in the -gun-room. - -Four days later the _Achates_ received orders to proceed to Suvla -herself, and, after her six weeks of "heavenly" rest, everyone felt -greatly pleased to be "up and doing" something again. She wound her way -out through the tortuous channel between those beautiful green cliffs, -past "Picnic" Island, and zigzagged her way towards the Gallipoli -Peninsula. - -At dawn of Thursday, 12th August, she passed through a line of trawlers -patrolling between Imbros and Samothrace islands, and presently heard -once more the booming of guns. - -No information whatever had been received of the actual progress and -state of affairs; everyone expected--at any rate, hoped--to find the -army established more than half-way across the Peninsula, and still -advancing; so that when Captain Macfarlane saw a big shell bursting on -the very shore itself, he groaned: "Did you see that, Navigator? -Stalemate again, I fear." - -"A pretty big one, that shell, sir. It may have come from a ship -anchored in The Narrows," the Navigator suggested; but even as he did -so, three puff-balls of cotton-wool, shrapnel-bursts, appeared against -the sky, only just behind the line of the shore. - -"That makes it certain," the Captain said very gravely; "they can't -burst shrapnel at long ranges." - -A cloud of cordite smoke shot out from the side of a cruiser at anchor -there--the _Talbot_; and both of them watched to see where the shell -burst. "There it is, sir, just in front of that village," the Navigator -called out, pointing to a village five miles inland, in a dip in the -great semicircular sweep of hills which shut in the whole bay. "I -thought they had gained those hills," exclaimed the Captain, keenly -disappointed. "Well!"--and he sighed; "if they haven't by this time they -will never get them. This means 'finish'." - -A submarine net had been laid across the mouth of Suvla Bay; and by the -time the _Achates_ passed through the narrow "gate" between the -supporting buoys, most of the Honourable Mess were gathered on the after -shelter-deck, gazing ashore at the bursting shells, and eagerly trying -to make out the state of affairs. Even to the most unskilled of these -young officers it was evident that the Army could not have advanced very -far. - -The _Achates_ anchored just to the south of Suvla Point, and about -twelve hundred yards from the shore. As she swung to the breeze and the -tide, the most extraordinary-looking "freak" ship came into view, lying -close inshore, with a squat funnel, and an enormous turret with two huge -guns sticking out of it. She looked almost as broad as she was long, -and the Honourable Mess burst out laughing when they saw her. "That's -one of the new big monitors," Bubbles grunted. "Look! What an -extraordinary ship!" - -[Illustration: "LOOK! WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY SHIP!"] - -This was the _Havelock_, and farther out lay several of the new small -monitors with a single 9.2-inch gun in the bows or a 6-inch at each end. -Inside the line of black buoys which marked the submarine net were also -some twenty transports and store ships, a collier, a water-distilling -steamer, and many trawlers. Picket-boats, tugs, and little motor-boats -dashed about the harbour; a picket-boat towed a long string of -transports' boats out towards a hospital ship lying farther away; but -the strangest of all the craft there were the "water-beetles", which -they now saw for the first time. These were lighters, painted black, -with hinged gangways projecting over their bows, circular shields round -their steering-wheels, and square box-shaped structures aft, each with a -small funnel projecting from its roof, and the official number of the -lighter painted, in huge white figures, on the side. One went grunting -and thumping past, leaving a track of smoke and a smell of burning oil -behind it, carrying perhaps five hundred soldiers inshore. Another lay -alongside the nearest store ship, and the bales of hay which they were -loading into her made her look like a huge haystack. Another, flying a -Red Cross flag, grunted past from shore, filled with wounded. -"Water-beetles" made a most appropriate name for them. - -The only other men-of-war at anchor inside the "net" were the -_Swiftsure_, _Talbot,_ and _Cornwall_; but farther down the coast, off -Anzac and Gabe Tepe, they could see their "sister" ship, the -_Bacchante_, looking very much "out in the cold" as far as protection -from submarines went, in spite of numerous trawlers and several -destroyers patrolling round her. - -Steamboats began to come alongside, and from their midshipmen the -Honourable Mess soon learnt the news. - -One midshipman told them "that the soldiers held the first two miles of -the hill beyond Suvla Point, but could not get on any farther". "Have -they joined up with Anzac and away to the right?" they asked. "I don't -think so--not properly. We haven't advanced for the last two days." "I -don't know how many wounded I have taken off," said one wornout-looking -midshipman. "That's my job, and I've been at it almost day and night -for the last five days--nearly eight thousand have been taken off -altogether, I fancy." - -Another snotty told them of the awful shortage of water during the first -two fateful days, and how terribly the troops had suffered. "They -couldn't stand it," he said. "It was frightfully hot, and by Saturday -afternoon (they landed at 11 p.m. on Friday night) men were rushing down -to the shore and dashing into the sea, quite delirious." - -The Hun in his steam pinnace came back from a trip ashore, with a story -of two shells which had fallen close to him. "It's like old times," he -said excitedly. - -It was--exactly; exactly as it had been at Helles, in front of Krithia -and Achi Baba. - -All that morning, at every opportunity, everyone went up on the after -shelter-deck, or climbed up to the main-top, to try and find the exact -position occupied by our troops and how far they had advanced. They -gazed through their glasses at a huge amphitheatre extending from Suvla -Point right down to Anzac--six and a half miles away--shut in by that -semi-circular rampart of hills which barred the way to the other side of -the Peninsula and the Dardanelles. Down at Anzac they could trace the -maze of trenches along the slopes and spurs at that end of the rampart -of hills, and could also trace the Turkish trenches on the crest and -upper slopes. At first they thought that these last trenches were -British; but they soon knew, by watching the shells from the _Bacchante_ -bursting among them, that they were not. Sweeping their glasses to the -left, they followed the ridge of hills as it bent round in a huge curve -some five miles and a half from shore, until they came to a dip, in -front of which was Anafarta---just such another village as Krithia--with -its white houses and its row of windmills. At the left end of this -village a tall minaret showed up very distinctly. Sweeping still -farther to the left, the hills became higher, and then bent towards the -sea, until they reached within a mile of Suvla Point itself as a ridge -some 650 feet high. From this point--known as the Bench Mark--the ridge -dropped in a series of shoulders, until nothing but a gigantic backbone -of almost bare rock remained to jut out into the sea and form Suvla -Point itself. Our men had at one time reached this Bench Mark, but had -been driven back to the top of the next depression, which they still -held. In fact, from the ship that morning the little khaki figures of -our men were very clearly seen up there on the sky-line, two and a half -miles from Suvla Point. This advanced post was known as Jephson's Post, -and on the land side of it the scrub-covered ground sloped down in -ridges and gullies to the plain, whilst behind, and away out of sight of -the ships, it fell very abruptly to the sea, and ended in lofty, barren -cliffs. - -The coast-line from Suvla Point swept round in a deep curve to another -point known as Nebuchadnezzar Point[#]--a mile and a half farther -towards Anzac--and thus made Suvla Bay. Behind Nebuchadnezzar Point lay -the little hill "Lala Baba", some 120 feet high, and just round the -corner the shore stretched in an almost straight line right down to -Anzac. - - -[#] Its actual name is Niebruniessi Point. - - -It was the aristocratic Major of Marines, who had been studying the -military map, who pointed all these places out to them. He pointed out -the guns already in position behind Lala Baba, and he showed them -"Chocolate Hill", another elevation some 160 feet high and about three -miles inland, where our people could be seen busy digging trenches, and -every now and again being sprayed with shrapnel. Between these two -little hills lay a broad, flat area, looking like dry mud. "That is the -Salt Lake," the Major told them. "It is dry all the summer." - -Except for the people who could be seen up at Jephson's Post, more men -moving behind a line of trenches running down the slope from that -position, and the people digging on Chocolate Hill, the only indication -of the general line we held was to be gained by watching where the -Turkish shrapnel occasionally burst. - -By this time--the 12th August--after having seen so much of operations -ashore, every officer in the gun-room and ward-room had become an expert -military strategist and tactician--as you can imagine; so it was quite -unnecessary for the gallant Major of Marines--who, of course, was the -leading expert of all ("because he wore a red stripe down his trousers," -Bubbles said)--to explain that "Anafarta village must be captured; that -this was the first thing to be done". - -"I guessed that--in once," bleated the China Doll in an undertone. - -"The whole success of this new operation depended on capturing Anafarta, -and the ridge behind it, by a _coup de main_," went on the Major, as -though addressing a class at Sandhurst. "The whole situation now -demands an entire reconsideration of plans. I must say that I feel -doubtful of ultimate success unless very heavy reinforcements arrive." -Whereupon he shut his old-fashioned telescope with a snap, and went -below, as if, from his point of view, he had washed his hands of the -matter. - -Uncle Podger, the Sub, Bubbles, the Orphan, and the China Doll remained -to watch the ambulance wagons slowly trailing across the Salt Lake -towards the cluster of hospital tents to the left of Lala Baba--the -First Casualty Clearing-station--at "Wounded A" beach, and to watch the -battalions in reserve enjoying a rest under some low cliffs this side of -Lala Baba, many hundreds of men splashing merrily in the sea, undeterred -by shrapnel bursting over them at intervals. - -The _Havelock_ lay at anchor quite close to these men. - -"If I were running the show," the China Doll suggested confidently, "I -should----" But how success could have been achieved will never be -known, for "eight bells" struck, lunch waited down in the gun-room, and -the China Doll knew the disadvantage of a late start, so flew away like -a "rigger". - -Many of the gun-room officers came up again after a hasty meal, and -began examining the details of the extraordinary _Havelock_, when, all -of a sudden, a spout of water flew up close to her. - -"Hello! What's that? There goes another! Someone's having a "go" at -her. Look! Look at those two puffs of smoke amidships! She's been -hit! Ah! She's getting under way--about time too." - -Her cable came in, and she slowly moved out of the way, signalling that -three men had been wounded. One or two more spouts of water sprang up, -but then they let her alone, and the water spouts began creeping towards -the _Cornwall_--past her--over--back again--short. The _Cornwall_ -hastily got her anchor up, and circled away from that unpleasant spot; -and then the little shells began falling quite close to the _Swiftsure_, -at anchor only some four hundred yards away from the _Achates_. - -"Short! Short again! Hello! that hit--on her starboard quarter! I saw -it bounce off--it's close to her ward-room! There's another! That went -in! Look! you can see the hole--close to the water-line." - -"Look! Look! Look!" cries came from all round--it was getting exciting -now--as three shells, one after the other, burst close to her for'ard -funnel and the smoke of them drifted away. - -"She's getting it hot. She'll be off in a minute. Ah, she's shortening -in!" - -They heard the _Swiftsure's_ buglers sounding "Action". - -"It will be our turn next," they laughed--a little nervously, as the -_Swiftsure_ circled away towards the line of submarine-net buoys; and, -sure enough, in a couple of minutes there came a loud, wailing, rushing -noise, which seemed to pass between the foremast and next funnel, and a -"flomp" as a shell fell into the water on the other side, some sixty -yards away. - -They ducked and went down below, but not before another drawn-out wail -ended in a "flomp" a hundred yards short of the ship. "Action Stations" -sounded, and everyone cleared away to their quarters; the China Doll, -very pale, and not enjoying himself at all, having to climb up the -rigging to the fore-control top. He heard a shell coming, caught his -breath, clung to the ratlines, and knew it would hit him. He heard it -"flomp" into the sea behind him; and the irritated Gunnery-Lieutenant, -coming up after him, hurried him up the rigging with angry oaths. "Get -that range-finder uncovered. What's the range of that village? Quick! -Quick! Quick! I've got nothing to fire at. There are no orders yet." - -Down on the foc's'le the Commander, the Bos'n, and a few men were -getting up the anchor as fast as possible, and in five minutes off went -the _Achates_. - -Directly these four ships began moving about, the Turks left off firing -at them and threw shells at the transports lying farther out; but these -lay at the extreme range of their guns, and that afternoon, at any rate, -they made no hits. After a while they ceased firing, and the ships came -back and anchored. The Hun, who had been away all this time in his -steamboat, came down into the gun-room in a great state of excitement, -as a shell had fallen within ten feet of his boat. The _Swiftsure_ -presently signalled that she had five men killed and fourteen wounded. -News came from the _Grafton_, out beyond Suvla, round the northern -corner, that she too had been shelled, and had lost nine men killed and -twenty wounded--all these casualties caused by one small shell which -came down a hatchway and burst among a crowd of men gathered there. - -"What a change, after six weeks of peace at Ieros!" Bubbles gurgled. "I -don't think much of this war. I call it rotten." - -"Jolly uncivil of them--and our first day, too!" Uncle Podger said. - -"Whatever rhymes with _Achates_?" asked Rawlins, whose poetical genius -had once more been roused. "'Not afraid is,' would do, but I can't fit -it in; or 'What a day 'tis'--that's jolly difficult to fit in too." - -The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, and that evening the -reconnoitring aeroplane which flew over from the island of Imbros--from -the aerodrome at Kephalo--reported that she had seen the Turks digging -emplacements for four big guns on the top of the ridge. - -"Well, that's not very cheering," Uncle Podger grimaced as he smoked a -pipe in the Sub's cabin after dinner. "If they can make us shift about -and keep under way with those small things, as they did this afternoon, -they'll drive us out altogether with their big guns--and submarines will -be waiting for us there." - -"We shall have to knock 'em out," the Sub said; "that's all." - -"We couldn't do it at Helles; I don't see how we are going to do it -here," Uncle Podger said. "Did anyone see the guns that were firing at -us?" - -The Sub shook his head. "I don't think so." - -They went back into the gun-room just in time to hear the China Doll -plaintively saying: "I didn't like going up to the top one bit; a shell -came very close to me;" and the others singing out: "What does your -carcass matter? Wind up the gramophone and let's have a noise!" - -A most perfect night followed, and nearly everyone slept on deck; but -hardly had they been turned off the quarter-deck next morning, when -shells began whistling across the _Achates_, and off she had to go again -to get away from them. These shells came from a 4.1-inch high-velocity -gun, and gave about three seconds "notice" before they arrived. That -morning, for the first time, the Turks turned a 5.9-inch gun on the -shore--the same calibre gun as "Gallipoli Bill"--bursting high -explosives with their tremendous roar, abreast the ship, on what was -known as "New A" beach, a convenient little split in the rocks where -most of the boats ran in, and close to where "Kangaroo Pier" was being -built. These shells fell almost vertically and did very little harm, -but their noise was extremely disconcerting. - -That evening the battleship _Venerable_ arrived, and next day the -_Achates_ became more or less of a depot ship for the Naval transport -officers, the Harbour-master, the surveying officers, and (as Uncle -Podger said, when their midshipmen "assistants" and the midshipmen of -all the "stray" pickets came to live in her)--a "home for lost dogs". -The gun-room was again invaded by tired, weary snotties, in their grimy -Condy's-fluid-stained uniforms, who, when they were not eating, lay -about on the leather cushions and odd corners, and slept. The Pimple -and the China Doll were almost reduced to tears when they thought how -the gun-room stores would disappear once more. - -It was a depressing day; they could not call the gun-room their own. -They heard of the fall of Warsaw; nothing seemed able to stop the German -advance through Poland and Galicia; and this new landing gave not any -hope of success. - -"Oh, bother it all! Stick another needle in, China Doll, and start that -rotten gramophone," they said. - -At the mention of gramophone the Lamp-post would always slink out of the -Mess. - -The Turks had left them alone that day--as far as shells were concerned; -but Fritz, the submarine, evading the patrolling trawlers, let go a -torpedo at the balloon ship--the _Manica_--outside, beyond the nets. - -A plaintive signal came from her that a torpedo had passed underneath -her, and a submarine had been seen from the balloon--that yellow -monstrosity waggling above her. That meant another interval for -excitement, and a manning of the small guns in case Fritz took it into -his head to pop up his periscope anywhere near. The balloon was hauled -down, and off went the _Manica_ to seek protection behind the "net" at -Kephalo, in Imbros Island. - -More shells came along on the Sunday morning, just when the Honourable -Mess, clothed only in towels, clamoured for "next turn" at the little -baths. Again the ships had to get under way, and the _Swiftsure_ -reported one hit, without casualties. It was a quaint crowd of undraped -young officers who gathered behind the six inches of armour round Y1 -casemate, and waited for the "sh--sh--plonk" of the Turks' shells to -cease, and the bugle to sound the "carry on", before they rushed back to -complete their toilet. Don't imagine that the ships took their insults -"lying down". They blazed away at where the guns were reported to be, or -where they thought they were; but as you should know by now, it was -practically impossible to spot them; and, in time, everybody learnt that -the best thing to do was to plug a few shells into Anafarta village -(keeping clear of the Red Crescent flags which decorated it), where one -shrewdly expected that the Turkish Head-quarters Staff and its German -"pals" had comfortable "diggings". A few shells there, delicately -placed, generally had the desired effect. One could almost imagine the -German Staff Officer (when shells began knocking down the houses round -him) cursing: "Gott im Himmel! it's not good enough being bothered like -this. Telephone to that confounded battery to leave 'em alone, till -I've finished my breakfast; it's not doing any good, anyway." - -That Sunday afternoon our troops tried to advance along the ridge beyond -Suvla Point, and did make some headway; but they came up against a -wretched redoubt, a thousand yards from Jephson's Post, crammed with -machine-guns, and were brought to a standstill. - -The _Talbot_ and the _Swiftsure_ did most of the covering work; but the -Turkish trenches up there, and that redoubt, were so protected by the -folds and curvatures of the hills that their high-velocity guns were -very ineffective. - -When this business was finished, "Cuthbert", the hostile aeroplane, came -over from Maidos, and made a "bee-line" for the balloon ship once more. -As he approached, the _Manica_ commenced hauling down the balloon and -its observers, and simply screeched at "Cuthbert" with her maxims; but -the aeroplane did not take anything seriously, plumped down two bombs -within half a mile of her--not nearer--appeared to be perfectly content, -and went home again, followed by some very pretty shrapnel from the -_Talbot_. - -There was very heavy firing on shore on the extreme left that night--all -through the night--and by the morning the soldiers had lost the ground -they had gained the day before. - -In the usual "strafe" that morning, two shells hit the _Achates_ without -causing any casualties; but by now it had become thoroughly understood -that if the ships remained where they were, and did not get up anchor -and move about, the Turks would soon leave off shooting at them. So, -from now onwards, ships seldom shifted billet during these frequent -shellings. This may have spoilt the Turks' amusement--for it must have -been most amusing to the Turkish gunners to see them scurrying about the -harbour--but the constant shifting became too boring altogether. The -poor old distilling ship--the _Bacchus_--and the _Ajax_, a store ship, -came in for the worst time. The Turks had a special "down" on them -both, and seldom a day went by without them being hit, first of all with -small "stuff", and, later on, by 5.9-inch shells. - -Fritz put in another appearance that Monday morning, and had another -"go" at the balloon ship--the _Hector_ this time--but something had gone -wrong, as before, with the "balance chamber" of his torpedo, and it -gracefully dived underneath her. However, she hauled down the balloon -in a hurry--she thought the "balance chamber" of the next torpedo might -be in better working order--and inside the submarine net she came, only -to be driven out again by shells which flew chirpily over the _Achates_, -and dropped all round her. A lucky shot in the balloon--and "finish" -that--so up came her anchor, and she pushed across to Kephalo. - -On the Tuesday everyone became heartily sick of the "retire" bugle. The -Turks seemed unusually generous that day. They shelled the _Achates_ at -half-past six; they rested until the Honourable Mess had commenced their -breakfast, when "swish--sh--sh--flomp" went a shell just alongside, and -the wretched bugle sounded again. At ten o'clock, at half-past twelve, -and twice during the afternoon they disturbed everyone; and when they -had packed up for the day, "Cuthbert" came along and made a most -deliberate attempt to bomb her. She circled overhead twice, and on each -occasion dropped bombs which fell with the sounds of express trains and -burst, one about a hundred yards and the other about forty yards away. - -"It's not very restful, is it?" the little Padre said wistfully, as he -joined, for the fifth time that day, the little crowd of "idlers" who -were taking cover behind the after turret during the last spell of -shelling. - -It wasn't. The continued strain became most intensely wearisome, and -affected a great many people very noticeably. For more than three weeks -the _Achates_ had these wretched shells coming round and over her, at -intervals, practically every day. It was the noise of them which became -so trying--the noise, and the wondering where "that one" would hit. - -Perhaps, in the gun-room, the most marked effect was the smartness with -which everyone "turned out" in the morning (they slept on the -quarter-deck), looked to see if the sun had risen behind Anafarta, and -scampered down to get his bath and be dressed before those beastly -shells came round. Breakfast became a remarkably punctual meal, for the -Turks liked to have their little joke at half-past eight; and no one in -the gun-room, except the Sub, Bubbles, and sometimes Uncle Podger, could -stay and enjoy their food if that side of the ship swung to the shore, -and the "swish--sh--sh--flomp" of those shells came through the scuttles -in her thin side. - -"Divisions", at half-past nine, had to be held out of sight, in the -battery, for the temptation always proved too great for the Turks when -they saw men falling in on the quarter-deck or fo'c'sle. - -On one memorable occasion when, "divisions" having been reported correct -to Captain Macfarlane, the men were all marched aft on to the -quarter-deck for prayers, the ship's company made one almighty "duck" as -a shell came over them and burst not ten yards away in the water. If -eye-witnesses speak the truth, the only people who did not "duck" on -that occasion were Captain Macfarlane--who made the excuse that "he had -been rather deaf for the last few days"--and the little Padre, who -apologized most profusely that he had been so busy trying to prevent the -wind blowing his surplice round his neck, that he hadn't noticed it. - -At any rate, after that, "divisions" and prayers were held in the -battery out of sight. - -The people who had the most unpleasant time were the signalmen on the -fore-bridge, the telegraphist in the "wireless" room on the -shelter-deck, and the people on watch on the quarter-deck. - -"What am I to do?" the Sub growled to Uncle Podger one day. "Here we -have half a dozen boats round the gangways, a couple of hundred men -working about the upper deck, and along comes a jumping Jimmy of a shell -and flops fifty yards short of the ship--then another, a hundred or a -couple of hundred over. It may be all a mistake--they may be coaxing -them along to the distilling ship--and the next may fall a thousand -yards over. How am I to know? What am I to do? If I don't stop work -and sound the 'retire', then the next one will probably come 'splosh' -into our chaps and lay half a dozen of them out. Then what will the -Commander say?--losing his best hands perhaps; and the Skipper will want -to know why I didn't clear 'em all off the upper deck. It's worrying; -that's what it is!" - -"My dear chap," said Uncle Podger, "I'll tell you exactly what I feel. -When I go on deck I am certain that those Turkish gunner chaps over -there on the hills sing out 'Hello! here comes the most valuable clerk -in the whole British Navy; any of you chaps got a spare round to have a -'pot' at him?' I walk up and down the quarter-deck with my ears cocked -towards the shore to hear that beastly whining swish--a shell or two -will fall in the water--those big chaps, with their infernal -thunder-clap, burst on the shore--and I gradually find myself edging -away to the hatchway, and going down to the office or the gun-room, -where I can't hear the things so plainly. It gets on my nerves, I can -tell you that." - -Whatever happens, the routine of the ship's work must be carried on: the -decks are scrubbed; the hands fall in; they work about the upper deck, -splicing wires, scraping paintwork, repairing boats, overhauling -gear--all the thousand-and-one jobs which have to be done; boats have to -be called away, and go about their business; the meat, potatoes, and -bread have to be served out; the office work has to go on just the same; -the sick have to be attended and treated; the signalmen and upper-deck -watch keepers have to keep their watches; the men have to have their -meals and scrub the mess-decks; the cooks have to cook the ship's -company's food; and all these routine duties go on, either without any -protection whatever, in the open, or behind a half-inch of steel which -won't "look at" a shell of any sort or description. A battleship or -cruiser is designed to fight an action which may last for an hour or for -five hours, but, at the end of that time, life on board reverts to its -ordinary routine--as far as it may. She is not intended or designed to -be constantly under shell-fire for weeks at a time. - -The Pink Rat, whose nerves had never recovered from his experience at -"W" beach, frankly could not stand the spells of shelling; the China -Doll grew restless and more baby-like than ever; the Pimple was nearly -as bad; the Lamp-post hated the shells perhaps more than anyone, for he -had a most vivid imagination, but he controlled his feelings -wonderfully, and never showed the least outward sign of "nerves", except -that he became more than usually boisterous after sunset--when all was -peace. Rawlins and Bubbles treated the whole thing as a joke. "Don't -think about 'em," Bubbles gurgled to the Pink Rat, "and then you won't -worry." The Hun did not seem to trouble so long as he had something to -do in his steam pinnace; he had to remember to live up to his D.S.C., -too. The Orphan, who felt he also had a reputation to keep up, worried -very little either. - -The midshipmen in the boats and their crews had to carry on their usual -work at all times. It sounds simple enough when talked about in a -comfortable chair at home; but just put yourself in the place of a -midshipman in a steamboat, with perhaps a lighter in tow, who is coming -off from shore and sees a shell burst in the water fifty yards ahead of -him, knows that another will come along in a few seconds, and has to -take his boat through the swirl made by the first shell! Or, again, he -sees a ship hit, or shells falling all round her, and has to take his -boat alongside her, and, worse still, wait alongside her. This is what -these midshipmen and their crews had constantly to do; and when they -went inshore, shells were constantly dropping close to them, not only -the small 4.1-inch, but the big high-explosives. - -The strain and the long hours caused many of these midshipmen to break -down, but there was no instance that can be brought to mind when any of -them showed the slightest sign of treating shells too "respectfully" -when on duty. - -Don't imagine that the ships themselves remained idle all this time. -One or other constantly fired at known gun positions, on enemy working -parties, at convoys, at the enemy observation posts and trenches at -Anafarta--in fact, at every target they could find or the Army point out -to them. The monitors with long-range guns fired across at the Turkish -transports and store ships anchored in The Narrows; the big ships -constantly bombarded enemy camps and depots behind the hills, helped by -spotting aeroplanes, for, of course, they could not see where their -shells fell. Destroyers and the "Edgar" class constantly harassed the -Turks along the coast. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX* - - *The Army again comes to a Standstill* - - -Nearly every night, for the first week after the arrival of the -_Achates_ at Suvla, reinforcements poured across from Mudros in -"troop-carriers", fleet-sweepers, destroyers, and small cruisers. Among -these came the veteran 29th Division--which had been brought up to fair -strength by constant drafts from England--and also the 2nd Mounted -Division--yeomanry who came to fight as infantry. These yeomen were men -of such magnificent physique that the Syrian interpreter on board the -_Achates_ told the Orphan that, though the pick of the Greek, Serbian, -Bulgarian, and Turkish armies had come frequently under his observation, -he had never seen such fine troops as these. - -One more attempt was to be made to advance and, if possible, gain -possession of Anafarta. - -But to reach Anafarta, and the gap in the great semicircle of hills -behind it, a whole series of smaller slopes and ridges, spurs and -shoulders of the main hills, had to be seized first. Even without -preparation for defence they formed a tremendous obstacle, and by this -time the Turks had been digging and burrowing and wiring them, day and -night, for a whole fortnight. - -From the main-top of the _Achates_, on the 20th August, these small -ridges and slopes looked as though a huge colony of moles had been at -work on them, and when the sun sank low over Imbros the barbed wire in -front of these "mole runs" made glittering streaks along them. - -A terrible task it was, as everyone knew. - -However, one little hill, somewhat detached from the main line of -defence, projected into the plain towards Chocolate Hill. This was Hill -70, perhaps better known as "Scimitar Hill" from a broad, sweeping, -burnt patch running up the near slope. If this hill could be stormed -and held, it would assist further attacks on the main position. - -The 29th Division were told off to capture it. - -On Saturday, the 21st August, all dispositions were completed, and a -little before two o'clock in the afternoon the four ships, the -_Venerable_, _Swiftsure_, _Talbot_, and _Achates_, which had previously -anchored in single line ahead, as close to the shore as possible, -bombarded Scimitar Hill, "W" ridge beyond it, and every known or -probable enemy gun position. The Army heavy guns assisted. - -In a very short time the Turks had to abandon many of their trenches; -and if only it had been possible to continue bombarding until the -attacking infantry had almost reached those trenches, the 29th Division -might have stormed them without much loss. - -But this was not possible. For one thing, the range was too great--over -four miles--to make certain of not hitting our own troops. The ships -had to cease fire, and thus gave time for the Turks to rush back to -their trenches and bring their machine-guns along with them. - -As the 29th Division advanced, some thirty or forty enemy guns opened on -them with shrapnel and high explosives; and though a brigade stormed -Scimitar Hill, its losses were so great that the remnant who gained the -crest could not hold it against the tremendous whirlwind of fire from -the higher ridges beyond and a fierce counter-attack. - -Farther along, to the right, the remainder of the 29th Division and the -11th Division, attacking the southerly spurs of "W" ridge, gained a -footing on them, but could not reach the crest. - -The flat ground over which they had just advanced with such heavy loss -was thickly covered with scrub and trees, and the high-explosive shells -bursting among them quickly set this scrub alight in several places. -These fires much hampered the rapid bringing up of supports. - -At the commencement of the action, that division of dismounted yeomanry -whose physique and bearing had so roused the admiration of all, was held -in reserve behind Lala Baba, and rested there, in full view from the -ships. At about half-past two or three o'clock these yeomen fell in, -circled round the flank of Lala Baba, extended as they gained the open -mud-flats of the Salt Lake, and commenced to advance across it towards -Chocolate Hill. The Turkish gunners saw them almost immediately, and -burst hundreds of shrapnel over their heads. No "gunners" could ask for -a better target than these poor fellows made, and for twenty minutes -they suffered terribly, without any hesitation or faltering in their -ranks. To those who watched them from the main-top of the _Achates_, it -was a wonderful relief when they gained the cover of the trees and thick -scrub near Chocolate Hill and the shrapnel began to leave them alone. - -Abreast the _Achates_, and some half-mile from the beach, was a little -green mound, dignified with the name of "Hill 10" on the military map. -On the rear slope of this, a field-gun battery had been very active all -the afternoon, and presently the Turks thought it about time to put a -stop to this. They turned one or two 5.9-inch guns on to Hill 10, and -simply plastered it with high-explosive shells, bursting them with their -horrid, rending thunder-claps every few seconds among the field-guns and -the limbers in rear. For half an hour those field-guns pluckily went on -firing, but they did not know where the big shells were coming -from--nobody did--so none of the ships could help them, and at length -they were compelled to cease fire and the gunners to take shelter. - -"What are they? New Army or Territorials?" asked Uncle Podger. None -knew; but, whoever they were, they put up a most plucky fight. - -By five o'clock the smoke from the bush fires obscured the whole field -of battle between Chocolate and Scimitar Hills, and, though the rattle -of musketry and machine-guns went on continuously, no more of the fight -could be seen from the _Achates_--only the ambulance wagons coming -across the Salt Lake, and the stretcher-parties clearing away the -wounded yeomanry. - -By dusk the flames of these bush fires showed up plainly, and as -darkness fell on that fateful day they lighted up the whole plain, -Chocolate Hill and Lala Baba standing out black against them. They -burnt fiercely, the flames eating their way along the plain, running -this way, then that; and on board ship one could only grimly conjecture -what was happening to the helpless wounded cut off by them--and keep the -horrors of one's thoughts to oneself, if one could. - -Fighting went on all that night; and by dawn the attacking divisions had -fallen back to their original positions in front of Chocolate Hill, -except on the right, where the 11th Division maintained a point some six -hundred yards in advance. - -From that day no serious attempt was made to advance, and the idea of -forcing a way across to the Dardanelles was for all practical purposes -abandoned. From now onwards, trench warfare commenced, and continued -until the definite abandonment of The Great Adventure. - -All that Saturday afternoon and all that Saturday night a continual -stream of wounded were brought to "Wounded A" beach, attended to, and as -fast as possible sent off to hospital ships. The Hun with his steam -pinnace, and a couple of boats in tow, helped cope with the enormous -amount of work. At dawn next morning the Orphan relieved him, and by -Sunday night very nearly six thousand wounded had been evacuated. They -all went to hospital ships, but only the serious cases and the severe -leg injuries stayed there. The others, who could walk, crossed over the -hospital ships from one side to the other, and went down into trawlers -waiting alongside. These, when full, steamed across to Kephalo, on -Imbros Island, and landed them there. - -It now became generally understood that the Germans and Austrians -intended to break through Serbia, march across Bulgaria, and join hands -with the Turks. The Bulgarians were much more likely to assist than -resist them; and it did not require any great strain on the mental -powers of the military experts in the gun-room to enable them to realize -that, once the Turks obtained heavy guns and an ample supply of -ammunition, they could drive us and the French off the Peninsula. - -It was anything but a pleasant prospect, especially with the autumn fast -approaching, and the fierce winter gales which would make the landing of -stores impossible. - -A peaceful three days followed this battle of the 21st August. The -Turks had probably expended all their ammunition and were busy -replenishing their magazines. At any rate, three days later they -shelled the harbour and the ships very lavishly. The _Venerable_ had a -man killed and some wounded, and the _Swiftsure_ had a man wounded by a -fragment of a shell which burst on the _Venerable's_ fo'c'sle. From -this date they always managed to spare the ships a few rounds--at the -usual hours--every day. They killed an unfortunate stoker in the -_Achates_ soon after this. The crew were at "Action Stations", and he -had gone on to the mess-deck to make certain that his fire-hose had been -screwed on properly, when a shell coming in through the side (it -actually burst on the edge of a scuttle) took off his head. - -They then attempted a night attack on our left flank. Firing burst out -suddenly one night just after eight o'clock, and though the Honourable -Mess had not yet reached the "pudding" stage of their dinner they rushed -up on deck to see what was happening--all of them. That fact alone -proves that the noise of rifles, machine-guns, and shells must have been -considerable. - -A most brilliant spectacle this firing made. Many young officers in the -trenches, on both sides, kindly contributed hundreds of pretty star -shells; the Turks burst a very large number of shrapnel most -picturesquely; the destroyer _Grampus_, out beyond the bay, lighted up -the ridge near the Bench Mark with her search-light; the army field-guns -did what they could to aid the display, and the _Swiftsure_ obliged with -four rounds of 7.5-inch shrapnel to give _eclat_ to the occasion. - -From a pyrotechnic point of view the scene from the quarter-deck of the -_Achates_ could not have been improved, nor could the orchestra of -rifles, field-guns, maxims, and trench bombs. - -But the attack evidently lacked backbone. Rifle-firing raged up and -down the lines, but it never reached the pitch of inarticulate firing -and determination which marked those night attacks at Helles. As a -matter of fact, the Turks never left their trenches; and even before the -laconic signal came from shore: "Situation well in hand", that -well-known military expert, the China Doll, not seeing in the dark that -Captain Macfarlane happened to be standing next to him, lisped out: -"That's nothing; it's nothing like those other shows at "W" beach; they -don't mean anything; I'm going down to finish dinner." Captain -Macfarlane thanked him very gravely: "I am much obliged to you, Mr. -Stokes" (which perhaps you remember was the China Doll's name), "you -have relieved my anxieties immensely." The wretched China Doll -disappeared down the hatchway like a shot rabbit. - -Now there was a cocksure young subaltern of the New Army at Suvla to -whom the whole art of warfare had become an open book. He claimed -relationship with the Lamp-post, and, on the strength of that, came off -at times to get a decent meal and a bath. There was also a certain -5.9-inch gun hidden away somewhere near Anafarta which enjoyed throwing -high-explosive shells into the "so-called" "Rest Camp", and this young -officer had suffered frequent annoyance from them. He became a little -peevish, and made sarcastic remarks about naval gunnery not much to the -liking of the Honourable Mess, especially one day when the _Swiftsure_ -had nearly broken her Gunnery-Lieutenant's susceptible heart by not -knocking out this particular gun after some fifteen rounds. They -explained gently to him that the gun could not be seen from the ships, -and that, at five and a half miles, firing at -"where-it-was-thought-to-be" did not give much chance of hitting it. - -One afternoon, when he happened to be aboard, a French aeroplane, with -engine troubles, planed down to the beach beyond Lala Baba, and could -not get away. She had not been there for ten minutes when the Turks -commenced dropping shell round her. - -"Now you'll see how easy it is," the Lamp-post said ironically. -"Remember, the Turks can see that aeroplane--they can see it with the -naked eye. We can't see 'Anafarta Annie' through a telescope." Well, -they counted more than a hundred and fifty shell--shrapnel and -common--fired within the next thirty-five minutes, and the aeroplane -appeared not to have been touched. - -At least they thought the "Young Friend" might apologize, but he only -laughed: "Well, at any rate, you Navy chaps aren't the rottenest shots -in the world." - -"I do hope 'Annie' drops one in his 'dug-out'," the Hun said angrily, -when he went ashore. "Don't you ever ask him off again, Lamp-post, or -we'll work the gramophone at meals." - -"I never do ask him; he comes," the Lamp-post smiled. - -"Annie", so the Observation Post nearest to Anafarta reported, lived in -a tunnel or deep gully, and when her crew wanted to do a "hate" they ran -her out on rails, fired her, and ran her back again. It was also said -that if shells fell anywhere near her, the crew used to run across to a -little white house about a hundred and fifty yards away, and take cover -there. So one morning the Gunnery-Lieutenant of the _Swiftsure_, always -ready to woo a fair lady, "went" for her; and when he thought her crew -had probably run her back into her tunnel and gone across to their cosy -little white house, he peppered that with 14-pounder shells. No one can -go on with this game--at five and a half miles--for ever; and when the -_Swiftsure_ ceased firing, "Annie's" crew, appreciating the humour of it -all, ran back to her, fetched her out (presumably), and dropped half a -dozen high-explosive shells among the mules and stacks of bully-beef -boxes above "A" beach. - -They were full of noisy humour, these Turks; but what did jar on their -nerves was the sight of a battleship or cruiser coaling. They objected -most strongly, and always burst shrapnel over, and dropped shell at the -"coaling" ship directly the collier had come alongside and she had -commenced that dirty job. - -They also had a rooted objection to the _Arno_, a trim little destroyer -attached to the General Headquarters Staff; and whenever she anchored -inside the "net" they did their best to make her feel uncomfortable. -She might have always had the General Head-quarters Staff on board, to -judge by the persistent way they plugged at her. - -And as for Jephson's Post, up there on the top of the ridge, on the -left, they took a positive dislike to it and to the Naval Observation -Station, just below it. This Observation Station was manned by some -naval ratings and two naval officers--a gaunt, hawk-like Commander and a -Lieutenant-Commander belonging to other ships. These two took duty in -turns--three days "on" and three days "off". The three days "off" they -spent on board the _Achates_, sleeping most of the time. - -This post was constantly under fire from heavy and light guns. It also -received all the "overs" and the stray bullets fired from the Turks, -farther along the ridge, at Jephson's Post and the trenches in front of -it, so it was not at all a "health" resort. - -"The view in the early morning is charming," said one of the Observation -officers; "and but for the fact that I'm certain there's a dead mule or -a dead 'something' among the bushes somewhere near--has been there for -the last fortnight--and that we get something like thirty to forty shell -over it every day--often more--it wouldn't be half bad." - -Another Naval Observation Station had been established on Chocolate -Hill, and to visit either of these positions made exciting afternoon -walks and climbs, whenever any of the Honourable Mess ventured ashore. -On one occasion the Lamp-post and the Orphan landed at "A West" beach -one afternoon, and walked up to the Observation Post near Jephson's -Post. Pretty hard going it was, under the hot sun and along the sandy -mule-track which wound up the lower slopes among the concealed -field-guns. Then they had to climb along a steep path, with a parapet on -the enemy side, till they came to the second line of trenches, and heard -the intermittent sniping close to them. In the morning the Post had -been severely shelled, and they found the Commander lying flat on the -ridge, some forty yards away from it, behind a natural parapet of rocks, -reinforced by some sand-bags, his telephone box close to him. - -"You must have had a warm time of it this morning, sir," they said -admiringly. - -"That was all right. I was here all the time. There wouldn't have been -much left of me if I had stayed there. Come along and see." He took -them back below the ridge, climbed up to the rear of the Post--a little -three-sided affair, partly made out of large stones and sand-bags piled -on each other, partly of natural rocks, with a timber and sand-bag roof -over it all. - -"Pretty untidy, isn't it, here? You can have the base of that -shell--one of this morning's little lot; if you hunt round, you'll find -another somewhere, I expect. They keep their eye on this place; I -shouldn't wonder if they are watching us now. Let's put back some of -these rock things." - -The front parapet had been partially knocked down that morning, so that -the "observing" loophole was now four or five feet wide. If they could -see him when there was only a small loophole, thought the Lamp-post, -they'll be able to see us, all right, now. They had just finished piling -up the last of the stones and sand-bags in their old places---more or -less--when the accustomed ears of the Commander caught the sound of a -Turkish gun. - -"That's my gun!" he cried, throwing himself down. "Lie down. That will -be short," he said coolly, as they heard the "swish--h--h" of an -approaching shell. "Short, not very; keep down, some of the bits may -come in." - -"Whump" burst the shell about thirty yards below them, and something -rattled against the parapet they had just built up. The stinging smell -of smoke came in through the crevices. - -"Scoot out of it!" the Commander said, scrambling to his feet, and -taking them down to where they had found him at first--soldiers dashing -for cover all along the ridge. "Keep close in behind those rocks," he -said, as they lay down, and he peered out between his sand-bags. - -"I thought so. The same two old guns, on the far side of the 'Rectory -Field'. They've shifted 'em since the morning. They've fired again. -They keep those two especially for my benefit." - -"Whump" burst a shell, then another, up along the ridge, somewhere close -to the Observation Post, whilst the hawk-like Commander rapidly took -"angles" with his sextant, and examined the squares and dots on his -military map. - -Then he rang up the Naval Observation Post, and giving them the new -position of the guns told them to ask _Swiftsure_ to try a few rounds. - -"Keep down!" he sang out to the two boys. "Snuggle up to those rocks. -Those chaps sometimes try lower down the slope." - -During the next quarter of an hour some fifteen or sixteen shells burst -close to the old Observation Post, and the Orphan wriggled to a place -where he could look down, across the harbour, to where the _Swiftsure_, -_Venerable_, and _Achates_ lay. They did look small. - -"Hello! there goes one from the _Swiftsure_," he cried, and wriggled -farther round to see if its shell went anywhere near those guns that had -been firing. - -"Twenty yards short--good shot!" the Commander sang out. "They'll fire -another, if either of the guns are loaded---- Yes--there they go--keep -down! Then they'll pack up." - -"B-r-r--whomp" burst a shell, just as the _Swiftsure_ fired again, and -they watched for her shell to burst. "I believe that's a hit; if it -wasn't, it was jolly close. Go up and see what damage they have done; -it's perfectly safe now." - -The two midshipmen scrambled to their feet and made their way up to the -old Observation Post, whilst the Commander busied himself with the -telephone. - -"My aunt! Look, Lampy!" sang out the Orphan, who reached it first. -"Jolly lucky that we didn't stay!" - -They had a difficulty in crawling in, because two of the balks of timber -had been blown down at one end. All those stones and sand-bags they had -replaced twenty minutes ago lay scattered on the ground--some outside -among the bushes, others inside. In one torn and half-emptied sand-bag -they found the fuse of the shell which had apparently done the damage. -It was still warm. - -"Oh, look! there's your stick! You must have left it. Look! That will -be a bit of a curio, won't it?" - -"It isn't mine; it's the Pink Rat's," the Lamp-post grinned, as he -picked up the two pieces. "I wish it had been mine." - -They took the broken pieces and went back to the Commander. "They've -knocked it about no end, sir. It's lucky we didn't stay there. You'll -have to give it up, won't you, sir?" - -"Oh no! rather not. I shall use it again to-morrow; but I shan't touch -it--leave it just as it is. Probably I'll put some sand-bags here, -where they can see them, and let them pot at this place instead. Come -along, we'll give you a drop of tea, down in my 'dug-out'. The -_Swiftsure_ has finished firing." - -"Did she hit either of them?" they asked. - -"Went jolly close," he said. "I rather fancy she did hit one, but it's -very difficult to say for certain." - -The Commander's "dug-out" was some fifty yards below the crest of the -ridge, and out of sight of Suvla Bay and the plain of Anafarta. From it -the Lamp-post looked over the Gulf of Zeros, the Bulgarian and Turkish -coast-lines, and, on the left, the lofty island of Samothrace, rearing -its crest above the clouds. Down in the sea at his feet--some five -hundred feet below him--the _Grampus_, destroyer, steamed slowly along -to protect the extreme left flank of the army, which extended from -behind Jephson's Post to the actual beach. Beyond her, either the -_Grafton_ or the _Theseus_ came slowly along towards Suvla Point, -pushing through the glittering water. Trawlers and drifters, with their -reddish-brown mizzen-sails giving a peaceful and home-like appearance to -the beautiful view, patrolled very, very slowly the stretches of the -Gulf between Samothrace and the Peninsula. - -From this "dug-out" the ground sloped very abruptly to the sea, its -surface composed of scattered rocks interspersed with coarse bushes. -The bivouacs of the brigade in reserve were here, and hundreds of men -lay about smoking, talking, and mending their clothes, or fast asleep. -Bathing parties went down to the sea, chattering noisily, or scrambled -back, half naked, to dry themselves in the sun. - -As the two snotties drank their tea, two men on stretchers were carried -past, on their way to a Dressing Station, a little way below and to the -left. One man smoked a cigarette and looked quite cheery; the head of -the other lay back oddly on the stretcher, with that horrid grey colour -on his face--he was dead. - -"Have another cup of tea? I'm sorry there's no cake," the Commander -said. "Those infernal snipers get some fifteen or twenty of our chaps -up here every day. They paint themselves green--their hands and -faces--dress up in green clothes, or fix themselves up in twigs and -leaves. They're plucky chaps, I must say. We found one chap, down in -the plain, the other day, over there"--and he jerked his thumb up the -ridge towards Anafarta--"we found him half a mile inside our lines, up a -tree, lashed to a branch. One of our chaps happened to be walking back -from the trenches, and walked right under the tree; thought he heard a -noise, looked up and saw him. Luckily he had his rifle, so he shot him, -but had to climb the tree and cut him clear before the body fell to the -ground. On one side of that Turk hung a basket with a few figs in it, -and on the other side a basket full of cartridge cases. Most of them -were empty, so that he must have had a pretty good 'run' for his money." - -A messenger came to say that the Turks were commencing their usual -evening "hate" on the beaches and ships. "Well, you'd better get along -back," he said. "Now, don't play the fool. For the first few hundred -yards past the Observation Post you will be in full view of their -firing-trench along the ridge; so don't loiter. I must be off to see -whether any of those guns have shifted since yesterday. Good-bye!" - -So back they went, with the base of one shell, the fuse of another, and -that broken stick belonging to the Pink Rat. As they neared the beach, -big shells kept dropping on it, so they waited a little while before -going down to "A West". A friendly A.S.C. sergeant invited them into -his roomy "dug-out"; and luckily they did go in, for shrapnel began -bursting very close, and an empty case buried itself in some ground -between two lines of mules, not twenty yards away. - -Flies had been bad up in the Commander's "dug-out". Here they were ten -times worse--worse even than they had been before they left "W" beach at -Cape Helles. - -Having added to their trophies that empty shrapnel case (the A.S.C. -sergeant had sent across a couple of Indians belonging to his transport -column to dig it up), and the firing having ceased, they presently found -themselves in the Hun's steam pinnace, on their way off to the ship. - -You can imagine that these two young officers had a good deal to talk -about when they did get on board. Neither of them had much chance of -going ashore, because, after the first few days, so many of the original -midshipmen of the "stray" boats broke down and had to be sent back to -their ships, that they were almost constantly employed in steam-boats. - -There were the "night patrols", when they steamed, up and down, along -the line of submarine-net buoys, from sunset to sunrise--fearfully -tedious and monotonous work, only enlivened by the very occasional -submarine "scares". Some trawler or drifter--out beyond--would think -she had seen one, and fire two Very's lights; and then there would be a -hustle and a bustle, and the patrolling picket-boats with their maxims -would dash up and down, in case Fritz came along, and they could get a -shot at his periscope. For some days the Orphan had to take charge of -the Harbour-master's picket-boat, and used to spend most of his nights -outside the nets, often in a lumpy, unpleasant sea, meeting -troop-carriers coming across with reinforcements, or store ships--all -according to programme--and imploring their Captains to go _between_ the -two lights on the buoys at the submarine-net "gate"; not that the -troop-carriers ever made mistakes--they had had too much practice--but -some of these store ships seemed incapable of coming in without fouling -the net, picking up some of it with their screws, and giving twenty-four -hours' work hacking it clear and then repairing it. Most of the -daylight hours during that time the Orphan spent in sleep, but not all -by a long chalk, for things were always going wrong with a line of -lighters supporting some borrowed torpedo-nets, and the Harbour-master -was always wanting to go along and see what could be done. As these -lighters were constantly being shelled, this was a most unpleasant job. - -One evening, after snatching a couple of hours' sleep, he found that a -3-pounder gun had been mounted in the bows of his boat, and the usual -maxim taken away. - -"Hello!" he said to the coxswain. "What's this for?" - -"I fancy we're going to hunt for Fritz to-night, sir." - -"Why, has he been round to-day?" - -"He fired a torpedo at the _Jonquil_ this afternoon, sir; somewhere -round the left flank, sir." - -When the Orphan climbed on board to find out more news, he ran across -the Sub on the quarterdeck. - -"Hello, my jumping Jimmy! I was looking for you. We've got to go away -to-night and see if Fritz goes to sleep in Ejelmar Bay--about seven -miles along the coast, round Suvla Point. He's been making a nuisance -of himself again. What kind of a coxswain have you?" - -"Not particularly good," the Orphan said. "He's not very fond of -shells." - -"Hum! I suppose we can't change him," the Sub said, scratching his -head. "I've got Bowditch, the gunner's mate, coming along to run the -3-pounder, so that will be all right." Then, bursting with excitement, -he thumped the Orphan's chest. "My perishing Orphan! Just fancy if we -bag a submarine!" - -"Promotion for you, too," grinned the Orphan. - -"I hadn't thought of that," beamed the Sub. "Wouldn't that be grand?" - -They were interrupted by a signalman running aft. "Hostile aeroplane, -sir!" he called out. The "guard call" sounded, and the marines began -tumbling up the hatchways with their rifles. - -It was "Cuthbert", the aeroplane, coming along for his evening visit; -but this time he was not bothering his head about the ships at Suvla, -but flew past at a great height, evidently off to Kephalo, in Imbros -Island, twelve miles across the water, to try and drop a bomb on the -aerodromes there, or on the General Headquarters Camp. - -"We aren't going away until nearly midnight," the Sub said, as they -watched "Cuthbert" growing smaller and smaller. Suddenly there was a -shout of "Hello! One of ours is after him! Look! He's heading him -off!" - -Sure enough, they saw another dot against the blue sky rapidly closing -"Cuthbert", who had evidently seen him and swerved to the right. - -As far as they could see, the English aeroplane was the higher of the -two, though a long distance separated them. - -"Hello! Look there! He's coming back! Look! He's dropped his bombs" -(two spouts of water flew up on the sea). "He'll get away now!" - -With the weight of the bombs "off" him, "Cuthbert" came back very fast, -and presently the English machine gave up the long, stern chase and -turned back to Kephalo. - -"Well, they stopped him dropping bombs there," the Orphan grinned. - -Just before midnight--pitch-dark it was--the Sub, the Orphan, and -Bowditch, the gunner's mate, climbed down into the picket-boat and -pushed off. They steamed outside, turned to the right, and, half an hour -later, met the _Grampus_ destroyer--the left-flank-guard destroyer--who -piloted them along the coast-line for some seven miles. Then she -stopped. Her skipper shouted across, through a megaphone: "We're right -opposite it now. Off you go. I'll wait for you." - -In they went--very slowly, to prevent making a noise, and so as not to -bump anything in the dark--eventually finding themselves in a bay, with -high cliffs all round it. Here the darkness was more intense than ever, -and all was absolutely silent. They "felt" round the cliffs at one -side, going dead slow, but not a trace of Fritz could they find. Then -they pushed across to the opposite cliff, where there was a lighter -patch--probably a break in the cliffs--and just as they had searched -this other side, a most startling crackling of musketry burst out from -the direction of that lighter patch, and bullets fairly hummed round -their ears. The coxswain put his helm hard over as the Sub roared for -the engines to go full speed ahead, and the picket-boat naturally began -turning a circle, and would have headed for the foot of the cliffs in a -moment or two, had not the Orphan swung the helm back again. The Sub, -coming back from the bows, where he and Bowditch had been "standing by" -the 3-pounder and looking for Fritz, took the wheel from him, and -steered out into the open. - -"My! but that was warm," the Sub said, drawing a deep breath. "That was -the hottest bit of fire I've had yet; it beats Ajano. I've never heard -so many bullets at the same time. Phew! One lucky shot, and the boat -might have been disabled." - -"We don't have much luck, do we?" the Orphan said, when he had recovered -his normal state of mind. - -"No, we don't. Still, there wasn't a submarine there--of that I'm -certain. We were sent to find that out--so never mind. Phew! That was -hotter than I liked it--it was. I can't think how they missed us." - -The _Grampus_ escorted the picket-boat back to Suvla Point, and just -after the sun had risen and the hands had been turned out, she ran under -the stern of the _Achates_, and the Sub and the Orphan climbed up the -"jumping-ladder". - -The Lamp-post, with a relief crew, stood waiting to take over the -picket-boat. - -"No luck, Lampy; nothing doing," the Orphan said. But his pal was too -interested watching the colour effect of the sunrise on the mountain top -of Samothrace--to the right of Imbros--and made the tired Orphan look at -it too. "Bother old Samothrace, Lampy! I want something to eat. I -hope they won't start shelling _us_" (a big shell had just burst on the -beach, opposite the ship) "till I've had a bath and my breakfast. Where -are you going?" - -"They ran a lighter ashore at 'C' beach last night, and I've to go and -clear her, and try to get her off." - -"C" beach was round Nebuchadnezzar Point, out of sight behind Lala Baba, -and the Turks shelled most things that went there--at any odd hour of -the day. - -"Poor old Lampy! They'll start shelling you directly you go there--they -did me yesterday. Bath--breakfast--sleep--that's what I'm going to do. -Nighty! Nighty!" - -"Swish-sh-sh--flom-p" went a shell, half-way between the distilling ship -and the _Achates_. - -"R-r-r-omp" burst a high explosive on the beach. Another shell, falling -into the water close to the _Achates_, burst, and the smoke drifted -along the surface to her bows. - -"Bugler! Bugler! Sound the 'Retire'!" sang out Mr. Meredith, on watch. -"Get away in that boat of yours," he told the Lamp-post, as the old crew -came up the jumping-ladder, and the relief crew waited to take their -place. "Coal and water her when this 'show's' finished." - -"Good luck to 'C' beach and the lighter, old Lampy! Don't duck when -they come along. Nighty! Nighty!" the Orphan called out to him, and -went below, as another wailing swish sighed through the air over the -ship. - -Outside X2 casemate the China Doll leant against the thin armour, with -his sponge and soap in his hand and a towel round him. "Where are those -horrid shell dropping? Anywhere near us?" he asked, blinking his eyes. - -The Pink Rat, inside the casemate, looked very miserable. "Any luck, -Orphan?" he asked nervously. - -"I'm going to 'bag' your baths. I'm so sleepy I can't wait till these -silly old Turks have finished," the Orphan said, and sang out for Barnes -to get him a cup of tea. - - -It was now four weeks since the night of the Suvla landing, and, as you -have heard, flies were more of a plague on shore than they had been when -the _Achates'_ midshipmen left "W" beach. They swarmed on board the -ships. Bubbles declared that you could see them sitting along the -gunwales of every boat that came off from the beach, and that directly -it got alongside they flew on board and made themselves at home. The -Honourable Mess presented the China Doll with a "swatter", and made him -spend most of his waking hours killing flies in the gun-room, but the -more he killed the more flew in through the scuttles or from the -mess-deck. Both in the ward-room and the gun-room the noise of the fly -"swatters" went on continuously all through the daylight hours. - -Dysentery commenced to rage throughout the Army; and whether the flies -brought it off from shore or whether they did not, dysentery commenced -to break out among the ships' companies, especially among those men who -worked in boats, or those living ashore--signalmen and beach-party -men--all who were frequently in contact with the soldiers. The Pink -Rat, grown visibly thinner, and the Hun both went on the sick-list. -They lay in cots on the half-deck, but had often to turn out and get -behind the armour, on one or other of the casemates, when the Turks' -shells began whistling over the skylight above them. They lived chiefly -on condensed milk--"poor brutes", as the China Doll said -sympathetically. - -So many of those "stray" snotties who had lodged in the _Achates_ had by -now been sent back to their own ships, ill, that the Honourable Mess had -the gun-room almost to themselves again. Nor had those precious stores -been seriously raided this time, so they had no real grievance. - -At last the _Achates_ herself received orders to return to Mudros to -coal and "rest"; and on the 6th September she slipped out through the -submarine "gate" after dark, left the twinkling camp-fires of Suvla -behind her, and steamed through the double row of submarine nets at -Mudros early next morning. - - - - - *CHAPTER XX* - - *Hard Work at Mudros* - - -The _Achates_ had not been at Mudros for nearly three months and a half, -and during this period the appearance of the shores on either side of -the harbour had changed very greatly indeed. Where, previously, fifty -tents or marquees had stood, there were now thousands--multitudes of -them--the French on the east, the British on the west side. The French, -anticipating a winter campaign, had already built rows of wooden -barrack-huts; the British had begun to do so. - -Stone and brick buildings for offices, workshops, and store-houses, a -narrow-gauge railway with petrol-driven engines, electric generating -stations, half a dozen substantial piers, and miles and miles of -roads--all had been built since the end of April. In the harbour itself -lay more transports, store ships, colliers, oil ships, and water-tank -ships than before the first landing. A line of French battleships faced -a line of British. Monitors big and monitors little, cruisers, scouts, -and sloops off duty, coaled, provisioned, and rested prior to returning -to their bombarding or submarine-hunting jobs. Up in a corner, near -Mudros West, and opposite Turkish Pier, lay the _Blenheim_, the mother -ship of destroyers, surrounded by those of her children off duty. At -another part of the harbour the submarines, resting after having come -down from the Sea of Marmora through the nets across the Dardanelles, or -preparing calmly to go up there again, nestled alongside the _Adamant_. -Two or three white hospital ships were at anchor inside the harbour; -eight or nine out beyond the nets at the entrance. Among all these -puffed and snorted a great number of motor-lighters, the -"water-beetles"--doing all the work of moving troops and stores, and -doing it marvellously well. In fact, it is difficult to imagine how the -work would have gone on without them. - -The first day of her "rest" the _Achates_ coaled, and on the second took -in provisions from the little _Dago_. This little steamer ran between -Malta and Mudros with frozen meat and vegetables for the fleet. She -also at times brought the private stores ordered by the gun-room -messman, so that the Honourable Mess had a warm spot in their hearts for -her. - -That week's rest extended for nearly two months and a half. During this -time, so many of the officers and men were employed away from the ship -that the _Achates_ became immobilized, and did not take her turn for -"guard" duties or as "emergency" ship. Every morning sometimes as many -as two hundred and fifty of her men were called for by the -"water-beetles", and taken away to coal leviathan transports, or to dig -up rubble and load it into some steamers which were being prepared to be -sunk as breakwaters off the various beaches on the Peninsula. The big -steamer _Oruba_ presently arrived, and the _Achates_ had the job of -dismantling her and preparing her to be sunk at Kephalo. - -Those coaling jobs did not appeal to the snotties, though even they had -their compensations, as the Orphan proved when he came back from coaling -the _Mauretania_ for three whole days, dirty and tired, but with tales -of pleasant meals on board her, and hugely proud because he had managed -to buy two boxes of kippers and one of haddock. - -For a whole week, each of the Honourable Mess had a kipper or a haddock -for breakfast, and Bubbles considered that "it wasn't such a rotten war -after all". - -The Pink Rat about this time finally broke down, and had to be sent to -the naval hospital ship _Soudan_ with a recurrence of his old "W beach" -dysentery. He never rejoined the _Achates_, and on the broad shoulders -of Bubbles devolved his light duties as "senior snotty". - -Flies were troublesome, but not so bad as at Suvla, and the weather -remained gloriously fine until the end of October. - -Every evening after "seven-bell" tea, whenever it was possible to obtain -a boat--a whaler or a gig--as many of the Honourable Mess as could get -away would pull or sail down to the harbour entrance, land, cross over a -narrow neck of land near the wireless station, and bathe in a delightful -little cove; afterwards they would kick a football about on some level -ground there, and sail or pull back with grand appetites for dinner. -Why the China Doll was never drowned on those expeditions it is -difficult to explain. - -Two football grounds had been made, quite close to this "wireless" -station, and the use of them was given to each ship in turn--two matches -a day on each. So, often the ward-room and gun-room combined to play the -officers of other ships; often, too, the men arranged matches between -different parts of the ship--Bubbles and his fo'c'sle men--the Orphan -and the Sub with their foretop men--the War Baby and his marines--the -Lamp-post and Rawlins with their quarter-deck men. - -Many good games they had, and if only there had been any cheering news, -this period would have been a very pleasant one. But nothing went well -anywhere. The great "push" in Flanders and France had come to a full -stop; the Russians only just managed to keep the Germans from -advancing--in fact, but for the approach of winter, people wondered -whether they could keep them out of Petrograd (no one could get used to -that name), and whilst the Germans and Austrians swept across the Danube -into Serbia, the Bulgarians poured across the eastern frontier. Troops -in thousands, French and British, had been rushed across to Salonica, -but Greece still "sat on the fence"; she would not help, and the French -and British arrived too late to prevent Serbia being overwhelmed. No -attempt had been made on the Peninsula to advance; and dysentery raged -in the army--thousands of cases being taken away every week. The number -of German submarines in the Mediterranean had become more numerous, and -the area to patrol with trawlers, destroyers, scouts, and sloops was so -vast that the difficulties of suppressing them grew enormously. One -thing alone was satisfactory: enough stores had been landed on the -various beaches to maintain the army there, at a "pinch", for six -weeks--long enough to tide over any probable period of bad weather, when -landing might be impossible. There was also a certain satisfaction in -seeing the constant stream of ships which came in through the harbour -entrance every morning, and to know that they had safely run the -gauntlet of the submarines; but everyone realized that "The Great -Adventure" had failed, and that to maintain the army in its present -precarious footing on the Peninsula was causing an immense drain on the -resources of British shipping, without any apparent disadvantage to the -enemy. - -One bright spot cheered everyone--the deeds of our own submarines in the -Sea of Marmora. But for them, the prestige of the Allies in the East -would have fallen to a very low ebb at that time. - -By the middle of October "all white" uniform changed to "all blue", and -this marked the commencement of cooler weather. - -Lord Kitchener arrived early in November, inspected all the army -"positions", and went away again. - -Till his coming, there had been some speculations as to the possibility -of evacuating the Peninsula; but the extraordinary difficulties of this -operation had been so evident, that those two military experts, the -China Doll and the Pimple, had long since decided that it could not be -accomplished without tremendous loss of life, a huge number of men left -behind as prisoners, and most of the guns abandoned. - -Now, again, everyone wondered what Lord Kitchener thought, and what -would happen. - -After his departure the weather broke up temporarily, and a -south-westerly gale--only a mild one--left Suvla and Anzac and Cape -Helles beaches strewn with wrecked or stranded picket-boats, lighters, -and "water-beetles". - -In the third week of November the _Achates_ received the welcome order -to proceed to Kephalo. The full moon shone brilliantly as she slipped -out through the nets, and off she went. Two hours after leaving Mudros -the track of one torpedo shot across her bows, and half a minute later -another passed some eighty yards astern of her--Fritz, or one of his -brothers, had fired two torpedoes--so she increased speed and -"zig-zagged". - -The danger had vanished by the time it had been realized; and all that -the Honourable Mess and the gramophone knew about it, was the sudden -rushing down of men to close those water-tight doors and hatchways which -remained open, and a lurid description from the Pimple afterwards. It -did not interrupt the delightful concert with worn-out records and -blunted needles. - -By three o'clock she entered the submarine-net "gate" at Kephalo; and -when the sun rose next morning it shot up from behind Achi Baba, and -once again they heard the distant booming of guns. - -Kephalo, at the corner of Imbros Island nearest to the Peninsula, is a -narrow harbour with high hills on one side and a narrow spit of land on -the other. It is entirely open to the north-east--the quarter from which -the worst of the winter gales blow--so three ships, including the big -_Oruba_, had been sunk across it, higher up, to give protection to the -little piers built there, and to the picket-boats, motor-lighters, and -ordinary lighters which worked round them. - -Kephalo had become the advanced base of Anzac and Suvla, ten and twelve -miles away respectively, and it was absolutely necessary that troops and -stores should be able to be landed or embarked at all times. Here, too, -were the aerodromes which "Cuthbert" and his brothers so delighted to -bomb. One of these was stationed on the low spit of ground; and the -Orphan, who had the knack of making friends with everyone, and the knack -of generally being in the right place at the right moment, managed one -afternoon to be taken "up" in a reconnoitring aeroplane. He and Bubbles -had strolled along to the aerodrome, wandered round until someone -invited them to tea in the "mess"; and whilst in the middle of it, the -"Flying Officer" on duty received an urgent signal: "Hostile submarine -reported off Gaba Tepe, steering S.W.; please send aeroplane -reconnaissance to search". - -"Confounded nuisance!" exclaimed the Flying Officer. "I wanted to write -some letters; the mail goes to-morrow morning. Well, you chaps can tell -a submarine from a shark, I suppose; which of you would like to come -along and spot old Fritz?" - -They both grinned with delight; but Bubbles carried too much weight--at -least a stone and a half more than the Orphan--so the Orphan was chosen. - -The emergency aeroplane--a biplane--rested on its wheels outside the -sheds. They walked across to it. - -"Climb in!" said the Flying Officer. "No, you won't want a coat; stick -on this cap and goggles--pull the flap down over your ears--and get in -as you are; we shan't be away more than an hour. Sit down behind; I've -altered the control gear--can work it from the front seat." - -The Orphan had never been in an aeroplane before, and tingled with -excitement. He sat down and winked at the disappointed Bubbles whilst -his new friend climbed up in front of him and began to play about with -levers and switches. "If you do see Fritz, signal with your hand--bang -me on the back--it's no good shouting: I shan't be able to hear you." - -The blades began whizzing round as the engine buzzed; men gave the -machine a shove and a push; the blades went so fast that they only made -a mist in front of the Orphan's eyes; the ground dropped away, and he -shouted to Bubbles to wait for him--though it wasn't much use shouting, -because of the noise of the engines. - -Up they went, passing over the _Swiftsure_, the _Achates_, and the other -ships in the harbour, and out beyond the line of submarine-net buoys. - -They headed right over the sea, first of all towards Helles; passed it, -swept round, and the Orphan clutched at the sides of the "body" as the -aeroplane altered course, for he thought she was slipping sideways. Not -a sign of Fritz did he see, but below him lay the end of the Peninsula, -its white tents, "W" beach, the hull of the poor old _Majestic_ showing -clearly under the sea, Achi Baba and the streaks which represented the -Turkish trenches. In another ten minutes he looked down on Gaba Tepe, -at one of the "Edgar" class firing shells which he could see bursting -among the streaks on top of the hills there. Up the coast the aeroplane -sped, passed Suvla with its black submarine-net buoys--he counted one -hundred and fifty-two of them; the two battleships inside them looked -tiny, so did the tents on shore. Then, with another wide sweep over the -sea, and bending to the right, he was carried along the left-flank coast -till he could see the little gap of Ejelmar Bay, where he and the Sub -had tried, that night three months ago, to find Fritz; and beyond it, -with some humpy hills between, the sun glittered on a broad sheet of -water and a silver streak which came in sight, in and out beyond the -hills--the Sea of Marmora and The Narrows. - -Round swept the aeroplane; he clutched the sides; she steadied and flew -back towards Helles again, but not a sign of a submarine could he see; -and in fifty-five minutes from the time he had started, he was landed -with a gentle bump outside the aerodrome, and found Bubbles waiting for -him. - -"You _are_ a lucky chap," he bubbled. "Did you see Fritz?" - -The Orphan shook his head. "But I saw The Narrows and old Marmora; -wasn't that splendid?" - -"Anybody fire at you?" Bubbles asked. - -"Oh no!" explained the Flying Officer; "there was a bit of a haze over -the sea, so I could not go very high--shouldn't have seen Fritz if I -had--so it was dangerous to go too near land. We never climbed above -2500 feet." - -They only just had time to catch the evening boat off to the _Achates_, -so they had to wish their new friend good-bye and hurry back along the -beach, the Orphan talking thirteen to the dozen. - -Pride filled the bosom of this young officer, for he was the only one in -the ship who had seen either The Narrows or the Sea of Marmora. "It -looks so near to The Narrows!" he said to the Sub that night. "It -doesn't look more than an hour's walk. Things have turned out rottenly, -haven't they?" - -"It _is_ rather tragic--really," the Sub said. - -The first job the _Achates_ had, after arriving at Kephalo, was to send -working parties across to Anzac to help salve some lighters, a tug, and -two picket-boats, driven ashore by the first of those gales from the -south-west. The first of the fierce gales from the north-east followed, -after two days of calm, and drove such heavy seas into Kephalo harbour -that the ship had to put to sea, and anchor round the corner of the -island, behind another row of submarine nets, in Aliki Bay. She came -back as soon as that gale had blown itself out; but on the 27th of -November another north-easterly gale commenced, and next day she again -had to shift round to Aliki Bay. Here she and all the other ships that -had come round for shelter rode out that three days of blizzard which -caused such horrible suffering to the troops at Suvla--to British and -Turk alike. The temperature on board ship never fell below 30 degrees, -but at Suvla it fell to something like 15 or 18, even lower. First of -all, before the gale it rained in torrents, and as the water collected -and flowed down from the hills behind Anafarta into the valley, it -washed over the Turkish trenches, levelling them, and carrying drowned -Turks, drowned mules, barbed wire and their posts right over a long -section of the British lines, drowning a large number of the British, -flooding their trenches, and carrying everything before it till the Salt -Lake was reached. When the rain ceased the bitter north-east gale flung -itself down from the hills, bringing at first heavy snow; then the -terrible cold froze the water in the trenches, and hundreds of our men, -up to their middles in it, died of exposure, and very many hundreds -suffered from frost-bite. - -During those three days the troops at Suvla experienced the climax of -hardship and exposure. The Turks suffered even more than our own -people; and when daylight broke after the worst night, they were left -exposed in the open with their trenches swept away, and our men--those -whose hands were not too numbed to fire a rifle--shot them down like -rabbits. Afterwards, a gentle breeze sprang up from the south-west, and, -almost as if in pity, a warm sun shone down on those much-tried armies. - -On the Tuesday the ships trailed back to Kephalo again, getting a -glimpse of Samothrace with its snow-clad peak glittering in the sun--a -most gorgeous, exquisite spectacle. - -They found that the centre one of those three breakwater ships had -disappeared entirely, and the head of the harbour behind them, close to -the piers, was absolutely littered with wreckage. This centre ship had -broken in half on the Sunday night, and the seas sweeping through the -gap had hurled all the picket-boats and lighters sheltering behind her -on to the shore, in one jumbled, tumbled mass. - -They presented a most extraordinary sight piled on top of each other, -and half buried in a huge mass of seaweed swept in with them. A big -distilling steamer, with her rudder gone and her rudder-post smashed, -had been driven ashore farther along the bay; beyond her lay a -"water-beetle" high and dry, and, still farther along the shore, one of -those small provisioning "coaster" steamers which ran between Kephalo -and the Peninsula. - -Salvage work commenced immediately. The Lamp-post and Rawlins took -fifty men ashore, and worked, day after day, digging away the seaweed -which blocked the little piers, and trying to refloat the least damaged -of the steamboats; the Sub, with a number of men, had to rig shears to -lift out the engines and boilers of those which were hopelessly -smashed--all very unpleasant work, because that seaweed decomposed -quickly under a hot sun and gave out the most unpleasant odour. - -A more pleasing job had Bubbles and the Orphan. With a large working -party they commenced to dig a channel through the sand--good, honest, -clean sand--in order to refloat a stranded "water-beetle". They paddled -about all day and had a huge lark. - -On the second morning, as they prepared to go ashore, Uncle Podger, on -his way to his bath, sang out: "Take your little buckets and spades and -go down to the beach, dears, but promise Mummy not to get wet." - -"We'll promise Uncle a jolly 'thick ear' when we do come back," they -laughed. "Come along by the seven-bell boat, bring a basket and some -tea 'grub', and we'll have a picnic there." - -"Cuthbert" came over from Maidos once or twice, just to make "kind -enquiries", find out how the salvage operations progressed, and see -whether three or four bombs would be of any assistance. They were not; -none of them dropped near enough to help, and all much too far away to -do any damage. - -The weather became simply perfect, and after a week's hard work the -_Swiftsure_ had hauled off the distilling ship and one of the -"water-beetles", the _Achates_ had towed off that small steam "coaster", -and Bubbles and the Orphan had dug a channel sufficiently deep for a tug -to come along and tow off their stranded motor-lighter. - -That especial job being finished, these two midshipmen again had time to -look round and see what life would bring. It brought news of woodcock -and partridge--woodcock in the deep sheltered valleys, and partridge on -the slopes of the hills. The little Padre lent them his shot-gun, and -away they tramped one day, taking the China Doll to "beat" for them and -to carry home all the birds. They swore a solemn oath that each should -fire alternate shots, an arrangement which made a "right and left" -difficult to get when frightened coveys were put up. Bubbles fired the -deadly shot which eventually killed a partridge, and, of course, by the -time the Orphan had seized the gun the rest of that covey had swooped -out of range. - -They sent the China Doll to retrieve the bird, and sat down to smoke -their pipes and shout good advice at him; for the hill-side was covered -with boulders and thick scrub, and the China Doll had a big job in front -of him. "Keep it up, China Doll; never despair!" they shouted -encouragingly as he came back with his hands and knees scratched and -bleeding. "'If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.' We've -got another hour to wait for you. Off you go!" - -At last the bird was picked up; and in the gun-room that night they held -an inquest on it, and found that "it had been well and truly killed by -one or more missiles discharged from an explosive weapon, and that no -trace of foul play, such as bludgeoning or being strangled, could be -discovered". - -Then came the question as to how it should be "hung", and for how long. -The China Doll said that "the proper thing to do was to hang it by the -head, and when the corpse dropped off, then it would be just right." -They thought of trying the experiment on him, but desisted on the urgent -representation of Uncle Podger that, if the China Doll's body dropped -off his head, the work of the Ship's Office would be seriously delayed -whilst he, Uncle Podger, attended the funeral as chief mourner--and, -besides, he had no _crepe_ band to go round his arm. - -Eventually Bubbles and the Orphan ate that bird on the second day--after -innumerable visits to the gun-room galley to see how it progressed--and -it was as tough as tough could be. They gave the China Doll the -gizzard. - -A week later the little Padre mildly suggested that next time they -borrowed his gun they might clean it before they put it back in the -case. "It doesn't get quite so rusty," he said apologetically. - -For many months the southern portion of Anzac--Brighton Beach and -Watson's Pier there--had practically been abandoned, because "Beachy -Bill", a high-velocity 4.1-inch gun, somewhere up in the Olive Grove, -above Gaba Tepe, had the range of the pier so exactly that he would hit -the end of it, or lighters lying alongside, with his very first shot of -the day, and his fire at night was almost as accurate. Several attempts -had been made to destroy him (probably he had several brothers), but -these had not been successful. - -One day--the 10th December--the _Bacchante_, an "Edgar" cruiser, and two -monitors went across from Kephalo, and fired a great number of rounds -into the Olive Grove. Whether "Beachy Bill" or his brothers were hit or -not, no one could actually say; but only one gun fired after that day, -and it made such inaccurate shooting as not to interfere with work -either on the pier or the beach. It did not fire at all at night. - -At the time no one, except perhaps Captain Macfarlane, knew the meaning -of this great expenditure of ammunition; but two days later, "all hands -and the cook" were told off for various jobs, either at Suvla or Anzac, -in motor-lighters or picket-boats, or actually on the beaches -themselves; and it dawned on the enthusiastic Honourable Mess that, -after all, an attempt was to be made to evacuate those places, and that -the last prodigal bombardment of the Olive Grove had been for the -purpose of finally destroying the guns there, and making it possible to -use Brighton Beach and Watson's Pier for the embarkation. - - -So secretly had everything been carried out, that no one in the gun-room -knew that most of the stores and the greater part of the guns, horses, -and mules had already been withdrawn. - -They had seen fleet-sweepers and the troop-carriers--the _Osmanieh_, the -_Ermine_, _Reindeer_, _Redbreast_, _Abassiah_, and several -others--crowded with troops on their way to Suvla or Anzac; but they had -not seen them returning still more densely packed with men, nor the -transports with horses, guns, and stores. This had all been done by -night. - -Rumours flew round that though Suvla and Anzac were to be abandoned, the -end of the Peninsula, in front of Achi Baba, was to be reinforced by all -that remained of the 29th Division, and maintained at all costs. - -The Lamp-post and Rawlins, ordered to take charge of two -"water-beetles", donned their dirty old khaki delightedly, and took over -their "commands". The Lamp-post had K26, a single-screw lighter driven -by one big motor. K67 belonged to Rawlins, and possessed two little -motors driving twin screws. For the first day they were employed in -Kephalo harbour, and had a great argument that night as to which would -prove the faster. The Lamp-post bet Rawlins a dinner at the club at -Malta, or at the first civilized place the _Achates_ went to, that his -one big engine would beat the two small ones. - -Next day they had the opportunity of deciding, for they were ordered to -Suvla. The Lamp-post led the way through the "gate" in the submarine -net, and waited outside for Rawlins to come abreast and make a fair -start. - -"The first one through Suvla 'gate' to win!" he shouted. "Off we go!" -and they raced each other across the twelve miles of sea, the Lamp-post -winning his dinner very easily. - -Now, though the chief stokers--old pensioners--in these two lighters -pretended to be just as excited about the race as the midshipmen -themselves, actually they were much too wise to press their motors hard, -knowing full well that two hours driving at top speed would probably -disable them for days. However, the Lamp-post and Rawlins did not know -this--they thought they were having a "ding-dong" race--so it did not -matter. - -They arrived there at dusk, just as the usual high-explosive shells -dropped on "'A' West" beach, and some little ones fell into the harbour -near the _Cornwallis_, others near the poor old distilling ship. - -Off "'A' West" pier there was now quite a comfortable little harbour, -made by two steamers which had been sunk at right angles to each other, -with a gap between them just sufficiently wide for two "water-beetles" -to pass through side by side. - -They had helped to fill these two steamers with stones and rubble at -Mudros two months ago, so recognized them--the _Fieramosca_ and the -_Pina_. - -On this same day, Bubbles and the Orphan rigged themselves in khaki, -joyfully packed away a few things in their battered, old tin cases, and -took charge of two picket-boats--the Orphan of one belonging to the -_Swiftsure_ (this ship had no midshipmen), and Bubbles of one which had -belonged to the ill-fated _Majestic_. The unfortunate Hun looked very -miserable as he waved "good-bye" to them. He had not regained strength -after his attack of dysentery, and Dr. O'Neill would not let him take -any job on shore. - -"You've got your D.S.C., old Hun; so don't worry," the Orphan consoled -him. "I only wish that I could get it!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXI* - - *The Evacuation of Suvla Bay* - - -In a little wooden hut, perched on a mound just above the landing-places -at Kephalo, lived two naval Captains--the Fierce One and the Not So -Fierce One. - -Bubbles, the Orphan, and eight other snotties, with their picket-boats, -found themselves handed over to the anything but tender mercies of the -Fierce One; and the morning after Rawlins and the Lamp-post had raced -their "water-beetles" (or thought they had raced them) across to Suvla, -these ten gathered, expectantly, outside this wooden hut, and waited -whilst the Captains finished their breakfast and smoked their pipes. - -All these ten midshipmen were dressed in some sort of khaki except the -two _Lord Nelsons_, who wore ordinary blue uniform, and grinned and -nudged each other as though they shared some secret joke which they -couldn't possibly divulge. - -Presently the Fierce One came out, and they all stiffened to attention. -He gave a preliminary roar--just to clear his throat and make way for -what was coming--rapidly casting his eye over them. "Who's the senior -snotty here? Why the--the--the--don't you report to me?" - -The ten had never thought of that. They muttered, and looked at each -other, and at last the very microscopic _Lord Nelson's_ midshipman -(known generally as the Cheese-mite) nervously reported: "All midshipmen -present, sir." - -"What's your name?" he growled. - -"The Cheese-m---- Morrison, I mean, sir." - -"Morrison be hanged! I don't care a tuppenny biscuit what you were -christened. What's your boat?" - -"_Lord Nelson's_ first picket-boat, sir." - -"Um! _Lord Nelson_ No. 1. That's your name. What in the name of -goodness d'you mean by it? This isn't a fancy-dress ball; what are all -these individuals doing, coming along here like a lot of dysenteric -soldiers?" and he shook his fist at the eight disconcerted midshipmen in -khaki. "If I see 'em dressed again except in uniform, I'll--I'll--wring -their necks!" - -Then he went from one to the other, to learn the names of their -steamboats, glaring at each, and "sizing" them up as he did so. - -Bubbles became _Majestic_, the Orphan _Swiftsure_. This having been -concluded, he went through them again to make certain that he knew their -boats, and from that moment never made a mistake. - -"_Lord Nelson_ No. 1 and No. 2, _Swiftsure_, and _Majestic_ fall in on -the right--make a gap between you and the others. You four will work at -Suvla--the other six at Anzac. You'll all get more orders presently, -but remember this. Your job is to take off stragglers on Saturday and -Sunday nights--those are the two nights of the evacuation. You'll have -some pulling boats in tow, and you are not to leave behind a single man -who gets down to the shore. Remember that. Saturday night ought not to -be difficult; but on Sunday night, when the last few men rush down with -the Turks after 'em, you'll have your work cut out. You'll have to -'wash out' any idea of bullets and nonsense like that, and if any one of -you doesn't do his job, I'll--I'll--wring his neck! Oh!" he roared, -"you'll wish you'd never met me." - -A good many of the young officers had begun to wish that already. - -He went on: "The boats you'll have to tow will come round in a day or -two--those that aren't here now; and here's a list of things to be done, -one for each of you. Away you go!" - -He handed them each a paper, and stalked back to the wooden hut, but -turned and growled fiercely: "Remember this: every man Jack who is on -the Peninsula now is useless to England; every man who gets away is one -to the good. Remember that, and do your job, or by the--the--the--I'll -wring your necks! Off you go, and don't let me see any more of you in -those dirty ragamuffin clothes of yours." - -They made their way down to the little piers and the wrecked boats which -still littered the shore. - -"You _are_ a rotter, Cheese-mite. You might have told us. You knew it -all the time," they said. "We thought we must come in khaki." - -"I couldn't tell that you were coming like that, and it was a jolly -sight too late for you to go back and shift," the Cheese-mite explained. - -"My aunt!" the Orphan said to Bubbles as he read his paper; "wooden -boards to be fitted inside the glass windows of cabins. Whatever's that -for?" - -"Splinters, I expect. When we're chock-full of Tommies, some will have -to crowd below, and a bullet coming in and smashing the glass would -fling the bits all round." - -"They don't expect us to have a warm time--do they?" - -"Not half!" Bubbles grinned. - -[Illustration: "SCREENED LANTERNS!"] - -They soon stowed away their khaki and shifted into blue uniform, and for -the next two days fitted out their boats with maxims, two boxes of -belts, towing-spans[#] over the sterns (as on the occasion of the first -landing), fitting shields round the steering-wheels of those boats which -had none, making screens for hand-lanterns, testing their steam-pumps, -and seeing that the thirty or forty items down on their "lists" were on -board. - - -[#] Towing-span, a rope or wire passing all round a boat under her -gunwales, with a hook secured to the bight at the stern. The painter or -tow-rope of a boat to be towed is secured to this hook. - - -On the Thursday morning the Fierce One came out in his fussy little "Z" -motor-boat, and all the ten picket-boats followed him, making a circle -round him whilst he inspected them. - -The maxims--he could see them; anchors--he could see them too; but when -he shouted through his megaphone "Screened lanterns!" every snotty had -to hold up his lantern with one hand and the canvas screen in the other. -The same with the semaphore flags, boats' signal-books, axes, -compass-boxes, and ammunition-boxes. - -"Work your pumps!" he roared; and after a furious interval all ten -picket-boats began squirting jets of water. - -Then he bellowed "Megaphones!" and all held up their megaphones except -the Cheese-mite. - -He dashed alongside _Lord Nelson_ No. 1, and seized the Cheese-mite by -his coat collar. - -"Where's your megaphone? you--you--you----" - -"Please, sir, I had it this morning; but when that destroyer went past -just now the picket-boat rolled, and it went overboard." - -"I'll roll you overboard," he growled, holding up the Cheese-mite as -though he were a kitten. "You'll get another before night, or -I'll--I'll----" - -"Knives!" he shouted. - -Now nearly all the snotties had taken for granted that every man aboard -would have one. But only a few had them, and the Fierce One flew in a -towering rage. - -Eventually he took all the picket-boats outside the submarine net to -make certain that those maxims would fire; and it can be easily imagined -what happened when ten strange maxims were worked by ten not very -experienced "hands", in ten bobbing picket-boats, under the supervision -of ten much less experienced snotties. - -A bullet hit the gunwale not two feet from where the Orphan stood, and -goodness only knows why there were no casualties. Little, though, cared -the Fierce One, so long as he made certain that every machine-gun was in -working order. - -That day they practised towing their pulling-boats--four to each of the -Suvla boats, three to each of the Anzac ones. - -A very busy day they had, for in the evening a transport came into -harbour loaded with mules from Suvla, and tried the simple plan of -slinging them overboard and letting them swim to the shore. - -The Orphan and Bubbles were sent away in pulling-cutters to shepherd -them in the right direction, and had the time of their lives chasing -silly, obstinate mules who wanted to swim out to sea. Eventually they -headed them off, and they made a "bee-line" for a battleship, lying with -her torpedo-nets "out". It was the funniest sight in the world to see -half a dozen mules with their heads looking over the edge of the -torpedo-nets, "digging out for daylight", and really quite happy. After -a lot of shouting and laughing they were all induced to swim shorewards, -and soon scrambled on the beach, shaking themselves like big dogs, -rolling in the sand, and looking for the nearest eating-place. - -During these few days the ten midshipmen heard hundreds of yarns about -the preparations for evacuation--how the front trenches had been mined, -and many of the reserve and communicating trenches as well; that the -only guns to be left behind, if all went well, were a few condemned -18-pounders and 6-inch howitzers. To deceive the Turks on the Sunday -night, many rifles were being fixed up in the front trenches with tins -lashed to their triggers, and, above these empty tins, others with a -hole in the bottom of each. When the last of the troops left the -firing-trenches, they would load the rifles, fill the top tins full of -water; the water would drip slowly or fast--according to the size of the -holes--into the other tins fixed to the triggers, and when these became -full, off would go the rifles--at different times. The few -motor-lorries and ambulances still remaining kept dashing about in full -view of the Turks, to make them think that they were just as numerous as -ever; and the few troops in reserve, instead of hiding behind Lala Baba -or Chocolate Hill, made themselves more conspicuous in the open. - -You can understand, as the week went by and that fateful Saturday -approached, how tense the excitement grew, and how eagerly everyone -watched the barometer and the sky for any change from the gorgeous calm -days which succeeded each other. Such a spell of fine weather could not -possibly last much longer, and the fate of perhaps fifty thousand men -depended much upon it lasting until early Monday morning. - -The Turks had not yet given any sign that they realized what had been -happening or what was about to happen. They still shelled the ships, -the beaches, the old empty gun positions just as they used to do, and -generally at the same old times; but no one, knowing the ease with which -they had previously seemed able to obtain information of our doings, -thought it possible that they could actually still be in ignorance. - -In the middle watch, on Friday night, a huge fire broke out at Anzac. -Actually some of the most inflammatory stores prepared for burning on -the Sunday night had been set alight accidentally, and made a tremendous -blaze. - -On board the _Achates_ Mr. Meredith, whose watch it was, stood, with the -Quartermaster, watching the glare--ten miles away across the sea--and -knew that something had gone wrong. - -"That will give the show away," the Quartermaster muttered sadly. - -"I'm afraid it will," Mr. Meredith answered, desperately anxious. - -That fire burnt all night, but in the morning the Turks never showed the -least sign of activity beyond the usual normal sniping and shelling. - -Saturday dawned absolutely calm--a few flaky, almost stationary clouds -showed against the blue sky. - -"Can it hold until Monday morning?"--that was what everyone thought and -hoped and prayed. - -Again the ten midshipmen "fell in" outside the little wooden hut--this -time all in their proper blue uniform--and received their orders in -writing, each order beginning with the well-known formula: "Being in all -respects ready for sea, you will proceed forthwith..." Then followed -long detailed orders for every eventuality. - -Drawing two days' provisions for his own crew and the twenty-four men in -his four pulling-boats occupied the rest of the Orphan's morning. - -At half-past four he shoved off from the _Achates_--the Hun, looking -wistfully after him, waved "good luck"--and he towed his four boats to -the trawler told off to tow him to Suvla. Bubbles, coming along with -his boats, made fast to another. Before dusk all the trawlers left -Kephalo, each with its picket-boat and string of pulling-boats behind -it; four headed for Suvla, and the other six towards Anzac. - -The sea was calm, and the sky gave not the slightest indication of any -change in the weather, so that the Orphan and his coxswain--a wiry, -active petty officer named Marchant, belonging to the _Swiftsure_--were -in the highest spirits. - -"If it only keeps like this, sir!" the coxswain kept on saying. - -Before it grew too dark to see properly, they both inspected all the -boat's gear to make certain that nothing was out of its place. Down in -the cabin the Orphan found some green leaves--cabbage leaves. - -"Heave them overboard," he said. "Whatever are they doing down here?" - -"I thought they were for you, sir. An old stoker brought 'em down; told -me to hand 'em over to you, very carefully, and he brought this box -too." He picked up a small wooden box about a foot square, with a lot -of holes bored in the top and the sides; and the Orphan burst out -laughing, for he knew he would find "Kaiser Bill" inside it. - -"That's 'Kaiser Bill'," he said, as he raised the lid and saw the -tortoise lying there. "He brings good luck. He came in our boat when -the Lancashire Fusiliers landed, so I suppose old Fletcher thinks he -ought to take a hand in this job as well--the funny old man!" - -"He's a rum-looking beast for a mascot, isn't he!" Marchant grinned, -holding up "Kaiser Bill" with his legs sprawling beneath his shell, and -his head peeping slyly out as though he knew all about everything. - -The Orphan put him and his box down below the water-line, where no -bullets could reach him. - -A nearly full moon rose and gave sufficient light to avoid any other -craft on their way across, and in a little over an hour and a half they -had almost reached the nets outside Suvla. - -The Orphan slipped his tow-rope, and so did Bubbles, and both of them -steamed round to a little pier which had been constructed on the north -side of Suvla Point--a pier called Saunders Pier. - -They reported themselves to the naval Pier-master; and the Orphan, -leaving his two big boats--a launch and pinnace--alongside this pier, -towed the other two--two cutters--along the left-flank coast, and -anchored them close inshore. Their crews knew the countersign and -password, and if any men hailed them properly from shore, they were -ordered to pull in and take them off. - -For the next three hours the Orphan was employed taking off officers and -their baggage from "'A' West", going in through the gap between the -sunken _Fieramosca_ and _Pina_, and steaming out again, dodging empty -motor-lighters being warped in through the gap, and full motor-lighters -being warped out. He took them to the _Redbreast_, lying out near the -nets, and then returned to Saunders Pier and found his two big boats -loaded with rifles and baggage of all sorts. - -These he towed off to two trawlers anchored close by, waited for them to -be emptied, and brought them back again to Saunders Pier. After that he -lay off the pier for nearly an hour, and had some food and a smoke. The -men boiled some water and made cocoa over a bogey, and he had a jolly, -happy, exciting time yarning with Marchant, and listening to occasional -rifle-shots which came from farther away towards the left -flank--Jephson's Post way. Bubbles came back from patrolling the coast, -and lay alongside him. "It's all quiet there along the coast, just a -rifle-shot every now and then; no one along the beach. Isn't it a -perfect night?" - -It was actually the most perfect night imaginable; hardly a breath of -wind, hardly a ripple on the water, and the moon lighted up the cliffs -and Suvla Point as distinctly as in day-time. Hardly a sound reached -them, and the rocks of Suvla Point prevented them seeing anything going -on inside the bay. It was all as peaceful as a picnic. - -But about half-past one those two trawlers, to which the Orphan had -taken his boats with the baggage, went aground; and the Orphan was sent -round to "'A' West", inside the bay, to bring out the Senior -Beach-master. For nearly four hours he worked, laying out anchors and -taking wires across to a big tug. - -Some time after six o'clock, just before the moon actually disappeared, -and before the two trawlers floated off, he had to go along the coast, -pick up his two cutters--they had seen or heard nothing--then pick up -the big launch and pinnace, and tow them back to Kephalo. It was only -when he went back to Saunders Pier for those two big boats that the -Orphan heard that everything had "gone off" without a single hitch, and -without the Turks having shown the least sign that their suspicions had -been aroused. - -Hearing this, you can imagine how joyfully he and Marchant, the -coxswain, started on their twelve-mile journey back to Kephalo. Those -tows of boats must be away, out of sight, before daylight; so they put -their "best leg foremost", and steamed in through the harbour just after -seven o'clock, finding a large captured German steamer anchored there, -and simply packed with troops from Suvla. - -Most of the other ten picket-boats had arrived back previously, because -the night's job at Anzac had been successfully completed by half-past -one in the morning, and the six boats on duty there had started back not -very long afterwards. - -The excitement and the enthusiasm of everyone, due to the successful -accomplishment of the first night's work, kept the midshipmen awake. -Most of the picket-boats gathered close together under the lee of the -sunken _Oruba_. The crews cooked their breakfasts, ate them--jolly good -rations of army bacon, any amount of bread and jam--yarned, and laughed, -and smoked. They fetched "Kaiser Bill" out of his box and tempted him -with a cabbage leaf, but he turned up his nose at it. Then Bubbles and -the Orphan went alongside the _Achates_ to coal and water; rushed -inboard to get a wash and a bit more breakfast, to tell everyone down in -the gun-room--the Hun, the China Doll, Uncle Podger, and the -Pimple--everything that had happened, and go back to their boats again. - -"You didn't mind me sending you 'Kaiser Bill'?" Fletcher, waiting -outside the gun-room, asked the Orphan. - -"Rather not; it was jolly good of you to lend him to us. He brought us -good luck the first night, at any rate." - -"I'm sure he'll bring you luck to-night as well, sir." - -Precious little "stand easy" did the Orphan and his crew get that day. -The _Swiftsure's_ picket-boat was about the best-steaming boat of the -ten, and the Fierce One used her all day, going about the harbour and -supervising everything that went on. He and his crew managed to get a -meal in the middle of the day, and then were employed disembarking and -clearing the transport of all the troops she had brought across the -previous night. - -At half-past four on that Sunday afternoon, the 19th December, all ten -picket-boats, towed by as many trawlers, and their pulling-boats behind -them, started off again for Anzac and Suvla. - -The weather showed not a sign of changing, and before they reached Suvla -the darkness disappeared under a moon almost more perfect than the night -before. It really was more perfect, because a few thin clouds floated -slowly across it; and though they hardly lessened the light it gave, -they prevented shadows. - -When they neared Suvla the picket-boat slipped, and did just as she had -done the night before: anchored her two cutters along the cliffs beyond -Suvla Point, and left the two big boats alongside Saunders Pier. The -Orphan then patrolled very slowly along the coast, but everything was -quiet except for a very few solitary rifle-shots; and these, he thought, -were probably the rifles with the tin cans tied to their triggers going -"off" when their tins filled. No stragglers showed on top of the cliffs -nor down on the beach, and it was almost impossible to realize that up -above him the trenches were being silently evacuated, and that the -soldiers had already commenced, sections at a time, to file down that -sandy, steep path which he and the Lamp-post had followed, on their way -back from the Naval Observation Post, that ripping afternoon in -September. - -At about ten o'clock Bubbles, almost incoherent with excitement, came -along in the old _Majestic's_ picket-boat and relieved him. - -"You have to go back to Saunders Pier," he stuttered and burbled, "and -take back your cutters. I've to do a bit of patrolling." - -The Orphan, picking up his anchored cutters and their crews, towed them -to this pier, found his two big boats already crowded with troops, and -took them off to two trawlers lying outside (those two which had run -aground the previous night had been refloated shortly after daylight). -For the next three hours he went backwards and forwards between trawlers -and pier, and then, leaving his boats for Bubbles to carry on the good -work, was ordered round to "'A' West", inside the Bay. On the way, he -and the coxswain and the crew had some food--bread and meat sandwiches, -water to wash them down. No food could be cooked and no cocoa made this -night, because strict orders had been given that not a light had to be -shown--not even the cooking bogey could be lighted. - -Here, at "'A' West", he was in the thick of everything, jostling and -nosing his way in and out among the picket-boats and motor-lighters -struggling to get in or out by that gap between the _Fieramosca_ and the -_Pina_. - -On the pier they told him that everything was "going all right", and -that the Turks showed no signs of leaving their trenches. The -excitement as boatloads of men, horses, and stores went off to the -ships, and as he helped with officers and their baggage, kept him -oblivious of time or fatigue. - -By four o'clock that morning the evacuation had been successfully -accomplished. He happened to have gone to the Beach-master's office at -about that time with a message. As he entered, the Beach-master put -down his telephone and smiled grimly to a military officer there. -"They've just telephoned from 'C' beach to say they are finished, and -the naval beach-party is now embarking. Not a soldier left behind." - -"I expected to be on my way to Constantinople by this time--a prisoner," -the weary officer replied. - -"It's about time we packed up too. There's only a little more big -baggage, and perhaps a hundred and fifty men of the beach parties, -military landing-officers, and your people to go off from here, and that -finishes the bag of tricks. Haven't we pulled their legs? Listen! -they're sniping just as usual, up there. I'm just going round to get -those stores properly started burning, and then pack up. I'm really -sorry to leave, for some reasons," he said, glancing round his tiny -little office "dug-out", with the bare rock on one side and the sand-bag -walls. - -He sent the Orphan, with one of the Pier-masters, to make a last search -of the left flank. Off they went, rounded Suvla Point, and worked -slowly along under the foot of the cliffs again, the Pier-master hailing -the shore occasionally through a megaphone. Not a sound came back, -except the echo from the face of the cliffs. They went some two miles -along the coast, turned, and steamed back quickly, because they saw the -glare of the burning fires, and thought that now, at any rate, the Turks -would realize what had happened, and would come tearing down. Suvla -Point and Saunders Pier were lighted up by the crackling, leaping -flames, and in his four boats, still lying alongside the pier, the last -of the people to leave Suvla had crowded. Four or five army officers -came across to the less crowded picket-boat, and then, with an -extraordinary feeling of exhilaration, he towed them off to the waiting -trawlers, and stood off whilst those last people crowded into them. - -This accomplished, he received orders to anchor his boats, and, with -that same Pier-master, to make another last search along the cliffs on -the left flank. - -Away he went, and perhaps not more than half a mile--certainly not a -mile--from the end of Suvla Point they saw a small group of dark figures -on top of the cliffs. The Pier-master, a lusty naval lieutenant, hailed -them through his megaphone; and a voice shouted back: "We're English! -We're English!" - -"That's funny," said the Pier-master. "Edge in a little closer; get -your maxim ready." - -The coxswain steered in towards the shore, and again the Pier-master -hailed, and again a single voice called back: "We're English! We're -English!" - -"Well, if they _were_ English, they would _all_ shout," he said. "Keep -her out! They are Turks, those chaps; probably a patrol which has -pushed along the edge of the cliffs and does not know what to make of -things. They would make a 'hullabaloo', right enough, if they were our -chaps left behind." - -The picket-boat steamed along under the cliffs, hailing every now and -then, until they had passed the place where the left-flank trenches, -coming down from Jephson's Post, touched the shore. Not a man could be -seen, nor did any answer come back in response to the hails through the -megaphone. - -"That's finish!" the Pier-master told the Orphan. "Turn her round." -Over went the wheel, round twisted the picket-boat, back she steamed to -where the four boats lay, out beyond Suvla Point; and although the moon -had disappeared by this time, there was not the slightest difficulty in -finding them, for the whole water reflected the flames of the burning -stores, and the boats and the men's faces showed up plainly. - -The picket-boat took them in tow, and commenced to steam across to -Kephalo. Behind her the flames leapt fiercely along the sweep of the -bay, and every now and again explosions took place, hurling masses of -flame and sparks high in the air. Silhouetted black against these fires -was the _Cornwallis_ battleship, left behind to keep the fires burning -with her shells--if necessary--and to destroy in the morning the few -wooden lighters which had been left behind. - -Down along the coast at Anzac the sea was ruddy with the huge fires -burning there. - -"Well, if they've only been as successful down there, it's been a mighty -good show," the Pier-master said as they watched them. "We've only left -four condemned guns--blown them up, too--and not a single man, horse, or -mule; and we've even taken off the goats belonging to the Indian -Transport Column. My hat! it's simply wonderful; I'm going to coil up -and do a little 'shut eye' down in the cabin. I have not slept for -nearly four days." - -"'Kaiser Bill' is down there. I do believe he has brought luck," the -Orphan burst out; and then had to explain who "Kaiser Bill" was. - -The coxswain, sweeping his hand astern towards Anafarta, called down: -"Look, sir, there comes the dawn. We wondered if the weather would hold -till Monday, and, thank God! it has." - -The Orphan looked, and, hardly noticeable behind the bright glare of the -fires, saw the pale light of dawn behind the Anafarta hills. - -There was no longer any need for precautions. The "bogey" on the -engine-room casings soon burnt brightly, and soon he and Marchant were -sharing a big bowl of cocoa, and ravenously eating some more clumsy -sandwiches which the men cut for them. Neither of them as yet felt -sleepy, because the excitement of success kept them wide awake, though -neither had slept for two whole days and nights. - -By seven-thirty it became light enough for them to see, ahead of them, -on their way from Suvla or Anzac, ten or twelve "water-beetles", a dozen -or more trawlers, with long strings of transports' boats, pontoons, and -lighters towing behind them; some twenty steamboats, also with their -"tows", and several small tugs. The Suvla distilling steamer--the -_Bacchus_--which for four months had been constantly shelled, was -steaming on her way to Mudros; and patrolling destroyers, trawlers, and -drifters swept the sea just as they always had done, and just as though -nothing had happened. - -Boom! Boom! came the rumble and thud of the firing of two big guns. - -"The _Cornwallis_, sir, at Suvla," the coxswain said, turning to look, -and making the Orphan turn to watch Turkish shells bursting down by the -water's edge--just as usual. They had commenced their early morning -"hate"--on empty beaches. - -"By all that is wonderful, sir!" said the coxswain. - -At half-past eight the picket-boat entered Kephalo harbour; and the -Orphan knew, by the cheering which greeted him from the troops packed -together aboard two large transports anchored inside, that the -evacuation of Anzac had been completed as successfully as that at Suvla. - -He turned over his four boats to a battleship, and threaded his way -through the throng of steamboats, trawlers, and motor-lighters which -jostled each other in the harbour, eventually reached the shore, and -landed to report himself. - -He found the Fierce One, who had only just returned from Suvla, and the -Not So Fierce One at breakfast in their little wooden hut. - -"Hum! You've come back, have you?" growled the Fierce One. "A very -good two nights' work; very good, indeed!" - -The Not So Fierce One, looking at the Orphan, said: "You look pretty -well fagged out; have a cup of tea, or something." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXII* - - *A Terrible Night* - - -The Orphan had returned to Kephalo at nine o'clock in the morning--that -Monday morning after the evacuation of Suvla. He had had no sleep for -forty-eight hours, and was allowed none now. In the afternoon the -largest tug received orders to tow four picket-boats and a steam pinnace -to Mudros--the two picket-boats belonging to the _Lord Nelson_, the boat -belonging to the _Swiftsure_, another, and the steam pinnace. - -The Orphan thought this would be rather a "spree", and did not notice -that the north-easterly breeze which had held all that past week had -backed to the south-west. - -At half-past four in the afternoon, he and the other boats followed the -tug out of harbour under their own steam. Beyond the "nets" the tug -waited for them to come along and make fast, one behind the other. - -"This is just the time when it's best to be last," Marchant, his -coxswain, suggested. "I don't feel quite certain of the weather, and if -we are the last boat we can slip whenever we want to." - -The Orphan agreed, and wasted a good deal of time--on purpose--going out -of harbour, and found the other boats all secured to each other, in one -long line, by the time he joined them. The captain of the tug was not -very polite to him, but he did not worry about that, and made fast his -tow-rope to the last boat--the _Lord Nelson's_ No. 1 picket-boat. - -The Cheese-mite shouted across: "I say, Orphan, you've cut me out of the -stern billet--I wanted that." - -"So did I," the Orphan laughed. - -Away they all went, one after another, the tug steaming very slowly; and -outside Suvla Point they found quite a fresh breeze, blowing straight in -their faces, and the sea which had been so calm had already begun to -cover itself with little "white horses". - -Four "water-beetles" joined company, puffing along with them as fast as -they could. - -Fires were allowed to die out gradually in all the steamboats, and there -was nothing to do but steer them. - -The crew now lighted the bogey, made tea, and fried some bacon. -Everyone had a good meal; and after it the Orphan felt much too -comfortable and sleepy to chaff the Cheese-mite ahead of him through his -megaphone. "I'm going to have a bit of sleep," he told Marchant, and -snuggled down below in the little cabin, with a rolled-up overcoat as -pillow. - -It was bright moonlight when he woke up, and he felt the picket-boat -bumping into waves every other second. He rubbed his eyes, and jumped -on deck to the wheel. - -"Hullo, what's that?" he said, noticing smoke coming up out of the -funnel. - -"I didn't wake you, sir; there's nothing to worry about--not yet; but I -don't like the look of the weather, so I'm raising steam in case -anything happens. You'd better get an oilskin on, sir," he added, as -the bows bumped into a wave and the spray came over them. - -But the Orphan had not one, so he took the wheel whilst Marchant went -for his. - -The breeze had indeed risen, and the sea too. The picket-boats ahead of -him were going up and down like the boats at a circus roundabout; and -behind him those motor-lighters, looking more like "water-beetles" than -ever, in the moonlight, were slowly falling astern, yawing from side to -side and covered with spray. - -He saw Kephalo South Point light and the fires over at Anzac, which -still burnt furiously, and knew that the boats had only just got past -Aliki Bay. He could not have been asleep for long. - -The wind and sea increased every minute, and made the steering of the -picket-boat quite a hard job. Marchant came back and took the wheel from -him. "I've known this boat for nearly three years, sir," he said; and -the Orphan, knowing how he hated letting anyone steer his own old -picket-boat, knew what he meant. - -"What extraordinary luck, sir!" Marchant said presently. "Fancy if it -had blown like this last night! Right on shore it would have been, and -not a boat could have gone near it. We could not possibly have taken -the soldiers off, to say nothing about their guns." - -In half an hour the motor-lighters were evidently in difficulties. In -order to keep their screws in the water they had to be much ballasted -down by the stern. This made their bluff bows come right out of the -water; and every sea hitting them, besides almost stopping their way, -tended to throw them off their course. They could not steer properly, -yawing this way, yawing that; and it was impossible for them to keep up -with the five and a half knots of the tug, which was then about the -speed she was towing the picket-boats. - -She stopped and, as the motor-lighters struggled towards her, hailed -them, and made two come alongside, abreast each other, on each side of -her. She made them fast, and with them working their motors and doing -their best to steer, she went on again. But you can imagine what a -terribly clumsy "tow" they made, bumping into each other, bumping into -the tug, simply covered with spray minute after minute. - -"Look here, sir," said Marchant presently, as the weather rapidly grew -worse; "if those lighters break adrift, they'll come down on us and -finish us." - -"What d'you want to do?" - -"I'd like to slip, and try and get along by ourselves. We can do it, -sir; she's a very good steamer." - -The Orphan didn't know quite what to do. He realized the danger, but he -didn't relish the idea of steaming nearly fifty miles to wind'ard, in -the teeth of the rapidly rising wind. - -However, he realized that Marchant probably knew, better than he did, -what the boat could or could not do; so he agreed. - -He seized the megaphone and yelled to the Cheese-mite to slip his -tow-rope. The Cheese-mite, who also had raised steam, wanted to know -where he was going. - -"Make for Mudros!" yelled the Orphan. - -"D'you know the way?" - -"The coxswain does." - -"I'll follow you," the Cheese-mite shouted, as the tow-rope fell into -the water. - -The two of them swerved outside the clumsy motor-lighters and gradually -forged ahead, lost sight of them, and went plunging into the head seas, -steering by compass and by the glow of the fires of Anzac. In a very -short time they had to batten down everything--the forepeak hatch, the -engine-room, and the stokehold hatches. The Orphan and Marchant (who -had taken off his boots and oilskin) were wet through, waves washed a -foot deep over the picket-boat, and she made very little progress. - -For two hours they struggled on; but by that time a regular gale was -blowing, driving a short steep sea in front of it so fiercely that the -picket-boat not only made scarcely any way, but could hardly keep her -bows to it. - -"We can't do it, sir," Marchant at last said, when, at one extra lurch, -two of the spare water-barricoes (full they were) tore themselves from -their lashings round the engine-room casings and went overboard. "We -haven't enough water now--to say nothing of coal." - -"We'll have to go back, sir!" he shouted. - -"Right-o!" yelled the Orphan, clinging to the rail round the cabin, and -not at all liking the idea of turning the boat round in such a sea. - -Very gently Marchant edged her round; a wave buried her bows and threw -her over; she righted herself, and the next wave, catching her almost -broadside on, simply flung her on her beam-ends. For a moment the -Orphan thought she would never right herself; then she did with a jerk, -a wave came green almost over the wheel, the picket-boat lurched more -heavily than before. The Orphan, swept off his feet, clung to the rail, -and by the time he had gained his feet again she was round, and going -ahead with the waves roaring after her, lifting her stern, foaming over -the counter and trying to fling it round. He groped his way aft, -clinging to the cabin rail, and found that already there were two feet -of water in the stern-sheets. - -He suddenly remembered "Kaiser Bill", jumped down into the water, went -into the cabin, and found his box floating about. He took it out into -the moonlight, and was much relieved when the tortoise peeped out of his -shell to see what all the "bobbery" was about. He jammed the box in a -rack inside the cabin, near the top of it, and went back to the wheel. - -"Much, sir?" Marchant asked anxiously. - -"Two feet!" the Orphan shouted, and told him about rescuing "Kaiser -Bill". - -"I'd forgotten all about him, sir. We're all right now, he'll bring us -through. We must get that water out of her." - -The Orphan knew that the ejector was choked, so he made his way for'ard, -clinging to the wire round the engine-room casings, the funnel-stays, -and the gun-mounting, to call two of the men, huddled down under the -forepeak, to come aft and bale the water out with buckets. - -They came and worked hard, but the waves constantly lopped in, and the -amount of water diminished very slowly. He knew that if her stern swung -round and she "broached to", the seas would fill the big stern-sheets -completely, and as he could not trust to the engine-room bulkhead being -watertight, she would probably sink. He understood then why Marchant -had taken off his boots and oilskin. - -He went back to the steering-wheel. - -Just then the stokehold hatch opened, the stoker drew himself out, and -scrambled cautiously aft. He began unlashing one of the two remaining -barricoes of water, when a sudden lurch of the boat threw him off his -feet, and he slid overboard. - -Like lightning Marchant, shouting "Take the wheel, sir!" jumped in front -of the protecting shield, flung himself down, gripping the wire round -the engine-room casing with one hand, leant over the gunwale, and seized -the stoker almost before he had fallen completely over the side. There -was the crash of something being overturned, the sizzle of red-hot -cinders falling in the water, and Marchant, with a jerk, wrenched the -man against the boat's side. He gripped the life-line; Marchant gave a -heave, and he climbed on board again. It all happened in the twinkling -of an eye. - -Marchant came back and took the wheel. - -"Pretty quick work, that!" the Orphan said. "He'd have been drowned; we -couldn't have turned round to pick him up." - -"No; it wouldn't have been safe," Marchant shouted back, meeting a -vicious swerve of the stern with a touch of helm. - -"Look at my hands and face, sir," he said, when the picket-boat had -quieted herself. "I knocked over that bogey; it hadn't gone out, and -the cinders burnt me or scalded me when they fell into the water." - -By the moonlight the Orphan saw that his face and hands were very red. - -"I can't see that _Lord Nelson's_ boat, sir," Marchant shouted in a -minute or two. "She ought to have seen us turn and followed. I can't -see her now." - -The Orphan looked astern and could see nothing. In ordinary -circumstances he would have gone back to look for her; but with that -raging, roaring, steep sea racing after them, both he and Marchant knew -this was now out of the question. - -The only thing they could do they did; Marchant going aft, lighting a -lantern, and lashing it to show astern. - -He left the wheel to the Orphan. - -By the time Marchant came back the tug hove in sight, tossing and -tumbling in the white foaming seas, evidently standing by two -motor-lighters which had broken adrift and were almost hidden in spray, -broadside-on to the waves. They saw nothing of the other two. - -They passed them, and caught up with one of the other picket-boats. -Marchant roared through his megaphone for her to keep Kephalo Light well -clear to port because of the "submarine detector" nets. He knew where -they were, and this steamboat seemed to be steering for them. - -"There's one caught in them, over there, sir!" Marchant shouted, -pointing far away to port. "She'll probably drift on to the rocks." - -"Can't we go and help?" the Orphan shouted, knowing full well that this -was impossible, for once the propeller fouled those nets his picket-boat -would be helpless, and drift on the rocks herself when the waves tore -her out of the nets. - -Marchant shook his head. - -In half an hour they had Kephalo Light a couple of miles on their port -beam; half an hour later they had edged the picket-boat into -comparatively smooth water, and by eleven o'clock that night they went -in through the gate in the submarine net at Kephalo, and ran alongside -the _Achates_. - -By this time Marchant's face and hands had begun to swell and blister -from that scald or burn, and were very painful. - -The Orphan sent him inboard to Dr. Gordon, and took his steamboat round -the sunken breakwater ships alongside the landing-place. Then he -stumbled, wet through and fearfully tired, up to the wooden hut, woke -the Fierce One, and reported himself. - -He became horribly unpopular, and was ordered to report in the morning. -So back he went to the picket-boat, tied her up alongside the sunken -Oruba; and he and his crew went to sleep, and would have slept for ever, -if the crew of another picket-boat, tied up close to them, had not given -them a "shake" next morning. - -In the forenoon the Orphan was sent outside the harbour to search for -the other picket-boats which had not arrived. He saw the Cheese-mite's -boat hard and fast on shore, and another breaking up not far from her. -He expected that the crews had swum or scrambled ashore (they had done -so); but the seas ran much too high for him to go in and give -assistance, so back he came into harbour and reported this. - -"Hum!" growled the Fierce One. "You don't belong to me any more; go -back to your ship." - -The tired midshipman, thinking that he had disgraced himself, went back. - -Bubbles met him at the top of the gangway--his face redder, and his -chuckling, snorting noises louder than ever. "Orphan! Orphan!" he -blurted out; "you and I are off to 'W' beach. The Sub went there -yesterday, and we're going to-night. Really--honour bright!" as he saw -that the Orphan thought that his leg was being "pulled". - -"Phew! That's grand! My word, what luck!" the Orphan burst out, his -tired eyes lighting up as he realized that Bubbles meant it. - -Marchant, with his left hand bandaged up and his face all oily and red, -was waiting to go down into the boat. - -"Good-bye!" the Orphan said. "We've had a splendid time together, -haven't we? Good luck to you!" and darted away to see the Commander and -get his orders; but then, remembering "Kaiser Bill", ran back again. - -"He's all right; they're bringing him up along with your gear," Bubbles -told him. "I'll look after everything. You do look a prize burglar!" - -He found the Commander. "Yes, you are to go across in a trawler--about -five o'clock. The Captain wishes to see you." - -So aft he went, and found Captain Macfarlane in his cabin smoking a -cigarette, as usual. - -"Hum!" he said, smiling when he saw how unkempt the Orphan looked, his -face dirty, and his clothes hardly dry from last night's soaking. "Hum, -Mr. Orpen! We don't seem to be able to carry on this war without you, -do we? You have to go across to 'W' beach to-night, and you'll probably -be there for some time." - -"Are they going to evacuate Helles, sir?" the Orphan asked. - -"I expect you will be able to tell me that, when you've been there a few -days. You were out in that gale last night, I hear, and the only one of -those five boats to get back. Hum! You seem lucky." - -"We had 'Kaiser Bill' on board. Old Fletcher, the stoker, made me take -him." - -"Oh! was that it?" smiled the Captain, tugging his beard. "Well, off -you go, and good luck to you! You'll have plenty of shells to -dodge--over there. You'd better take 'Kaiser Bill' with you." - -"I will, sir, if Fletcher lets me." And the Orphan, hugely happy and -delighted, went away to the gun-room to tell all his adventures. - -At four o'clock that afternoon Bubbles and the Orphan stood at the top -of the accommodation ladder, with all the clothes and gear they wanted -in two ordinary sailor's kit-bags, and their bedding made up in two -bundles. On top of the bundles rested "Kaiser Bill's" wooden box, with -the tortoise inside. Old Fletcher had come aft, and was "fussing" round -him. - -"We'll look after him all right. Thank you for lending him!" they -called out as they went down into the Hun's steam pinnace. "Kaiser -Bill" and their gear were carried down after them, and the Hun took them -across to the waiting trawler. - -By five o'clock the _Achates_ was once more out of sight, and the -trawler was steaming towards Cape Helles with the remnants of last -night's gale on her starboard beam. The two midshipmen both wore once -again the khaki which the Fierce One had forbidden, the same clothes -they had worn when they left "W" beach at the end of May, six months and -a half ago; and they felt supremely happy, crouching in the lee of the -trawler's galley, and watching the island of Kephalo gradually fading -out of sight till darkness hid it altogether. - -At half-past six the trawler ran alongside a sunken steamer--the outer -hulk of Pier No. 1; a steamboat came for them, and landed them and their -gear at No. 3 Pier--the pier they had watched being commenced by the -Sappers the very day of the landing. By the light of a single lantern -they found the Pier-master--a Sub-lieutenant, R.N.R.--and were ordered -to report themselves to the Naval Transport Officer. - -"You'd better go up to the Mess," the R.N.R. Sub told them. "You'll -probably find him up there." - -He gave them two men to carry their gear, and with "Kaiser Bill" under -the Orphan's arm they stumbled along the pier in the dark till their -feet scrunched into the sand on "W" beach. - -"What a time since we were here!" Bubbles blurted out; and: "Isn't it -grand to get back again?" the Orphan chuckled. - -There were no flares now, the shore was absolutely dark. - -They started off along the beach towards where the main gully road used -to be; but everything had so changed, and it was so dark, that they soon -had to let the two seamen with their bundles lead the way--off that -beach, up a broad, firm road, turning to the left along a narrow path, -then down some wooden steps, and so to a dark "cutting" in the side of -the slope, at the end of which a glow of light showed through -half-opened folding-doors. - -"Here's the Officers' Mess, sir. Glad to see you on shore, sir," said -one of the seamen; and the Orphan recognized Plunky Bill's voice. - -"Hello! You here? How are things going?" - -"Pretty quiet, sir; nothing much doing." - -"Are they going to evacuate the place?" - -"I ain't 'eard nothing. We've been landing a good many of the soldiers -round from Suvla--a good show--down there, sir. I ain't 'eard nothing -about nobody going off." - -Bubbles, looking in through the doors and seeing no one inside, asked -him where the Sub was. - -"Don't see much of him, sir. I works down at No. 1 Pier--mostly. Well, -we'll stick your gear 'ere. Some of the officers will be a-coming up -soon." - -"'Kaiser Bill' has come along--for luck," the Orphan said; and Plunky -Bill stepped into the lamp-light from the half-open door to have a look -at him in his box. - -"'E will bring luck all right, sir. I wish we'd 'ad 'im at that there -Ajano place." - -Then they were left alone, went inside through the door--evidently the -folding-doors from the saloon of one of the sunken steamers--into a -pantry sort of place, through it into a long room some 9 feet high, 20 -feet long, and 12 feet broad, with a wooden floor and a wooden ceiling, -from which an oil-lamp hung--the lamp which had glowed through the -doorway--over a long wooden table littered with newspapers, and with a -wooden bench on either side of it. At the far end was a -fire-place--alight and burning cosily--some deck chairs round it, a -packing-case full of coal in the corner, and a very dilapidated -card-table. - -"Look how they make cupboards!" said Bubbles excitedly, and pointed to -two shell-boxes let into the clay walls. "Isn't that 'cute'?" - -Then from outside came a loud voice. "My jumping Jimmy! D'you think -I'm going to land a hundred tons of hay a night like this? Not if I -know it. It would all get soaked. Tell him to wait till the morning; -the sea will have gone down by then." - -The Sub came in, calling out: "Outside! Outside! Pantry! Pantry! -Bring me a bottle of beer!" And seeing the two midshipmen, burst out -with: "Yoicks, my merry kippers! My bubbling Bubbles! My perishing -Orphan! Pantry! Pantry! Bring three bottles!" - -"They've sent you two here, have they? Good egg! Well, you'll have -lots to do, and a lot of shell-dodging. They've got a better brand in -stock now--burst every time. Hello! There goes one!" he said, as the -roaring thud of a bursting shell came from somewhere up the ridge, and -some bits of dried clay broke away from the walls and rattled down on -the wooden floor. "That fell in the Ordnance Stores. They've had a lot -there lately." - -"Where's it from? Achi Baba?" asked the Orphan. - -"Old 'Asiatic Annie'--a 6-inch. She's a confounded nuisance. What -d'you think of my 'dug-out'? Come and see where I 'pig' it;" and the -Sub took them past the fire-place into a little room beyond, and, -flashing his electric torch, showed them two beds, a small table, -cupboard places in the mud walls, a stove, and two little -wash-stands--evidently taken out of a ship. "We've got lots of stuff -from these sunken hulks. Snug little place, isn't it?--especially when -we light the stove in the corner." - -"Are we going to live here?" the midshipmen asked. - -"Good heavens, no, my wriggling worms! You won't live with the -aristocracy. Come along, and I'll show you your 'pigsty'--another -'dug-out', which we call the dormitory." - -A fine-looking old Leading Seaman, an old Naval Reserve man named -Richards--he may have been fifty, he may have been sixty--came in with -the three glasses of beer, just as another tremendous roar shook the -wooden beams overhead and made the tin lamp-shade rattle--it sounded not -twenty yards away. - -"In the Sappers' place, that one, sir; they're starting early to-night," -the old chap said, putting the tray on the table. - -"Send these officers' gear round to the dormitory; you'll find it -outside," the Sub told him. - -"They've gone already, sir," Richards said. - -"What's on top of those beams?" the Orphan asked, a little anxiously, as -another roaring explosion thudded the air, not quite so near as the -last. - -"A new tarpaulin, my Orphan! I stole it yesterday. It's waterproof, -too!" - -"Can those things come in here?" - -"There's nothing to prevent 'em," grinned the Sub. "Come along, and -we'll peg out a claim for you two in the dormitory. Hello! what the -devil have you got there?" he said, seeing "Kaiser Bill's" box on the -table, and opening it, roared with laughter. "Old Fletcher made you -bring him?" - -"He made me take him for Suvla evacuation--for luck--and the Captain -told me I'd better bring him here, as he'd brought luck there." - -"Are they going to evacuate this place?" they both asked at the same -time. - -The Sub shook his head. "I don't think so. So you were at Suvla? Of -course you were; you'll have to tell me all about it. What a splendid -show that was! Our chaps here made a pretence of advancing that same -day--lost a lot of people." - -By now he had taken them through the cutting. "That's the kitchen," he -said, as he took them out of the mess and they passed a place with a -light in it; "old Richards looks after it, and us, like a mother." He -led them through another deep cutting, and through an opening closed by -a door--evidently a door taken from the cabin of one of the sunken -hulks. "More loot," the Sub said, switching on his torch and leading -the way into a long place with a few planks laid over the clayey earth, -with earth walls and a timber roof. Six beds were already there, with -bags between them, and their own bundles lay, lonely, in the middle. - -He showed them a corner where they could spread out their beds. "I'll -get some planks put there in the morning," he told them. "You'd better -come along and see the Captain now; he'll be up in his 'dug-out' by this -time, I expect." - -As they went out on to the open slope, climbed up to a road which ran -immediately at the back of the dormitory, another high-explosive shell -burst high up the ridge, lighting up a few white tents. - -The Orphan winced and Bubbles chuckled. - -Then it was all dark again. "Mind those steps; keep close to me; here -we are," and the Sub took them along another cutting to the Naval -Transport Officer's "dug-out". - -They found this naval Captain there, washing the sand off his face. - -"Two of our midshipmen, sir; the two we expected." - -He turned round--a short, thick-set man with a bullet-shaped, closely -cropped head--and he wiped the soap-suds off his mahogany-coloured face. - -"All right; the Sub will show you where to go; glad to have you," and he -waved them away. - -They went back towards the Mess. - -"You'll have to take charge of a picket-boat," the Sub told Bubbles; -"and you, Orphan, will have to do odd jobs under me--all sorts of -things: cleaning up the camp, fetching coal, any old thing. Ah! look -out! here comes another!" - -They heard the whistling swish of a shell, and then another glare, and -another tremendous explosion burst, just the other side of the Naval -Mess. - -Instinctively they had thrown themselves down on the ground; something -hurtled past and buried itself in the sand close by; and as they -scrambled to their feet the Sub said angrily: "Confound them! Come -along back to the Mess; you can have a wash in my basin, and then it -will be time for dinner." - -Two soldiers--a Major and a subaltern, the Military Landing Officers--a -R.N.R. lieutenant, and two R.N.R. sub-lieutenants came in at odd times -for dinner. The Sub hurried through his meal, put on a thick coat, and -warmed himself in front of the fire before going down to the beach. - -"Is there much to do to-night?" asked one of the soldier officers--the -subaltern. - -"Absolutely nothing, old chap, except to get off a tug, two steamboats, -something like half a dozen lighters driven ashore last night; try and -repair about twenty feet of No. 1 Pier washed away by the other gale, -and see what can be done with the 'Inner Hulk'--she broke her back when -the pier 'went', and we'll have to try and get a gangway across the gap; -otherwise I can't think of anything." - -Two of the R.N.R. officers went with him, but he sent the two midshipmen -to turn in. Neither of them had had any proper sleep for three days, -and they both had been nodding and yawning, and looking stupidly tired -all through that meal. - -So they turned in, put "Kaiser Bill" between them for luck, and slept -like "tops". - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIII* - - *"In 'Dug-outs' at Cape Helles"* - - -Richards, that splendid old Leading Seaman who "ran" the Mess, brought -them both a cup of tea in the morning. "Four bells just struck, sirs; -breeze gone round to the north-east, pretty nippy outside it is, but -fine. Hands 'fall in' at half-past six." He lighted an oil-lamp and -left them. - -Bubbles snuggled down under the blankets and would have gone to sleep -again, had not the Orphan pulled them off him and made him turn out. - -They dressed hurriedly, saw that "Kaiser Bill" was safe in his corner; -and by seven o'clock, just before the dawn commenced, Bubbles had taken -charge of a very much battered, old picket-boat lying alongside No. 3 -Pier; and the Orphan, with a party of five stokers, was sent up behind -the Mess to deepen a shallow gutter-way between it and the road, to -prevent rain washing off the road on to the top of the dormitory and -that new tarpaulin which the Sub had stolen. - -He met the Sub coming back from his night's work on the beach, wet -through and very fagged. "I got some of those lighters off, but there's -another week's work down there at that job," he said. - -When daylight came, the Orphan found that "W" beach had altered very -much since he had been there, six months and a half ago. The cliffs -beyond were crowned by a vast number of hospital tents and marquees; -where, previously, the horse and mule "lines" had been, tents and -marquees, and huge masses of stores, protected by tarpaulins, now -occupied these spaces, and the irregular sandy track up the gully to the -ridge had become a wide well-made road with well-metalled roads -branching away to left and right. Everywhere there were "dug-outs", not -open ones as in those early days, but covered with wooden or -galvanized-iron roofs, over which at least one protecting layer of -sand-bags had been laid. Motor-lorries dashed along the roads -continuously, and seemed to have taken the place of horses and mules -almost entirely. - -Along the face of the steep cliff, on the far side of the gully from -where those one-inch Nordenfeldts and maxims had played such havoc among -the Lancashire Fusiliers on the day of the landing, a steep road had -been cut in the face of it, and the Orphan saw hundreds of "dug-outs" up -there. - -Fifty yards below him was the beach itself, with its four little -piers--No. 1 Pier to his right, with a gap in it made by the first of -the south-west gales; beyond it the "Inner Hulk", a sunken steamer with -her back broken; and beyond her, at right angles, another sunken -steamer, the "Outer Hulk". At his feet was No. 2 Pier, the first pier -the Sappers had begun on the 25th April; and beyond this the longer No. -3 Pier, with its end curving towards the "Outer Hulk", so that a small -harbour[#] had been formed in which now lay two little "coaster" -steamers, several lighters, and a trawler. - - -[#] This harbour was called Port Talbot after the Captain of the poor -old _Majestic_. - - -Beyond and to the left, under the high cliff, was No. 4 Pier, more of a -mole or jetty than a pier, protected a little from the east by a reef of -rocks. It was on this pier that the Orphan, later on, had so much work -to do. Farther along still, several lighters had stranded, and one or -two were already broken up. - -Out towards Tenedos and over against the Asiatic shore the usual -trawlers and drifters and a couple of destroyers patrolled for -submarines. - -But what struck the Orphan most vividly was the emptiness of the Straits -between him and the Asiatic shore. In May they had been almost crowded -with battleships, transports, hospital ships, ships of all sorts and -sizes; now a solitary hospital ship lay off Helles, and only two or -three small craft and tugs were anchored inshore. - -The Turks fired no shells that morning until the breakfast hour, when -two fell among the Sappers' stores and tents, without, however, doing -any damage. - -After breakfast the Orphan and his stokers had more digging to do, -extending the beach party's "dug-outs" at the foot of the low cliff, -below the Mess "dug-out", and commencing others. Shells came over every -now and then all the morning, but none burst near the Orphan's party. -When they knocked off work and started dinner, the Turks over on the -Asiatic shore fired many big 6-inch high explosives, which did very -little material damage, though they racked his nerves exceedingly. - -The Orphan never even pretended that he did not hate those shells; and -when, that afternoon, he received orders to take twenty men, embark in a -tug, and go down to Rabbit Island to draw coal, he felt extremely -pleased to get away from them. Rabbit Island is a tiny little island at -the mouth of the Straits, and when he arrived there he found two small -monitors with long-range guns busily bombarding the Asiatic guns. The -Turks were firing back, and when he went alongside the collier to get -his filled coal-bags, one of their wretched shells fell so close to the -tug as to splash the bows. The Orphan loaded his coal-bags and started -back to "W" beach, realizing that the only thing to do, if he meant to -enjoy himself, was simply not to think of shells at all. Of course, in -twenty-four hours he had made friends with Richards, that Leading -Seaman; and the old man could not help noticing that he flinched -whenever a big shell moaned through the air, and burst with its horrid, -rending roar. "Look here, sir," he said; "it's just like this: don't -you worry about them--it's no use worrying. If you're meant to be -killed, killed you will be, wherever you go or whatever you do; so just -pay no attention to them." - -It is difficult for a youngster to take comfort from such a fatalistic -conviction; but by the end of the week the Orphan was able to tell -Bubbles that he had not "ducked" once during the last twenty-four hours. -"That shows I'm not such a duffer, doesn't it, old chap?" he said -proudly. - -During those first few days a good deal of mysterious landing and -embarking of troops went on, which nobody seemed able to -explain--though, as far as anyone in the Naval Mess knew, many more were -coming than going. Also, it became known that the new-comers were -taking over--gradually--the French section of the line, and that French -troops and guns embarked every night. The Turks naturally knew that our -men were occupying the French trenches immediately opposite them, so -that there was no need for secrecy, and many of the French guns were -towed away from "V" beach in broad daylight. A tug would take away a -heavily loaded lighter at the end of a very long tow-rope, and "Asiatic -Annie" and her sisters often made "towing-target" practice at this -lighter and its guns--though without ever hitting them. - -The Orphan himself never went to "V" beach, but Bubbles often did so, -and found quite a good harbour there, made by a big Messageries -Maritimes steamer sunk this side of the _River Clyde_ (apparently none -the worse for her seven months of being shelled), and an obsolete old -French battleship hulk--the _Massena_--sunk almost to close the gap -between them. Whenever the French happened to have a slack night, most -of the British nightly reinforcements (from the 9th Corps, which had -been at Suvla) landed there. - -Christmas Day arrived, and the Turks greeted it with a more than usually -heavy shelling of both beaches, the Sappers' and Ordnance Store Depots -suffering considerably. This, and an extra good dinner that night--when -Richards produced two turkeys, obtained from one of the Greek islands, -and several officers contributed Christmas puddings and mince-pies, sent -from home by the Christmas mail--marked the day. Otherwise all work -went on as usual. - -Every now and again the French battleship _Suffren_ came along up the -Straits, with her protecting destroyers and trawlers and her "spotting" -aeroplane, and bombarded the Asiatic guns for a couple of hours or so. -At other times a British battleship repeated the performance with even -greater zest; but though those annoying guns remained quiet whilst they -were being bombarded, they always opened a very vigorous fire on the -beaches directly the battleships had left. - -On the other side of the Peninsula, round the "left flank" coast, -assisting destroyers very frequently harassed the Turkish trenches on -the Achi Baba right flank, and a big monitor almost daily bombarded Achi -Baba or Chanak Fort with her big 14-inch guns. - -Everything went on as usual, and as though we intended to hold the end -of the Peninsula for ever. - -Everyone in the Naval Mess was far too busy embarking and disembarking -troops and stores by night, preparing for the winter, strengthening -their "dug-outs", repairing piers, and patching damaged boats by day, to -know exactly what was happening up in the front-line trenches. -Intermittent artillery duels, at all hours of every day, went on in the -usual manner, and without any apparent especial military object. At -night, when working on the piers, they often heard furious bursts of -rifle and machine-gun firing, sometimes the bursting of trench bombs; at -times field-guns also used to "chip in" at night; but everyone had -become so accustomed to all this that no one paid any attention to it or -remarked about it. - -Shells fell on the beaches and above them just as usual; 6-inch high -explosives came from the Asiatic side--two or three an hour--from -daylight until two o'clock next morning, at which time the Turkish -gunners "packed up". During the men's "stand easy", in the middle of -the day, perhaps twenty would come along; and again, at nine o'clock at -night, they would start fairly brisk firing for three-quarters of an -hour. - -The Naval Camp, lying as it did just below the R.E. "Park", and not far -from the Ordnance Stores--both favourite targets of "Asiatic Annie -"--received a good many of her misses, and most of the "shorts" fell on -the beach itself. By this time the men working within this shell area -had become so accustomed and hardened to these intermittent noises of -shells shrieking towards them and bursting, that work was seldom -interrupted. At night, sentries along the beach would watch for the -glare made by the flash of the Asiatic howitzers, and would call out -"Take cover!" Eighteen seconds afterwards the shell, if fired at "V" -beach, would burst there; but if fired at "W" beach twenty seconds -elapsed, after the warning shout, before the shell could be heard -rushing through the night air with a rapidly increasing "swishing" -noise. In twenty-five seconds it arrived, burst with a very vivid flash -and that nerve-shaking, rending roar, and did whatever damage it had -found to do. - -Sometimes, in the silence which followed, would be heard the melancholy -call, "Stretcher! Stretcher!" but most frequently a hole in the ground, -or a few scattered boxes of stores or bundles of fodder, alone marked -where it had fallen and burst. - -From Achi Baba came the little 4.1-inch shells at all hours of the day. - -People told the Orphan that some ten days after the -Belgrade-Nish-Constantinople railway had been reopened through conquered -Serbia, it became evident that the Turks were much more lavish with -their ammunition. - -They must have received ample additional supplies, and, what was still -more noticeable, the new shells nearly always burst. - -The Orphan gradually grew accustomed to these shells, but he was always -"mighty" glad when the two big "hates" of the day were finished. - -Everyone had marvellous escapes; in fact, marvellous escapes were so -common that the recounting of them soon failed to interest others. - -One morning the Orphan was sleeping soundly in the dormitory, and at -about ten o'clock Bubbles, who had somehow or other fallen overboard -from his picket-boat, ran up to shift his wet clothes, and could not -resist the temptation of waking up the Orphan. He had just commenced to -get some sense into him and make him take an interest in his accident, -when in through the roof smashed a shell, passed between the Orphan -sitting on his bed and Bubbles standing over him, buried itself in the -ground, and burst. Bubbles was thrown to the other side of the -dormitory, the Orphan found himself on top of an awakened and angry -R.N.R. Lieutenant, and all three, covered with dust, dashed through the -smoke out into the open air. - -"Kaiser Bill!" the Orphan cried, darted back again, and brought out the -tortoise. - -"He was under my bed, he wasn't quite buried; he doesn't seem to have -been hit." - -They tried anxiously to make him put out his head, but he wouldn't. -Bubbles, seizing him, looked inside the shell. "He's all right," he -said, much relieved; "I saw his mouth move." - -"I bet that he got the fright of his life,", Bubbles gurgled; and then -noticed that the Orphan's wrist, the right one, was bleeding, and that -blood was coming through his own soaked trousers. They found a small -cut on the Orphan's right wrist, and that Bubbles had a little gash -behind the left knee--quite trivial things, only requiring a bandage -round each. Actually, that was all the damage done to those two -midshipmen, although the shell had burst immediately behind and between -them. - -"Fancy what might have happened if 'Kaiser Bill' had not been there," -the superstitious Orphan, a little "shaken", kept saying. - -The R.N.R. Lieutenant, having fixed them up with bandages, took them -inside the dormitory to dig their things out again and get the place -tidied up. They shook the sand and clay from their bedding; dug out the -clothes which had been lying on the floor; found some of the fragments -of the shell, probably a 4.1-inch from Achi Baba; looked at the jagged -hole in the wooden roof; and when Bubbles, having changed his wet -clothes, went away, limping a little, to take charge of his picket-boat -again, the other two turned in and slept until midday. Directly the -Orphan woke he hunted round for the tortoise, and felt greatly relieved -when he saw "Kaiser Bill's" cunning old head peeping out. - -On the next night it blew hard from the north-east--away from the end of -the Peninsula. Unfortunately for Bubbles, he had the job, that night, -of towing a big Malta lighter, full of mules, out to a transport, and -when away from the shelter of the land something went wrong with the -tow-rope, and it fouled the screw of his picket-boat. Both lighter and -picket-boat drifted helplessly out to sea, and eventually became -separated. It was a bitterly cold night--so dark that you could not see -fifty yards in front of you, and two miles from the end of the Peninsula -a very unpleasant sea was running. The lighter full of mules drifted -away, but by some lucky chance stranded on Rabbit Island, and Bubbles in -his helpless, waterlogged picket-boat had the luck to be found and -picked up by a patrolling trawler, which towed him into safety. - -He did not get back to "W" beach until long after daylight, and was then -sent up to get his breakfast and some sleep. For some reason or other, -his bed had been moved into the small "sleeping 'dug-out'" at the side -of the Mess opposite to the dormitory, and almost at the same hour as -the day before, a big shell from "Asiatic Annie" came in and completely -wrecked it. No one else slept there that morning, and he had a most -marvellous escape. The three empty beds, the wash-stands, and little -stove were destroyed, and a macintosh which he had pulled over his -blankets had several gashes torn in it, but he himself had not a -scratch. Old Richards, running in through the Mess, and unable to see -owing to the dust and smoke, switched on an electric torch and called -out "Are you all right, sir?" never thinking that he could possibly be -alive. - -"I woke up," said Bubbles afterwards, bubbling over with excitement, -"and found the whole place blooming dark; everything seemed to be -tumbling down on top of me, and my hair was full of sand and stuff. I -couldn't think what was the matter, and the smell of the place was -simply beastly. It wasn't till old Richards came in, flashed his torch, -wanted to know whether I was alive or not, and told me a shell had come -in, that I knew what had happened. It spoilt that new macintosh I paid -one pound ten for yesterday up at the Ordnance, confound it!" - -The rest of the morning Bubbles and Richards spent digging out his -"gear". They found his watch some two feet under the sand, still going, -but the glass cracked. The "dug-out" was completely wrecked and quite -uninhabitable. - -He shifted back again into the dormitory, but had no more time for -sleep. "I'll stick nearer to old 'Kaiser Bill' another time," he told -the Orphan, poking fun at him and his superstitions. - -The very next day, when on his way to the Mess for a hasty lunch, he -stopped to speak to Richards, the Leading Seaman, who had just come out -of the kitchen. At that moment a shell came past them, fell through the -open kitchen door, and burst inside. Richards calmly put down the tureen -of pea soup which he was carrying, and together they went in through the -smoke to see if anyone had been injured. One man lay dead, and another -had been badly cut about the shoulder by a splinter. He was carried -away immediately to the Casualty Clearing-station beyond the gully, and -the dead man covered up and removed. "Poor chap!" Richards muttered, -"he only landed two hours ago for the first time. It's a strange thing -how some get picked off, sir, isn't it?" - -"Well, that's the third close shave for me--in three days too. I'll -tell the Orphan that. He'll think it tremendously lucky," Bubbles said. - -"I shouldn't like to say that it isn't, sir," Richards replied -thoughtfully. - -These three "experiences" seemed to have absolutely no effect on this -midshipman's nerves, and the Orphan marvelled at him, and despised -himself for hating and dreading shells so much. - - -By now they had made themselves quite cosy in their corner of the -dormitory; a sand-bag was placed over the shell hole in the roof; their -beds were raised from the ground on some planks; they looted a washstand -and a looking-glass from one of the hulks, and had much fun digging -"cupboards" for themselves in the clay walls. - -"Kaiser Bill", too, seemed quite at home, and enjoyed his occasional -exercises on the slope below the Mess, waking up, sprinting gaily for -three or four yards, and then sulking because nothing green grew there. -However, they managed to get him green stuff occasionally, and in the -evenings, whenever they were off duty, they took him into the Mess after -dinner, and he became quite frisky in the warmth of the fire. Those -evenings were very jolly after a hard day's work and a good dinner, -sitting in "deck" chairs in front of the cheerful fire, yarning, and not -worrying much about the shells which, every now and then, burst along -the ridge and made the dry "clayey" walls shake bits down on the wooden -floor--not worrying about them, in spite of the fact that if one fell on -top of the Mess the Sub's tarpaulin and the timber roof would not keep -it out, nor would the long skylight hatchway, taken bodily out of one of -the hulks and now fitted into the roof of the Mess. - -It was one of their amusements to see "Kaiser Bill" "duck" when he heard -a shell burst. He might be scampering over the floor--or the table--at -the rate of two feet a minute, with his head and neck stretched out, or -be nibbling enthusiastically at a piece of fresh cabbage leaf or onion -stalk; but directly he heard the thud and roar of a shell bursting, -however far away, in would go his head and legs, and nothing would -entice him to put them out again for at least half an hour. - -Bubbles and the Orphan always placed him down between their bunks when -they turned in--for luck. - -Food was good and plentiful--the army cheese simply grand; water was -fairly plentiful from wells and springs; as for the Ordnance stores, -they could supply everything from an electric torch to a stove, from a -wheelbarrow to a motor bicycle, from a pair of trench gloves to a pair -of india-rubber trench boots coming half-way up your thigh. - -In fact, everything went on comfortably, and a week after the two -midshipmen had landed they had entirely forgotten about "evacuation", -and only thought it a joke when a Turkish aeroplane dropped the message: -"Good-bye, British soldiers; we know you are going, and are sorry to -lose you". - -Flies had of course disappeared with the cold weather--disappeared long -ago, and the only bothering live things were rats--great, fat, sleek -fellows, who ran hurdle races round the dormitory at night to keep -themselves in good condition, jumping over the sleeping midshipmen and -the other officers there. - - -One night the Orphan met Bubbles, and saw by his face that something -unusual had occurred. - -"What is it? Any news?" - -"They're sending every one of those Greek labourers[#] away to-night. -They've given them two hours to pack up, and you and I have to embark -them. What does that mean, I wonder?" - - -[#] Some two hundred Greek labourers had been employed ever since the -landing, and had, for the most part, worked well; constantly under fire. - - -"Perhaps they've caught them spying; making signals or getting -information across to the Turks,' the Orphan suggested. - -"I don't know; it's jolly rummy." - -"There's a lot of ammunition to be landed to-night, some time after ten -o'clock," the Sub said, joining them. "You'll have to go out in the -lighter, Orphan, so you'll have a busy time." - -Well, just before ten o'clock, when the Orphan had started to warp the -empty lighter away from No. 4 Pier, a messenger came down from the -N.T.O. to tell him that this ammunition was not to be landed, and he -heard afterwards that it went back to Mudros immediately. - -This roused their curiosity; and when, next night, three lieutenants and -many more bluejackets arrived, and half a dozen of those motor-lighters -(the "water-beetles") and many more picket-boats came across from -Kephalo, everyone guessed that the final evacuation had been determined -upon. - -And, on the last day of the year, Captain Macfarlane came to take charge -of the elaborate organization required to embark all the troops, guns, -horses, and stores without the knowledge of the Turks. He became Senior -Naval Transport Officer, and lived in his big "dug-out" along a path cut -in the cliff beyond the Naval Mess, and known as "Park Lane" because all -the senior officers had their "dug-outs" there. - -The Sub, Bubbles, and the Orphan were immensely pleased that he had -come--he had such a kind, good-humoured way of giving orders, and -nothing ever flustered him. - -From now onward, there were no more troops or stores to disembark; but -the work of sending away the enormous accumulation of stores, and of -gradually withdrawing troops, guns, horses, and mules, went on at high -pressure. This took place at night. After dark, transports and store -ships would come across from Kephalo or Mudros, anchor off "W" beach or -"V" beach (which now had been handed over by the French to the British), -and all through the dark hours large "soldier" working parties and the -Naval beach parties would toil, carrying down the most valuable of the -Ordnance and Sappers' and Commissariat stores, and loading them in -lighters (wooden lighters, which had to be towed, or motor-lighters). -When full, these would be sent off to the store ships, unloaded, and -sent back again. Every night a troop-carrier would come slowly -alongside the "Outer Hulk", make fast, and battalions of infantry, with -their baggage and their maxims, would be taken across to her in -motor-lighters from No. 3 Pier. Every night, too, many horses and many -mules went off to the big transports anchored farther out, and were -hoisted on board. - -An hour and a half before dawn, every steamship, transport, and -troop-carrier had to be away and out of sight; and if, as the time for -departure arrived, any still had half-emptied lighters alongside, tugs -would dash out and bring them back. Nothing whatever was allowed to -delay these big ships, because upon their arrival and departure being -absolutely hidden from the Turks the whole success of the operation -depended. - -At one time, before the first of those south-west gales had broken a gap -in No. 1 Pier, it had been possible to walk along it, then up a gangway -on board the "Inner Hulk", and from her to the "Outer Hulk", and so on -board anything lying alongside her. This had made the embarking and -disembarking of troops a very simple and rapid process; and as -simplicity and rapidity would be so necessary on the last night of the -evacuation, attempts were made to bridge the gap. The Orphan took part -in this, working in the day-time under the orders of the Pier-master, a -Naval lieutenant named Armstrong, a great solid man who always spoke -extremely deliberately, weighing every syllable, and never appearing to -get even mildly excited. - -First of all a big pontoon was wedged in the gap, but did not quite fill -it; the vacant intervals were then closed by means of barrels lashed -stoutly together and held in place by wires and hawsers. If anything -did go wrong, Mr. Armstrong would fill his pipe and say: "I -say--my--blooming--oath--you--blokes-- -will--have--to--reeve--another--pretty--big--wire--there"; or, -"I--say--Orpen--we--shall--have--to-- -lay--out--another--anchor--go--round--and--find-- -a--thundering--big--chap". - -When at last these were all fixed to his liking, a broad wooden gangway -platform was laid over all, between the broken-away ends of the gap. - -This business occupied two whole days, during which time the Orphan had -generally more wet clothes than dry. -"If--you--don't--take--care--you'll--get --your--feet--wet," Mr. -Armstrong told him one day, after he had been wading up to his waist in -the shallow water, on and off for an hour. - -Troops now could march straight on board the "Inner Hulk", then across -to the "Outer Hulk", and so to whatever troop-carrier happened to be -alongside her. This naturally relieved the congestion at No. 2 and No. -3 Piers, from which horses and stores were embarked. - -But the job which the Orphan liked best was down at No. 4 Pier, working -with the Sub and a very energetic warrant officer, getting off guns, -motor-lorries, motor field-workshops, "caterpillar" traction engines, -and motor ambulances. - -Before dark they would get a couple of lighters alongside this pier, -make them fast to the wall, then dash up to the Mess for a rapid dinner, -and down again about an hour after dark, when the guns would commence to -come rumbling down the ridge to the beach--field-guns, stumpy howitzers, -and long 60-pounders. - -Horse teams or "caterpillar" tractors dragged them through the sand to -just above No. 4 Pier, unhitched, and left them there with their -"crews". Then the beach party on the pier would make "fast" hook-ropes, -and hauling on them, whilst the artillerymen man-handled the spokes of -gun and limber wheels, along would come the gun and its limber, jolting -aboard the lighter. - -One after the other the guns would be coaxed aboard until the lighter -could hold no more. Then the artillerymen, picking up their rifles and -kits, would scramble on board, squat down between the gun wheels, cling -on to the spokes, stow themselves away anywhere so long as they did not -get in the way of the lighter's crew, who now hauled on a warp-rope, -made "fast" to the end of No. 3 Pier, and warped the heavily laden -lighter away from the wall of No. 4 Pier. - -A picket-boat, waiting there, would get hold of her, and tow her out to -the plucky and beautifully handled little tug T1. Then away she would -be towed by that tug to search for the transport which had anchored off -Cape Helles after dark. Presently the big ship would loom up, the -lighter would be towed alongside, made "fast" under a derrick, and left -there to unload. If any very heavy guns, or heavy, cumbrous things such -as motor-lorries or "caterpillar" tractors, went off, the Sub or the -Gunner always took charge of the lighter; but if the load consisted of -field-guns, or such things as "general service" wagons, he sent the -Orphan. - -This was just the job the Orphan enjoyed--the taking charge of the -soldier officers and their artillerymen, the warping off from No. 4 -Pier, the tow-out in the darkness of those very dark nights, the job of -getting his lighter safely secured to the big ship, and the delicate -business of safely slinging each gun and limber or wagon to the ship's -derrick "purchase". The purchase would be lowered with its great hook, -the slings of one gun slipped over it, the Orphan would shout "Hoist -away!" and whilst that gun dangled overhead in the dark, would busily -secure the slings to the next, so that time should not be wasted when -the purchase-hook came down again. It sometimes took a couple of hours -to unload a lighter, but this depended entirely upon the officers and -crew of the transport ship. One ship--the _Queen Louise_--would do the -work in half the time which some others occupied. - -The Orphan always felt so happy when the last wagon or the last gun of -any particular load had been hoisted out of the lighter. It was so -grand to know that "that little lot" would not fall into the hands of -the Turks. Best of all, it was such fun to be hoodwinking "the old -Turk" all this while. - -Generally, from the time a loaded lighter shoved off from No. 4 Pier -until she returned alongside, empty, at least two hours had elapsed, and -as it often took an hour--sometimes a good deal more--to load up again, -each lighter seldom made more than two trips a night. - -Practically all this work went on in complete darkness. There was no -moonlight, and the only lights allowed to be shown were small oil-lamps, -one on each pier, and one on the far end of the "Outer Hulk". -Fortunately, what breeze blew during the first nine nights came from the -north-east, and did not interfere with the work; on most of these nights -the air was absolutely still and the sea absolutely calm. - -Before leaving off work in the morning, they would see that any guns -remaining on the beach or in the lighters were carefully covered up with -tarpaulins, so that the Turks could not see them from their inquisitive -aeroplanes, which constantly came circling over, trying to find out what -the British really intended to do. - -Then, perhaps at half-past seven in the morning, thoroughly worn out, -probably nearly wet through, back they would drag themselves up to the -Mess, find Richards always ready for them with cocoa or coffee, bacon, -sometimes eggs, and have their breakfast. Afterwards they would "turn -in". - -"My perishing Orphan!" the Sub would say, as he threw himself on his -bed. "That's not a bad night's work--twelve guns, and any number of -wagons and things. But I'm pretty well fagged out, and you look 'done -to a turn'." - -They would sleep till the middle of the day, get up, wash, have lunch, -and probably go to sleep again till four or half-past. Then a good -"high tea" Richards would provide for them; and, after that, all those -who were on night duty--nearly all in fact--gathered in the Mess, smoked -and yarned, and told how things were "going"--how many troops, how many -guns, how many horses and mules, and how much stores had been safely -sent away the night before. - -Everyone knew and felt that every man, every gun, horse or mule, every -motor-lorry, every ton of stores and ammunition sent off was so much to -the good; and everyone--especially as the day for the final evacuation -drew nearer--grew anxious lest the Turks should find out what was -happening, and lest the gentle north-east breeze should give place to a -south-westerly wind, which would drive seas against the different -beaches, and delay--perhaps fatally delay--the final embarkation. - -There was always the chance of this, and of the two or three thousand -last troops to come marching back from the empty trenches being hotly -pressed by the Turks, and of them and the whole of the beach parties -finding it impossible to get off. To the Orphan, and to many more; it -also seemed so absolutely unbelievable that the Turks could be deceived -again; and they thought that they must really know about what was going -on, and were only waiting until the trenches were so weakly held that -they could make a successful assault, drive all that remained down to -the sea, and capture them. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIV* - - *The Evacuation of Cape Helles* - - -Friday morning, the 7th January, came, and the Turks had given no sign -whatever that they guessed what was going on. Shells burst as usual, -and "Cuthbert", the aeroplane, circled overhead, saw what he could, -dropped a few bombs on the ridge above "W" beach and near the old _River -Clyde_, and went home again before our own pursuing aeroplanes could -catch him. - -At two o'clock that afternoon the Turks commenced a fierce bombardment -of the whole front-line trenches. The Asiatic guns tried to enfilade -them, too, and for nearly three hours every gun they possessed blazed -away for all it was worth. - -The few guns we had remaining did their utmost to conceal the smallness -of their numbers by the rapidity of their fire, though, naturally, -everyone imagined that the Turks must realize how few they were. - -At five o'clock the Turks evidently intended to storm the front which -they had battered so severely, but, except on our extreme left, their -men could not be induced to leave their trenches. - -But here some five or six hundred did advance, and, unfortunately for -them, came in full view of a battleship which had but lately come out -from England, fearfully keen to fire her guns, and now happened to be -zigzagging along the coast, attracted by the continual roar of the -Turkish artillery. Eagerly looking for something to fire at, she saw, -all at once, these poor devils of Turks streaming out of their trenches -across open ground, and let go salvo after salvo into the middle of -them. Not two hundred came anywhere near our thinly held trenches; some -twenty reached them, and were promptly bayoneted; perhaps a dozen got -back to their own. After this no further attack was made, and all -firing died down at dusk. - -The "last night but one" commenced. - -All night long the work went on; more troops (after their nerve-shaking -experience of that afternoon's three hours' bombardment) marched down -with their baggage and their maxims, filed along No. 1 Pier across the -"hulks" into the _Ermine_ and other troop-carriers, and were taken away. -Many of the still remaining guns came back and were sent off from No. 4 -Pier; very many horses were embarked from No. 3 Pier; and soldiers, like -ants, streamed backwards and forwards between the beach and those store -depots, bringing down stores and hurrying back for more. - -All night long the Orphan listened with tingling ears for the sound of -anything more than the customary sniping and passing bursts of nervous -rifle-firing. But the Turks had had a sufficiently severe handling in -the afternoon; they made no attempt to attack, and the night passed -absolutely quietly, daylight on Saturday morning coming with everything -going on just as usual. The troop-carriers, horse-transports, and store -ships were long since hidden in Kephalo, or below the horizon on their -way to Mudros; and though the aeroplane came over to reconnoitre and be -driven home again, there was nothing unusual for it to report. - -Exactly how many troops remained or how many guns, neither Bubbles nor -the Orphan knew; but they did know that the very scantiest number of -troops held the first-line trenches, and that the guns could almost be -counted on fingers and toes. All these troops had to be got off that -night, and almost all the guns. - -"Would the weather hold for the last night?" That was what everyone -asked himself. The sun rose behind Achi Baba not quite so clearly as it -had done throughout the past week, but the breeze still blew gently from -the north-east, and hardly a cloud flecked the blue sky. - -Captain Macfarlane, tugging at his pointed beard, looked satisfied, and -went up to his "dug-out" for breakfast and to turn in, after his -all-night's work, and sleep for a few hours. - -Bubbles, who had spent the night at "V" beach in his picket-boat, pulled -the sleepy Orphan along the path to the Mess. "What d'you think I had -last night? A bath--a hot bath--aboard the _River Clyde_! It was the -last drop of hot water she had aboard her, for a shell came in half an -hour before and cut a steam-pipe or something. Wasn't I lucky?" - -They had this their last breakfast in Gallipoli, and then lay down on -their beds and slept. - -At midday they were called, turned out--horribly sleepy--and began to -roll up their bedding and pack up the rest of their "gear", ready to be -taken down to the beach. Most of the officers spent the morning doing -the same. - -The barometer had now begun to fall--ever so slightly---and some clouds -to gather in the west, low down in the horizon, behind the island of -Tenedos. - -Everyone felt a little anxious. - -At three o'clock in the afternoon the breeze definitely shifted round to -the south-west--the dangerous quarter--and all knew that if it increased -much it would drive seas right on to the beaches, and add tremendously -to the difficulties of this last night's work. - -At five o'clock that afternoon many of the officers gathered in the -Mess, which they were leaving for ever, and drank to the success of the -evacuation. "Kaiser Bill" was taken out of his box, placed on the table, -and drank a little milk out of a saucer for "good luck"; then Bubbles -took him away to his picket-boat to make certain that he would not be -left behind, _whatever happened_; and everybody went down to the beach -and their different jobs, looking doubtfully and anxiously at the sun -setting behind a gloomy bank of clouds, and the little "white horses" -which already ruffled the surface of the sea. - -"It will be all right," the Orphan told the Sub confidently as they -walked down to No. 4 Pier. "If "Kaiser Bill" hadn't drunk his milk we -might have been rather miserable." - -"You _are_ a silly ass," the Sub laughed. - -Night fell. The breeze freshened steadily, and the two lighters -alongside No. 4 Pier already banged up against the stone wall in a very -uncomfortable manner. - -Presently some of those remaining guns began rumbling over the ridge to -the beach, and their teams went round to No. 3 Pier, or cantered back -over the ridge, with a jangle of harness and thudding of hoofs, to fetch -more. - -When the first lighter had been loaded--with field-guns mostly--her crew -hauled her off by the warps, the south-west breeze blowing freshly in -their faces, and the little waves already splashing against her bows. A -picket-boat took hold of her and handed her over to tug T1, which towed -her away to sea. - -The Orphan went with this first load, and found it a very different -matter to-night. Though the breeze had not yet attained any great -strength, a slight, lumpy sea and swell ran, outside, and when he at -last reached the transport's huge side he had much difficulty in -bringing the clumsy, heavily loaded lighter alongside and making her -"fast". As it was, she bumped and rose and fell so much that it took -nearly two hours to hoist out all those guns, and their "crews", laden -with their heavy kits, and most of them sea-sick, could hardly climb the -awkward Jacob's ladders dangling down the ship's dark side. - -At last the lighter was cleared, and the tug, lurching out of the -darkness, brought off the Gunner with another heavily laden lighter, -left him alongside, and towed the Orphan back. - -It was now nearly eleven o'clock; the breeze had become a strong wind, -and meeting the current flowing out of the Dardanelles, raised an angry, -steep sea. This immensely increased the difficulties of handling the -motor-lighters, steamboats, and small tugs which simply swarmed off "W" -beach and its piers. The clumsy motor-lighters were a danger to -themselves and a terror to others, for they often refused to answer -their helms when they left the lee of the sunken hulks and their bows -first met the seas. It required much skilful seamanship for the -steamboats to get hold of them in the pitchy darkness and turn them in -the right way. - -The Orphan found more guns waiting to be taken off, and he was about to -commence to haul them on board his lighter when an order came that they -were to be destroyed where they stood. Some Sappers arrived, and began -fixing gun-cotton charges in them. - -"They are the last of the guns to be sent off," said the officer in -charge of them. "It does seem rough luck, doesn't it?" - -"What was it like when you left?" asked the Orphan. - -"Perfectly quiet; that was an hour ago," he told him. - -The Orphan had nothing to do now but wait for further orders. - -There was so much wind blowing inshore, towards the trenches, that -though he strained his ears he could not hear the sound of the usual -sniping, rifle-firing--in fact he could hear nothing from the direction -of the trenches. Every now and then a momentary flash showed out behind -the ridge on the Asiatic shore, and one of "Asiatic Annie's" shells came -along; to-night they nearly all burst on the ridge close to Cape Helles -lighthouse, and absolutely harmlessly. Occasionally a big monitor, -half-way across the Straits, fired a 12-inch gun, and then everything -round "W" beach, and the white tents above it, were lighted up -momentarily--like the click of a camera shutter--and the Orphan would -catch a sudden glimpse of motor-lighters and picket-boats, horses and -men, on No. 3 Pier, perhaps long lines of troops coming down the road -from the ridge, or a motor-lorry or motor-ambulance coming down to the -beach. Then the blackness shut down again, except for the tiny flicker -of the oil-lamp tied to a post at one corner of the pier. - -The Orphan passed this time of waiting talking to the disappointed -Gunner officer, who told him yarns of yesterday's fierce bombardment, -and said how annoyed they had been when that battleship had wiped out -their beautiful "target" of advancing Turks. "You'll hear, all right, if -the Turks do get into our trenches to-night, after our chaps have left -them," he said. "They are all mined, and most of the communication -trenches too. There will be the most infernal noise." - -Then out of the darkness came Captain Macfarlane and the Sub. The -Orphan heard the Captain say: "All right, you can try and take those -guns off. If you can't manage it, blow them up in the lighter." - -Then he was sent round to No. 1 Pier to find out why two motor-lighters -could not get off. He scrambled along the beach, past the end of No. 3 -Pier, where a large number of gun- and limber-teams were waiting to -embark in lighters--the horses waiting much more patiently and quietly -than "humans" would have done--and then past a regiment which had just -marched in from the trenches, most of the men lying down to relieve the -weight of their heavy packs. The Orphan guessed correctly that most of -these packs had a Turkish shell--or two--in them as "curios". - -By the time he reached No. 1 Pier and found Mr. Armstrong, things were -in a bad way. Two crowded motor-lighters lay there, lashed side by -side, bumping uneasily, and the new platform over the pontoon and those -barrels which filled the gap in it was swaying and creaking in a most -unpleasant manner, waves thudding against it every moment. - -"Curse--the--lighters--curse--everything!" swore the Lieutenant, -pronouncing each syllable very deliberately, and without the faintest -trace of excitement. "The--whole--show--will--go--in--a--minute-- -barrels--pontoon--and--lighters--as--well. One-- -of--the--con-founded--lighters--can't--start--her-- -engines--and--the--other--one--has--smashed--hers." - -"The Captain is sending a tug in to help," the Orphan shouted -loudly--one had to shout because of the creaking and grinding of the -pontoon and barrels, the noise of the wind and waves, and the bumping of -the motor-lighters. - -Then a tug did back gingerly in, passed a tow-rope aboard the lighters, -and started to tow them out; but the rope "parted" as it took the -strain, and the two crowded motor-lighters, catching an eddy of the -strong wind and current, began drifting helplessly back again on to the -damaged pier. In another half-minute they would have been hopelessly -crushed against it; but, in the nick of time, the engine of one of them -took it into its head to start, and just managed to move the two of them -sufficiently to give the tug a chance of getting hold of them and towing -them out to sea and safety. - -"My--blooming--oath!" said Mr. Armstrong; "that--was--a--near--thing," -and he sucked hard at his pipe. - -A man, coming from the "Inner Hulk" over the straining pontoon, shouted -to him: "A destroyer has just made 'fast' inside the 'Outer Hulk', sir." - -"All--right; I'll--send--the--troops--along. -Go--along--and--fetch--'em," he told the Orphan; -"those--blokes--sitting--along--the--thundering--beach. -Tell--'em--to--thundering--well--get--a ---move--on--if--they--don't--want--to--be--left--behind. -Con-found--this--pipe!" As the Orphan darted away he heard the rending -sound of timber cracking and ropes "parting". He found some officers; -they passed the "word" along; gave orders, and No. 1 Company of that -battalion rose to their feet, picked up their rifles, and commenced to -straggle down to the pier. As the Orphan and the first of them reached -it, there came a loud crashing of smashing woodwork, loud shouts of -"She's carried away, sir!" people came running back from where the -pontoon had been; and Mr. Armstrong, walking slowly up to him, said: -"The--thundering--thing's--carried --away--al-to-gether. -It's--the--very--devil. Go--and--tell--the--N.-T.-O. -See--if--you--can--find-- me--a--bit--of--wire--my--pipe's--choked." - -Back went the Orphan to No. 4 Pier, but Captain Macfarlane was not -there, nor at No. 3 Pier. Someone took him to the new office "dug-out" -at the top of the beach; and there he found him, sitting at a table with -an oil-lamp hanging above it, smoking a cigarette, tugging at his beard, -and looking quaintly amused at a number of officers who were all asking -him questions at the same time. - -The Orphan wriggled his way through them, and burst out with: "The -'barrel pier' has gone, sir--washed away!" - -"How very annoying, Mr. Orpen; very annoying indeed!" he said, smiling -grimly. "We shall have to send the soldiers off from No. 3 Pier. Go -down and tell the pier-master to embark them on the two 'stand-by' -motor-lighters, and tell Mr. Armstrong to go down and help him." - -The Orphan, noticing that the lamp was hanging by a piece of wire, -thought that there might be some more somewhere about, looked round, and -saw a piece lying under the table--just what Mr. Armstrong would like. -He picked it up, and was just wriggling his way out again when the -Captain wanted to know what he was doing. - -"Mr. Armstrong's pipe is choked, sir, and I saw this bit of wire." - -"Dear me! dear me!" smiled the Captain. "Misfortunes never come singly; -do they, Mr. Open?" - -"No, sir," said the Orphan, not knowing what else to say, and dashed -off; found the Pier-master--another Naval Lieutenant--and gave his -message. Then he went off with his piece of wire to clear Mr. -Armstrong's pipe, and tell him to go down to No. 3 Pier. - -"All--right--hold--this--thundering--megaphone-- -whilst--I--clean--my--pipe." - -At No. 3 Pier these latest arrived troops were already marching down -into the "stand-by" motor-lighters, with a scuffling of tired feet, a -clatter of rifle-butts, and the continual, monotonous, weary sound of -"Form two deep! Form two deep!" as more infantry neared the shore end -of the pier. - -They were tired and dirty and trench-stained, and they cursed as they -stumbled against each other in the dark, but they were very cheerful. -As soon as one lighter had taken as many as she could hold, she shoved -off, and grunted and snorted across to the "Outer Hulk". - -"Nip over there; jump into that steamboat," the Pier-master called out. -"Find out how many more men that destroyer can take." - -The Orphan jumped down into a picket-boat lying alongside, and found -Bubbles there. - -As he took him across to the destroyer, the Orphan asked him what he had -been doing all night. - -"Generals, and their Staffs," Bubbles shouted happily. "You've no idea -what a lot of trouble I've had with them. Some of them have actually -started giving me orders. I've 'told 'em off' properly. They get quite -tame then. I've taken some off from 'V' beach as well; everything's -going on well down there. This sea running in is pretty beastly, isn't -it?" - -The Orphan climbed up the destroyer's side, and found her deck crammed -with soldiers. He pushed his way up to the fore bridge, and heard her -Captain yelling down to the men on the "Outer Hulk": "Get some more -fenders along. Slack off that hawser." He was told that "If you don't -'get out of it' in a 'brace of shakes' you'll get a sea-passage, for -nothing. I'm just going to shove off out of it. I can't take another -soldier, and I'll stove my side in if I stay here much longer." - -The Orphan went back to the steamboat, across to the pier, and reported -that the destroyer was just shoving off. - -"I can see that for myself," grumbled the Pier-master, as a flash from -the monitor's gun suddenly showed the destroyer backing out. - -This same flash also showed a heavily-laden lighter being warped off -from No. 4 Pier, so the Orphan knew that the Sub had managed to start -his journey with those last guns. - -Then two teams of horses came jangling down to the pier unexpectedly, -and the irritated Pier-master sent Bubbles to try and find a horse-boat -or lighter alongside the "Inner Hulk". He came back with one; was -nearly run down by another destroyer; got it alongside. Those twelve -horses walked down into it as if they knew all about the business, and -the very last horse to be taken off from "W" beach was towed away into -the darkness. - -Captain Macfarlane came down and told them that he had received a -telephone message from Headquarters Office that the trenches had been -finally evacuated, and the covering brigades withdrawn. "Everything IS -absolutely quiet up there," he said. - -The Orphan and Bubbles were greatly excited at that news. They tried to -picture these last troops stealthily creeping out of their long line of -trenches--extending from Ghurka Bluff and the Nullah, across the plain -in front of Krithia, along the lower slopes of Achi Baba, and across and -along the ravines past Sedd-el-Bahr--coming down the communication -trenches, treading softly, and not making a sound, expecting all the -time that Turkish patrols would give the alarm, and that the Turks would -only be waiting for that moment to light the plain with star shells and -rush down on them. - -"We should hear the mines blow up, anyway," the Orphan said, as both -snotties stood and listened, hearing nothing but the howling of the wind -and the lapping of the waves, and the bumping of the picket-boat against -the pier. - -"It must be exciting for them," Bubbles said, bubbling with excitement. - -After having secured several empty motor-lighters alongside, in -readiness to embark the last troops, there was nothing to do. - -"Have--a--sand-wich?" said Mr. Armstrong, producing a bulky package -which Richards had prepared for him. They ate them sitting on the top -of the picket-boat's cabin, as she bobbed and bumped against the side of -the pier. Mr. Armstrong told them that one of the Generals coming down -was a cousin of his named Bailey, and that if he did come down to this -pier he wasn't to go off without seeing him. General Bailey had a -brother who had been a Sub in charge of a gun-room when Mr. Armstrong -was a midshipman in it. "A--thundering--good--chap," Mr. Armstrong -said. "He--used--to--beat--me-- -thundering--hard--have--an-other--sandwich." - -Before the sandwiches were finished, the Orphan had to go up to the -Captain's beach office. The Senior Military Landing Officer, rather -upset about something, was talking nervously. - -"Oh, Mr. Orpen, there are some men who can't be taken off from Gully -Beach, round by the left flank, on account of the heavy sea," the -Captain said calmly. "They are starting to march this way. Go down and -tell the Pier-master and Mr. Armstrong to collect as many empty -motor-lighters as possible. Come back here when you have given this -message." - -When he returned, the Captain gave him a signal to take up to the -temporary "wireless" station, a little way along the top of the cliff. - -"You had better hurry," he said, good-humouredly, looking at his watch, -"if you really don't mind, or they'll be packed up before you get -there." - -The Orphan dashed off up the main road, and then along the branch path -to where he knew the "wireless" station had been "put up". - -"You're just in time," the Naval Lieutenant in charge of it said; "I was -just going to give the order to 'pack up'." - -"Here!" he shouted to the operator. "Call up those two destroyers; -they'll be wanted to come alongside the 'Outer Hulk'." - -"The N.T.O. says you can pack up when you get those signals through, -sir," the Orphan said. - -"All right; those destroyers will have the deuce of a time getting -alongside if the wind goes on increasing as it's been doing for the last -half-hour," the Lieu-tenant said. "What d'they want 'em for? anything -gone wrong?" - -The Orphan told him, and as he turned back he ran into some soldiers -carrying heavy square tins. - -"What are you doing?" he asked one of them. - -"Going off to soak the stores with petrol," he said, and hurried on up -to the Ordnance Depot. - -Down the main road were now coming the first of the "covering -parties"--some of the men who had actually stayed in the trenches till -the last moment, many of them limping heavily, most of them talking -cheerily. Some had maxim guns on their shoulders, others carried the -tripod-stands, others maxim belt-boxes. - -"Which way for the Margate steamer?" a Cockney voice called out. - -"Turn to your right when you get on the beach," the Orphan shouted as he -passed them; and the same voice called back: "Hi, Guv'nor! I've lost me -return ticket. I ain't got no money, and I don't want to be left -behind--I ain't 'ankering after a trip to Constantinople." - -The tired men began to laugh. - -The midshipman found Captain Macfarlane in his office, and told him that -these men were coming down. He went out and stood at the top of the -beach as they went past, their feet scrunching on the stones and -shuffling through the sand as they marched down to No. 3 Pier, straight -aboard the motor-lighters waiting for them. - -A little officer came past, walking with a very tall one. - -"Is that General Bailey?" called Captain Macfarlane. - -"Hullo, Macfarlane! I knew your voice," he replied, stopping. - -"Everything all right?" asked the Captain; and the Orphan remembered -that this was Mr. Armstrong's cousin, and listened eagerly for what the -General, who had just gone through this terribly anxious time, had to -say. - -"A pipeful of ship's tobacco, and I should be a happy man," was what he -actually did say. - -"I know where I can get some, sir," the Orphan interrupted. "Mr. -Armstrong has plenty down at No. 3 Pier." - -"There's a picket-boat waiting for you there, General. Mr. Orpen will -show you the way. Everything all quiet when you left?" - -"Everything. The Turks haven't stirred from their trenches; have hardly -fired a shot all night. We've brought everyone back." - -The Orphan piloted the General and his Staff Officer through the crowd -of men round No. 3 Pier, and found Mr. Armstrong. - -"General Bailey, sir; he wants a pipeful of ship's tobacco," he said, -and left them there; hearing Mr. Armstrong's funny drawl: -"You're--a--sort--of --cousin--of--mine--sir--your--brother--in--the-- -Navy--used--to--beat--me--thundering--hard--a-- -thundering--good--chap--take--the--whole-- blessed--pouchful." - -"Bubbles!" the Orphan called, as he found the picket-boat, "I've brought -you another General." - -"Put him down below in the cabin with 'Kaiser Bill'," Bubbles sang out -laughingly. "What 'Kaiser Bill' doesn't know about looking after -Generals isn't worth knowing." - -The wind by now had increased to almost the force of a gale, and a most -unpleasant sea was swirling in through the gap in No. 1 Pier--where the -pontoon had been--and round and between the ends of the sunken "hulks". -In spite of this, those "covering parties" were safely taken off; the -clumsy motor-lighters pushed and shoved out past the "Outer Hulk" by -tugs and picket-boats, and then there was nothing much to do until those -men marching back from the left flank and Gully Beach arrived. The -Orphan was sent with some of the beach party to bring down the "gear" -from the "wireless" station, and when he came back he found a -white-painted hospital motor-lighter alongside No. 3 Pier. The Army -doctor in charge had asked to be given an opportunity of trying to save -the most valuable of the surgical stores still left in the Casualty -Clearing-stations, and now was up there with nearly a hundred R.A.M.C. -orderlies, bringing down cases of surgical instruments and expensive -apparatus as fast as they could. They had already filled two big -ambulance wagons, and man-handled them down on to the beach, and -everyone was helping to unload them. - -As a matter of fact, the last night of the evacuation had gone off so -smoothly, in spite of the unfortunate change of weather, that people -hardly realized that the original scheme had been drafted under the -impression that the "covering parties" would probably have to fight -their way back. The maxims in the picket-boats had been placed in them -so that the picket-boats should try and cover the embarkation of those -last few people who would rush down to the beach; the white-painted -hospital lighter was there to, if possible, take off any wounded who -could crawl or hobble to it. - -In the complete absence of any interference by the Turks this fact had -been almost forgotten. - -The Sapper working-parties, who had been sprinkling petrol over the -Ordnance and Commissariat stores, now began to return, and set to work -with pick-axes to smash the engines of some motor-lorries which had to -be left behind, and rip their tyres to shreds. - -The Orphan having nothing whatever to do, and feeling very tired, -wandered down to No. 3 Pier and found Bubbles and his picket-boat. - -"I say, Bubbles, got anything to eat?" - -Bubbles had. He produced a packet of sandwiches out of a haversack, and -the crew brought the two of them a bowl of hot cocoa. They sat on the -top of the picket-boat's cabin, and whilst they were munching away -happily, they heard someone singing out: "'Ave you seen Mr. Orpen -about?" - -It was Plunky Bill's voice. - -"Hello! What d'you want?" the Orphan called; "I'm here." - -Plunky Bill came aboard. "Beg pardon, sir; I thought as 'ow you and -t'other young gen'l'man could do with a couple of army macintoshes. -I've just 'appened to come across two;" and he added confidentially: "If -you'd like any more, I knows where I might be able to lay me 'ands on -'em." - -"Where did you get them?" they asked; but Plunky Bill only told them -that "he'd been looking round a bit". "I'll just stick 'em alongside -'Kaiser Bill', and then they'll be safe. You'll find a couple of them -there 'lectric torches in the pockets." - -"Whatever else have you got?" Bubbles laughed, seeing that he was bulged -out with things. - -"Nothin' much, sir; nothin' but a few pairs of them injy-rubber trench -boots, sir. It do seem such a shame to leave 'em for the Turks, and -they'll come in 'andy on board." - -He put these boots down below under the forepeak, and went away again, -towards the beach. - -"That makes up for the macintosh spoilt by that shell the other day," -Bubbles said. "They're jolly good things; you can wear them in plain -clothes." - -They did think of calling him back and asking, him to bring down some -more for the rest of the gun-room, but a picket-boat came lurching -alongside with the Sub in it, and in their eagerness to know whether he -had managed to get off the last of those guns they forgot about -macintoshes. - -"They're half-way to Mudros by this time," the Sub shouted happily. -"I'm off to tell the Skipper. What's the delay? What are we waiting -for?" - -They told him of the men from the left flank, and away he went. - -At about three o'clock the first destroyer came alongside the "Outer -Hulk" and made fast. This would have been a difficult job in daylight, -on account of the heavy sea which was running, the strong wind, a very -strong current swirling down from the Dardanelles, the very limited -space for manoeuvring, and the dangerous proximity of the lee shore. In -the pitchy darkness of the night it was ten times as difficult. - -Thank goodness, just about this time, the first of those men began to -tramp down the road from the ridge, footsore and weary after their long -and anxious march--long march, that is, for men who had spent so many -weeks continually in trenches. The Orphan helped to guide them down to -No. 3 Pier, and they limped into the waiting motor-lighters, and were -taken across to the destroyer. - -By a quarter to four, not a single soldier remained on the Gallipoli -Peninsula except a Sapper "demolition" party busy setting fire to the -petrol-soaked stores, and waiting to ignite the fuses which should blow -up the magazines containing all the ammunition and explosives which had -to be abandoned. - -By four o'clock these Sappers had come back to the beach and embarked -aboard a motor-lighter. The whole circle of the ridge above "W" beach -and the slopes of the gully now began to flicker with little flames, and -in an incredibly short time the strong wind fanned them until the whole -place was a mass of roaring, crackling fire. - -Captain Macfarlane, the few of his officers who had not yet gone off, -and a few of his men, now collected at the end of No. 3 Pier, alongside -which lay two steamboats and that white-painted motor-lighter laden with -medical and surgical stores, a few injured men (including two soldiers -with sprained ankles--actually the two last men to come down to "W" -beach), and some R.A.M.C. orderlies. Bubbles, with his last load of -military officers, with "Kaiser Bill" and the two macintoshes, had -already gone out to sea, and was steaming across to Kephalo. - -Those flames lighted up the whole of "W" beach in the most extraordinary -manner, and everything all round was visible--the little group on the -pier, the stones on the beach, a white-tilted ambulance wagon with its -Red Cross, half-way down the beach, the broad road running up between -the huge masses of flame, the white hospital tents, an abandoned -motor-lorry with its engines destroyed and its tyres hacked to pieces, -the white stones which marked the boundary of the Naval Camp, and even -the two "cuttings" which led to the Naval Mess "dug-out". Out by the -"hulks" some of those last soldiers could be seen still scrambling -aboard the destroyer. - -Captain Macfarlane gave the order for the hospital-lighter to shove off, -and for everyone to embark, so the Sub, the Orphan, Mr. Armstrong, and -many more crowded into one of those steamboats and started away. The -time was now about ten minutes past four, and before they had gone a -hundred yards the magazine on shore blew up. It contained all the -explosives which it had not been possible to take off, and made the most -earth-rending, stupendous noise, sending up a huge mass of flame like a -volcano, and flaming masses flew gyrating and twisting like huge -gigantic Chinese crackers high up into the sky and spreading far and -wide in every direction. - -"My--blooming--oath--what--price--that--for--fireworks!" drawled Mr. -Armstrong. - -"Keep down! Keep down!" people shouted, as masses of rock came -splashing into the water all round the steamboat, but none hit her; and -as she turned round the end of the "Outer Hulk", on the inner side of -which the destroyer and several motor-lighters still lay, crowded with -troops, and faced the sea, the Orphan saw the other steamboat following, -with Captain Macfarlane and the rest of his officers and men, and the -white hospital lighter struggling out, with the water splashing up all -round her, just as though she were under a heavy fire. A tremendous -crackle of musketry broke out from the beach, and for a moment the -Orphan thought that the Turks had come down to the ridge at last; but a -Sapper officer in the boat told him that this was only the abandoned -small-arm ammunition exploding. - -Captain Macfarlane, passing them in his steamboat, sent them back to -assist the hospital lighter if necessary; but she managed to make her -way out safely, so in a few minutes they followed him. - -Another destroyer waited for them outside; they saw her, steamed -alongside, and climbed aboard with some difficulty owing to the heavy -sea. The huge blaze on shore lighted up every face, and the first -person the Orphan recognized was Dr. Gordon, the Volunteer Surgeon of -the _Achates_. - -"We've just had some pieces of rock fall on board," he said, "but no one -is hurt. How about you? They were falling all round your boat." - -"What are you doing here, sir?" the Orphan asked. - -"They've sent a doctor to every destroyer to-night. Thank God, everyone -has got off safely! You go and lie down; you look absolutely 'played -out'." - -"We got off all the men and the last guns--the very last they intended -to take off," the Orphan said. "Isn't that grand?" But he would not go -and lie down. He stood watching the flames and the destroyer silhouetted -against them, as she backed out to let another take her place and empty -the remaining motor-lighters. The motor-lighters came out and headed -into the heavy sea; the destroyer backed out and went ahead into safety, -and the last that the Orphan saw was a solitary little picket-boat -pushing her way in towards No. 3 Pier and the flames, to make a final -search for anyone left there, and then coming out again. - -It was now about a quarter to five in the morning, and the marvellous -evacuation had been successfully completed. - -Then the Orphan staggered aft, crawled below, almost fell on to one of -the leather cushions down in the ward-room, and went fast asleep. - -Dr. Gordon, coming down a few minutes later, found him there, and felt -his clothes. They were wet through, so he pulled a couple of blankets -off a bunk and covered him up. - -By this time there were very few of the beach party or its officers who -had not found somewhere to stretch themselves and go to sleep. The -strain of those last ten days and nights had been very great--fourteen -hours of hard work day and night for most of them; for some a great deal -more--and even the Sub, strong as he was, could not have "stood" many -more such days and nights without a rest. - -But the destroyer they were aboard had not finished her job. She and a -cruiser now had to shepherd every tug, motor-lighter, trawler, and -steamboat safely on its way across to Kephalo--especially those -troublesome motor-lighters, which behaved so badly in a heavy sea. She -went up the Straits, past "V" beach, where the fires blazing there -showed up the castle walls of Sedd-el-Bahr and the poor old _River -Clyde_; steamed up as far as Morto Bay to see that no craft of any kind -had been left behind; and it was not until nearly seven o'clock, and -after the Turks had been shelling the beaches for nearly two hours, both -from Achi Baba and the Asiatic shore, that she started away for Kephalo. -By eight o'clock she ran into that crowded harbour. - -The _Achates_ had left for Mudros several days previously, and thither -Dr. Gordon, the Sub, Bubbles, the Orphan, and "Kaiser Bill" followed her -late that afternoon in the troop-carrier _Ermine_. As this plucky -little steamer passed Cape Tekke and Cape Helles the fires still raged, -and a cruiser, a monitor, and two destroyers were bombarding the shore. - -When the Orphan looked his last at Gallipoli Peninsula, as the _Ermine_ -steamed away to the west, the cliffs of Cape Tekke glowed in the rays of -the setting sun, with a great pall of black smoke above them, the masts -of the sunken hulks at their feet, our own shells were bursting on the -beaches, and a huge splash leapt up under the stern of the cruiser as a -shell from "Asiatic Annie" fell into the sea close to her. - -By nine o'clock, after a wet and "bumpy" passage through the head sea -left by last night's gale, the Sub, Bubbles, and the Orphan found -themselves once more in the Honourable Mess, where everybody asked -hundreds of questions at the same time, and where Barnes soon had a -glorious "feed" waiting for them. Fletcher, the stoker, had come aft -directly they reached the ship, to find out whether they had brought the -tortoise back safely. - -"It was all due to him," the Orphan told Fletcher joyfully. "You said -he would bring good luck, and he has." - -"Kaiser Bill", however, did not show the slightest interest in getting -back to the ship or his owner, and refused even to put out his head. - -"His nerves are a bit out of order, I expect," Uncle Podger suggested. - -"You should have seen him 'duck' when he heard the shells burst!" the -Orphan laughed. "You're a bigger funk than I am; aren't you, old -'Kaiser Bill'?" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXV* - - *The "Achates" Returns to Malta* - - -At nine o'clock on Sunday morning, the 9th January, a general "wireless" -signal was made by the Naval Commander-in-Chief--"Helles evacuated -successfully"; and every battleship, scout, sloop, and destroyer -scattered widely over the Eastern Mediterranean received the welcome -news at the same moment. - -The greatest enthusiasm prevailed among the whole fleet, for everyone -realized that though the evacuation was actually a retreat, yet it had -been a wonderful achievement in the face of difficulties which had at -one time seemed insuperable; moreover, it set free a large and seasoned -army for employment elsewhere. - -When, later on in the day, the officers and men who had taken part in -the evacuation returned to their own ships at Mudros with yarns of last -night's adventures, everyone marvelled how it had been possible to -hoodwink the wily Turk a second time so completely, and to do so in the -teeth of that south-west gale. - -In the gun-room of the _Achates_ that night, the Sub, Bubbles, and the -Orphan tried to answer questions and eat at the same time. - -"It was that south-west wind that sprang up," the Lamp-post said. -"Directly it started blowing, the Turks thought to themselves, 'Well, -they won't try to slip away to-night, at any rate', got out their -hubble-bubble pipes, and began playing 'patience'." - -"You must have been there, old Lampy," Uncle Podger laughed. "Was it -pretty to watch? What kind of patience did they play?" - -"You know what I mean," the Lamp-post said. "Don't try to be funny." - -"I believe he's right," the Sub said, with his mouth full. "My jumping -Jimmies, didn't we have luck?" - -The China Doll sat listening, with his eyes opening and shutting, and -his mouth wide open, fearfully excited, especially when the Orphan, in -the interval of "Another helping, please, Barnes!" told them all about -the shells coming into the "dug-outs", and the third one which just -missed Bubbles outside the kitchen door. - -In the middle of all this, the Pimple rushed in, shouting: "We're off to -Malta! Off to Malta to refit! The signal has just come through! As -soon as ever we get back all our men, off we go! You can't say I don't -bring you news, can you?" - -In a moment the evacuation, and the bursting shells, and all the -thrilling adventures--even the two macintoshes and electric torches -looted by Plunky Bill--had been entirely forgotten. They all yelled -with joy, and wondered how long the _Achates_ would remain at Malta, -where she would go afterwards, and what ships would be there for them to -challenge at cricket or hockey. - -"You'll have to give me that dinner there, Rawlins, old chap," grinned -the Lamp-post, referring to the "race" in their "water-beetles". - -"Ra-ther!" said Rawlins. "We'll have a regular slap-up -'eat-till-you-burst' show at the Club, won't we?" - -Dr. Gordon put his head into the gun-room to see whether Bubbles and the -Orphan had finished "feeding" and were ready to come for'ard to the -sick-bay and have their slight wounds properly dressed. But no one -could worry about little things like that--now. - -"Come in, sir! Come in!" they shouted. "Isn't it grand about Malta? -Where do you think we'll go afterwards?" - -"I don't know; I haven't the faintest idea," Dr. Gordon answered in his -nervous way. - -"Hadn't we better have a bath first, sir?" the two wounded warriors -asked him. "We want one frightfully badly." - -"All right," Dr. Gordon smiled. "I'll get the bandages and things into -my cabin. Come along there, afterwards." - -They had their baths, they had their scratches dressed; and then it was -simply no use to try--they could not keep awake any longer, and they -turned into their hammocks--on the half-deck--and slept like logs; -though not before the Pimple, shaking Bubbles, told him that he must -keep the forenoon watch next day. "I've been keeping double watches -ever since you went skylarking over at Helles," he complained. - -"Oh, bother you!" Bubbles groaned, and went to sleep. - -Next morning, as Bubbles kept his "forenoon", the Orphan came to talk to -him. He had a great idea of doing something for "Kaiser Bill", "so that -he should always remember how he'd brought luck wherever he went, and -all the righting and things he'd been through". They had a very long -and secret conversation, and then the Orphan, saying: "I'm certain I can -get it made on board--there's a stoker petty officer who says he can do -it--I'll go and see him now," went away again. - - -Three days later, just before sunset, the _Achates_ steamed out through -the "gate" in the double row of submarine nets, left Mudros for the last -time, and commenced to zigzag her way to Malta. - -In the ward-room that night the Sub dined with Mr. Meredith, and the -Orphan dined with the War Baby, sitting next to Dr. O'Neill, the -Fleet-Surgeon, who was so delighted at getting away from the Dardanelles -that he actually made himself quite agreeable. - -"Not so much of the 'rats-in-a-trap' now, Doc," the cheery -Fleet-Paymaster called across the table. "More of the -'bird-in-a-gilded-cage', eh? Don't cheer up too soon; we shall be right -in the thick of the submarines to-night and to-morrow. You'd better -blow up your safety waistcoat." - -"That's all right, Pay. It's hanging up in my cabin, blown up tight." - -"Good! I'll know where to steal it," grinned the Fleet-Paymaster. - -After dinner the other gun-room officers were invited to come along and -start a "sing-song". They came in, and the Lamp-post, itching to get at -the piano, was stuck down in front of it and told to play. - -As his fingers drew music from the battered, uncared-for old instrument, -he lost himself in another world altogether. He didn't hear the -Navigator asking why the China Doll had not come; or the Pimple and -Rawlins say: "Oh, we forgot him; we left him in the gun-room"; nor -notice them rush away with the Orphan, Bubbles, and the War Baby, and -bring back the Assistant Clerk lashed in a bamboo stretcher, with a big -cardboard label--pointing the wrong way--"This side up. Fragile--with -care." - -They rushed him through the ward-room door, his squeals drowned by their -shouts and the Lamp-posts music, and stood him upside down on his head, -against the table. - -"He's frightfully fragile! Listen how he cracks if you touch him!" And -the Pimple nipped his ankle, the poor China Doll giving a squeak of -pain. - -"That's hardly comfortable, is it?" Dr. Gordon suggested. - -"Well, look at the label, sir. 'This side up', so it must be right," -they laughed. But Dr. Gordon made them unbuckle the stretcher and take -it away, whilst the China Doll was "stood up" the right way, blinking -his eyes, and opening and shutting his mouth. "Look at his lovely pink -socks!" they cried, pulling up his trouser legs. "Aren't they pretty?" -But the Assistant Clerk, with a frightened look at the Sub, who had -forbidden him to wear them in uniform, tried to hide them. - -The Lamp-post stopped playing and "came to earth" again. - -"It's simply marvellous how you do it, old Lampy," said Uncle Podger, -who had listened to every note. "That right hand of yours gave those -black notes the time of their life; your left hand simply wasn't in -it--never had a look in. You ought to give it a good start next time." - -"Don't be an ass!" the Lamp-post smiled. - -Then Mr. Meredith had to sing, and everyone joined in the chorus. After -that the China Doll, pretending to be very shy, was pulled forward, and -bleated some song like "Put me among the Girls", and received such an -ovation for his silly performance, and became so highly delighted with -himself and his popularity, that he thought he'd brave the Sub's -displeasure, and not creep away and change those pink socks as he had -intended to do. - -The Commander went off to bed very soon; but just as the last chorus of -"The Midshipmite" came to a tremendous end, the door opened, and in came -Captain Macfarlane, smoking a cigar. - -Everyone stood up. - -"Have a whisky and soda, sir?" the Fleet-Paymaster and Navigator asked -him. "We're having a sing-song." - -"I thought I heard a slight noise," smiled the Captain tugging at his -pointed, yellow beard. "May I ask what _you_ are doing, Mr. Chaplain?" -The little Padre happened to be taking lessons from the Sub as to how -best to crawl through the back of one of the ward-room chairs, and had -just got himself firmly wedged in, unable to move the chair up or down. - -"I can _nearly_ do it, sir," he said, standing up with the back of the -chair round his chest, and his usually pale face almost purple. - -"Nearly do it, Mr. Chaplain! nearly do it! How long have you been in -the Service? I'll show you how to do it properly;" and throwing off his -mess-jacket, and placing his cigar in safety, Captain Macfarlane -wriggled his head and shoulders through the back of another chair, and -slipped it down to his feet in half a minute. - -"It's very easily done, Mr. Chaplain," he said, just a little out of -breath, as he resumed his cigar. - -"It's all very well for you, sir. You are thin all the way down--the -Padre's only thin 'up topsides'." the Navigator laughed. - -The Captain sang a song, and joined in the choruses of others till the -time came for his usual visit to the bridge. Then he put on his -mess-jacket and wished them all "good night". - -"Good night, sir!" everyone said, standing up as he went away. - -After this the sing-song became a little more boisterous, until finally -the climax came when the Fleet-Paymaster, bursting in with a cushion he -had borrowed from the Padre's cabin, endeavoured to score a "try" -between the legs of the piano. He was forced into touch, banged against -the ship's side, the cushion seized, and a most delightful game of Rugby -football followed. - -Dr. Gordon had a little work to do--mending people--afterwards, whilst -the sing-song gradually broke up, the clamour subsided, and one after -the other all went away to turn in, and peace and quietness reigned once -more. - -On the way back to the gun-room the Sub asked Uncle Podger to come into -his cabin. - -"Look here, Uncle, that youngster of yours took advantage of my dining -in the ward-room to-night to wear those pink socks. I don't care a -tinker's curse if he wears all the colours of the rainbow _out_ of -uniform, but I had told him not to do so _in_ uniform. It's just this: -the snotties--all of us--are spoiling him, treating him like a plaything -or a little girl. He can't even talk sensibly now, or make an ordinary -remark without saying something silly to try and make us laugh at him. -He wore those socks to-night to make the snotties laugh at him and "rag" -him; and that silly song he sang, and that silly blinking of his eyes -when the ward-room officers clapped him--well, it's got to be stopped. -What a horrible time he will have, when he goes to another ship and -tries his baby tricks there! and what will he be like when he grows up? -He's a good little chap, really, and as plucky as paint at sports. We -_must_ do something." - -"I don't know," Uncle Podger reflected. "I feel just as you do. He's -being absolutely spoiled. He's absolutely useless in the office; I do -believe he spends his time thinking of what he can do next to make them -laugh at him. They were talking at dinner to-night of getting up a -gun-room court martial and trying him one night before we get to Malta. -The snotties knew you had ordered him not to wear those socks, and -thought of trying him for that. The China Doll thinks he's going to -have the time of his life." - -"Right," said the Sub, "and I'll take 'President'; he _shall_ have the -time of his life." - -"You won't be too hard on him?" Uncle Podger asked, a little anxiously. - -"Right-o, old chap! Good night! I won't break him." - - -By the next morning the _Achates_ had passed through the narrow Doro -channel, where so many ships had been attacked by submarines, and -zigzagged her way along the coast of Greece. In the gun-room, great -preparations were made for the China Doll's court martial, which would -be really done "top-hole" fashion now that the Sub had offered to be -"President". All details were settled that afternoon. The Orphan must -be "Prisoner's Friend", and Uncle Podger "Judge-Advocate". The War Baby -had been asked to dine as the guest of the Honourable Mess, and -afterwards to act as "Provost-Marshal", "Master-at-Arms", "Second -Executioner", and "Prisoner's Escort". The Pimple appointed himself -"First Executioner", and Rawlins and the Hun appointed themselves "Comic -Jailers". But the Hun, who had not been well for some days, had again -to be put on the sick-list and be slung in a cot on the half-deck, so -that Bubbles took his place as "Second Jailer". The Lamp-post, of -course, would be the "Prosecutor", and make up a really funny speech. - -Before dinner they shifted the Hun in his cot, and slung him just -outside the gun-room door so that he could look in and see the fun. -"You'll have to be the 'crowd'," they told him, "and groan and hoot when -the 'Prisoner' is dragged in or out--that is, if you feel well enough, -old Hun." - -They had a grand, cheery dinner, the most cheery and noisy since the -ship had left Ieros; they entirely forgot Cape Helles or Suvla, the -shells or the submarines. The China Doll simply giggled with excitement -all the time. He longed for the trial to begin, and for himself to be -the central figure and be able to "answer back" so cheekily. - -When the meal was at last finished and everything cleared away, he -helped to carry in the Master-at-Arms' table, and stood it across the -top of the Mess, in front of the sideboard, for the Sub to sit behind as -"Judge" and "President"; he helped bring in the Padre's reading-desk to -make the witness-box, and he cleared all the litter of coats and boots -from the brass "beading", or fender, which surrounded the place where -the stove had stood in the old days. This was to be the Bar, and he -would have to stand in the middle of it, facing the witness-box, with a -"Jailer" on each side of him, and the War Baby, with his very long -sword, behind him. - -He himself had no sword, and would not be entitled to one until he -reached the exalted rank of Clerk, so he was ordered to provide himself -with a pen from the ship's office to take its place. - -Directly after "Commander's rounds" at nine o'clock, the "Court" was -"cleared", and the China Doll, trembling with excitement, was sent to -stand by his sea-chest until the "Jailers" and the "Master-at-Arms" came -for him. - -Punctually at ten past nine the War Baby, in helmet, tunic, and those -beautiful scarlet-striped trousers of his, his long sword at the -"carry", did the "goose step" solemnly along the half-deck, followed by -Bubbles and Rawlins, their helmets on, the wrong way round, their -monkey-jackets stuffed out with swimming-belts to make them look more -"funny", and their drawn dirks in their hands. They dragged behind them -the chain from one of the hatchway ladders, and having snapped a pair of -handcuffs round the China Doll's wrists, lashed his arms to his side -with the chain. - -Then they escorted him solemnly back to the gun-room, amidst derisive -shouts of "Go it, pickpocket! Wearer of Pink Socks! Booh! Pooh! -Booh!" from the "crowd"--the Hun in his cot outside the gun-room door. - -Behind the little table sat the Sub, smoking his pipe--that office pen, -which represented the "Prisoner's" sword, and the gun-room cane in front -of him. On his left, at the end of the little table, sat Uncle Podger -with his "cocked" hat on, his sword between his knees, and a roll of -papers in his hands. In front and on the right of the "Judge" was the -stove fender for the "Prisoner at the Bar", and in front and on the -left, the Padre's reading-desk, laden with a pile of volumes of -Chambers's _Encyclopaedia_, borrowed from the ward-room. The Lamp-post, -as "Prosecutor", leant "gracefully" against it. - -Behind the "Judge" stood the Pimple--a black mask hiding most of his -face--brandishing a huge meat-chopper, kindly lent by the marine -butcher. - -The Orphan had vanished. - -The China Doll was now marched to the Bar. - -"Attention! Silence in Court!" shouted the War Baby in a shrill -falsetto; and the two "Jailers", standing on each side of the China -Doll, repeated it after him, trying to make funny faces, and jerking the -ends of the chain coiled round the "Prisoner's" chest, whilst that -luckless youth opened and shut his eyes, and kept saying: "Shut up! -you're hurting!" - -Silence, or comparative silence, having been obtained, Uncle Podger -gravely read, from a long roll of paper, the horrible charge: "Whereas, -Mr. Charles Stokes, commonly known as the China Doll, did, after being -duly warned and cautioned not to wear pink socks"--(loud "booing" from -the "crowd", and a request from the "crowd" for his cot to be shifted a -little farther for'ard, so that he could see better). - -After this interruption, and the Court had settled down again, the -"Judge-Advocate" resumed: "pink socks, not in accordance with the -Uniform Regulations of His Majesty's Navy, and also infringing the -customs of the Honourable Mess, and being distasteful to the Honourable -Members thereof, and did indulge this noxious habit on sundry and divers -occasions, to wit, notably at dinner on the thirteenth day of the first -month of the year nineteen hundred and sixteen; therefore, the aforesaid -Mr. Charles Stokes be now brought before a Court Martial, duly -assembled, and his crime diligently, and with all due formality, -examined into, and death or other such punishment as be deemed -necessary, awarded." - -"Prisoner at the Bar," the "Judge-Advocate" began sternly--("Tremble, -China Doll," Rawlins implored in a whisper. "Shake the chain and the -handcuffs.")--"having heard the grave charge, do you plead guilty or not -guilty?" - -"Guilty, my Lord," squeaked the "Prisoner", knowing that this was just -what no one would want him to say. - -"The 'Prisoner at the Bar' pleads 'Not guilty'--not guilty, my Lord!'" -shrieked the "Provost-Marshal", "Master-at-Arms", "Second Executioner", -and "Prisoner's Escort", all rolled in one, waving his long sword; the -two comic "Jailers" joined in to drown the "Prisoner's" voice. - -There was now heard, from the deck outside, shouts of "Justice! -Justice!" and a rather mild "booing" from the "crowd"; in rushed the -Orphan and struck an attitude. "Am I too late to save my young friend's -life?" he cried tragically, holding one hand against the front of his -monkey-jacket, beneath which something bulged out. "The prisoner pleads -'Not guilty, my Lord!' and I am here to prove his innocence. Fleeing -from the Dardanelles, flying from the post of danger, I--I--I---- Oh, -hang it all; I can't remember any more!" - -So down the Orphan sat, amidst groans from the "Jailers", the "First and -Second Executioners", and the "crowd" outside. - -"The 'Prisoner at the Bar' having pleaded 'Not guilty, my Lord!'" -continued the "Judge-Advocate", "I will now request my honourable -friend, 'Mr. Prosecutor', to proceed." - -So the Lamp-post, having cleared his throat several times, and fixed the -"Prisoner" with an "eagle glance", before which the China Doll's knees -shook in the most realistic manner, proceeded: "My Lord, in my -researches among my legal books" (here he rested his hand on the -Encyclopaedia) "I find but little mention of socks, and none of pink -socks, which is sufficient proof that the crime, of which the 'Prisoner -at the Bar' is charged, is one of a unique and most dangerous character. -But" (and he banged the reading-desk) "in the article on 'Dyes' I find -this: 'Pink dye is produced from coal-tar'"--(great sensation in Court; -Bubbles pretended to faint against the bulkhead; the Pimple waved the -meat-chopper so close to the "Judge's" head that he was told to put it -down in the corner; and there was prolonged hissing from the "crowd"). - -Then the "Prosecutor", lightly touching on coal-tar soap, tarred -roads--their advantage to motors and disadvantage to the fish in the -streams which ran alongside them, briefly mentioned the good old custom -of "tar and feathering", which he trusted the Court would inflict on the -wretched "Prisoner at the Bar". "These," he said, suddenly holding aloft -the two incriminating socks, "are the abominated vestments or -'what-nots' owned and worn by that trembling, terrified tadpole, that -cringing criminal in the dock. I will now, my Lord, proceed to call my -witnesses." - -"You're doing it spiffingly!" whispered Rawlins to the China Doll. "If -you could only wink up a tear, and shake the chains a bit more!" - -One by one, Uncle Podger, the "Jailers", and Barnes (in his -shirt-sleeves) were called to the reading-desk, sworn on the office copy -of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions, and each -identified those socks as having been worn by the "Prisoner" on the -occasion in question. The War Baby further gave evidence that he had -found them that night concealed in the "Prisoner's" chest. - -The Orphan, with some hazy idea of judicial procedure, tried -unsuccessfully to obtain a hearing. At last he was heard to say: "That -the 'Prisoner at the Bar' denied ever having seen them before; that -having been brought up from the tenderest age on 'Pink Pills for Pale -Piccaninnies', he so abominated that colour that he invariably fainted -on seeing it". Here, with his free hand (for the other hand still -clasped the bulge beneath his monkey-jacket), he seized the pink socks -from the "Prosecutor" and held them in front of the "Prisoner's" face. - -[Illustration: THE GUN-ROOM COURT MARTIAL ON THE CHINA DOLL.] - -The China Doll promptly fell back into the arms of the "Jailers" and -"Provost-Marshal". - -"See, my Lord!" and the Orphan pointed triumphantly (as Rawlins -whispered, "Keep on fainting--I'll tell you when to stop"); "can the -Court require further proof of his innocence?" - -("Yes! Yes! Booh! Booh! Yah!" from the "crowd" and the Pimple.) - -"Then I will produce the real criminal, the owner of those hateful -socks;" and putting his hand inside his monkey-jacket, the Orphan drew -out "Kaiser Bill", with his head out and legs dangling from his shell. - -"There he is! Come to save the innocent life of that young officer--at -the risk of his own shell!" (Tremendous sensation in Court; the -"Jailers" flung their arms round each other and wept loudly--even the -"Judge" smiled as he refilled his pipe.) - -"I will now confront him with those socks, and the Court will see him -recognize them," went on the Orphan, and dangled a sock in front of -"Kaiser Bill". Unfortunately, just at that moment the Pimple dropped the -meat-chopper, and "Kaiser Bill", thinking, probably, that "Asiatic -Annie" was getting busy again, promptly "ducked" inside his shell, and -nothing would induce him to come out again. - -The Lamp-post banged the reading-desk. "My Lord, you have seen for -yourself that the Witness for the Defence refuses to perjure himself: -the case is clear; I submit that the charge is proved." - -In the general clamour and booing which followed, the China Doll -endeavoured to make himself heard; but every time he opened his mouth, -Rawlins or Bubbles slapped a wet sponge (thoughtfully provided by the -Pimple) over his mouth, and the War Baby sawed gently at his neck with -his sword. - -Amid the general uproar, the Orphan was understood to be pleading for -the clemency of the Court. "The 'Prisoner at the Bar'," he was heard to -say, "resolved, at a tender age, to devote his life to his King and -Country, and, leaving several disconsolate, doting wives and children to -mourn his loss, had come to sea to make toast for the Honourable Mess." - -"But he doesn't make it now; he never did! He always ate it himself!" -yelled the "Jailers", the "First Executioner", and the "crowd". - -"I look to the justice of the Court to acquit the miserable little -worm--I mean, this gallant and impetuous officer--of the foul charge -which--which--which---- Oh, hang it all! I've forgotten what comes -next," the Orphan said, and, amidst "loud and prolonged cheering" from -the Hun in his cot outside, sat down on the gun-room table with "Kaiser -Bill" on his knees. - -The Sub banged the table. "Has the 'Prisoner at the Bar' anything to -say in his defence?" - -The China Doll, thinking that at last the time had come for him to make -the funny remarks he expected everyone to laugh at, began, in his most -squeaky voice, his eyes opening and shutting: "My Lord, old Lampy -is----" - -"The Prosecutor! the Prosecutor!" they all shouted, whilst the "Jailers" -clapped the sponge over his mouth. - -"Is an ass!" shrieked the China Doll, struggling free. - -"Muzzle the 'Prisoner'! Shove the sponge in his mouth! Cut his head -off!" shouted the "Jailers", the "Provost-Marshal", the "First -Executioner", and the "crowd". - -The Sub banged the table for silence, and roared: "'Provost-Marshal', -remove the 'Prisoner', and send back the 'Jailers'!" Whereupon the -China Doll was lifted up, kicking and squeaking, and taken out into the -half-deck, the War Baby keeping guard whilst the two "Comic Jailers" -came back. - -"Now look here," began the Sub, "we've had too much of this fooling of -the Assistant Clerk. He's not a bad little chap, and we're simply -spoiling him. He thinks of nothing but how he can make us laugh at him. -When he goes to another ship he'll have a rotten time, and grow up to be -a 'rotter'. He wore those pink socks after I had told him not to do so, -and to make you laugh at him all the more. Now all this 'rot' has to -stop--from this very moment. He is not to be called China Doll any -longer--the name will stick to him, and sooner or later spoil him. -Stokes is his name, and Stokes--and nothing else--nothing else, do you -understand?--you will call him in future. You can 'scrap' with him as -much as you like, but you are to talk sensibly to him--and you are never -again to call him China Doll. Go and fetch the 'Prisoner'." - -The snotties never expected any ending like this, and, rather -bewildered, brought back the excited Mr. Stokes. - -"Take off those handcuffs and foolhardy chains," the Sub called out, -"and bring Mr. Stokes over here." - -The Assistant Clerk stood opposite the Sub, wondering why the others -didn't giggle at the abject look of silly fright he tried to show. - -"Stand up when I speak to you!" growled the Sub, and the Assistant Clerk -straightened himself and looked frightened--naturally; he didn't know -what was the matter. - -"I have taken 'President of the Court' to-night, Mr. Stokes," the Sub -began sternly, "and let you have your fun out of it, but I am going to -say a few things to you which you are to remember. If you intend to -become a credit to yourself and the Navy you must learn to obey -orders--that is the first thing. Then you must learn to be manly, which -you are not trying to do here. If you hadn't been just a silly, little -puppy I should have beaten you; but from now on, you are to be called by -your proper name--Stokes--and by nothing else--and--and--dash it -all--come with me to my cabin and talk it over." - -Ten minutes later they both came back, the Assistant Clerk looking as if -he had shed tears. - -The Sub put his hand on his shoulder. "Have a drink, Stokes?" and Mr. -Stokes looking up, with a suspicion of a tremble on his lips, said: -"Thank you, sir, I should like a ginger beer." - -"Barnes!" called the Sub; "bring me a whisky and soda, and a ginger beer -for Mr. Stokes." - -The others kept very quiet. - - -The evening after that court martial had taken place, and just before -dinner, Bubbles and the Orphan, vastly excited, knocked at the door of -the Sub's cabin. - -"We've had this made for 'Kaiser Bill'," they both began saying, -bursting in. "Could we get Fletcher and the tortoise down to the -gun-room after dinner, and present it to him--properly?" and they pulled -out a brass cross, shaped like a German "Iron Cross", suspended on a -piece of coloured ribbon with a proper brooch and four "clasps". - -The Sub examined it, smiling as he read on one side of the cross "Kaiser -Bill--the Tortoise", on the other "Good Luck"; and on the clasps: -"_Achates_, 1915-16"--"Smyrna"--"'W' beach"--and on the fourth--a very -broad one: "Evacuation, Suvla--Helles". - -"We got it made on board," they said. "Haven't they done it well?" - -"Where did you get the ribbon?" he asked. - -"Off the War Baby's straw hat. He'll never want it. Can we tell -Fletcher to come down after dinner, and will you give 'Kaiser Bill' the -medal? It would be best to come from you." - -"All right; tell him to come to the gun-room after 'rounds'." - -So off they rushed. - -Just after nine o'clock old Fletcher came aft with the tortoise. They -all met him outside, escorted him into the gun-room, and made him sit -down in the one easy-chair, with the tortoise on his knees. - -Then the Sub said: "We've had a medal made for 'Kaiser Bill', Fletcher; -we thought you'd like to have it, just to remember what he had been -through, and remind you about it later on." - -The old stoker took the medal and its clasps, pulled his gold spectacles -out of their case from inside his "jumper", fixed them on his nose, and -beamed when he read the inscriptions. "Thank you very much, gentlemen! -Thank you all, very much! I'll take it home with me, and I hope I'll -take 'Kaiser Bill' home too. He did bring luck, didn't he? If we'd -only had him with us, that last time in the picket-boat, we shouldn't -have lost her. Should we, sir?" - -Then Stokes, very nervous because this was his first public appearance -under his real name, stuttered: "And, Fletcher, the Sub wants me to give -you this box of cigars; he thinks 'Kaiser Bill' likes the smell of cigar -smoke!" - -"It's very kind of you all; thank you very much, gentlemen;" and the old -stoker, beaming at them through his gold spectacles, added, artlessly: -"If 'Kaiser Bill' doesn't enjoy the smell of them, I know someone who -does. Thank you all, very much indeed!" - - -Next morning, just after daybreak, every one of the midshipmen (except -the Hun in his cot) came on deck to see the old walls of Malta standing -up out of the glittering sea, ahead of the ship. - -As they watched, and chaffed Rawlins about the dinner he had to "stand" -the Lamp-post at the Club, the messenger-boy from the "wireless" room -brought aft the usual morning "Wireless Press News". - -"Beg pardon, sir, but there's something about you this morning," he -said, coming up to the Orphan. - -"About me! What d'you mean?" - -"There, sir," and the messenger-boy pointed to the end of the last page. - -They all crowded round the Orphan, who read: "The following additional -Naval honours appeared in last night's _Gazette_", and at the end of the -list came--and the Orphan's head buzzed--"Distinguished Service -Cross--Midshipman Vincent Orpen". - -For a minute he wondered whether it was possible that there could be -another midshipman of the same name; but whilst the others thumped him -on the back and congratulated him, another messenger came flying down -from the bridge: "The Captain wants you, sir, at once." - -Not knowing whether he was on his head or his heels, the Orphan flew up -to the fore bridge. - -Captain Macfarlane smiled at him and tugged his beard. - -"Is it really true, sir?" - -"I imagine so; I sent your name in." - -"What's it for, sir?" - -"I think, Mr. Orpen, for working that maxim in your picket-boat, at -Ajano." - -"Thank you awfully, sir! but Plunky Bill was wounded twice, sir." - -"Was he the seaman who fired it before you 'took on'?" asked the -Captain. - -"Yes, sir; he was hit twice before he gave up." - -"I think, Mr. Orpen, you'll find that he has not been forgotten." - -"Thank you, sir, awfully! I--I--must go and tell the Hun and the -Sub--won't they be pleased?" - -The Orphan thereupon dashed down the bridge ladder. - - - - - PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN - _At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland_ - - - - -[Illustration: Sketch map of Gallipoli and The Dardanelles] - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - *BY FLEET SURGEON T. T. JEANS, R.N.* - - - "The manifold excellences of Fleet Surgeon Jeans' work--its freshness, - its originality, and above all its abiding humour."--Outlook. - - - _Large crown 8vo, cloth extra. Illustrated_ - - -Gunboat and Gun-runner: A Tale of the Persian Gulf. - -"That boy must be a dullard whose pulse does not quicken, or his -imagination begin to glow, when he reads this exciting tale."--Bookman. - - -John Graham, Sub-Lieutenant, R.N.: A Tale of the Atlantic Fleet. - -"A real workaday narrative of midshipmen's life as seen through the eyes -of a young gunroom officer. We cannot imagine a better book for the -mature boy."--Evening Standard. - - -On Foreign Service: or, The Santa Cruz Revolution. - -"His book is among the very first we would recommend."-- Glasgow Herald. - - -Ford of H.M.S. Vigilant: A Tale of the Chusan Archipelago. - -"A distinctly good story."--Naval and Military Record. - - -Mr. Midshipman Glover, R.N.: A Tale of the Royal Navy of To-day. - -"A really first-class book of naval adventure."--Literary World. - - - - LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LTD., 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A NAVAL VENTURE *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45960 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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