an American, and, grinning all over
his face, said, "These are our very latest development."

I almost trembled as the covers were drawn off, and then I recognised
guns, truly of a modern make but not very new nor powerful, and then
he gave away the whole secret by saying: "Of course, we are trying to
impress a certain power with the idea that we are re-arming our forts,
and therefore we are letting it be known that we are keeping these
guns a dead secret and covered from view of any spies."

On another occasion it fell to my lot to inspect some of the defences
of the Dardanelles, and I found it could best be done from the
seaward. This involved my taking passage in an old grain steamer
running between Odessa and Liverpool, and my voyage in her was one of
the most charming and original that it has been my lot to take.

A tramp steamer loaded down with grain until its cargo is almost
running out of the ventilators is--contrary to all expectations--quite
a comfortable boat for cruising in. The captain and his wife lived
in comfortable cabins amidships under the bridge; the after deck was
stocked with pigs and chickens, which fed liberally on the cargo. The
captain's good lady was a Scotch woman, and therefore an excellent
cook.

Everything was most clean and comfortable, and the captain most
thoroughly entered into my various schemes for observing and examining
the defences of the coast as we went along.

He allowed me practically to take command of the ship as regards
her course and anchoring. From side to side of the Dardanelles we
wandered, and when we came abreast of one of the forts that needed
study we anchored ship.

Our erratic procedure naturally invited investigation, and when a
Government pilot boat put off to enquire our reason for anchoring in
a certain bay he came to the conclusion that our steering gear was not
in very good order and that we had stopped to repair it.

While the ship was at anchor a boat was lowered and I whiled away the
time, nominally in fishing, but really in cruising about close to the
forts and fishing for information rather than for fish by observing
the different types of the guns employed and sketching their position
and the radius of fire allowed to take them by the splay of their
embrasures; also we took soundings where necessary and made sketch
maps of possible landing places for attacking or other purposes.

SORE FEET.

Bosnia and Herzegovina were under Austrian pro