-Last night C Section was sent off in advance, A
following about 11 o'clock. We hoped to get off quickly, the object of
the rest being to take us out of shell fire. We had to pass along the
road at the top of the lighthouse cliff, and C Section, as they waited
for us beside the "River Clyde," observed a signal about the time we
had been passing that point. The Kum Kale guns gave us what they
considered a fair time to cover the remaining piece of ground, and
just as we were coming up to the "River Clyde," under whose shelter we
were to embark, we heard the whistle of an approaching shell. We lay
flat but there was no time for shelter. Instead of one shell, as we
thought, four (some say six) burst simultaneously about us, all high
explosives. Not a man was hit, which was an absolute miracle; all had
burst beside us, and actually among us, as I thought. I rushed back
through the dense smoke and dust, expecting to find terrible havoc in
our ranks, and found the men had bolted to shelter, leaving their
packs in the middle of the road. I shouted but got no reply, but in
twos and threes they collected near the pier, and rushed along to the
side of the boat. Other men had been passing along this pier when the
shells burst, and a number were killed and mangled, one of the barges
being simply splashed with blood. All this was most unfortunate, but
it did not end until we got sixteen shells in all. The officers after
the first salvo sheltered at the entrance of a deep dugout owned by a
Frenchman. Whenever he saw the flash of a gun over the water he
shouted "Kum Kale" and pointed to his dugout, when we dived down in
beautiful style, tumbling over each other down the dark steps. At last
our mine-sweeper came in and we boarded her about 1.30 a.m. to-day.
She took us beyond the reach of the guns to the "Osmanieh," a fine
boat of the Khedivial mail line. I had had practically no sleep for
the last three nights, and I was soon on the top of my bed half
undressed and fast asleep.

We breakfasted at 8 as we were entering the outer roads of Lemnos.
Here we had two more transfers before we landed on the most
inhospitable looking shore we had ever seen. We soon wished ourselves
back in Gallipoli with its shells. The wind blew, and such a dust. All
the land round the harbour, and far inland is one large camp. The
harbour is covered with battleships and transports, most of the former
flying the tricolour flag, and among the others are many of