to be more serious,
not to say pensive. The _Savage_ showed a pair of clean heels this time
and ran right away to Helles. So there we were, marooned, half a mile
out to sea, in a tiny dinghy on which the Turks again switched their
blarsted guns. The two bluejackets pulled themselves purple. They were
both of them fat reservists and the mingling of anxiety and exertion,
emotion and motion, made the sweat pour in torrents down their cheeks.
Each time a shell plunked into the water we brightened up; then,
gradually, until the next one splashed, our faces grew longer and
longer. At last we got so far away that the Turks gave us up in disgust.
How much I should like to see that battery commander's diary.
Altogether, by the time we had boarded the _Savage_, we had been in that
cursed little dinghy for just exactly one hour, of which I should think
we were being gently shelled for three quarters of an hour. On board the
destroyer no harm to speak of: only one man wounded.

Cast anchor at Imbros at 9 p.m. General Legge and Captain H. Lloyd came
over to stay the night. Mail from England.

Have cabled again to stir them up about the hospital ships.

_18th July, 1915._ Church Parade. Inspected troops. Wrote in camp all
the afternoon. Walked out to the lighthouse in the evening and watched
the shells bursting over Gully Beach where we were yesterday. How often
have I felt anxious seeing these shrapnel through the telescope. On the
spot, as I know from yesterday's experience, their bark is worse than
their bite. Colonel Ward of the Intelligence came to dinner and Captain
Doughtie, commanding H.M.S. _Abercrombie_, paid me a visit.

_19th July, 1915._ Too much office work. Mr. Schuler, an Australian
journalist and war correspondent, turned up. Seems a highly intelligent
young fellow. He had met me on tour in Australia. Gave him leave to go
anywhere and see everything. The Staff shake their heads, but the future
is locked away in our heads, and the more the past is known the better
for us.

Braithwaite has heard from the War Office that the Brigade of Russians
which had started from Vladivostock to join us here has been
counter-ordered. The War Office seem rather pleased than otherwise that
this reinforcement has fallen through. Why, I can't imagine. As they are
sending us a big fresh force of Britishers, they probably persuade
themselves that 5,000 Russians would be more trouble than they are
worth, but they forget the many thou