coastal craft. One of
these had some irregularity about her and was sent out to the ship with
a marine and a bluejacket in charge while the cutter continued her task.
That dhow stood out to sea as if making for the ship and then proceeded
along the coast. The cutter, still busied with other dhows, presumed
that the first craft had reported alongside the ship and been allowed to
proceed; the ship naturally regarded her as a craft that had been
examined and permitted to continue her journey. And that is all we ever
knew for certain of her or the fate of our two men. Their previous
record puts desertion out of the question; besides, no sane men would
desert to a barren, inhospitable coast among semi-hostile fanatics whose
language was unknown to them. On the other hand, the men were, of
course, fully armed, and there were but five of the dhow's crew all
told, of whom two were not able-bodied. There must have been the
blackest treachery--probably the unfortunate men goodnaturedly helped
with the running gear and were knocked on the head while so engaged.
Their bodies would, no doubt, have been put over the side when the dhow
was out of sight, and their rifles sold inland at a fancy price.

When I first joined the patrol we were not allowed to bombard or land at
any point between the mouth of the Gulf of Akaba and the Hejaz southern
border. The Turkish fort up at Akaba had been knocked about a good deal
by various ships of the patrol, and the whole place was uninhabited; but
we visited it frequently, as drifting mines were put in up there,
having been taken off the rail at Maan and brought down to the head of
the gulf, in section, by camel. I always suspected the existence of a
Turkish observation-post, but no signs of occupation had been seen for a
long time till H.M.S. "Fox" went up one dark night without a light
showing. All dead-lights were shipped, and dark blue electric bulbs
replaced the usual ones where a light of some sort was essential and
visible from out-board. The padre, who had opened the "vicarage"
dead-light about an inch to get a breath of air, was promptly spotted by
an indignant Number One who said that it made the ship look like a
floating gin palace. This must have been a pardonable hyperbole, for the
signal-fires ashore which used to herald our approach from afar were not
lit.

We were off Akaba at peep of day, and two armed cutters raced each other
to the beach. I went with the one that made for the