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diff --git a/old/50425.txt b/old/50425.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cf3a469..0000000 --- a/old/50425.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7317 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Four-Fifty Miles to Freedom, by Maurice -Andrew Brackenreed Johnston and Kenneth Darlaston Yearsley - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Four-Fifty Miles to Freedom - - -Author: Maurice Andrew Brackenreed Johnston and Kenneth Darlaston Yearsley - - - -Release Date: November 10, 2015 [eBook #50425] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR-FIFTY MILES TO FREEDOM*** - - -E-text prepared by MWS, Moti Ben-Ari, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/toronto) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 50425-h.htm or 50425-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50425/50425-h/50425-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50425/50425-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries. See - https://archive.org/details/fourfiftymilesto00john - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - A carat character is used to denote superscription. A - single character following the carat is superscripted - (example: M^c). - - - - - -FOUR-FIFTY MILES TO FREEDOM - - -[Illustration: -_From a photo taken at Famagusta, Cyprus, by Lieut. E. F. McAlpine, H.L.I._ -(_attached Royal Scots_). - -THE SUCCESSFUL ESCAPE PARTY, WITH SOME CAPTURED TROPHIES. - Left to right--standing: Captains J. H. HARRIS, F. R. - ELLIS, A. B. HAIG, Commander A. D. COCHRANE, - D.S.O., R.N., Captains V. S. CLARKE and M. A. B. - JOHNSTON. Seated: Captains R. A. P. GRANT, M.C., and - K. D. YEARSLEY.] - - -FOUR-FIFTY MILES TO FREEDOM - -by - -CAPTAIN M. A. B. JOHNSTON, R.G.A. and CAPTAIN K. D. YEARSLEY, R.E. - - - - - - - -William Blackwood and Sons -Edinburgh and London -1919 - -All Rights Reserved - - - - - _TO THE_ - _REVEREND =HAROLD SPOONER, C.F.=,_ - _FELLOW-PRISONER OF WAR - IN TURKEY._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. KASTAMONI AND CHANGRI 3 - II. FIRST PLANS FOR ESCAPE 15 - III. AN ATTEMPT THAT FAILED 39 - IV. YOZGAD CAMP 55 - V. THE FLAG FALLS 83 - VI. THE PEACEFUL SHEPHERDS 108 - VII. RECAPTURED? 124 - VIII. THE ANCIENT HALYS 140 - IX. A RETREAT UNDER FIRE 159 - X. THE THREE HUNS 176 - XI. IN THE HEART OF THE TAURUS 195 - XII. DOWN TO THE SEA 211 - XIII. ON THE COAST 233 - XIV. FAILURE AND SUCCESS 253 - XV. FREEDOM 278 - XVI. CONCLUSION 293 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - THE SUCCESSFUL ESCAPE PARTY, WITH SOME - CAPTURED TROPHIES _Frontispiece_ - AN OLD BRIDGE AT KASTAMONI _Facing p._ 4 - COUNTRY KNOWN TO THE LOCAL HUNT CLUB - AS "HADES" " 60 - YOZGAD CAMP FROM N.W. " 94 - UPPER HOUSE, YOZGAD, FROM N.N.E. (WINTER TIME) " 98 - THE FLIGHT FROM MOSES' WELL " 162 - LIFE IN THE RAVINE " 234 - THE MOTOR BOAT " 274 - MAP _at end_ - - - - -Four-Fifty Miles to Freedom. - - -PRISONER OF WAR. - - When you've halted after marching till you feel you do not care - What may happen, for you can't march any more, - And the order comes to "Fall in" and to march you know not where, - Then thank God you're not a prisoner of war. - - When you're fighting in the trenches ankle-deep in mud and slush, - With the north wind cutting through you keen and raw, - While the second hand ticks slowly till it's time to make the rush, - Then thank God you're not a prisoner of war. - - When the order's "Up and at 'em" and the blood beats through your head, - When the dead are falling round you by the score, - And when all you think and all you feel and all you see is red, - Then thank God you're not a prisoner of war. - - When you're fighting in the desert where the heat waves never stop, - And you've never known what thirst has been before, - Though you'd sell your soul for water and you know there's not a drop, - Then thank God you're not a prisoner of war. - - We've been handed down a birthright which the bards of ages sing, - From the days of Agincourt and long before, - That a Briton owns no master save his God and save his king, - But you find a third when prisoner of war. - - It's a feeling right inside you, and it never lets you go, - That you haven't been allowed to pay your score: - You may still be hale and hearty, but you're missing all the show. - What offers for the job? Prisoner of war. - - M. A. B. J. - _Written in_ KASTAMONI, - 1916. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -KASTAMONI AND CHANGRI. - - -"Il n'y a pas trois officiers." Such was the memorable epigram by which -Sherif Bey, Turkish Captain of the Prisoners-of-War Guard at Kastamoni, -and a man regardless of detail, announced to us that four officers, -whose escape has been described in 'Blackwood's Magazine,'[1] had got -safely away from the camp. Those of us who knew that the attempt was -being made were anxiously waiting for news. To others it came as a -great surprise. Captain[2] Keeling, in his story mentioned above, does -not, for obvious reasons, name any one who helped them. Now it does not -matter. - -Officers sang loudly and long to prevent the nearest sentry from -hearing the noise of rusty nails being pulled out of a door not many -feet away from him, though hidden from view. More metaphorical dust was -thrown in this wretched man's eyes and ears by the incorrigible James, -who during these critical moments described to him, in very inadequate -Turkish, but with a sense of humour equal to any occasion, the working -parts of a petrol motor-engine. Another helper was an orderly, Gunner -Prosser, R.F.A., a remarkable man with a passion for wandering about -in the dark. The thought of spending a quiet night sleeping in his -prisoners' quarters was repellent to him. As far as we could make out, -he never missed a night's prowl. A fez, a false beard, and a civilian -overcoat were the only "props" he used. This was undoubtedly the man -to help Keeling's party out of the town, for the by-streets were -better known to Prosser in the dark than they were to other prisoners -by daylight. Accordingly, he led the four officers out of Kastamoni. -Some one, however, must have seen and suspected them, for less than -three-quarters of an hour after their start the alarm was given. Shots -were fired and the camp suddenly bristled with sentries. Through this -cordon Prosser had to get back to his quarters. A Turkish sergeant, -into whom he ran full tilt, was knocked over backwards. Followed by -revolver shots from the angry _chaouse_, Prosser darted up one side -street, doubled on his tracks by another, and by his own private -entrance reached his quarters in safety. Here he disposed of his beard -and fez, shaved off his moustache in the dark, and got into bed. When -a few minutes later Captain Sherif Bey came round to feel the hearts -of all the orderlies, Prosser could hardly be roused from an innocent -sleep, and his steady heart-beats allayed all suspicion as to the part -he had played. - -[Illustration: -_From a sketch by Major F. S. Barker, R.E._ -AN OLD BRIDGE AT KASTAMONI.] - -The effect of the escape of these four officers on our camp was -considerable. We were confined to our houses without any exercise -for ten days; sentries were more than trebled on the principle of -locking the stable door. This, however, did not affect Prosser, who -took his nightly walks as usual. Our commandant, Colonel Fettah Bey, -was dismissed in disgrace and replaced by a Sami Bey, whose rank -corresponded with that of a brigadier-general. Now came rumours of the -closing down of the camp at Kastamoni and a move to Changri (pronounced -Chungri)--a mere village about eighty miles due south of us. - -Keeling's party escaped on August 8, 1917. Each day that followed, -Sherif Bey brought official news of their capture in different parts -of Asia Minor. One was reminded of Mark Twain's stolen white elephant. -The marching powers of the four officers must have been phenomenal: -sometimes they covered hundreds of miles in a few hours. Confined to -our houses, we amused ourselves taking bets with the Turkish sentries, -who were convinced that the fugitives would be brought back to -Kastamoni within a week. In their opinion those who had escaped were -madmen. What could be more delightful than the life they were running -away from,--one could sit in a chair all day quietly smoking cigarettes -and drinking coffee, far away from the detested war--assuredly they -were quite mad! Now it was unwise to bet, because when we lost we paid -up, and when the Turks lost they did not feel in any way bound to do -so. Our first commandant, Colonel Tewfik Bey, betted heavily on the war -ending before Christmas 1916. He went on the doubling system. On losing -his bet he deferred payment and doubled his bet for a later date, till -by the time he lost his job as commandant he had mortgaged most of -Turkey. - -One half of the prisoners at Kastamoni moved to Changri on September -27, 1917, the other half about ten days later. Three weeks before the -departure of the first party we were told to be ready to move in a few -days' time. Preparations were made, rooms dismantled, and home-made -beds, tables, and chairs pulled to bits for convenience of transport; -kit and crockery were packed, and all of us were living in a state of -refined discomfort, when we were told that the move had been postponed, -owing to lack of available mules and carts. Some of us set to work to -rebuild beds and chairs, others resigned themselves to fate and were -content to sleep on the floor and sit on boxes. If we remember aright, -there were two postponements. - -At last the day of leaving Kastamoni really did arrive. We had been -promised so many carts and so many mules and had made our arrangements -accordingly. At the last moment we were told that fewer carts and -mules had rolled up. This meant leaving something behind, or marching -the whole way--one decided for oneself. Many of us marched every step -to Changri. Our departure took place at 1 P.M., and a weird -procession we must have looked--carts and mules loaded high with -all manner of furniture, stoves and stove-pipes sticking out in all -directions. - -The poor Greeks of the town were very sad to see us go. The Rev. Harold -Spooner, through the Greek priest, had been able from time to time -to distribute to these destitute people fair sums of money supplied -by voluntary subscription among the prisoners. In addition to this, -families of little children used to be fed daily by some messes, -and so we were able, in a small way, to relieve the want of a few -unhappy Christians. Before we left Kastamoni, the Padre showed us a -letter which he had received from the head Greek priest, thanking us -for having helped the poor. We had, he said, kept families together, -and young girls from going on the streets, and he assured us that it -would be the privilege of the Greek community to look after the small -graveyard we had made for the six officers and men who had died while -we were there. - -By 2 P.M. we were clear of Kastamoni. The change of camp -would be a great break in the monotony of our existence, and for the -time being we were happy. The journey was to take four days. At night -we halted near water at a suitable camping-ground by the roadside, and -in the early morning started off again. A healthy life and a great -holiday for us. For the first two days the scenery was magnificent, as -we crossed the forest-covered Hilgas range, but as we approached our -destination the country became more and more barren. On the fourth day, -coming over a crest, we saw the village of Changri built at the foot of -a steep and bare hill. We went through the village, and a mile beyond -us stood our future home. - -A dirty-looking, two-storied square building it was, surrounded on -three sides by level fields edged with a few willows. On the west the -ground rose a little to the main Angora road. Close to the barracks -were sixty graves, which looked fairly new. This gave a bad impression -of the place at the start. On entering, we were too dumfounded to -speak, and here it may be added that it took a lot to dumfound us. The -square inside the buildings was full of sheep and goats, and the ground -was consequently filthy. The lower-storey rooms, which were to be our -mess-rooms, had been used for cattle, and the cellar pointed out to us -as our kitchen was at least a foot deep in manure. Only one wing of the -barracks had window panes, and these were composed of small bits of -glass rudely fitted together. Truly a depressing place. - -Many of us elected to sleep that night in the square in preference -to the filthier barrack rooms. The sanitary arrangements were beyond -words. The next morning we set to work cleaning up, but it was weeks -before the place was habitable. Another great inconvenience was that -for many days drinking-water had to be fetched in buckets from the -village over a mile away; but for this the Turks finally provided a -water-cart. - -It was at Changri that most of the twenty-five officers who escaped -from Yozgad on August 7, 1918, made up their parties. Our party, only -six at that time, consisted of-- - - Captain A. B. Haig, 24th Punjabis; - Captain R. A. P. Grant, 112th Infantry; - Captain V. S. Clarke, 2nd Batt. Royal West Kent Regiment; - Captain J. H. Harris, 1/4 Hampshire Territorials; - -and the two authors. Throughout the remainder of our narrative these -six will be denoted by their respective nicknames: Old Man, Grunt, -Nobby, Perce, Johnny, and Looney. - -Roughly speaking, there were four alternative directions open to us.[3] -Northwards to the Black Sea, a distance of 100 miles; eastwards to -the Russian front, 250 to 350 miles; to the Mediterranean, 300 miles -southward, or 400 miles westward. Compared to the others the distance -to the Black Sea was small, but outweighing this advantage was the fact -that Keeling's party had got away in that direction, and the coast -would be carefully guarded if another escape took place. The position -of the Russian front, so far as we knew, was anything up to 350 miles -away, and the country to the east of us was very mountainous. In -addition, an escape in that direction would entail getting through the -Turkish fighting lines, which we thought would prove very difficult. -The Salt Desert, at least 150 miles across, frightened us off thinking -of the southern route. The remaining one was westward: it was the -longest distance to go, it is true, but for this very reason we hoped -the Turks would not suspect us of trying it. The valleys ran in the -direction we should be travelling, and if we did reach the coast, it -was possible that we might get in touch with one of the islands in -Allied hands. - -Having made up our minds, we sent code messages home to find out which -would be the best island to make for in the following early summer. -We also asked for reduced maps to cover our route from Changri to the -selected island, and requested that a look-out should be kept from it -in case we signalled from the coast. - -Shortly after we had made our decision the question of giving parole -cropped up. To any one who gave it the Turks offered a better camp and -more liberty. It was a question for each to decide for himself, and we -did so. On the 22nd November 1917, therefore, seventy-seven officers -went off to Geddos. It was very sad parting from many good friends, and -when the last cart disappeared round the spur of the hill, one turned -away wondering if one would ever see them again. There were still -forty-four officers and about twenty-eight orderlies in Changri. These -officers were moved into the north wing of the barracks, and there -they remained for the next four and a half months. At this period we -had a great financial crisis--none of us had any money, prices were -very high, and it came to tightening our belts a little. Our long and -badly-built barrack rooms were very draughty, and as we had no money -there was not much likelihood of getting firewood. Some cheerful Turk -kindly told us that the winter at Changri was intensely cold, and that -the temperature often fell below zero. Altogether the prospect for the -next few months was anything but pleasant. - -During our most depressed moments, however, we could always raise a -smile over the thought that we were "The honoured guests of Turkey." -Enver Pasha himself had told us so at Mosul, where we halted on -our four-hundred-mile march across the desert, after the fall of -Kut-el-Amara.[4] So it must have been true. - -At the time we write this unscrupulous adventurer, Enver--a man of -magnetic personality and untiring in his energy to further his personal -schemes--has but lately fled to Caucasia. He is a young man, and -having held a position of highest authority in Turkey for some years, -presumably a rich one. Doubtless he will lead a happy and prosperous -existence for many years to come. - -There are thousands of sad hearts in England and in the Indian Empire -to-day, and hundreds of thousands in Turkey itself, as a result of the -utter disregard for human life entertained by this man and a few of his -colleagues. Of the massacre of Armenians we will not speak, although -we have seen their dead bodies, and although we have met their little -children dying of starvation on the roadsides, and have passed by their -silent villages; but we should fail in our duty to the men of the -British Empire who died in captivity in Turkey did we not appeal for a -stern justice to be meted out to the men responsible for their dying. - -It may perhaps be said with truth that it was no studied cruelty on -the part of the Turkish authorities that caused the death of so many -brave men who had given themselves to the work of their country: yet -with equal truth it may be said, that it was the vilest form of apathy -and of wanton neglect. Where the taking of a little trouble by the high -officials at Constantinople would have saved the lives of thousands -of British and Indian soldiers, that trouble was never taken. Weak -with starvation, and sick with fever and dysentery (we speak of the -men of Kut), they were made to march five hundred miles in the burning -heat across waterless deserts, without regular or sufficient rations -and without transport--in many cases without boots, which had been -exchanged for a few mouthfuls of food or a drink of water. - -We officers, who had not such a long march as the men, and who were -given a little money and some transport, thought ourselves in a -bad way. But what of the men who had none? There were no medical -arrangements, and those who could not march fell by the desert paths -and died. The official White Book gives the number 65 as the percentage -of deaths amongst British soldier prisoners taken at Kut, a figure -which speaks for itself. - -It is a law of the world's civilisation that if a man take the life -of another, except in actual warfare, he must pay forfeit with his -own life. Take away bribery and corruption and that law holds good -in Turkey. Now when a soldier is taken prisoner he ceases to be an -active enemy, and the country of his captors is as responsible for his -welfare as for that of her own citizens. What if that country so fails -to grasp the responsibility that its prisoners are allowed to die by -neglect? Should not its rulers be taught such a lesson that it would -be impossible for those of future generations to forget it? - -It is not enough to obtain evidence of a cruel corporal at that -prisoners' camp, or of a bestial commandant at this, and to think that -by punishing them we have avenged our dead. These men are underlings. -The men we must punish first are those few in high authority, who, by -an inattention to their obvious duty, have made it possible for their -menials to be guilty of worse than murder. - -We pride ourselves on the fact that we are citizens of the most just -country of the world. Let us see to it that justice is not starved. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] "An Escape from Turkey in Asia," by Captain E. H. Keeling. -'Blackwood's Magazine,' May 1918. - -[2] Now Lieutenant-Colonel. - -[3] _Vide_ map at end of volume. - -[4] "Kut," correctly pronounced, rhymes with "put." - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -FIRST PLANS FOR ESCAPE. - - -With the departure of the party for Geddos, the camp at Changri did -what little they could to render the long bare barrack rooms somewhat -more endurable as winter quarters. Each room was about 80 feet in -length, and consisted of a central passage bordered on either side by -a row of ugly timber posts supporting the roof. Between the passage -and a row of lockers which ran along the walls were raised platforms, -affording about six feet of useful width. Each platform was divided -in two by a single partition half-way along the room. Viewed from one -end the general effect resembled that of stables, to which use indeed -all the lower rooms had been put previous to our arrival. Each length -of platform was allotted to a group of three or four officers, who -were then at liberty to beautify their new homes as ingenuity might -suggest. Planks were hard to come by, so for the most part old valises, -blankets, and curtains were strung from post to post to screen the -"rooms" from the passage, and thereby gain for the occupants a little -privacy. - -As the severity of the winter increased, caulking floor-boards became -a profitable occupation, for an icy draught now swept up through the -gaping cracks. By the time the financial difficulties to which we -have referred were at an end, it was no longer possible to obtain in -the bazaar a sufficient quantity of firewood for anything except our -kitchen stoves. It was not, however, until snow was lying deep upon -the ground that Sami Bey could be prevailed upon to let us cut down a -few of the neighbouring willow-trees, for which it need hardly be said -we had to pay heavily. Apart from the exercise thus obtained--and it -was good exercise carrying the wood into the barracks--an odd visit -or two to the bazaar, and a few hours' tobogganing as a concession on -Christmas Day, were the only occasions on which we saw the outside -of our dwelling-place for three long months. Nor was there anything -in the way of comfort within. The number of trees allotted to us was -small, and the daily wood ration we allowed ourselves only sufficed -to keep the stoves going in our rooms for a few hours each day. The -fuel, moreover, being green, was difficult to keep alight, so that we -spent many hours that winter blowing at the doors of stoves; and the -stoker on duty had to give the fire his undivided attention if he -wished to avoid the sarcastic comments of his chilled companions. It -was a special treat reserved for Sundays to have our stoves burning for -an hour in the afternoon. For over a month the temperature remained -night and day below freezing-point, and the thermometer on one occasion -registered thirty-six degrees of frost. - -An officer who used to fill up an old beer-bottle with hot water to -warm his feet when he got into bed, found one morning that it had -slipped away from his feet and had already begun to freeze, although -still under the clothes! - -But enough of the miseries of that winter: in spite of such -unfavourable conditions, the camp was a cheerful one. We were all -good friends, and united in our determination not to knuckle under to -the Turk. Our senior officer, Colonel A. Moore, of the 66th Punjabis, -was largely instrumental in making our lot an easier one. This he did -by fighting our many battles against an unreasonable and apathetic -commandant, and in all our schemes for escape he gave us his sound -advice and ready support. - -Compared to his two predecessors, this commandant, Sami Bey, was a -very difficult person from whom to "wangle" anything. Although he -could lay claim to no greater efficiency for his task of commanding -a prisoner-of-war camp than they, he made himself very obnoxious to -us by his policy of pure obstruction. If we applied for any sort of -concession, however reasonable, he safeguarded himself by saying he -would have to wire to Constantinople for orders, and of course no -orders ever came. With the two commandants we had had in Kastamoni, a -threat by our own senior officer to report any matter under discussion -to the Turkish Headquarters was enough to make him give in over any -reasonable request without further ado. Sami, however, would look -the question up in his Regulations. On one occasion we bombarded him -from every quarter with demands to be allowed to go out tobogganing. -Finally the answer came back: "The Regulations do not mention the word -'toboggan'; therefore, I cannot allow you to do so." Even the Turk, -then, though he uses sand instead of blotting-paper, has his office -"red tape"! - -The average Turkish officer is an ignoramus, and the following story -of Sami Bey will serve to show that he was no exception to the rule. -At the time that the German gun "Big Bertha" was bombarding Paris at -long range, he was very proud to produce a picture of it in a German -paper. It was one of those semi-bird's-eye views, showing Paris in the -left-hand bottom corner, and along the top the Straits of Dover and the -English Channel. The gun was about half-way down the right-hand edge, -and the curved trajectory of the shell was shown by a dotted line from -the moment it left the muzzle to the moment when it entered Paris. To -a British officer to whom he was showing the picture, Sami explained at -great length how the shell passed through St Quentin, Cambrai, Douai, -up to one of the Channel ports, and then down again via Amiens, until -it finally arrived at its destination in Paris and exploded! This -Turkish brigadier-general believed this to be a solemn fact, and his -"ignorant" British hearer was polite enough not to undeceive him. - -Ours claimed to have been the first party formed with a view to escape, -but it was not long before there were several others, and it became -evident that some plan would have to be devised by which a large number -might hope to make their way out of the barracks fairly simultaneously. -Since these had been designed for Turkish soldiers, every window was -already barred. But we were in addition a camp of suspects, who had -refused to give their parole; so at night, in addition to sentries -being posted at every corner, visiting patrols went round the building -at frequent intervals. Three or four fellows, of course, might cut the -bars of a window and slip through, but hardly five or six parties. - -At this moment an old magazine came into our hands containing an -article which described how thirty or forty Federal officers had -escaped from a Confederate prison by means of a tunnel. This was at -once recognised as the ideal solution of our problem if only we could -find a suitable outlet and the means of disposing of the earth. - -While the general plan was still under discussion, we were reinforced -by the arrival of three officers from Geddos. They had refused to give -their parole in spite of the Turks' threat that they would be moved -to Changri if they did not change their minds. Here then they arrived -one cold December morning, looking very racy in their check overcoats, -supplied to them by the Dutch Legation. These coats were doubtless -the last word in Constantinople fashions, and in the shop windows had -probably been marked "Tres civilise," for it is the highest ambition of -the Turk to be considered civilised. - -Nothing hurts his feelings more than to be the object of ridicule on -account of any lack of up-to-dateness, as the following story will -serve to illustrate. While we were at Kastamoni, a chimney in one of -the houses occupied by the prisoners of war caught fire, and, with a -great flourish of trumpets, the town fire-brigade was called out to -extinguish the conflagration. Let not the reader, however, picture to -himself even the most obsolete of horsed fire-engines. In this town, -with a pre-war population of something like 25,000 souls, and with -houses almost entirely built of timber, dependence in the event of a -fire was placed on what can best be described as a diminutive tank -carried on a stretcher, and provided with a small pump worked by a -lever, seesaw fashion. The tank was kept filled by buckets replenished -at the nearest spring. The sight of two men in shabby uniform solemnly -oscillating the lever by the handle at either end, and of the feeble -trickle of water which resulted at the nozzle of the hose, was too -much for the sense of humour of the British officers who happened to -be present at the time. At this moment the commandant, then one Tewfik -Bey, appeared on the scene. Horrified at such ill-timed levity on the -part of the onlookers, he seized upon a major standing by and had him -escorted to his room, there to be confined till Tewfik's anger should -abate. To the Turk this tank was the latest thing in fire-engines. - -To carry the story to its happy ending, we may add that, after three -days of confinement, the major addressed a letter to H.E. Enver Pasha -through the commandant, which ran somewhat as follows:-- - - "SIR,--I have the honour to report that, owing to the - close confinement in which I have been kept, my health has now - entirely broken down. I therefore request that, with a view to - providing some slight possibility of recovery, I may be allowed to - go to England on one month's sick leave, and that as far as the - port of embarkation I may be accompanied by _posta_[5] 'Ginger,' as - he alone in all Turkey really understands my temperament.--I have - the honour to be, sir, your most obedient prisoner of war, - - X." - -Whether this letter ever reached His Excellency we shall probably never -know. From our knowledge of the Turk's total lack of humour, however, -we should say that it is more than probable that Tewfik Bey solemnly -forwarded it on through the proper channel. That no answer was received -proves nothing; for it is a matter of years to get a reply to an -application like this from the authorities at Constantinople, and the -letter was only written three years ago. At least it had this good -effect, that the major was released from confinement forthwith. - -But we must return to our real subject. Amongst the three officers from -Geddos was one Tweedledum, so named from a certain rotundity of figure, -which even the scanty provisions said to be obtainable there had failed -to reduce. From his lips we first heard of the wonderful capabilities -of the Handley-Page passenger aeroplane. Such machines, he said, could -carry fifteen to sixteen passengers, and three of them had recently -flown from England to Mudros, with only one intermediate landing in -Italy. A pilot of one of them had been a prisoner with him at Geddos. -A few evenings later Nobby had a great brain-wave; fetching a 'Pears' -Annual,' he turned up the maps of Europe and Asia Minor, and, after a -few hurried measurements, unfolded to his stable companions, Perce and -Looney, what was afterwards known as the "aeroplane scheme." These -three had, with much expense and trouble, managed to collect enough -planks for a real wooden partition to their "room," and it was behind -this screen that this and many another devilish plot was hatched. - -Briefly, Nobby's idea was for a flight of five or six Handley-Pages -to be sent from Cyprus, swoop down on Changri, and pick up the whole -camp, both officers and men--and Sami too. We should, of course, have -to take over the barracks from our guards, but this should be easily -effected by a _coup de main_, and probably without having to resort to -bloodshed. At first the idea appeared a trifle fantastic, for after -being cut off from the outside world for two whole years it took time -for us to assimilate the wonderful advance of aeronautical science -which the scheme assumed; but given that Tweedledum's statement was -correct, the scheme was feasible, and we soon took up the question -seriously. Our representative of the R.F.C. pronounced the surrounding -fields practicable landing grounds; a committee confirmed the -possibility of taking over the barracks by surprise; and the whole -scheme, illustrated by a small sketch of the vicinity, was soon on its -way home. - -We were fortunate in having a method of sending secret information -without much risk of detection. The censorship of our letters, like -most things in Turkey, was not very efficient. Looney's brother in -England was the inventor of the secret means. The first code which he -devised consisted merely of diminutive gaps between pairs of letters -in an apparently ordinary communication. That there was a message -contained was indicated to the addressee by the writer adding after his -signature his address as "Codin House, Thislet Terrace."[6] The exact -nature of the code then had to be discovered by guess-work. After two -letters had been received, Nobby noticed the gaps, and the clue was -discovered. By stringing together all the letters preceding the gaps, -one obtained the concealed message. - -The way thus opened, more effective means of communication could be -developed. One of these was to send out messages written on a slip of -paper, wrapped up in silver tissue and then inserted in a full tube -of tooth-paste. As parcels, however, took anything from eight months -to over a year to reach the camp, the value of the news contained was -considerably diminished. Moreover, this method was not available for -sending news from Turkey to England. - -The final method was simple, yet perfectly effective for smuggling -news into a country such as Turkey. It consisted of pasting together -two thin post-cards, the gummed portion being confined to a border -of about an inch in width round the edges. The central rectangle so -left ungummed was available for the secret message, which was written -very small on the two inner faces of the cards before they were -stuck together. Further space for writing was obtainable by adding -another slip of paper of the size of the rectangle, and including this -within the cards when gumming them up. After being pressed, the final -post-card was trimmed so as to leave no sign of the join. The position -of the rectangle containing the message was indicated on the address -side by at first two lines, and later by the smallest possible dots -at the corners. Well over a score of such cards must have passed from -England into Turkey, and more than half that number in the reverse -direction, without discovery ever being made by our captors. In the -camp, to avoid the risk of being overheard talking about "split -post-cards" by one of the interpreters, these cards were known as -"bananas"--an apt name, as you had to skin them to get at the real -fruit inside! - -This explains the method by which it was possible to suggest the -aeroplane scheme to the home authorities. - -Unfortunately it used to take at least four months to receive a -reply to a letter. For this reason we could not afford to wait until -a definite date was communicated to us, so we ourselves named the -first fifteen days of May as suitable for us, and agreed, from 6 to 8 -A.M. on each of these days, to remain in a state of instant -readiness to seize the barracks should an aeroplane appear. For the -sake of secrecy, the details of the _coup de main_ itself were left to -be worked out by a small committee, and the report spread amongst the -rest of the camp that the scheme had been dropped. The true state of -affairs would not be divulged until a few days before the first of May. - -The committee's plan was this. There were at Changri 47 officers and -28 orderlies--a total force of 75 unarmed men with which to take over -the barracks. Our guard, all told, numbered 70 men. At any one time -during daylight there were seven Turkish sentries on duty: one outside -each corner of the barracks, one inside the square which had an open -staircase at each corner, one at the arched entrance in the centre of -the north face, while the seventh stood guard over the commandant's -office. This was a room in the upper storey over the archway and facing -on to the square. - -On each side of the commandant's office, therefore, were the barrack -rooms inhabited by the British officers, and to go from one side to the -other it was necessary to pass the sentry standing at his post on the -landing in between. From here a flight of steps gave on to the road -through the main archway; on the other side of this again, and facing -the stairs, was the door of the ground-floor barrack room used by our -guard. This room was similar to those in the upper storey already -described, and we found out by looking through a hole made for the -purpose in the floor of the room above, and by casual visits when we -wanted an escort for the bazaar, that the rifles of the occupants were -kept in a row of racks on either side of the central passage-way. - -By 6 A.M. on each morning of the first fifteen days of May -every one was to be dressed, but those who had no specific job to do -were to get back into bed again in case suspicion should be caused in -the mind of any one who happened to come round. The aeroplanes, if -they came, would arrive from the south. Two look-out parties of three, -therefore, were to be at their posts by 6 A.M., one in the -officers' mess in the S.E., and the other in the Padre's room next to -the chapel in the S.W. corner of the barracks. - -The staircases at these two corners of the square were to be watched -by two officers told off for the purpose, one in each half of the -north wing. When the look-outs in the south wing had either distinctly -heard or seen an aeroplane, they were to come to their staircase and -start walking down it into the square. Our look-outs in the north wing -would warn the others in their rooms to get ready, and the officer who -had the honour of doing verger to the Padre, and who used to ring a -handbell before services, would run down the north-eastern staircase -and walk diagonally across the square towards the chapel, ringing the -bell for exactly thirty seconds. - -The stopping of the bell was to be the signal for simultaneous action. -The sentry on the landing could be easily disposed of by three -officers; most of the rest were to run down certain staircases, cross -the archway, dash into the barrack room and get hold of all the rifles, -a small party at the same moment tackling the sentry at the main -entrance. - -On seeing the rush through the archway the look-out parties from the -south wing would overpower the sentry in the square. The arms belonging -to the three sentries and one other rifle were to be immediately taken -to the corners of the barracks and the outside sentries covered. The -orderlies, under an officer, would meanwhile form up in the square as a -reserve. - -Surprise was to be our greatest ally, and we hoped that, within a -minute of the bell stopping, the barracks would be in our hands. - -Having herded our Turkish guard into a big cellar and locked them in, -we would then signal to the aeroplanes that the barracks were in our -possession by laying out sheets in the square; while small picquets, -armed with Turkish rifles and ammunition, would see to it that the -aeroplanes on landing would be unmolested from the village. We are -still convinced that the plan would have succeeded. - -Even those in the know, however, put little faith in the probability -of the aeroplane scheme being carried out, realising that the machines -necessary for such an enterprise were not likely to be available from -the main battle-fronts. Preparations, therefore, continued for working -out our own salvation, as though this plan for outside help had not -entered our heads. With the first signs of spring the tunnel scheme -began to take concrete form. - -As already mentioned in the description of the barracks, the ground -to the west rose gently up to the Angora road. In this slope was a -shallow, cup-like depression at a distance of forty yards from the -building. If only a convenient point for starting a tunnel could -be found in the nearest wall, the cup would form an ideal spot for -breaking through to the surface. A night reconnaissance was made in -the downstairs room on the western side of the barracks. As a result -of this there seemed a likelihood that under the whole of the platform -in this room we should find a hollow space varying from one to three -feet in depth. If the surmise were correct and a tunnel could be run -out from here, there would be no difficulty in getting rid of all the -excavated earth into this hollow space. Unfortunately the lower room, -though not in use, was kept locked. - -It was discovered, however, that the walls of the barracks consisted -of an outer and inner casing, each a foot thick, and built of large -sun-dried bricks, the space between being filled up with a mixture of -rubble, mortar, and earth, and a few larger stones. This was in the -bottom storey. Above that the construction of the wall changed to two -thicknesses of lath and plaster attached to either side of a timber -framing, and the thickness of the wall diminished to only nine inches. -The total width of the wall below was five feet; therefore the lockers -in the upper room were immediately above the rubble core of the heavier -wall. It would thus be possible to get down through the lockers and -sink a shaft through the rubble to a trifle below the level of the -ground, and from there to break through the inner casing and come into -the empty space below the ground-floor. - -Work was commenced in the middle of February 1918. For the next few -weeks an officer was usually to be seen lolling about at either end of -the first-floor rooms, and, on the approach of an interpreter or other -intruder, would stroll leisurely down the passage, whistling the latest -ragtime melody. - -Within the room all would now be silent; but when the coast was again -clear there could perhaps be seen in the barrack room a pair of weird -figures, strangely garbed and white with dust. Somewhere in the line of -lockers was the entrance to the shaft-head. The locker doors being only -a foot square were too small to admit a man, and so the top planks at -the place where we wished to work had been levered up and fitted with -hinges to form a larger entrance. To give additional room inside, the -partition between two consecutive lockers was also removed; the floor -of one locker and the joists supporting the platform at this point were -then cut away, and we were free to commence the shaft. - -For this job six officers were chosen, of whom three belonged to our -escape party. The six were divided into three reliefs, and each worked -for two hours at a time. The hole was of necessity only just large -enough for one man to work there, so of the pair one did the digging, -while his partner, when the shaft had progressed a little, sat inside -the locker at the top of the hole. When actually at work, the time -went quickly enough; but sitting in the locker was very wearisome, -as one's only duties were to pass on the alarm when the ragtime was -whistled, and from time to time to draw up by a rope the small sacks -filled by the digger. When all the available sacks were full, work was -stopped, and the two would emerge from the locker. The sacks of rubbish -were then carried a few yards along the room and emptied into a space -underneath some planks which had been loosened in the platform. At the -end of their relief, the two would go off to change their clothes, -leaving the work to be continued by the next pair. - -During the time spent in the locker, one of the six learnt 'Omar -Khayyam' by heart. Reading a book was almost impossible owing to the -lack of light; even if it had been permissible, in view of the risk -of the reader becoming so interested as to miss the signal of the -alarm. 'Omar,' however, was a different thing. A verse could be read -line by line at the streak of light entering by a chink in one of the -ill-fitting locker doors, and then committed to memory--not a very -engrossing task, but it helped to pass the time. - -The working kit was a light one: a shirt and "shorts," sand-shoes, -and a Balaclava cap. Round his mouth the digger usually tied a -handkerchief, so as not to swallow his peck of dust at one time, while -the cap prevented his hair and ears getting quite full of rubbish. - -Let us work for one relief. You are dressed for the occasion. The -tools, consisting of two chisels, are at the bottom of the hole, which -is, say, twelve feet deep. A couple of candles and a box of matches is -all you need take with you. It is your turn to dig. You get into the -locker and climb down the rope-ladder as quickly as possible, but you -must take care not to touch the outer casing of the wall as you go, or -you may find yourself staring at an astonished sentry outside: there -are already a few holes in the wall through which daylight can be seen. - -The candle lighted, you have a look round: but this is absurd! No one -has done any work since you were down there yesterday morning. That -beastly stone in the corner looks as tightly embedded in the mortar as -it was then. You bend down to pick up a chisel and you bump your head -against a projecting brick. You try to sit down, but there is not -enough room to sit and work at the same time. You try kneeling, but -it can't be done. After twisting your limbs in a hitherto undreamt-of -fashion you begin to chip away at the mortar round your old friend. -Nothing seems to happen; then suddenly your candle falls down and goes -out, leaving your chamber of little ease in Stygian darkness. - -You think you hear your partner say "Stop!" and you look up just in -time to get your eyes full of grit, for he has merely shifted his legs, -which are dangling above you. After untying yourself you relight the -candle and again get down to the stone. You pick and scrape and prise, -and then as the chisel slips you bark your knuckles; and so you go on. -All sense of time is lost, and your one thought is to get that stone -out. Now it moves. You work with redoubled energy, with the result -that you break into a profuse perspiration. How you hate that stone! -Finally up it comes when you don't expect it, and the bruise at the -back of your head is nothing compared to the joy of the victor, which -is equally yours. - -The rock is too big, however, to go into a sack, so you shut your eyes -and whisper to your partner above you. He then lets down an old canvas -bath kept in the locker for this purpose. The periphery of the bath is -attached to a rope by several cords, the resulting appearance as it -is lowered towards you being that of an inverted parachute. The stone -is difficult to lift and your feet are very much in the way, but in -the end the load is ready. There is not enough room in the shaft for -the stone and the bath to be pulled up past your body, so you climb up -the ladder and help your partner to haul. This done, work is resumed. -A small sack is filled with bits of mortar picked away from round the -stone, and this too is pulled up the shaft, but the sack being small -you need not leave the hole. - -Now your partner tells you that it is time for the next shift. You -leave the chisels in an obvious place, blow out the candle, and climb -to the locker. Here your partner is tapping gently against the door. If -your look-out says "All safe!" you push open the lid and emerge. The -big stone is hastily carried to an empty locker and the rubbish from -the sack disposed of as already described. The plank in the platform is -replaced, the bath and sack returned to the locker, the lid closed, and -the place once more assumes its normal aspect. - -You then nip along to the nearest inhabited room, where you find your -relief waiting for you. One of these two is almost certain to greet -you with the words: "I suppose you got that stone in the corner out -straight away. I practically finished it off last night. It only wanted -a heave or two." It is useless to point out that, had it not been for -the masterly manner in which you had worked, the stone would still be -firmly embedded there. You merely bide your time, certain that within -a few days you will be in a position to make a similar remark to him. - -Work was now being carried on continuously throughout the day. Besides -the diggers, there were 24 officers who took their turn as look-outs. -It was not possible to keep the work going at night, for from time to -time the sentries outside would patrol this wing of the barracks. In -the daytime, when they approached the point where we were at work, our -look-outs could stop the diggers, but this would have been impossible -after dark. Moreover, light from a candle would then have been visible -from outside through the cracks in the outer casing. - -At this stage our plans received a rude shock. We were suddenly -informed that we were to be moved to the Prisoner-of-War Camp at Yozgad -(pronounced Useguard), eighty miles south-east of us. We were to be -ready, said Sami Bey, to start within a week. After our experience -of the departure from Kastamoni, we came to the conclusion it might -equally well be a month before the necessary transport was collected. -We determined, therefore, to push on with the tunnel at high pressure, -and if necessary to bring it out to the surface short of the spot -originally intended, and then one dark night to make a bolt for it. So -the work went on. - -For the first three feet of the shaft we had found merely loose rubble -and stones easily excavated, for the next thirteen we had had to dig -out stones embedded in very hard mortar. Here we progressed only a few -inches a day. Below this there was solid concrete. Every few feet we -came to wooden ties holding the inner and outer casings together; but -fortunately these were on one side of the hole, and we did not have to -cut through them. - -At the time the move was announced we were at a depth of 16 feet, -just entering the concrete. Here we were below the level of the lower -storey, so we broke through the inner casing into the space beneath -the platform. We now found, to our disgust, that the ground was on an -average barely a foot below the joists, and the surface, being composed -of dust which had been falling for eighty years between the boards of a -Turkish barrack-room floor, was very unpleasant. - -Our disappointment, however, was counteracted by a stroke of good luck. -At each end of the barrack room above there was an alcove, and we found -beneath the nearer of the two alcoves an empty space 8 feet by 6 by 5. -In this we could dispose of a good deal of the spoil from the tunnel. -To get rid of the rest we should have to make a main burrow below the -floor, filling up the remaining space on either side between the ground -and the floor, and eventually packing the burrow itself with earth -excavated from the mine. Should this again not suffice, the surplus -earth would have to be pulled up by way of the shaft, and distributed -under the boards of the upper-room platform. All that now remained for -us to do before actually starting on the tunnel itself was to sink a -secondary shaft about 6 feet deep, so as to get below the level of the -concrete foundations. After this we could strike horizontally towards -the Angora road. - -The method of moving about in the confined space was that employed by -the caterpillar that loops its back, draws its hind legs under it, -and then advances with its forefeet; and we found it a slow means of -locomotion. The burrow to the hollow under the alcove was completed, -and another in the opposite direction to the farther alcove was well on -its way when we started to work on the second shaft. Three feet down we -came to water. It was a great blow to us; and although with unlimited -time at our disposal the difficulty might have been overcome, under -present circumstances we had to consider ourselves defeated in that -direction, especially as we heard, a few days later, that transport was -already on its way from Angora. - -The early move would also, of course, upset the aeroplane scheme, and -we sincerely hoped that the authorities at home would hear that we -had left Changri in time to prevent aeroplanes being sent. Although -the scheme sent to them had provided somewhat for this contingency -by arranging that the aeroplanes were not to land till they saw the -special signal from us, it was not pleasant to think that we might -be the cause of risk to valuable pilots and machines, and all to no -purpose. Apart from the move, however, it eventually turned out that -the scheme could not be entertained at home, as in April and May 1918 -every available machine was being urgently required for making things -unpleasant for the Germans behind the main battle-front. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[5] = soldier. - -[6] = code in this letter. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -AN ATTEMPT THAT FAILED. - - -Thus disappointed of two of our schemes, we looked around for other -ways and means of escape. Nobby had another of his brain-waves. In -search of dry firewood he had made several tours inside the roof of the -barracks: for the ceilings and tiled slopes were carried not by modern -trusses, but by the primitive and wasteful means of trestles resting on -enormous horizontal baulks, running across from wall to wall at close -intervals. Having entered the roof space by a trap-door in the ceiling, -it was possible to walk on these completely round the barracks, and eke -out the miserably green firewood we collected ourselves by chips and -odd ends of comparatively dry wood, left up there presumably several -decades before, while the barracks were in building. - -Why not, said Nobby, disappear up there one night and leave the Turks -to infer that we had escaped, encouraging them in the belief by leaving -the bars of some window cut and forced apart? We could then wait until -the rest had left for Yozgad and slip out from the deserted barracks at -our pleasure. - -There were, however, two obvious objections to this scheme. It was -hardly feasible as a means of escape for more than one or at most two -parties: the Turk might be deceived into thinking half a dozen fellows -had slipped past his sentries, but hardly twenty or more. Secondly, it -was quite conceivable that the escape of even a small party would lead -to the move being cancelled altogether: it is true it would be possible -for the stowaways to be fed in the roof by their companions below, but -the prospect of spending "three years or the duration of the war" in -that dark and musty garret took away from the otherwise considerable -attractions of the scheme. - -In the end a very much modified form of the roof scheme was permitted -by a committee of senior officers, and our party of six, having been -adjudged by this committee to have the best chances of success on -account of our prearranged scheme when we reached the coast, was given -the privilege of making the attempt. As will be seen, however, it was -less an actual attempt than a waiting upon favourable circumstances -which would arise should our captors make a certain mistake. In any -country except Turkey the whole conception would have been absurd; but -we had seen enough of Turkish methods to know that there anything is -possible. - -By good luck the party's preparations for escape were already far -advanced, although, apart from the move, we had not proposed starting -until June: the rains continue off and on till then, and the crops -would be in too immature a state at an earlier date. - -At the cost of a good deal of time, temper, needles and thread, we -had each succeeded in making ourselves a pack: to furnish the canvas -we sacrificed our valises. Up till almost the last night, however, we -were busy repeatedly cutting off straps and sewing them on again in a -different place, in a wild endeavour to persuade our equipment to ride -with a reasonable degree of comfort. - -Food was an item of vital importance in any plan of escape, and we had -decided to follow the example of Keeling's party and pin our faith -mainly to a ration of biscuits. We had also for some months past been -collecting from our parcels all tinned meat, condensed milk, and -chocolate. - -We brought our biscuit-making to a fine art. One of the ground-floor -rooms had been set apart as the officers' shop for carpentry and -bootmaking--for we had long taken to making our own furniture and -repairing our own boots. Here then was started the "Bimbashi"[7] -Biscuit Department of Escapers, Limited. At one bench would be Grunt -and Johnny busily engaged in the uncongenial task of taking the stalks -off sultanas, and the pleasanter one of eating a few. At another stood -Perce with his bared forearms buried deep in a mixture of flour, sugar, -and sultanas, to which from time to time Nobby would add the requisite -quantities of water and eggs. The Old Man presided at the scales and, -weighing out the dough into lumps sufficient for twenty biscuits, -passed them on to Looney. Armed with rolling-pin, carving-knife, and -straight-edge, the latter would flatten out each lump until it filled -up the inside of a square frame which projected slightly above the -bench to which it was fixed. When a level slab had been obtained, the -ruler would be placed against marks on the frame and the slab cut five -times in one direction and four in the other. It then only remained to -transfer the twenty little slabs to boards, prick them with any fancy -pattern with a nail, and send them to be baked by one of our orderlies. -The biscuits were each about the size of a quarter-plate and half an -inch thick, and when cooked weighed five to the pound, and were as hard -as rocks. Their best testimonial was that, without being kept in tins, -they remained perfectly good for six months. - -The biscuit-making concern was run regardless of expense. A pound of -flour was costing at that time two shillings, sugar ten shillings, -sultanas five; and eggs three pence apiece. (These, by the way, were -only about half of what we soon after found ourselves paying at -Yozgad.) The final cost was something like half-a-crown a biscuit. - -For their escapes Keeling and his companions had decided, if -questioned, to say that they were a German survey party, and for this -purpose had forged a letter purporting to come from the commandant of -the Angora Division, and ordering all whom it might concern to help -them in every way. They had written to say this letter had been of the -greatest assistance to them. As we were going in a different direction, -we thought that the same story would serve again. Grunt, being the best -Turkish scholar of the party, accordingly drafted a suitable legend in -a crisp style such as might be expected to emanate from Enver Pasha's -pen; while Johnny, aided by infinite patience and a bit of blue carbon -paper, set to work and produced a faithful imitation of an office stamp -found on a Turkish receipt. We hoped that the elaborated lettering of -such a crest would be as little intelligible to the average Ottoman as -it was to ourselves, but as a matter of interest decided to show the -original to our Greek interpreter and casually ask its meaning. It was -as well we did so, for it was the stamp of the Prisoners-of-War Camp, -Changri. - -After this unfortunate set-back, our pair put their heads together, and -finally evolved a design of their own, bearing the inscription: "Office -of the Ministry of War, Stamboul." - -All this time, of course, we were subjecting ourselves to a course of -rigorous training--football, running in the early mornings, Mueller's -exercises, and cold baths. We spent half the day walking round and -round the exercise-field, wearing waistcoats weighing twenty pounds. -These, if disclosed from under the coat, would have reminded any one -but a Turkish observer of one of those advertisements of a well-known -firm of tyre-makers; for each waistcoat was lined with a series of -cloth tubes filled with sand. - -Nobby, who detested sewing more than any of us, went to the trouble of -making a practice rucksack holding sixty pounds of earth. The whole of -our last few weeks at Changri, one may say, were spent by the party in -preparing for the escape in one way or another. - -On the evening of the 10th April 1918 the cart transport for our -journey drove into the barrack square and there parked for the night. -Orders came from the commandant that we were to start next day, so we -decided that before we went to bed our preparations should be completed. - -A light ladder was made by which to climb up into the roof; -drinking-water was taken up in buckets and hidden there; a window-frame -in the east wing was prepared so that the iron bars could be withdrawn; -and we made certain, by going through a list, that our packs contained -all that we had decided to take. The latter were then unpacked and they -and their contents placed in two boxes, each of which had a false -bottom. Here were concealed our most incriminating and at the same time -our most precious aids to escape: our maps, helio-mirrors, fezes, and -compasses. The boxes were then locked, strongly bound with rope, and -labelled very appropriately, "Trek Stores." - -For the work on hand that night the occasion was an excellent one. -Every one was busy packing, having left this unpleasant duty till the -carts actually arrived. There was a lot of noise being made--to wit, a -blend of singing and sawing; and when at 1 A.M. we could at -last go to bed, there was still much activity around us. - -Next morning we showed ourselves as much as possible, and took care to -find an opportunity of talking to the two camp interpreters. It was -conceivable that they might take our names in the barracks as usual -each morning, and the commandant, being satisfied that every one was -present, might omit to call roll when the move actually took place; -or alternately, in the excitement of the moment, there might be no -roll-call whatsoever. - -On one or other of these possibilities depended the success of the -modified scheme, which stipulated that until the carts were definitely -on the move we were not to hide ourselves in the roof. Should the party -go off without a roll-call, we were allowed to leave ourselves behind. -If, on the other hand, roll was called, we had to turn up for it. This -explains the necessity for the two boxes of "Trek Stores": if we were -left behind, these could be quickly taken up into the roof; and if roll -should be called, we could hastily, and without losing our valuable -escape outfit, join the carts, carrying two boxes apparently containing -food only. - -After loading up our own carts with the rest of our kit in case the -scheme miscarried, we took these boxes into the mess-room at the S.E. -corner of the barracks; and as the time of departure drew near, went -there ourselves and sat round a few bits of bread and an empty jam-pot. -Our excellent friend H---- promised to come and warn us should there be -a call over. - -From the windows facing south could be seen the Angora road, and this -we watched eagerly. The barracks were quite quiet. After many minutes -a loaded cart appeared on the road followed by another. Our hopes -began to rise. The one-in-a-thousand chance might yet come off. There -were more carts moving on the road now, but to our disappointment they -suddenly stopped. - -A few seconds later H---- dashed in. They were calling the roll. We -carried the boxes outside, there to be met by several officers who had -come back, so they said, to collect some firewood for the journey, but -really to make our late appearance as unsuspicious as possible. No -wonder we were as happy at Changri as it was possible to be, having -men like these for our companions. - -You may think that it was not worth our while to have taken so much -trouble for so small a chance, yet you probably take a ticket in the -Derby Sweep. It was, we admit, a small chance, but the prize was a -great one, so we were unwilling to let it slip by. Although a roll-call -was held, we heard afterwards that it was only as an afterthought on -the part of Sami Bey, and despite our disappointment after coming so -near to success, we had at least the satisfaction of finding that our -late arrival caused no suspicion in the minds of our captors. After a -little difficulty in finding carts which were not too overloaded to -take our two precious boxes, our party was soon marching southwards -with the rest of the prisoners. - -Although the direct distance from Changri to Yozgad, as the crow flies, -is barely 80 miles, the only road open to our wheeled transport was -that which runs by way of Angora: our march was then about 100 miles -longer. For the first sixty, that is to say to Angora, the country was -familiar to us, as we had marched along this route in the opposite -direction on the way to our first camp, Kastamoni, nearly two years -before. It was impossible, unfortunately, to induce our commandant to -say beforehand each day where would be the halts for the midday meal -and the next night; in fact, he did not know himself, as this was -a matter to be fought out with his brother officer in charge of the -transport. In other respects this march, like that from Kastamoni, was -a pleasing innovation after the monotony of our long confinement. After -the first few hours the escort wearied of their primary keenness, and -allowed us to march pretty well at our own pace, except for occasional -halts to allow the carts to come up. In fact, precautions against -escaping _en route_ were unexpectedly lax. On the very first day, for -instance, it was not until after dark that we halted for the night, -and a dozen officers might easily have slipped away from a party which -went to the river a few hundred yards distant to fetch water: roll-call -was not held until we marched off next morning. We had agreed amongst -ourselves, however, that we would now wait until we reached Yozgad, -and could contrive some plan by which all parties might once more have -an equal chance of escaping. It was for this reason that the above and -later opportunities to make off while on trek were allowed to slip by. - -Half-way to Angora we came to the village of Kalijik, where we were -offered billets in the local jail, already well peopled with Turkish -criminals. On our refusing this offer, we were housed for the night in -an empty building on the edge of the village. - -We reached Angora four days after leaving Changri, and were -accommodated in up-to-date buildings, designed by Germans as a -hospital, but since used as Turkish barracks. Luckily the particular -house in which we were billeted had not as yet been used by Turks. -During our two days here, we were allowed very fair liberty in visiting -the bazaars, the shops of which, after our six months at Changri, -appeared almost magnificent in the profusion of their wares. - -In one of these Nobby espied a pair of real Goerz field-glasses. -Telling his companion to lure away the _posta_ who escorted them, -he entered the shop, and succeeded in purchasing the glasses, and a -schoolboy's satchel in which to conceal them, for about L18--a tall -price, and yet, if the prices of other things had been in no higher -proportion to their real value, living in Turkey would have been -comparatively cheap. In the end these glasses were of inestimable value -to our party. - -While we were in Angora some of us went to see Sherif Bey, whose -propensity for epigram was touched upon in the opening words of our -story. As second-in-command he had accompanied us in our move from -Kastamoni to Changri. There he had been perpetually at loggerheads -with our new, as indeed he had been with our two former, commandants. -Having eventually relinquished his ambition of superseding Sami Bey, -he had recently accepted the less remunerative post of commandant -of the British rank-and-file prisoners in the Angora district. Some -of the men whom we succeeded in meeting had certain complaints to -make against their previous commandant. A deputation of officers, -therefore, waited upon his successor, who received them with a show of -great friendliness, and assured them that under his benevolent sway -such things as the looting of parcels would be impossible. Whether he -fulfilled his promises we are not yet in a position to say; the fact -remains that he treated very badly the five officers who stayed behind -a few extra days for dental and medical treatment, asserting that they -had only stopped in Angora with a view to escape. - -Moreover, there were at this very time under Sherif Bey's orders -two submarine officers who had been sent from the camp at -Afion-Kara-Hissar, and were to join our convoy when it went on to -Yozgad. Since their arrival in Angora a week before, they had been -confined to the only hotel and had not once been allowed to visit -the bazaar. One of the two was Lieut.-Commander A. D. Cochrane (now -Commander Cochrane, D.S.O.), who was destined to play the leading -role in the eventual escape of our particular party. The other was -Lieut.-Commander S----. These two had, with one other naval officer, -attempted to escape from the camp at Kara-Hissar, but had been -recaptured when within sight of the sea; they had since spent ten -months in a common Turkish jail. - -Lieut.-Commander S---- had also been sent to Constantinople under -somewhat amusing circumstances. Whilst he was in the P.O.W. camp at -Kara-Hissar an order arrived one day ordering that two officers of high -birth and closely connected with the British aristocracy should be -selected and sent to Constantinople. Thereupon a list was prepared of -officers related to Labour Candidates, Dukes, Members of Parliament, -&c. Thinking that this promised at least a jaunt in Constantinople, -S---- had claimed descent from the bluest blood of England. After -consideration of the rival claims, he and one other were selected. -Their self-congratulations, however, were a little premature, as the -commandant now informed them that the Turkish Government, having heard -that their own officer prisoners in India were being badly treated, -proposed taking reprisals on these two until their powerful relations -in England should think fit to remedy matters on both sides. - -In vain the unfortunate dupes protested that the report was obviously -false, asking that further inquiries should be made before reprisals -were carried into effect. The reply was that the order was Enver -Pasha's and could not be questioned, but that if they agreed to go -quietly to Constantinople, they would at once be led into the presence -of the Generalissimo, where they could forward their protest in person. -To this they had perforce to agree, but on arrival in the capital were -at once flung into prison, kept in solitary confinement, and fed on -bread and water. In this state they remained for some three weeks, -after which the Turkish authorities discovered, as was only natural, -that there had not been an atom of truth in the report upon which they -had acted. By way of redress they allowed the innocent sufferers six -days' absolute freedom in Constantinople, after which they were taken -back to their old camp. - -From Angora onwards we were escorted by parties of the local -gendarmerie; of the Changri guard who had so far accompanied us only -a few came on with us to Yozgad; and they, ill-trained, ill-fed, and -ill-clad, were rather passengers who called for our pity than guards -capable of preventing us from decamping. - -The gendarmes were, for the most part, remarkably well mounted, and -in charge of them was a benevolent old gentleman of the rank of -_bash-chaouse_, or sergeant-major, who was for ever holding forth -upon his friendship towards the English and his utter inability -to understand why we were not fighting side by side in this war. -The sergeant-major talked much to us, punctuating his remarks with -"Janom" (My dear). He was jovial, he was pleasing to look at, he was -interesting. He had been through several Turkish wars, and he discussed -the Great War with more intelligence than many of the Turkish officers -we had met. - -One day as two of us were marching beside the horse he was riding, -the dear old man pointed out a deep ravine some few hundred yards to -our right. His face lighted up with pride of achievement and pleasant -recollection. "Do you see that ravine?" he said. "Well, there I helped -to massacre 5000 Armenians. Allah be praised!" - -The 120-mile march from Angora to Yozgad occupied eight days. As usual -we bivouacked each night in the open, on one occasion coming in for a -tremendous thunderstorm. Our best day's march was one of thirty miles, -and brought us down to the Kizil Irmak, better known to Greek scholars -as the ancient river Halys. We camped on the western bank opposite -the village of Kopru-Keui (= Bridge-Village), so called from the -picturesque old stone bridge which here spans the largest river in Asia -Minor. We were all glad of a bathe, although this was only safe close -to the bank, where the water was hardly deep enough to swim in. The -main stream was a swirling torrent of brown and muddy water, dashing -between enormous rocks, which protected the bridge from its fury. It -passed under only two of the nine arches and so onwards through a -narrow gorge between high precipitous cliffs. The bridge itself, with -narrow and steeply cambered roadway, and pointed arches of varying -height and span, seemed almost one with the rocky cleft it spanned. - -The rest of our trek to Yozgad was uneventful except for the upsetting -of two carts, owing to reckless driving on the part of the Turkish -Jehus. - -Our last day's march began on the 24th April 1918, when we set out from -a small village twelve miles from our destination. The way climbed -gradually till we topped a high ridge. Over this we marched, swinging -down the farther slope at a quicker step. The winding road curled round -spurs and valleys, and from one such spur we obtained our first sight -of the town of Yozgad. - -Unprepossessing it looked lying in a valley surrounded by barren hills, -a few poplars here and there, the usual timber-built houses, a few -mosques. - -Four months later we looked at it for the last time. We could only see -a few twinkling lights to the east in a curtain of starlit darkness; -but we were well content as we turned away, for we had shaken the dust -of prison from our feet. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[7] A Turkish word meaning "Major." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -YOZGAD CAMP. - - -With our arrival at Yozgad was renewed many an old friendship, dating -back to the earlier days of the campaign in Mesopotamia; for, like -ourselves, the majority of the eighty officers whom we found there were -victims of the siege of Kut-el-Amara. A few days later about twenty -officers of the original camp were transferred to Afion-Kara-Hissar, -leaving us now a combined total of roughly 100 officers and 60 -orderlies. - -The "camp" occupied six detached houses, divided into two groups -of three houses each, the one on the western, the other near the -south-western limits of the town. With a single exception each house -stood in its own grounds, which comprised something under an acre of -garden apiece. These were in most cases planted with fruit trees, and -in all cases surrounded by high stone walls. The first comers had by -April 1918 converted these previously unkempt areas into flourishing -vegetable gardens. For our safe custody there were on the average two -sentries over each house; these had their sentry-boxes in the garden -or at the entrance to the enclosure wall. There was also a post on the -four-hundred-yard length of road which connected the two groups of -houses. - -As had been our impression on arrival, the town of Yozgad could by no -manner of means be called picturesque. It is squalidly built on the -steep slopes of a narrow valley, surrounded on all sides by bare and -rugged hills. The larger houses, it is true, have a few fruit trees -in their gardens, and tall poplars line the river bank; the country -around, however, is destitute of trees except for a small pine wood on -the high ridge south of the town. The camp was both higher and less -accessible than any other in Turkey; for Yozgad stands some 4500 feet -above sea-level, and in the heart of the rugged mountain system of -Anatolia, seven days' march from the nearest railway station. - -The town itself is said to have had a population before the war of -some 20,000 souls. At the time of our arrival it could hardly have -contained one-fifth of that number; for, shortly before the formation -of the camp in July 1916, most of the Armenians had been massacred; -and they had formed a large proportion of the inhabitants. Their shops -had been pillaged, and whenever there was a shortage of firewood the -Turks merely proceeded to pull down another of the Armenian houses, -which, as usual throughout Anatolia, were largely constructed of wood. -The crash of falling timber as a building was demolished was a sound -so common as to pass almost unnoticed by the prisoners. Of Turkish -brutality, however, we had an even more constant reminder than the -sound and sight of ruined buildings; for every day there were to be -seen numbers of Armenian children dying as they lay in the narrow -streets, starved, emaciated, and clad in rags. For us to provide -relief on the large scale required was impossible, owing both to the -difficulties of obtaining money and the necessity of screening our -philanthropy from the commandant and other Turkish authorities. To the -credit of the Turkish soldier be it said, however, that he at any rate -did not prevent us from helping these poor miserable creatures; and it -was thanks to connivance on the part of our sentries and escorts that -we were able towards the end of our time to give away money and bread -daily in the streets. - -The White Paper published in November 1918 on the subject of the -Treatment of British Prisoners of War in Turkey describes the -commandant of the camp at Yozgad as a "Turk of the old school--polite, -honest, and silent." Silent, or, we would rather say, taciturn, -Kiazim Bey undoubtedly was, for it needed many applications before -an inquiry or request received an answer at all. Polite, too, for -when he did vouchsafe to reply he would promise almost anything; but -is it not known to those who have dealt with a Turk, albeit one of -the old school, that in his estimation a promise costs nothing and -involves no obligation of fulfilment? It is merely his method of -temporarily soothing your feelings, and is not this of the essence -of politeness? As to his honesty, if he did not loot our parcels or -steal our money, he was not averse from accepting a regular commission -from every shopkeeper who wished to supply his wares to the camp. -Even our sentries had to bribe him before they were allowed on leave. -Ten Turkish pounds, or an equivalent in kind, passed hands before a -fortnight's leave was granted. - -The following story can be vouched for. One of our guard, when -desiring a holiday, turned up at the commandant's office, but he was -out. His son, however, a boy of fourteen, was there, and to him the -simple soldier gave his money to be handed on to Kiazim Bey. Such an -opportunity did not often occur; so the boy spent the rest of that -day gorging costly sweetmeats in the bazaar. After several days the -soldier made further inquiries about his leave, and the truth was out. -The story ends with a good beating for the boy and no leave for the -soldier. Another of our guards used to mend boots for us, but finally -gave it up, declaring openly that the commission demanded by his -commandant made it no longer worth his while. - -By the time of the arrival of the party from Changri, a number of -so-called privileges had been granted by this polite, honest, and -silent old Turk--although, it must be admitted, rather in the spirit -of the unjust judge worried incessantly by the importunate widow. The -most useful of these concessions was the permission to go out coursing -on two days a week. The "Yozgad Hunt Club" boasted a pack of no less -than three couple of "hounds." These were of a local breed, and had the -shape of small and rather moth-eaten greyhounds, mostly, however, with -black, or tan and white, markings. Nevertheless, they were clean and -affectionate, and, thanks to the master and whips, became wonderfully -good coursers. Seldom did they fail to account for at least one hare or -fox between the hours of 4 and 9 A.M. each Monday and Thursday -in the spring and summer of 1918. - -One exception we remember was the day when the master appeared for -the first time in a pink coat of local style and dye, and then we -drew blank. The field themselves were dazed, so the hounds had to be -excused. Some of the happiest recollections of our captivity are of -those glorious early mornings in the country, far away from the ugly -town which was our prison. Here for a few brief hours it was almost -possible to forget that we were prisoners of war, until reminded -that this was Turkey by the monotonous drawl of one of our greatest -exponents of the Ottoman tongue. Wafted on the soft morning breeze as -we wended our way back to bath and breakfast, would come at intervals -of half a minute some such sounds as those which follow: Er ... er ... -posta ... bou ... bou ... bourda ... er ... er ... aie ... der.... Such -fluency almost suggested that Turkish was a simple language, instead -of one of the most difficult in the world, second only, it is said, to -Chinese. - -Although attempts were made to play football, no suitable ground -existed in or near Yozgad, and four-a-side hockey became the form -of recreation which for the majority in the camp provided the best -means of combining pleasure and hard exercise. Hockey was available -at any time of day, as the ground was within the precincts of the -camp, being in fact the lowest of a series of terraces in one of the -gardens belonging to our houses. It was a bare plot, with a hard but -dusty surface, and surrounded on three sides by stone walls: the area -available for play was, perhaps, the length of a cricket pitch and -about ten yards across, so that there was not room for more than a -total of eight players. - -[Illustration: -_From a sketch by Capt. E. B. Burns, E. Kent Regt._ -COUNTRY KNOWN TO THE LOCAL HUNT CLUB AS "HADES."] - -The equipment consisted of a soft leather ball, and for each combatant -a stick made from selected pieces of firewood, shaped according to -fancy, subject to the finished article being passed through a 1-1/2-inch -ring. The resultant game was always fast and often furious, its only -drawback as a means of training for would-be escapers being the not -inconsiderable risk of losing an eye, finger, or portions of an ankle -or knee. The excitement created by such matches as the old camp, -Yozgad, _versus_ the newcomers from Changri, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, -and 5th teams, reached at times a pitch rarely attained in the most -hotly-contested house-match at an English public school. - -For those debarred for any reason from this strenuous form of exercise -there were walks each evening, except on hunting days and Wednesdays. -On the latter days there were, during the summer months, weekly picnics -in the neighbouring pine woods, to which about 50 per cent of the camp -would go. - -During daylight intercommunication was allowed between the two groups -of houses: nominally an escort was necessary to accompany such visitors -along the intervening road, but in practice this rule was a dead letter. - -So hard-won, however, had been these few privileges, that the prospect -of any one attempting to escape and thereby causing their suspension -was looked upon by the majority of the original camp almost with -horror. And this was not altogether without reason, for some of them -had gone seriously into the question of escape, and had come to the -conclusion that, from so hopelessly inaccessible a spot, all attempts, -at least without outside assistance, were doomed to failure. Those -of us who had come from Changri, however, were not likely to give -up our long-cherished hopes without a struggle, but in the meantime -kept our nefarious intentions to ourselves, except for half a dozen -Yozgad officers whom we knew for certain to be keen to escape. The -arrival of Cochrane had more than countered the additional difficulties -involved by our move from Changri to Yozgad. While at Kara-Hissar, he -had arranged a scheme with the powers that be in England by which a -friendly boat should remain off a certain point on the coast of the -Mediterranean for a definite number of days at the end of August 1918. - -Cochrane now placed this scheme at the disposal of the Changri -division. There was some reluctance to give up old plans, but in -the end four parties decided to take advantage of "Rendezvous X," -as Cochrane's meeting-place was called--suffice to say that it was -on the Adalian coast nearly due south of Kara-Hissar. Of these four -parties ours was one. Our route to the island of Samos--our original -scheme--would now be some 450 miles. Actually this was only 50 miles -farther than to Rendezvous X, for the only feasible route to the latter -was _via_ Kara-Hissar, owing to the desert and mountains which would -have to be crossed on a more direct route. Cochrane's scheme, however, -promised an almost certain ending to the march to any one who reached -the coast; whereas, even if we reached the western shore of Asia Minor, -we should still have the problem of getting across to the island, and -that from a coast which must inevitably be very carefully guarded. - -Our six therefore decided to give up the old plan, and soon after -were joined by Cochrane himself and Captain F. R. Ellis, D.C.L.I. -This was a tremendous advantage to us, as Cochrane not only had the -experience so hardly gained by his previous attempt, but had actually -seen some of the country over which we should have to march if we -succeeded in passing Kara-Hissar. It was of course impossible for him -to do guide to all four parties, as large numbers marching together -would be immediately tracked; so he gave what suggestions he could, -and the other three parties were to make their way to the rendezvous -independently. - -Our party therefore numbered eight, all of whom have now been -introduced to our readers. We were the largest, and may claim to have -been the most representative party, including as we did one naval -officer, one gunner, one sapper, one British Infantry, two Indian -Army, and two Territorial officers. The other three parties making -for Rendezvous X numbered in all nine officers and Gunner Prosser. -Besides these there were two parties having other schemes. The first, -consisting almost entirely of Yozgad officers, intended marching for -the Black Sea and crossing to Russia, the full facts of whose chaotic -state were not known to us at the time. There were six officers in -this party. Lastly, a party of two more officers determined to set -out eastward, and hoped to make their way into Persia.[8] There had -been three or four other officers beside these who had seriously -contemplated escape while at Changri, but who were now forced to change -their mind through sickness or temporary disablements, such as crocked -knees, &c. - -The 26 starters--25 officers and 1 man--were scattered over five out -of the six houses comprising the camp. It was necessary, therefore, -for those in each house--in no case all of them members of the same -party--to devise their own particular means of getting out of the camp -precincts, and then for a committee composed of a representative from -each party to co-ordinate their respective schemes as far as possible. - -The first thing was to settle on a definite date for the attempt. As -the majority were to make for Rendezvous X, to fit in with Cochrane's -prearranged scheme, the date had to be later in the year than had -been our idea while at Changri. It was decided that the night chosen -should be the one towards the end of July most suitable as regards -the moon. To enable the members of the various parties to join up at -some convenient local rendezvous, and then put as great a distance as -possible between themselves and Yozgad before the following dawn, the -ideal was for the moon to rise an hour or so after we had all left -our houses. Great credit is due to Captain T. R. Wells for correctly -computing the times of rising and setting of that irregular planet. The -only material available was a Nautical Almanac some four years old. - -From his predictions, the 30th July was eventually fixed upon as the -best night. The moon would rise about 10.30 P.M., and 9.15 was -fixed upon as a suitable time for all to leave their houses--if they -could. This meant all would have been present at the evening roll-call, -which took place during dinner at about 7.45 P.M.; and their -absence, if no alarm occurred, would not be discovered until the check -taken at dawn next day. - -The advent of Cochrane to our party led to a reconsideration of the -whole question of the food and kit we should carry on our momentous -journey. His previous experience and that of Keeling's party was that -35 lb. was about as much as one could expect to carry across country -consistently with making reasonable progress. In the end, however, -we found that there were so many essentials that we should have each -to take about 43 lb., exclusive of the weight of packs, haversacks, -&c., to carry them. The following list gives some idea of our final -equipment. Each member of the party was to take the following:-- - - _Food_-- - Sixty-eight biscuits, made by "Escapers Ltd.," five to the lb. - Six soft biscuits, four to the lb. - Sultanas, 4 lb. - Cheese, 1/2 lb. - Fresh meat (for the first two days only), 1/2 lb. - Rice, 2 lb. - Cocoa _or_ Ovaltine, 1 lb. - Soup tablets (Oxo), 12 cubes. - Chocolate, 1 lb. - Tea, 1/4 lb. - Salt, about 1/8 lb. - Emergency ration of chocolate, Horlick's malted milk tablets, _or_ - Brand's essence, about 1/2 lb. - - _Clothing_-- - Spare pair of boots, or several pairs of native sandals. - Spare shirt. - Towel. - Several pairs of socks. - Felt mufti hat or service-dress cap. - Vermin-proof belt. - Spare bootlaces. - Handkerchiefs (mostly in the form of bags round the food). - - _Miscellaneous_-- - Share of medicines, mainly in tabloid form. - One large and one small bandage. - Matches, two or more boxes, one being in a water-tight case. - Flint and slow-match cigarette lighter. - Cigarettes or tobacco, according to taste. - Soap, one piece. - String. - Mug and spoon. - Wool for repairs to socks. - Spare razor-blades. - Compass. - Clasp-knife. - Whistle. - Tooth-brush. - Comb. - Notebook and pencil. - -In addition, the following were to be distributed in more or less equal -weights among the party as a whole:-- - - 1 pair of field-glasses. - 6 skeins of 3/4-inch rope. - 2 boot-repair outfits. - 1 housewife. - 3 chargals (canvas bags for water). - Map, original and copies; and enlargements from a small map. - Cardboard protractors. - "Sun compass." - Book of star charts. - Extra tea in the form of tablets. - 1 aluminium "degchie" or "dixie" (cooking-pot). - 1 very small adze (a carpenter's tool used in the East). - 2 pocket Gillette shaving sets. - 4 candles, } for giving red-light signals at - red cloth } Rendezvous X. - 2 pairs of scissors. - 2 iron rings, for use in the event of having to tow our kit across - an unfordable river. - 1 sausage of solid meat extract. - Opium. - 1 bottle of "Kola" compound. - 1 lb. tapioca. - Small reel of fine steel wire. - One 1/2-pint bottle of brandy. - Fishing tackle. - -The actual clothes to be worn on starting were left to individual -fancy. It was a question first of what one possessed; secondly, of what -one anticipated would suit the temperatures we should meet, and best -resist the wear and tear which our clothing would have to withstand. -Some decided on Indian khaki drill, others on home service serge -uniform; others again on a mixture of the two. One had a rainproof -coat cut down and converted to a tunic, which in practice was found to -answer well. - -"Shorts," we knew, would be very comfortable, but unfortunately they -are a peculiarly British style of garment; so they were vetoed, at any -rate for wear by day. One or two, however, rendered their trousers -convertible to "shorts," for use during darkness, by slitting each leg -along one seam to a point above the knee, adding buttons and cutting -button-holes at the correct places to enable them to be turned up and -fastened, so as to leave the knees free. Most of us, however, preferred -not to risk the loss of any protection against cold such as this plan -involved, and eventually started off wearing trousers tied below the -knee with a piece of cord, in true navvy fashion. - -It was realised that we could not hope to pass for Turks by day, so -no elaborate disguise was attempted. At night, however, a Turk's -silhouette does not much differ, except for his headgear, from that of -a European--for a Turk is not a European, even though he is allowed a -bit of European soil. We accordingly decided to wear fezes, so that -any one passing us at night would mistake us for Turks and ask no -questions. For the daytime we would hold to our original Changri scheme -of pretending to be a German survey party, and for this purpose would -carry either Homburg hats or British field-service caps. - -As to the best means of taking along all this kit, opinions were most -diverse. The weary experiments which had been commenced whilst at -Changri were continued with renewed zest at Yozgad, until by a system -of trial and error each had worked his own particular idea into a more -or less practical form. Our difficulties were enhanced by the necessity -of concealing our experimental models from the eyes not only of -brother Turk, but also of brother officers, so that all our tests were -carried out in the somewhat confined space of the room cupboards. While -so situated there was the risk of finding oneself shut in for half an -hour if an officer not in the know came into the room to describe the -events of the latest fox-hunt. Eventually the equipment of our party -varied from a simple but enormous rucksack, with water-bottle slung -separately, to a rather complicated arrangement by which the pack was -balanced to some extent by biscuit-pouches, haversack, and water-bottle -attached to the belt. - -In all cases the total load carried, with water-bottles filled but -chargals empty, amounted to close upon 50 lb.; of this 25-1/4 lb. were -food, 5 lb. water-bottle, and 12 lb. accessories and spare clothing; -and the remainder the weight of the equipment itself--in one case as -much as 8 lb. - -A few notes as to the above food and equipment may be of interest. The -soft biscuits were obtained at the last moment from an officer who had -intended to decamp but was prevented from so doing by a game leg. They -took the place of 1-1/2 lb. of a kind of sun-dried meat known locally as -"pastomar," similar to "biltong," but seasoned with garlic. This we had -bought two or three weeks previous to the date of departure, for it was -not always obtainable in the bazaar. Hence it was necessary to take it -while the chance offered, in spite of the unpleasantness of having to -keep such evil-smelling stuff in a living-room. Its taste to any one -but the garlic-loving Oriental is as disagreeable as its scent, so that -it was not altogether without relief that we found at the last moment -that most of the pastomar was already breeding maggots, and we replaced -it with the odd six biscuits apiece. - -Having read during our captivity a good deal about Arctic exploration, -we had also experimented with the local pemmican, but found it would -not withstand the heat. The cheeses were from home parcels, and to save -weight were taken out of their tins on the last day. The same was also -done with the cocoa and Ovaltine, which were then carried in bags made -from handkerchiefs. - -Two of the party also carried an extra pound of chocolate and some Oxo -tablets, on the understanding that they were to be thrown away if the -loads proved too heavy, for most of us felt that the last straw was -already nearly reached. - -Spare clothing was left for individuals to decide for themselves, and -some carried a little thin underclothing and a "woolley" in addition to -the spare shirt and socks. - -The medicines comprised quinine, aspirin, cascara sagrada, Dover's -powders, and iodine, these being supplied to us by our own doctors. -Also some arrowroot and Ovaltine in case any one had to diet himself. -We had in addition, while at Changri, managed to obtain from the -local chemist about fifteen opium pills per head. Most of us further -carried either boric powder or ointment for the feet. The vermin-proof -belts were to be more useful as a safeguard against chill than against -vermin, as in the end we on no occasion slept inside a Turkish dwelling. - -With one exception, all the compasses were of the poorest description, -being of the more or less toy variety with a mirror on the back. -Changri, however, produced one of superior pattern, which we purchased -without arousing suspicion, and attempted to make more efficient with -the luminous paint off the face of an old watch, but without very -lasting success. - -It is not easy to make a bag of canvas which will hold water, but by -dint of fine stitching and a special kind of beeswax, our naval leader -succeeded in producing three chargals which did yeoman service. - -The map on which we were to rely was a French one, forty years old, -and on a scale of about twenty-four miles to the inch. An officer -had bought it for five pounds from a Greek dentist at Kastamoni. As -it happened it was not bought primarily for escape purposes, but we -persuaded him to sell it to us on his leaving Changri for Geddos. In -this the hill features were very indistinctly shown by vague hachuring, -and even a big river such as the Kizil Irmak was in several places -shown dotted, signifying not that this dried up during parts of the -year, but that no one had surveyed it. An up-to-date but very small -map had been received from home by means of a series of six "bananas," -each containing a tiny section; but, owing to our change of plan, this -showed little of our proposed route. - -The "sun compass" needs some explanation. This was an invention of -Captain A. B. Matthews, D.S.O., R.E., who had been a prisoner of war at -Yozgad since the fall of Kut-el-Amara. Wishing to make a rough survey -of the immediately surrounding country for the use of the Hunt Club, -and finding that local magnetic attraction made a compass altogether -unreliable, he bethought him of a simple means of utilising the sun, -which in the wonderful climate of Asia Minor is rarely obscured -throughout the spring, summer, or autumn. The "sun compass" consists -merely of a thin wooden disc of say 5 inches diameter, with the outer -edge divided into 360 degrees, and with a hole at the centre through -which can be inserted a piece of stiff straight wire. A table of the -sun's bearing at any hour on any day completes the instrument. In -actual use the disc is held horizontally, with the graduations upwards, -and the wire kept vertical and protruding above the disc. Then, by -turning the latter till the shadow of the wire falls on the sun's -bearing plus 180 degrees, you have the disc set to read off true -bearings in any direction. - -Captain Matthews was also responsible for the star charts. By means -of two maps of the heavens obtained from a book on travel, published -by the Royal Geographical Society, he devised from first principles a -"bus" consisting of three concentric cardboard discs. By means of these -it was possible, almost mechanically, to read off the bearings of the -brighter stars in the main constellations for any hour and any night -of the year. It was thus possible to obtain a series of charts showing -on which star one should march for any required bearing, and at any -particular time. We prepared them for all hours of the nights from the -1st August to the 15th September 1918. This chart-book was of value -as a check on a magnetic compass by night, but assumed an elementary -knowledge of at least those constellations which would be of use for -the particular purpose in view. - -Although it was expected that if we wished to evade recapture we -should have to avoid replenishing our supplies at any villages, it -was necessary to take money in case we were compelled to do so as a -last resource. For this purpose a certain amount of gold and silver -was essential: otherwise it was quite possible that, in payment for -anything in an out-of-the-way district, the paper money would be -received at its true value, namely, nothing at all. A certain amount -of paper money was, however, advisable in view of the conditions we -might expect if we were recaptured, as paper money was less likely to -be taken away from us than gold and silver. It was decided then to -start if possible with at least L2 each in gold, L30 in paper, and two -medjidies (worth four shillings each) in silver. This we succeeded in -collecting, thanks to being able to cash a few cheques locally: for -both the gold and the silver, however, it was necessary to pay five -times their face value in paper. We bought silver coins, a few at a -time, from various sentries. These men thoroughly understood our desire -for them when we hinted at a pretty girl in England who would look very -handsome with a necklace of medjidies round her neck. - -While at Changri our party had succeeded in obtaining from other -officers two _pukka_ helio-mirrors, which had escaped destruction -on the fall of Kut-el-Amara. With these we had fitted up a duplex -heliograph, complete with signalling key and adjusting screws. Whereas, -however, for the Samos scheme it would have been invaluable, for -Rendezvous X its use was more problematical; and in view of the way in -which essentials had gradually mounted up, it was in the end rather -reluctantly decided that the helio must go by the board, as it weighed -about three pounds. - -Another decision now made was that in our party we should not use -violence in order to make our escape, unless it should be necessary -on the coast itself to avoid throwing away a really good chance. It -was recognised that if bloodshed occurred, the Turks would be quite -capable of killing off the whole of our party, and possibly others, if -recaptured. For this reason no attempt was made to procure firearms, -though this would probably have been no more difficult than obtaining -the fezes, compasses, and field-glasses. - -During the four months we were at Yozgad, Grunt, being one of the best -Turkish scholars in the camp, started a class for any who chose to -learn Turkish. About five times a week, therefore, all the original -six of our escape-party and a few others used to meet in Grunt's room -for an hour's instruction. In the case of would-be escapers, the main -attraction of these lessons was this: if any of us were recaptured, -as some were practically certain to be, it would be possible to make -oneself understood to some slight extent, and thereby perhaps alleviate -the unpleasantness of prison life by being able to let our jailers -know our wants. Since, also, to judge by the experience of those who -had been recaptured, we should, if equally unfortunate, spend several -months in the close company of some of the worst criminals in Turkey, -it would be a pity not to take the opportunity of picking up a really -good conversational knowledge of the language under exceptionally -favourable circumstances. For this a grounding in grammar would be -invaluable. Nothing else but these considerations would have induced -the majority of us to attempt so difficult a task as learning even the -rudiments of the Ottoman tongue. - -As the time grew near for the great adventure, the last stage of our -training was entered upon. Every opportunity was taken of going out -hunting, although the field was limited to a total of thirty. Keenness -in hockey died off, as many of us were afraid of sustaining some injury -which might incapacitate us on the actual day. Running and hard walking -round the garden became a regular institution in some houses; and -several cupboards, if suddenly opened at almost any hour of the day and -at many in the night, would have disclosed a member of an escape-party -loaded up in the most extraordinary manner, and performing gymnastic -exercises for the strengthening of leg and shoulder muscles. In view -of the inevitable hard marching, towards the end several of the party -even went so far as to soak the feet several times a day in a strong -solution of alum, in the hope of hardening the feet and avoiding -blisters. - -At the same time efforts were made to build up the stamina necessary -for a 400-mile march by eating the most nourishing foods obtainable, -irrespective of the fact that the price of any food seemed to go up as -the cube of its body-building value. To give one instance, sugar at -this time cost a sovereign the pound. - -It was almost inevitable that, with so many preparations in progress, -the secret of our intentions should leak out in the camp; and once -suspicions were aroused many of our actions would go to confirm them. -Thus it came about that a few days before the 30th July, the whole of -the camp at Yozgad knew pretty well that attempts to escape were on -foot; the shopping lists for the Changri division were alone enough -to have set people talking. Everybody wanted bootlaces, straps, -hobnails, rope, &c., in prodigious quantities. Unfortunately the Turks -also appeared to have got wind of it. For the last week of July, -sentries were visited and awakened with unheard-of frequency. Even the -commandant himself occasionally visited the different houses after -dark. In the case of one house, an extra sentry was suddenly posted in -the garden. - -However, our preparations went quietly on; our "hosts" might have -nothing really definite to go upon, and the more keen the sentries were -now, the more weary they would be by the time the real day arrived. -We therefore continued to make holes in walls, loosen iron bars, dig -unnecessary irrigation channels in the garden, &c., &c., all as aids to -egress from one house or another on the final night. - -In the particular house of our original six, (Cochrane and Ellis lived -in another), we had come to the conclusion that our best chance was to -prepare a hole through the outer wall of the kitchen belonging to our -mess. This kitchen, it is necessary to explain, was built along the -high enclosure wall of the garden, and was separated from the house -itself by a narrow alley-way, over which one of the sentries stood -guard. Next to the kitchen in the same outhouse was a little room with -one small window opening on to the alley, the entrance being _via_ the -kitchen itself. This second room was used as a fowl-house, and it was -here that we made up our minds to prepare a hole three-quarters of -the way through the outer wall. How exactly those escaping from our -house were to get across into the kitchen and finish off the hole on -the final night was a problem of which the solution was only settled -in detail at the last moment, and we will therefore leave our readers -in a similar state of suspense. The essential was that all should be -present at the evening roll-call, and yet the hole must be completed -and everybody be across at precisely 9.15 P.M. - -So uncertain were we of the means of effecting this that we had a -second alternative in case the first scheme could not be carried out. -This involved getting over the wall by ladders. - -A day or two before the 30th July, representatives of the various -parties met once again in solemn conclave to ensure that the various -plans should not clash, and a few general instructions were issued to -parties with a view to obtaining as long a start as possible. Every -one was to be represented in bed on the night by a dummy; boots were -to be padded, likewise the ends of khud-sticks (these were a _sine qua -non_ of our equipment for night-marching); water-bottles were not to be -filled because they gurgled; every man's equipment was to be finally -tried on to make certain that it would not make any noise. - -Lastly, a lamp-signal was arranged between houses in case any party -should be caught just prior to leaving their house, for instance while -completing a hole. If that signal were given, it would no longer be -necessary for the other parties to wait until 9.15 before they started; -on the contrary, they were advised to start away at once before the -alarm reached the sentries in the other houses. - -The 30th July arrived, but with it an unexpected complication. Vague -news had just come through that an exchange ship was being sent out -from England to fetch some of the worst cases of sick and wounded from -among the British prisoners in Turkey. The boat, said the rumour, was -due to arrive at some port at about the end of August, and the question -therefore arose at the eleventh hour whether, if we set off now, it -might not give the Turks the pretext that our Government had informed -us of the visit of this vessel, and that we were making off in the -hopes of getting aboard her secretly. The argument was of course, on -the face of it, ridiculous, but then so is the Turk, and it would be a -terrible responsibility for us if by our escape we destroyed the hopes -of these poor sick and wounded men. A vote was therefore taken as to -whether we would postpone the date, with the result that the motion was -carried by a small majority. - -This was a terrible disappointment, for it meant, we thought, another -month of indecision. Moreover, there would be no hope of finding a boat -still awaiting us at Rendezvous X, and it would be too late in the year -for much chance of our finding crops to eat or hide in. It was the -moon, however, which in the end decided that the postponement could -not be for so long. On working out its time of rising, it was found -that if we waited till the end of August the moon would only rise late -enough to let us leave our houses at 9.15, when within four days of -its disappearance. In this way we should be handicapped by having the -maximum of dark, or practically dark, nights for our journey. The whole -question was therefore revised in this new light, and it was decided -that we must either start before the new moon came or else give up -all hope of leaving in this year at all. The night 7th-8th August was -then chosen. This would be a Wednesday, and the following morning a -hunt-day, when the check taken at dawn was confused by the movements of -thirty officers dressing in haste for the day's sport. - -The week's grace was spent in perfecting all our arrangements. One -refinement was to collect our own and other people's hair when cut -by an officer barber, and paste it on to the outside of a cloth bag -stuffed with rubbish or towels made up to about the size of a man's -head. These were to be the heads of our dummies. Meanwhile we were more -careful with our shopping orders, and were relieved to find suspicions -in the camp dying down. - -On the morning of the 31st July an officer, who was supposed to know -nothing of the escape, had been called by his orderly and told, "They -ain't gone after all, sir!" - -FOOTNOTE: - -[8] The following is a list of the officers who attempted to escape, -but were unhappily all recaptured, mostly within a few days of -starting, but in the case of one party not until they had been at large -for eighteen days and covered over 200 miles: Major C. H. Stockley, -66th Punjabis; Captains C. Manners, 104th Rifles; A. B. Matthews, -D.S.O., R.E.; E. W. Burdett and C. A. Raynor, 48th Pioneers; T. R. -Wells, R.A.F.; R. O. Chamier, 110th Mahrattas; H. H. Rich, 120th -Infantry; E. T. M. Patmore, Hants Regiment, T.F.; Lieutenants Tudway, -R.N.; J. H. Brabazon, Connaught Rangers; A. V. Barlow, R.A.F.; H. -D. Stearns, I.A.R., 117th Mahrattas; A. Macfadyen, I.A.R., 110th -Mahrattas; F. S. Sheridan, I.A.R., Gurkhas; J. Dooley, I.A.R., M.T.; M. -L. C. Smith, I.A.R., 7th Rajputs. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE FLAG FALLS. - - -At last the long-deferred day had dawned--the cause rather of relief -than excitement to our party, after their planning and scheming for -eleven long months and active preparations for as many weeks. Our only -prayer now was that we should at least have a run for our money, and be -spared the ignominy of being led back into the camp at Yozgad without -the taste of even a few days freedom. - -The 7th August being a Wednesday, at 11 A.M. the usual picnic -party set off for the pine woods. The majority never dreamt for a -moment of the intention of twenty-five officers--a quarter of all the -officers in the camp--to escape that night. Their departure was the -signal for feverish activity in completing preparations which, by -their nature, had to be left until the last day. Such, in the house -then occupied by the present writers, called Hospital House, was the -screwing together of the ladders required in case an alternative -scheme for getting out of the camp should prove necessary. Then there -were rucksacks and haversacks to be finally made up, and the whole -"Christmas Tree" to be tried on to ensure that there was no rattling. -For reasons which will appear, it was necessary too for the Old Man -and Looney to convey their kits across the alley into the fowl-house -and there leave them concealed, the one in a blanket and the other -in a box. Meanwhile, Grunt and Perce put the finishing touches to -the hole commenced, as previously described, in the fowl-house wall, -until daylight could be seen through every joint in the outer skin of -masonry, and until it was as certain as such things could be that the -remaining stones would come away easily. Watches had to be synchronised -to ensure that all six parties should start simultaneously; the -fresh meat for the first two days to be issued, and so on almost _ad -infinitum_. It was at this stage that we discovered the maggots in the -"pastomar" or "biltong," to which reference has already been made. - -That evening, before the hour when intercommunication between houses -was supposed to cease, there were many visits from well-wishers living -in other houses who knew of our intentions, and last arrangements were -made with our British orderlies to play their part. Doubtless they did -it well. One can imagine the delight with which they would put some of -our dummies to bed after our departure, and as we left we heard their -efforts in the house to cover our exit with the noise of a sing-song. -If no alarm occurred before daylight, they were to remove the dummies -after these had served their purpose at the 4 A.M. "rounds." -One orderly had also volunteered to build up the hole in the wall as -soon as the house and kitchen doors were unlocked next morning. - -At last all was ready, and we sat down to what, we hoped, would be -our last full meal for many a day. Twenty minutes to eight came and -went, the time when the _onbashi_, or Turkish corporal, usually took -roll-call; but it was not till eight o'clock that evening that the six -of the party in our house, who, with a Major A---- and the "King of -Oireland," another escaper, formed the mess on the top floor, heard his -footsteps on the stairs. We returned his good-night with rather more -than usual gusto, and waited till he had disappeared, as his custom -was, into the next room. Now was the moment. Old Man and Looney slipped -out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen, the door of which, -with the side-door of the house, was allowed to remain open every night -until our orderlies had "washed up." These two were to go across in -their shirt sleeves and carrying plates, so that, if he noticed them -at all, the sentry posted over the alley separating the main building -from the outhouse would naturally mistake them for orderlies. In the -excitement of the moment, however, Old Man had forgotten to bring down -his coat; and Looney, now safely ensconced in the fowl-house, wondered -why he had not followed him across. Next minute there was a tremendous -crash and a tinkle of broken crockery. The Old Man, discovering his -loss, had turned back and slipped on the stairs. Nothing could have -exceeded in realism this unintentional imitation of an orderly. As -he picked himself up, he saw the feet of the _onbashi_ descending -the stairs above him, with the result that he lost no further time -in crossing to the kitchen. Orderly M---- was sent back to fetch the -missing article, which arrived in due course. - -Now followed an anxious few minutes. Sometimes it happened that the -_onbashi_ would miscount an officer or man, or count one twice over, -and the check would then be repeated throughout the house. We realised -that if this occurred on the present night it would be necessary for -Old Man and Looney to reappear from the kitchen, and for scheme No. 2 -to come into operation. Incidentally their kits, then in the outhouse, -would have to be brought back in the blanket and box by our orderlies. -Scheme No. 2 was to leave the house, carrying ladders, through a window -on the eastern side; after which would follow a ticklish crawl between -two sentries forty yards apart to the garden wall nine feet in height. -The bars of the window in question had been loosened and cracked by -Looney, with Old Man watching the sentries' movements, during some -amateur theatricals held in the house on the previous night. To our -relief, however, this plan had not to be put into execution. - -As was his custom, when the orderlies had finished their work, the -_onbashi_ locked the house and kitchen doors. No sooner had his -footsteps died away than the advance-guard of our party set to work to -complete the opening of the wall. It was now about 8.15 P.M. -The work went on quickly but quietly. A few minutes only and the clear -starlit sky was visible through the rapidly enlarging aperture. - -Then came another anxious moment. As the two were relieving one another -at the work, there suddenly appeared at the half-completed task the -head of a mongrel dog. One growl or bark would suffice to draw the -attention of the watchmen over the vegetable gardens outside, who did -not hesitate to fire off their ancient rifles on the slightest alarm; -but the dog after one look in at the hole strolled on, and the good -work was resumed. - -There was one large stone which seemed likely to give trouble; indeed -it had almost been decided to let it remain, when it suddenly came away -and crashed noisily to the ground. But the sound, if heard at all, fell -on deaf ears--although it must have been at about this very time that -some of the party, still in the house and overlooking the wall, saw a -man standing within a score of yards from the hole. - -Their work completed, Old Man and Looney proceeded to screen it from -any one passing casually along, by affixing a square of canvas over -the outside with "blobs" of beeswax. It now only remained to arrange -for the easy withdrawal of the staple of the kitchen door, so that the -latter could be opened from the outside, although padlocked; then, -having donned haversack, water-bottle, and pack, to await the arrival -of the remaining six from this house, four of our own and two of -another party. - -When Old Man and Looney had stepped off to the kitchen the other six -of the second-floor mess had remained at table, talking and smoking as -usual. The Turkish corporal taking roll-call reappeared from the room -beyond the dining-room, and was told not to forget the "yourt" for the -next day. "Yourt," a kind of junket, is a staple diet of the Turk, and -most of the prisoners became very partial to it. As it was hard to -come by except through the medium of a sentry, it was their custom to -remind him each evening, so that he might have some faint chance of -remembering about it next morning. - -A few minutes later they heard the kitchen door being locked, and -heaved a sigh of relief. The advance-party had had enough time to get -across to the kitchen, and roll had been correctly called the first -time. Major A---- in our mess, who was not escaping, had offered to -watch the Upper House for the alarm-signal, and he was left sitting in -the mess-room while the others set to work on various jobs. Grunt and -Perce removed all obstructions to exit from the carpenter's shop door, -while Nobby and Johnny took the four ladders from their hiding-place -in a wood-store and tied bits of felt round the ends to deaden the -sound when they should be placed against the wall. After this the -ladders were taken into the cellar, whence scheme No. 2 might have -to be worked. They then went upstairs to the bedroom, where their -escape paraphernalia was stored. Here they hung towels and blankets -over the windows, and started to dress by the light of a candle. -It was a queer sight indeed. They were, at this point, joined by -Sheridan, who belonged to a downstair mess, and one Pat. The latter was -dresser-in-chief, and helped them on with their equipment. He was very -miserable that he was not going himself, but he had a crocked knee and -it would have been madness for him to think of marching over broken -country by night. - -He now employed spare moments repeating certain sentences that he -had learnt in order to call away the sentry over the alley: on this -depended the best scheme of getting out of the house. The bedroom was -the one in which Old Man, Grunt, and Johnny slept, and those in the -room now set to work to make up the dummies in the three beds. The -heads had already been fashioned, and, with a few clothes stuffed under -the blankets and the heads placed in position, the beds were soon -occupied by three graceful figures in attitudes of deep repose. The -small piece of towel forehead that could be seen over the edge of the -blanket looked perhaps a trifle pale, but, apart from that, the beds -seemed quite natural. They could not resist the temptation of calling -the Major away from the mess window for a moment, just to have a look -at the sleeping beauties, and he returned chuckling to his post. - -Water-bottles were then partially filled with a thick paste of cocoa. -Although water was not to be carried at the start, on account of the -impossibility of preventing a gurgle in the water-bottle, the cocoa -paste was permissible, for, being only just liquid enough to pour, -it made no noise. It had been decided that morning that it would be -best to leave the bedroom before 9 P.M., at which time the -sentries changed. A few minutes before this hour, therefore, the six -officers gave their feet a gouty appearance by tying felt padding on -to their boots, and then started down to the ground-floor. On the -way, Johnny turned into the orderlies' room to say good-bye, thanking -them hurriedly for their help, without which the preparations for the -escape would have been almost impossible. A few days later he found -in the pocket of his jersey, which had been mended by an orderly -belonging to the Norfolk regiment, a small piece of paper on which was -written, "Good-bye, and good luck, sir.--B.," and he still has it in -his possession. Going downstairs they met an officer prisoner, who, not -having been admitted to the secret, nearly had a fit at the sight of -six such extraordinary objects. - -Grunt looked in at another orderlies' room above the exit, and asked -them to blow out their lamp and make a noise. The six then crept -quietly into the prearranged room, and waited breathlessly by the door. - -Sentries were changed, and once again all became still. One lived every -second of that waiting. - -Their plan now depended on the aid of Pat. Although debarred from -escaping himself, he was willing to help others to liberty at -considerable risk to himself. Punctually at 9.15, the hour at which -the parties in the different houses were allowed to start, Pat's clear -tones could be heard calling to the sentry on the alley-way-- - -"Nebuchi, nebuchi, jigara dushdu." ("Sentry, sentry, I've dropped my -cigarettes.") - -And indeed he had: a hundred scattered about a cabbage-bed should keep -the sentry busy for some time. But the wretched man nearly upset all -calculations. Wearied with a quarter of an hour's duty, he was already -almost asleep. - -It was a moment of terrible suspense for the six officers waiting, -ready loaded up with their kits, in the ground-floor room opposite to -the kitchen. The door of this led on to the alley-way; normally it was -disused and kept locked, but the lock had now been picked and the door -could be opened in a moment. - -Would the sentry hear Pat calling? And would he desert his post even if -he did hear? - -They had heard Pat's first sentence. No reply. - -It was repeated, then again and again. - -After they had heard him shouting for many hours (perhaps thirty -seconds, as time is reckoned by a watch), the sentry answered. - -His form was just visible as he passed by a small iron-barred window, -and now was the opportunity. They could cross unobserved to the -kitchen. An open door, three steps across the alley-way, a fumble -with the kitchen door staple; another open door, a turn to the left, -bend down or you'll knock your head off getting into the fowl-house, -starlight showing in a black wall, through head first and almost on -your face into long grass, and there you are--a free man. - -Meanwhile Pat was no doubt explaining to the delighted old sentry from -the upper window how he could have a few cigarettes himself and return -the remainder next morning. We sometimes wonder whether the sentry was -foolish enough to mention to his relief about the cigarettes he had -been given. At the time of writing we are still ignorant how long it -was before our departure was discovered.[9] - -Looney and Old Man, being already on the spot, had been granted the -privilege of leading through the hole, the remainder following in an -order arranged by lot, since ours was not the only party represented. -It so happened that the two of the other party were sandwiched between -the other four of ours. This caused a temporary separation; for at the -best it took an appreciable time to crawl through the wall and pick -oneself up on the other side, but these two were especially slow. Grunt -too had lost time when it came to his turn. Impatiently waiting to see -the starry sky once more when the then broad form of Johnny should have -ceased to obscure the hole, he eventually discovered that the cause of -the darkness was not that Johnny had jammed, but that the canvas flap -had fallen, and was covering the hole all too effectively. - -Our main object at this stage was to avoid disturbing the garden -chowkidars, and therefore each as he emerged lost no time in creeping -along the high garden wall, and dropping down into the friendly shelter -of the river bed. For all its "hundred springs"--the meaning of the -name "Yozgad"--the river for the greater part of the year consisted -merely of a shallow and dirty stream, not more than ten feet broad, -although its banks were as many yards apart, and from five to eight -feet in height. It was along this that we all turned down-stream, -Johnny now taking the lead. A few days previously he had suddenly -developed a passionate interest in natural history. A polite letter, in -which the word "ornithological" played a great part, was written to the -commandant, and Johnny was permitted to join two real naturalists in an -expedition starting at 4 A.M. on our last Sunday morning at -Yozgad. - -These two had been at Changri with us, and knew we had intentions of -escaping, so Johnny told them in which direction his party wished to -start off, and this direction was now taken. Johnny counted his steps, -noted landmarks which would be visible by starlight, and was able -to draw a rough map of the country. All three dug at intervals for -imaginary field-mice, until the sentry with them thought they were -more insane than even the average Englishman, and said so. In the end, -however, the strain of this great thought overpowered him and he fell -asleep, giving Johnny the opportunity he required. He climbed a hill, -took bearings, and was able to see our future route to within half -a mile of a rugged piece of country known to the local hunt club as -"Hades." On the return journey the three came back along the edge of -the stream which ran past the bottom of our garden wall, and in which -we have just left the six of our party. - -[Illustration: -_From a sketch by Capt. E. B. Burns, E. Kent Regt._ -YOZGAD CAMP FROM N.W. - A = Hospital House. C----D = Course followed to river bed. - B = Upper House. E = Market gardens. - C = Position of hole made in fowl-house wall.] - -In accordance with the plan then settled we follow the river-bed -until almost clear of the most westerly houses of the town, then turn -right-handed up a stony track, passing between two high walls till -the track ends. A few more paces to the west and we shall be safe in -the open country. These few paces, however, will be along a main road -directly in front of two or three houses on the outskirts of the town, -but the alternative of following the river-bed farther and then turning -up would necessitate passing through vegetable gardens, which, as -already mentioned, are jealously guarded. - -In the event, the original plan was justified by success, although the -six of us, at this time unintentionally split up into parties of four -and two, passed fully in view of a man sitting on one of the verandahs -overlooking the road. It was probably thanks to our fezes that we -escaped detection, for other disguise we had none. It was lucky that -we had taken the precaution to cover our boots with felt pads, for the -ring of an Englishman's boots on a metalled road would, we know, have -aroused the envy and suspicion of any Turk who heard it, accustomed as -he is to the soft footfall of the country sandal or "chariq." - -Once comfortably clear of the town, the leading four could afford to -wait for the other two to come up, and with their arrival we began to -enjoy our first taste of freedom from Turkish toils. The only question -to disturb us now was whether Cochrane and Ellis had got out safely -from their house. So far, at any rate, there had been no sounds of an -alarm. We therefore lost no time in setting off to the rendezvous, -where we hoped to join up as a complete party of eight. This was to be -at the bottom of the "Hades" ravine, at the point where it was crossed -by the telegraph line to Angora. The distance from our houses, as the -crow flies, was perhaps two miles. For this, taking into consideration -the darkness of the night and the difficulty of the country, we had -allowed two and a quarter hours. At 11.30 P.M., any one who -had failed to appear was to be considered recaptured or lost, and those -who had arrived were to go on. An absurdly liberal allowance of time -you may say; but even the six whose movements we have followed, and -who had the advantage of Johnny's guidance over a route reconnoitred -by day, took till 11 P.M. to cover these two miles. We were -experiencing, some of us for the first time, the difficulties of a -night march. In addition, it was our first trial of carrying our loads, -weighing nearly fifty pounds, anywhere outside a cupboard. No wonder -then that our progress was slow, and at one time we began to think that -we must have already crossed the line of telegraph which was to lead us -down into "Hades" itself. But there it was at last, and we were soon -slipping down--only too literally--into the ravine. - -Our first act, after quenching our thirst, was to fill up our -water-bottles. As 11.30 approached, with still no sign of Cochrane and -Ellis, we began to wonder whether, perhaps, they might not have gone -on to another ravine in "Hades," and be awaiting the rest of us there; -so some commenced scouting around, while others remained to show their -position by periodical flashes with a cigarette lighter. This was so -desolate a bit of country that the flashes entailed no appreciable risk. - -At 11.30 we decided to give them another quarter of an hour; to delay -after that would be to jeopardise the remainder of the party, for it -was already only four hours to dawn. Great, therefore, was our relief -when, at the last moment of this time of grace, we saw two forms appear -on the skyline, and presently heard the rattle of loose shale as they -picked their way towards our flashes. So far so good; and we were -soon exchanging mutual congratulations on joining up, and saying that -even this one night's breath of freedom, after two and a half years' -captivity, would be worth all the trouble of our preparations. - -But we must go back for a moment and narrate the experiences of the -late-comers in leaving their house. - -This was called the Upper House, and to the east overlooked the main -street below, but was separated from it by three shallow terraces, -which boasted some treasured vegetables and a few fruit trees. To the -north the ground fell steeply by three higher terraces to a small -patch of ground enclosed by walls. It was here that we used to play -the four-a-side hockey. The upper terrace on this northern face was -visible to a sentry at the main gate of the Hospital House, which was -on the other side of a road running along the hockey ground wall. The -two remaining sides of the house abutted on tumble-down cottages, from -which they were separated by a narrow alley. At the north-western and -south-western corners sentries were posted. - -The number of officers escaping from this house was five. The bars -of a window on the side facing the main street had been cut with the -aid of a steel saw, and at 9.15 P.M. the five climbed down a -rope-ladder to the ground. Skirting the edge of the house at intervals -of two minutes they crept quietly through the garden and reached the -second of the three terraces on the north side, keeping well under the -high bank. Here they passed within three yards of the sentry's box, on -the top of the bank above them. Absolute silence was necessary, and -this was the reason that the two had been so late in arriving at the -rendezvous, for each step had to be taken with extreme care. - -[Illustration: -_From a sketch by Capt. K. F. Freeland, R.A._ -UPPER HOUSE, YOZGAD, FROM N.N.E. -(WINTER TIME.) - A = Sentry's box. - B----C = Track followed by Cochrane and Ellis. - D = Hockey ground.] - -The terrace a few yards beyond the sentry's box sloped down into the -large market-garden to the west of the Hospital House. On the south -side of this was a wall, along which they picked their way. Here, too, -great caution was required. Look-out huts had to be passed within a few -yards, but finally they were across the garden. A high wall had now -to be climbed, but fortunately it was in bad repair and afforded good -footholds. - -Here Cochrane and Ellis heard voices. An old woman had seen Stockley -and Rich and was wanting to know what they were doing. Our two did not -wait to hear much more. Turning right, they were on the same stony -track up which the first party had turned from the river-bed, and now -they followed Johnny's route till they finally struck the telegraph -post and arrived at "Hades." - -Ellis had arrived puffing and blowing, but there was no time to be lost -if we were to be at anything like a safe distance from Yozgad before -dawn broke. - -Five minutes before midnight, then, we started off a complete party, -and were soon scrambling up the northern side of "Hades" on to the -plateau above. Having left the line of telegraph poles for the sake of -an easier ascent, we were unable at once to find it again. Although it -had been our original intention to follow the telegraph wires as likely -to lead over a passable line of country, it was decided to waste no -further time in a search for them. Instead we would set off by compass -and stars in a due westerly direction, and hope to pick them up again -later on. The ground proved favourable: our course took us over fairly -level country, a considerable portion of which was under cultivation, -and for some time we were walking over stubble. Although there was no -moon, our eyes rapidly accustomed themselves to the bright starlight, -and hopeful progress was made, but not without occasional alarms. - -The first occurred within an hour of leaving "Hades." Looney was -temporarily relieving Cochrane of his task of guiding the party, when -the leading six suddenly found that the other two had disappeared, and -inwardly cursed them for straggling. In reality, what had happened -was this: the party, moving in no regular formation, had got a little -separated, when suddenly the two in the rear had seen the glowing -tip of a cigarette moving obliquely towards them, and immediately -afterwards descried the shadowy forms of three mounted men. Quick as -thought they lay down and waited till the horsemen had passed; the rest -moved on in blissful ignorance of their danger, until, on turning for -the others, they too saw the cigarette and realised what had happened. -Those three men were almost certainly gendarmes. Apart from this, we -occasionally found ourselves coming upon little groups of huts and -villages, and these entailed wasteful detours. We had, in addition, an -uncomfortable feeling that we were leaving behind us a rather obvious -track through the crops where yet uncut. - -About 2 A.M. we once more picked up the line of telegraph -poles. We were all the more glad to follow them as we saw difficult -country ahead, and they were likely to lie along a practicable route. -Practicable it was, but then it is practicable to reach the bottom of -most slopes if you are prepared to sit down and slide; for that is what -we had to do for the latter part of the descent into the steep-sided -ravine, across which our telegraph line now led us. At least, however, -we had the satisfaction of a much-needed drink from the crystal-clear -water of a mountain stream. - -Here indeed would have been an ideal hiding-place for the coming day; -we could have bathed and drunk to our hearts' content, shielded both -from sun and view by enormous rocks which towered above us, almost on -the water's edge. But we were only seven or eight miles from Yozgad, -and an hour lost now meant one to be made up later on. After a drink, -then, we clambered up the farther slope, to find as we struggled on -that we were once more coming into open country, with less and less -prospect of a suitable hiding-place. To turn back was out of the -question. The first light of dawn caught us still moving forward, and -within sight of a village. The sun had not risen before men and women -were on every side of us, going out to work in their fields. We came -to a stream running through a grove of trees, but it was too near the -village to remain there. Our freedom was to be short-lived, we thought, -as we took a hurried drink and proceeded across more open country. -Eventually, at 4.50, we dropped down into a tiny nullah on the open -hillside. The only merit of this spot was that it was not directly -visible from the village. - -It was obvious that we could not hope still further to escape -observation from the fields if we continued to lie there all day, so -Looney went off to scout around for something better. A more hopeful -nullah, with banks in places five feet high, was reported half a -mile beyond the next low crest. To that therefore we moved in broad -daylight, glad to find that we should at least have some water, for a -muddy trickle flowed down the nullah bed. Without this the heat would -have been intolerable, for, until late in the day, the banks proved too -shelving to provide shade from the sun. Even with water, Turkish-bath -conditions are conducive neither to sleep nor appetite. Not one of us -slept a wink that day. As to the day's ration, it was with difficulty -that we forced ourselves to eat a quarter of a pound of salted meat and -nine ounces of home-made biscuit--not an excessive amount, even when -you add to it one and a half ounces a head of chocolate, which Grunt -produced from the store of extras he was voluntarily carrying. - -We reckoned that we were perhaps ten miles' distance from Yozgad. After -the events of the morning we entertained little hope of our whereabouts -not having been reported, but we were to learn that we flattered -ourselves as to the interest we aroused among the country people. The -fact at least remained, that we were left undisturbed in our somewhat -obvious hiding-place: the only signs of life that we saw during the day -were a shepherd with his flock of sheep grazing a quarter of a mile -away, and a Turkish soldier who, in the early evening, came down to our -nullah a little below us, and was probably himself a deserter and so a -fugitive like ourselves. Towards dusk we stood up and watched a stream -of men and carts returning to their villages after the day's work in -the fields. - -By 7.30 all was clear, and we lost no time in making our way to the -line of telegraph poles which we could see disappearing over the crest -of the next rise. Alongside we found a splendid track, which we were -able to follow over undulating country for several miles. Nobby was -in trouble with his "chariqs"; in spite of experiments carried out -for weeks beforehand he had not succeeded in getting a pair which did -not now gall him in one place or another. This was serious, as he was -relying on these country sandals to carry him down to the coast; strong -English boots were hard to come by. On this night, after several delays -as one after another of his spares was tried and rejected, he was -eventually able to wear a pair lent him by Cochrane. - -Twilight had now faded, and we were dependent once more on the light -of the stars. The track, easily distinguishable while it kept to the -telegraph poles, had begun to wind about as the country became more -undulating. In a little while it could no longer be followed with any -certainty. We therefore ceased to worry about the track and trusted to -the telegraph to lead us towards Angora, until this too failed us, for -it went too much to the north of west. We thereupon proceeded on our -proper course by compass. - -We had started in the evening feeling unexpectedly fresh, and it says -much for our training that the first night's march had left none of us -in the least bit stiff. Nevertheless the day in the hot sun and the -lack of all sleep had tried us more severely than we thought, and we -were now beginning to feel the effects. The idea had been to have the -regulation five minutes' halt at the end of every hour's marching, but -we soon found that we were taking ten minutes' rest every half-hour. -We were, moreover, consumed with an appalling thirst; even at night the -heat off the ground in this arid track of land was stifling, while the -parched and cracked surface held out little hope of there being water -in the vicinity. At 11.30 we decided we must have a long halt, in the -hopes of a little sleep; two volunteers shared the watch. Shortly after -midnight we marched on again considerably refreshed, the main anxiety -now being for water. Two hours later we saw looming ahead a low ridge -of hills, and decided to go and wait there until dawn should reveal -the most likely direction for a drink. A little searching round then -showed us a fair-sized stream in the next valley to the south-west: -in Asia Minor, however, where there is a perennial stream, there is -fairly certain to be a village or two, and so it proved in this case; -but water we must have; besides, on the hillside, where we had rested -till daylight, there now appeared a shepherd with his flock. Hastily -gathering up our kit, we dodged up dry and rocky nullahs and over the -next ridge. Once more it was broad daylight before we settled down for -the day in our hiding-place, in rocky ground intersected with crevices -just wide enough for a man to lie in. On the way we had to descend a -steep slope covered with loose shale, and this proved a sore test for -important portions of our clothing, for it was impossible to keep to -one's feet. - -When four of the party went to the stream below us to fill up the -water-bottles, they found they were within a few hundred yards of -another village, so that one visit to water had to suffice for the rest -of the day. They had been seen by at least one boy who was looking -after a flock of sheep near the stream. - -We were lucky, however, to discover, close above our hiding-place, a -tiny spring. From this, thanks to a couple of water-holes dug with the -adze by Perce, it was possible to collect about a mugful of water in -an hour. Cochrane now told off the party into watches by pairs; but, -on watch or off, there was little or no sleep to be had. During the -morning we made a fire and "brewed" some arrowroot and cocoa, and had -three ounces of chocolate apiece. All of these Grunt and Ellis had -carried in addition to their ordinary share of rations, and, try as we -would, we found that, owing to the heat, we could not eat more than one -and a half out of the ration of three biscuits allowed for that day. -Of course this saved food, but it also meant the gradual exhaustion of -one's strength, and no reduction in the weight to be carried next day. - -Our progress on the first two nights had not been up to expectation: we -reckoned that we were still within eighteen miles of Yozgad, whereas -we had hoped to cover something over twelve miles a day. If we were -unable to maintain our average when we were fresh and not yet pinched -for food, we could hardly hope to do better after days of marching and -semi-starvation. Our advance on the third night was to provide little -encouragement, for we barely made good another eight miles. - -Having waited until 8 P.M. before we dared to descend to the -stream, we halted there in the dark for a deep drink and the refilling -of our water-vessels. Half an hour later we left the valley and found -ourselves in a network of hills. From these we only emerged into open -country shortly before eleven o'clock, passing but one small channel -of very bad water on the down-stream side of a village. Our course -now lay across an arid plain, featureless except for a few village -tracks and low cone-shaped hills; and we began to wonder whether dawn -would not find us without water or cover, when at 2 A.M. we -dropped into a patch of broken country, and decided we would rest there -till daylight. As a look round then disclosed no better hiding-place, -we settled down where we were for the day. The remains of an old -spring were found, but it was dry. Thanks to the chargals, most of -our water-bottles were still three-quarters full; but this was little -enough with which to start a day in the almost tropical sun. Most of -us rigged ourselves partial shelters with our towels and spare shirts, -supported on khud-sticks. These, however, provided little protection -against the fierce rays. But all things come to an end--even this -seemingly interminable day; yet it was to be nothing compared to the -night which followed. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[9] Since writing the above, we have learnt that the officers escaping -from one of the other houses were unable to leave it until after 11 -P.M., and even then were at once seen, but took to their heels -and got clear. For some unaccountable reason the Turks only proceeded -to check the officers of that particular house. At dawn, the _chaouse_ -taking rounds in the Hospital House was completely deceived by the -dummies; not so, however, an interpreter, who had seen the same game -played when Keeling's party escaped. We thus enjoyed about 6-1/2 hours' -start. - -The Turks were completely at a loss to know how the eight from Hospital -House had got out of the garden. The only possible means seemed to them -to be that we had got _over_ the wall by means of nets flung out from -a top window of the main building right over the outhouse. The hole in -the wall they took to be merely a blind! The nets were simply goal nets -made while at Changri, and of course used for none but their original -purpose. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE PEACEFUL SHEPHERDS. - - -There was not a drop of water in any of our bottles when, at 6.30 that -evening, we emerged from our hiding-place and made our way down towards -the open valley which had been running south of us and nearly parallel -to our course of the preceding night; for this direction seemed to -offer the best prospect of water. On the far side of the valley rose -the wood-covered slopes of the Tchitchek Dagh, or Flower Mountain. Far -away to the west we could see the purple ridges of the Denek Dagh, -slightly to the north of which we hoped to cross the Kizil Irmak. Our -hopes rose high as we saw beneath us a narrow streak of green which -betokened the existence of the longed-for water; but if, in England, -where there's a dog there's a man, in Turkey where there's a stream -there are sheep. We soon found that all the flocks of the countryside -were settling down for the night on the banks of our promised water -supply, while farther to the north-west our way was barred by the -inevitable village. - -There was nothing for it but to lie where we were till twilight had -faded, and then to cut south-west with the idea of hitting the nullah -at a point above the flocks. On doing so we were much dismayed to find -that the nullah was dry. By this time we were all fairly "cooked"; -Ellis, in addition, was suffering from a strained heart--for such it -now turns out to have been. For half an hour we carried his kit and -helped him along between us, but he still could not keep up. - -At 9.30 we decided to leave him behind, in a dry nullah we were -following at the time, with Grunt, who volunteered to stay with him -while the rest went on to find water--if they could. The six plodded -on with frequent halts, and resorted for the first time to the bottle -of "Kola" tablets, which provided a much-needed stimulant. The country -was still an arid waste with here and there a dry nullah, each one like -the rest; and as time went on without a sign of water, those of us with -Cochrane began to wonder how we should ever find the derelict pair -again. A solitary light twinkled away to our left, another far ahead. -Were these from villages, or were they shepherds' fires? On trudged the -six on their western course towards a jagged ridge which now met their -view. An hour and a half after leaving the pair they crossed a narrow -embankment. This they recognised as that of a light railway, then -under construction, between Angora and Sivas, for we had seen another -bit of this on our way from Angora to Yozgad.[10] At length they came -to water--a stagnant lake it proved and brackish, but at least it was -water. Curiously enough, they discovered they were not as thirsty as -they had imagined, but a paddle was most refreshing. - -After forty minutes' halt, Cochrane, Johnny, and the Old Man -loaded themselves up with the chargals and all except three of the -water-bottles, and leaving their packs behind set forth on their -urgent quest for Grunt and Ellis. The remaining three divided up the -watches between them until dawn. Nobby and Looney had a midnight bathe, -finding one place even deep enough to swim in; but it was chilly work -drying on a couple of silk handkerchiefs sewn together which served -as towel, scarf, or sunshade indiscriminately. Sleep was impossible, -for the bank swarmed with mosquitoes and sand-flies, so after a while -Nobby went a-fishing with a sultana for bait, but without result. At -2 A.M. the monotony was broken by the arrival of a dog. It -stood a few yards away and proceeded to bark for about ten minutes. -That light we had seen ahead, and which was now close by, was probably -a village fire; so the three just lay low. At length, to their relief, -the owner of the beast came and called it off, not worrying to find out -at what it was barking. - -In the meantime Cochrane and the two others had to get back to the -nullah where Grunt and Ellis had been left. They recrossed the -railway embankment and eventually struck a nullah. As they proceeded -this petered out, and the three started wandering over the country, -whistling now and again, but receiving no answer. At 2.45 A.M. -they again struck the embankment and walked along it for an hour, but -could not pick up their bearings. Accordingly they halted and waited -for the light. After being heated by the strenuous marching, they soon -began to shiver violently with the cold and dosed themselves with -quinine. - -As prearranged in the event of the others not having returned, Nobby, -Perce, and Looney at dawn moved off from the pool into hiding in the -hills to the west. The packs of the search-party were left concealed -under a ledge of the bank and covered with reeds and grass. From the -top of the ridge they overlooked the desolate country traversed the -night before. Close below them stood an Arab encampment with its black -camel-hair tents, from which both the light and dog had doubtless -proceeded. A few ponies grazed near the water, now seen to be one of -a series of pools lying stagnant in an otherwise dry river bed. A man -appeared leading a string of camels. The three were thinking that -little prospect remained of joining up again that day, when suddenly -they saw figures hurrying across the plain, and recognised with relief -that they were Cochrane, the Old Man, and Johnny. - -At the first sign of dawn they had marched eastwards for a quarter of -an hour, and then had to give it up as a bad job, having failed to pick -up their bearings. Accordingly, they turned round and walked westwards -along the embankment as fast as they could. An hour and twenty minutes -later they reached the point at which they had crossed on the previous -night, and made for the water where the packs had been left. Here -they could see Nobby's party flashing a mirror: for it was now broad -daylight. On their westward march they had passed a big railway working -camp, and people were moving about. - -It was no use for all three to risk being seen, so Johnny took a -long drink, put on his pack (in case it should prove impossible to -join up as a complete party again), loaded himself up with three -additional water-bottles and the big chargal, and started off once -more to find Grunt and Ellis. Cochrane and the Old Man went off to -join up with Nobby's party, having arranged to come down to the water -the same evening to show Johnny the way. The latter, looking like a -pantechnicon, passed several people in the distance and one man on a -donkey at a few yards. Finally he spotted the tracks of the previous -night, and in time came upon the correct nullah. It could now be seen -that there were three very similar shallow valleys running parallel to -one another, and that is how the searchers must have lost their way the -night before. - -At 6.45 A.M. Johnny saw Grunt's head showing above the edge -of the nullah. Grunt was almost done to the world and looked ghastly. -Except for a little brandy (the party's one flask), he and Ellis had -had nothing to drink for twenty hours. They had each tried to take -an opium pill during the night, but simply could not swallow it. The -very brackish water Johnny had brought provided Grunt with what he -considered the best drink of his life. Ellis's thirst was unquenchable. -On the previous night they had heard some one whistling in the -distance, but had not dared to call out. - -The three set about collecting sticks in the nullah and brewing some -strong tea, which refreshed them immensely. Except for two halts for -three-quarters of an hour, Johnny had been on the go for over twelve -hours, loaded for the last hour and a quarter with a weight of about -67 lb., owing to the extra water he was carrying. The day was passed -trying unsuccessfully to get some shade with coats placed over sticks. -Johnny slept only twenty minutes that day,--it was a trying time. The -party was split up, and Heaven alone knew when we should all be able -to join up again. However, they had two more brews of strong tea--one -at 2 P.M. and one at 5. The heat was too great for them to eat -anything. - -Meanwhile the Old Man and Cochrane had rejoined the three on the hill, -who prepared them a welcome mugful of tea. On the way up they had -noticed a small cave. To this it was decided to move, in preference -to the present exposed position. Eight o'clock accordingly found the -five huddled up within the cave, thankful at least that they would be -sheltered from the sun for the day, but miserable at the thought of -what the other three must be going through. - -An hour later a man appeared at the entrance. They at first understood -him to be a shepherd. He said he had seen the three arriving at dawn, -and watched the five move down to the cave, but that they had nothing -to fear. At the same time he rather anxiously inquired whether they -had firearms. Without Grunt to interpret, the five were somewhat at a -loss to follow the conversation that ensued, but, in dealing with this -unwelcome visitor, they at least had the benefit of Cochrane's former -experience of the art of escaping. - -The uninvited guest was welcomed in, and was soon afterwards squatting -down and enjoying some of the party's precious 'baccy and biscuits. -The ease with which he bit off pieces of the latter testified to the -excellence of his teeth. When he was once more in a position to resume -the conversation, he led his hearers to believe that he had already -sent a message to the nearest gendarmes and was now awaiting their -arrival. - -Possibly he was misunderstood, for cross-examination elicited the fact -that as yet no one else knew of the fugitives' whereabouts, and it -became evident that he would not be above accepting a bribe--a failing -for which the Turk is perhaps more famed than for any other of his -peculiarities. Casting longing eyes upon the clothing which protruded -from an open pack, he asked to have a look at a shirt. This seemed to -be to his taste, so it was thought expedient to offer it to him as -a gift. It was not disdained. That "woolley," too, looked warm and -useful. He might as well have that. A skein of rope now caught his eye, -so that also changed hands. - -"Have you any gold?" was his next demand. - -One must cry a halt somewhere to such greed, so the five regretted they -had not, but later had to compromise and give him paper money. With -the addition of some more 'baccy and biscuits he appeared temporarily -satisfied, and agreed to bring along some water and sour milk from the -Arab encampment. Nobby requested him to conceal his gifts. This he did -by the simple expedient of winding shirt, "woolley," and rope round his -waist beneath his cummerbund. - -True to his word, he soon reappeared with a skin of water and a copper -bowl full of sour milk, promising to bring more in the evening. He -insisted, however, that his proteges should not show themselves outside -the cave. To this they agreed, although the latter was too cramped to -be comfortable,--nowhere was it wide or level enough to permit of any -real rest of body, and peace of mind was out of the question so long as -the fate of the missing three remained uncertain. It was decided not to -risk a "brew," although the "shepherd" had said they might safely do -so, and fuel in the shape of dried camel-thorn lay ready to hand. - -As evening fell, the friend was back again, this time bringing water -only. His appreciation of the biscuits and tobacco, however, remained -unqualified. - -Conversation was turning to lighter subjects, when it was interrupted -by the entrance of another chance (?) comer, who made no bones as to -the price of his silence, and proved a much more difficult customer -to square. He eventually accepted five liras in gold--the party had -discovered that they had some after all--together with some more paper -notes. He also said he was badly in need of a watch, so Cochrane handed -over his, omitting to mention, by the way, that it could only be coaxed -to go for a few hours at a time! Even so, it was not until 7.15 that -our cave-dwellers were able to get rid of this persistent stranger. The -next step was to effect a reunion with the missing three. - -By the light of the young moon they moved off clear of the cave, -the track past which constituted a danger. No. 1 scallywag was then -informed that the five were not the only members of the party, and -that the other three must be collected before they themselves could -go on. In case the others should have been recaptured, it was thought -advisable not to send still another member of the party back to the -pond, for fear the spot where they had been should now be watched. -No. 1 was therefore impressed for the task, and provided with a note -to show to the absentees, if they arrived. He was instructed to come -back if they had not returned within three hours. At the best the -Turk has a poor idea of time. Two hours later he was back without the -missing three, but once more accompanied by No. 2. No explanation was -either asked for or given as to the latter's reappearance: it was quite -evident that the two had been in league from the beginning. - -They now put forward a proposition: the Turkish authorities, they said, -were very much concerned about the escape of the twenty-five officers -from Yozgad. All the roads and paths round about were being watched, -and that very morning about sixty soldiers had been seen passing by the -locality, presumably looking for them. They suggested the party should -lie hidden in the cave for another three days, while things quietened -down a bit. After this they would themselves come along with us and -clear out of the country. Their story seemed likely enough; they had at -least named the correct number of officers who had escaped. Moreover, -it was impossible to think of going on without a final search for the -others. The five therefore fell in with the proposal provisionally and -returned to the cave. Looney then went down to the pool in the company -of the two "guides," to look around for the missing three. - -These had started down their nullah at 6 P.M., taking things -very slowly with long halts for Ellis. In any case, it would have been -dangerous to cross the line again during daylight, so they stopped -amongst some shrubs a quarter of a mile short of the embankment. Here -they waited until 7.30 P.M. They then marched straight for the -pool, which they reached in another half-hour. Cochrane was nowhere -to be seen. All three now stripped, and had their first wash for five -days. Where they were the pool was very shallow, and they discovered -that the only way to wash the soap off was to lie first on the back and -then on the face. Cleaning the teeth they found refreshed them greatly. -Despite all the water and tea he had had during the day, Grunt drank -twelve pint mugfuls of the brackish water straight off the reel. This -may sound incredible, but the fact remains. After their bathe they -dressed and felt very clean. To sit and wait for Cochrane was the next -thing to do. The night was cool, and it was no use all keeping awake, -so Johnny took the first watch, while the others tried to sleep; but -the sand-flies and mosquitoes saw to it well that they did not get the -chance. - -At 11 P.M. approaching steps could be heard. Grunt and Ellis -crept down the bank into hiding, and Johnny waited on the top. As -the shapes became visible, he was horrified to find that he did not -recognise them, and thought he was in for it, till Looney spoke. -The latter gave a hurried explanation of the presence of the two -murderous-looking strangers with him. - -The four officers and the two brigands reached the cave about 11.30 -P.M. Here was quite the stage setting for villainy of the -deepest dye. Two slopes meeting in a V stood out very clearly against -the bright starlit night. In the V a small crater was filled with the -most ruffianly-looking fellows in fezes, which English and Turks wore -alike. The peaceful shepherds, as we sometimes called them, talked -a lot and again agreed to come with us. They tried on our packs and -strappings. Cut-throat No. 1 appeared to be keen on joining us; No. 2 -we thoroughly distrusted. At one side of the crater was the entrance -to the cave, at the end of which burned a candle, throwing flickering -shadows into the crater outside, and lighting up first one unshaven -and haggard face and then another. The peaceful shepherds took their -departure exactly at midnight--another touch of true melodrama--each -the richer by about thirty paper liras and some gold ones. The first -shepherd promised to bring some more milk and water in the morning. - -It was too cramped in the cave, so we slept in the ravine outside--a -long sleep of nearly four hours. This was as much as we had had in -the previous five days. Grunt had slept least. The day Johnny took -him the water Grunt took some opium and slept for half an hour in the -afternoon, and this, with five minutes now and again at halts on the -march and his longer sleeps during the daytime, made a total of under -four and three-quarter hours out of one hundred and seventeen. Without -sleep, days spent in the hot sun and nights in carrying fifty pounds -over difficult country without any moon at all are apt to take it -out of one, and this we found was the case. We were becoming visibly -thinner. - -Next morning the second peaceful shepherd told us that yet a third -peaceful shepherd had discovered our whereabouts, and though he did -not put in an appearance, his friend, kindly acting on his behalf, -took another thirty liras from us. This decided us to go off that very -night, as our money affairs would not stand the constant drain. To -be once more a complete party, however, was a great relief. Although -cramped for room--for we crowded ourselves into the smallest possible -space at the dark end of the cave--we were out of the burning sun. Our -spirits went up and we were all cheery, quite a change from other -days. By 11.30 A.M. three quite good jokes had already been -made. We were able to eat more, most of us managing several biscuits -and two ounces of cheese. This also could be accounted for by the -shade. The cheese was excellent, and was called by the endearing cheesy -diminutive of "Chedlet." It was eaten in the approved style, with a -penknife and by cutting pieces off towards the thumb. At about noon we -all momentarily held our breath, for we thought we heard footsteps. No -one appeared, however, and after a while we discovered the noise came -from a tortoise, which was scratching the ground at the entrance to the -cave. - -During this day a decision was arrived at which affected the whole -trend of events. As the two Turks were going with us, we determined -to change our course and make almost due south, thereby reducing the -length of our march to the coast by about a hundred miles. By taking -this route we should, of course, have no boat to meet us, but we -relied on our guides to get a dhow. We thereupon proceeded to cut -down the food supply and kit which had been necessary for the longer -journey, and rely on our delightful friends to purchase food for us -from any convenient villages we might pass. Travelling lighter, we -should be able to move more quickly. We knew that the Salt Desert had -to be crossed on our newly-chosen route, but we were prepared to take -the risk of having a few thirsty marches. The last sentence written -in Johnny's diary that afternoon was, "Grunt, I am glad to say, is -sleeping." - -At 8.15 P.M. a miniature avalanche of stones rattles over the -cave, and thus heralded, the peaceful shepherds enter. They are late, -but the slight delay does not matter, as in any case we cannot risk -going down to the water near the tent encampment until it is quite -dark. It is a spring of sweet water to which they are going to take us, -and not to the brackish pool, so we follow them. About a hundred yards -short of the water we are made to halt. Shepherd No. 1 then takes us in -pairs to get a drink and fill our water-bottles: one pair has nearly -got to the spring when the shepherd suddenly freezes and then squats -down--actions which his companions hasten to imitate. Some one has -arrived from the camp to draw water. Nothing happens, however, and when -the footsteps have died away they go on to the spring, rejoining the -party shortly afterwards. - -We now retraced our steps up the ravine, and here once more our friends -stopped us. Before going any farther, they wanted to know what they -were going to receive for their trouble. We told them that when we got -to the sea we would take them with us to Cyprus, and there give them -each L200. The arrangement, however, was not at all to their liking. -What they wanted was ready cash. They now demanded from each officer -another fifteen liras down. To comply with this demand was of course -impossible, as it would have run us out of nearly all our money, with -most of our journey still to go--especially at the present rate of -meeting peaceful shepherds. We therefore told them that all the money -they were to expect was a lump sum when we were free men. - -At this the ruffians refused to come with us. Warning them that if -we were caught by gendarmes we should know who had given us away, we -promised to make known to the officers of the law how good our friends -had been to us. After an hour's irksome haggling we decided to go on -without them. We set off, and had not climbed one hundred yards up -the hill when the kind shepherds changed their minds and offered to -accompany us without thought of profit. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[10] Many of the British rank and file prisoners were employed on this -nearer Angora. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -RECAPTURED? - - -No. 2 was now allowed to lead the way. Of this he said he knew every -foot; but we had only just started when the course he took veered -almost to due north. Cochrane, who was next to him, caught hold of his -arm and told him we were not imbeciles, and the man then led us along a -fair line of country bearing between S.S.W. and S. He informed us that -we would come to water on that night's march after four hours, and that -we would then halt. It was decided to leave affairs in his hands: if -his plans were successful, well and good; if not, we would go our own -way. - -Not more than two hours later we came to a small stream where the -peaceful shepherds wanted to halt for the night, but we insisted on -proceeding. Finally, we settled down to go to sleep on the side of -a small valley at about 2.30 A.M. on August 13th. Nothing -untoward happened till about 7 A.M. Then suddenly there was -a shout, and shepherd No. 1 could be seen dashing down the hillside -above us. He had been keeping watch, he said, but as events turned -out it is more than likely that he had been signalling while we were -asleep. As daylight appeared the eight of us had moved for better -concealment to the bottom of what was seen to be a horseshoe valley, -and when the shout was heard we were lying there in a small nullah -which was narrow and steep-sided. - -On standing up, the first things we saw were two ragged-looking -gendarmes, one of whom was dressed in a long tattered black coat, and -had a black handkerchief tied pirate-wise round his head. Compared to -the black-coated gentleman, the other was almost gaudily dressed in a -very dirty old grey uniform and "Enveri" cap. What was more important -than their dress, however, was the fact that we found ourselves -looking down the muzzles of a rifle and revolver carried ready for -trigger-pressing by Beau Brummell and his seedy-looking friend. These -two gentlemen now came to the kneeling position for greater effect. - -The shepherds were greatly agitated; but whether their excitement -was due to fear or the anticipation of more loot we cannot say. They -told us to close up towards the rifle muzzle, which was remarkably -steady and enfiladed the length of the nullah; so we all bunched up. -It is very hard to remember what one thinks about on these occasions: -perhaps the reason is that one does not think of much. One wants -something to happen and the suspense to end; the "Come on! get done -with it quickly" sort of feeling. - -Our two old friends now tried to show that they were not really fond -of us. They made threatening gestures, and when Grunt moved to pick up -his hat, shepherd No. 1 hit him a terrific blow on the side of the head -with a thick and heavy stick. Grunt was stunned, and had a bad gash on -the right ear, but he soon came round or there would have been a free -fight. - -Fortunately the stick had been very dry and had snapped off at the -force of the blow; otherwise without a doubt Grunt's skull would have -been broken. We put iodine on the wound and bound it up with lint and -bandages, and in a few minutes he was discussing matters with the new -folk. - -Beau Brummell said he was a sergeant of gendarmes; his companion had -failed to reach the exalted rank of N.C.O. They now produced rope, and, -to add insult to injury, they produced it out of our own packs. Two of -us were bound together at the elbows, back to back; the rest round the -wrists with their hands behind them. - -The sergeant then started talking--we need not say lying. He was going -to take us back to his regiment. He wanted to know where we were going, -and we broadly mentioned the Mediterranean. He thought we were men who -had escaped from some camp on the railway, and it took long to convince -him that we were officers from Yozgad. How had we managed to escape? We -pointed out to him that a Turkish sentry is so overworked that his only -time for sleep is on sentry duty. At this he had enough sense of humour -to smile. He was curious as to the route taken by the others who had -escaped the same night as ourselves: had we told him he would no doubt -have called on them too, so we merely said we had not seen any of them -since we left Yozgad. - -Finally the whole point of the story was reached, and he started -talking business. We had felt for some time that the conversation -was veering in that direction, but these delicate situations have to -be very carefully handled; so we left it to him to open the subject. -He led up to his proposition by asking whether we would prefer to be -recaptured or to go to our "memlikat" (home). We need hardly say what -was our reply. He then wished to know what money we possessed, and with -moderate truth we told him. As already mentioned, we had started each -with at least thirty Turkish pounds in paper in addition to some gold; -this, then, with the exception of the sums No. 1 and No. 2 had already -received from us, and a little we had fortunately concealed in odd -places in our clothing, he now took from our pockets. - -He seemed quite pleased with his takings, as indeed he should have -been with such a windfall, and was graciously pleased to signify that -he would now let us go. As we were supposed to be penniless, we pointed -out that we had yet many miles to the coast and would need to buy -provisions on the way: unless, therefore, he left us with some money we -should still have to give ourselves up. Upon this he magnanimously gave -us back a bunch of small notes, to the value of about seven Turkish -pounds. - -For the same reason he prevented our quondam guides from helping -themselves to the essentials contained in our packs; for by this time -they had opened them and were enviously fingering our spare boots and -clothing. Instead of being allowed to make off with further loot, they -were now ordered to undo our bonds; after this they went away under -the escort of the black-coated gentleman. He being a representative of -Turkish law, could make his own selection of a souvenir of this happy -occasion, and his choice fell on Johnny's fez. This was to prove a -great loss, and on future occasions when fezes were the order of the -day, Johnny had to wear a khaki handkerchief tied round his head. - -Beau Brummell himself remained behind for a friendly chat. He advised -us to make as quickly as possible for the Tchitchek Dagh to the south, -lest the peaceful shepherds should again get on to our tracks and hand -us over to further brigands. By this time he was quite frank. If we -did this, he said, he would undertake to look after them for the next -four hours. (No doubt he also took care of any money they still had on -them.) - -As we prepared to take his advice he remarked that we were soldiers -and he had been one too, and that we were therefore friends. He then -went off, waving his hand and saying, instead of the usual Turkish -valediction, "Adieu." That brigand had more of the sportsman in him -than any Turk we had previously met. - -The moment the brigands were out of sight we moved away over the head -of the valley in the opposite direction, and keeping a little west of -south, marched for an hour, taking it in turns to carry Grunt's pack. -We saw a fairly good hiding-place in a small ravine. It was a question -of halting and taking the risk of being caught again by the brigands, -or moving on and being almost certainly seen by fresh people; so we -decided to stop. The time was half-past ten. - -Let us quote from a diary written that day. "It is now 1.30 -P.M., and no one has asked for money for four hours, so -things look brighter. The clouds are getting up, which is a godsend, -as our last night's water-bottle will probably have to do us for many -hours more. The position is this: we are bound to go by the southern -route, as we have thrown away a lot of food. We have no guide, thank -goodness. We have already had to bribe four people, and there is not -much bribing power left. We are likely to be very thirsty in the near -future. In fact, in appreciating the situation it cannot in any sense -be called a hopeful one. Nevertheless, we are still free men!" - -During the day we made a chargal to replace one which leaked. For this -purpose we had brought along the sleeves of a waterproof coat, the -remainder of which had been left in the cave when we reduced loads. -Boots, too, in some cases, already needed repairs. - -Towards evening Grunt's ear was again bathed and dressed. As dusk came -on Cochrane and Nobby went off to look for water near a small grove of -trees a quarter of a mile away. Here they found a patch of cultivation, -and there was probably water in the vicinity; but so many people were -about that the two had to come back without having found any. There was -no choice but to trust to finding water while on the march. We started -at 8.30 P.M., when the moon was up, keeping in the shadow -of the hills which ran along the edge of the valley containing the -cultivated patch. After going a mile we saw some damp green grass, and -a short way farther on we came to a four-feet square pool of an average -depth of an inch. The water gave out a most horrible stench, and must -have been the last summer resort of the cattle and buffaloes of the -neighbourhood. Nevertheless, we were very glad to drink it and fill our -water-bottles, though a second mugful nearly made us sick, and we each -had to eat a few sultanas to take away the taste. That drink is not a -pleasant memory. - -Over the rise at the end of the valley we came to good going, and -finally reached a road running in the right direction. Our luck, -however, did not take us very far, as a short distance ahead was a -village where we could hear men talking and dogs barking. To avoid the -village we made a long detour to the east and soon found ourselves in -the middle of numerous steep and rocky ravines. Unable to get back to -the road owing to the nature of the country, we were forced to bear -to the left or east, and spent the whole night going up and down the -features of the mountain that had been pointed out to us that morning -by Beau Brummell. - -As already mentioned, this range is called Tchitchek Dagh, or Flower -Mountain, the oak-scrub with which it is covered being in Turkey a -near enough approach to flowers to give it that name. On this night we -made our first acquaintance with sheep-dogs. Shortly after midnight we -heard one barking not far ahead of us, and the tinkle of bells, so we -again sheered off a little. The dog, however, was not going to miss a -really good opportunity of barking, and it came nearer and nearer in -the darkness, making an almost deafening noise. The sheep-dogs are the -only ones in Turkey that are well treated; some of them are magnificent -animals and ugly customers to meet, especially at night. The brute -finally stopped ten yards short of us, and as we moved hastily on he -sped us on our way with a series of roars. - -Half an hour later, to counteract our general depression due to the -events of the last few days and to the heart-breaking country we were -traversing, Cochrane found a spring of good water. He had suddenly -turned off to the right, saying he smelt it, and sure enough before we -had gone fifty yards we came on a spring. Here we had a huge drink and -got rid of the putrid water in our water-bottles. - -On this march we found that if we drank enormous quantities of -water--in fact, if we forced ourselves to drink more than we wanted--we -could carry on like a camel for a long time without a drink when -the need arose. It may here be said, though a digression, that the -fact about camels going for many days without water only holds good -if they are trained to it. A friend of ours--a colonel in a Gurkha -regiment--had told us that in the attempt to reach Gordon at Khartoum -the camels with the relieving force were marched for a few days along -the Nile and were watered twice daily. They naturally became used to -drinking only a little at a time, and when they were suddenly taken -across the desert it needed but two or three days without water to kill -most of them. - -We moved on from the spring in very much better spirits. At 2.30 -A.M. we rested for an hour till daylight, for we were now -at the summit of the range, and might only involve ourselves in -unnecessary difficulties if we went on without being able to see the -country. Sleep, however, was impossible. It was exasperating, indeed, -to find that by night it was too cold to sleep, and too hot by day. It -seemed there was some truth in the saying-- - - "As a rule a man's a fool: - When it's hot he wants it cool; - When it's cool he wants it hot,-- - Always wanting what is not." - -At daylight we marched on for another two and a half hours. The whole -mountain range was covered with the oak-scrub, which practically hid -us as we walked along the bed of a valley. At 6 A.M. we -turned up a small ravine off the main valley we were in, and hid in -pairs in the scrub. As we climbed to our hiding-places we disturbed -a pair of huge eagle-owls. With these birds we were acquainted at -Yozgad. "Patters," one of the naturalists with whom Johnny went out -that Sunday morning, had kept a tame one. Whilst out hunting he had -found a nest in a precipice, and, with the aid of a rope and two -assistants, had managed to reach it. The nest contained two baby owls, -one of which he brought back to the camp with him. It was at that time -only a week old, and merely the size of a fowl, but in a few weeks it -became a fine upstanding bird, guaranteed to implant terror within the -most resolute breast. At the age of three weeks it would swallow with -consummate skill any dead sparrow that might be thrown to it: nothing -remained to tell the tale except a few straggling feathers attached to -his majesty's beak and a satisfied leer in his eyes. Mice, of course, -were as easy for him to gulp down as sugar-coated pills would be to a -sword-swallower. One day the youngster and a full-grown gander were -placed face to face a few feet apart. Panic-stricken, they eyed each -other for a few breathless seconds, then both turned tail and fled. - -But to return to our story. While in hiding in the scrub we did not -dare to move, though it was agony lying at a steep angle, one's hip -on a pointed rock. We hardly spoke a word all day, which was very -creditable; but none of us had any desire to be caught again by -brigands. By reason of the cover it afforded the Flower Mountain was -obviously very suitable for what the Turk calls a "Haidood." From this -word, which means "outlaw," we coined an expressive adjective, and were -wont to talk of a "haidoodish" bit of country. Towards sunset we felt -justified in having been so cautious, for we saw five armed men driving -half a dozen cows over the crest of an opposite ridge, and the haste -with which they were moving made it seem very probable that they were -cattle-lifting. - -We left our hiding-place about 7 P.M. and retraced our steps -down the valley to a pool where we had seen a little water in the -morning. On reaching it we found that nothing remained except some -moist earth trampled by cattle, a herd of which must have been there -during our absence. An hour after sunset we were back again at the foot -of the slope where we had hidden all day, and now commenced a long -march. It took us two and a half hours to get clear of the Tchitchek -Dagh. It was very up and down, but fairly smooth going. After this the -country opened up a little, but once again it became very difficult, -with all the valleys running transversely to the southerly course we -were steering. These valleys and two villages, to avoid which we had -to make detours, cut down our speed in a useful direction to about one -mile an hour. During the night we halted in order to get some sleep, -but once more the cold was too great. Even during the five minutes' -halts at the end of each hour we were chilled to the bone, and it was -an effort to get moving again. On these short halts it was a waste of -precious resting-time to remove our packs, though we had done this at -the start. We now used to lie on our backs without taking anything -off, and with our legs up a slight slope, so that the blood could run -away from our feet. At 4 A.M. we resumed our march, meaning -to go on for the first hour of daylight, then to find a hiding-place -and stop there. Unfortunately an hour's marching found us stranded in -unpleasantly open cornland and surrounded by villages and harvesters -working in the fields. - -There was no hope of concealment, so we had to carry on. Coming over -a rise, we found ourselves forced to march boldly through a village -which, by the headgear of the women, we took to be Turcoman, though -this part of Asia Minor is rather out of the Turcoman's beat. Along -the road we passed scores of people, mostly women, riding on donkeys. -Having once started, however, the only thing to do was to follow a -track leading as much as possible in the desired direction, and to -pretend to have some business there. Grunt, with his head bandaged, -looked like a wounded soldier, and the rest of us might have looked -soldiers of a sort. - -On the far side of the village we marched across a broad valley, -in which were more women working at the crops and some men tending -cattle. After plodding on for four more hours, the last three in broad -daylight, we at length reached a range of bare hills, at the foot of -which we saw a dozen splendid wild geese, but these potential dinners -flew leisurely away at our approach. Painfully climbing half-way up -a rocky and winding ravine, we threw down our packs. We had started -marching over thirteen hours before, and, except for one and a half -hours rest, had been on the move all the time, so we were very weary. -The daily ration had been about twelve ounces of food--not very much, -when one was carrying a heavy load and marching many miles a day over -mountainous country. - -Some cocoa was made; and when that was finished we boiled up a mixture -of rice, Oxo cubes, and sultanas, which for lack of water was very -uncooked. On arriving at the ravine we had found a small tortoise; but -while every one was busy making the cocoa, Master Tortoise disappeared, -and though we hunted for him, with a view to adding him to the rice, we -never saw him again. - -This day we worked out a new distribution list for the extra biscuits, -rice, and sultanas, which we had made into two packages in the cave -for our two guides to carry for themselves. When our two friends had -threatened not to come with us, these had been taken away from them -and hurriedly distributed amongst the party; even when they afterwards -did accompany us we had providentially kept these supplies in our own -packs. Counting everything, we found that we had nine days' supply of -food, on the basis of about twelve ounces a day each. - -As there still remained some 200 miles to go before reaching the coast, -we realised that we should have our work cut out to get through. So far -we had obtained no food from the country, though when we started we had -hoped to do so. By now we were beginning to feel really hungry. For -the first few days of the march the heat had taken away our appetites, -but we were getting acclimatised, and the exhaustion of our reserve of -strength made us feel the full effects of a reduced diet. At intervals -we regretted having left nearly half our food behind in the cave. At -the time we did so, however, it was the wisest course, and had we not -reduced our loads it is certain we should not have been able to make -the same progress. - -A mile north of the range of hills in which we were hiding we had -passed a line of telegraph poles, and what we had supposed to be a main -road running east and west. This was in a very bad state of repair, but -was evidently the road which our forty-year-old map informed us was -only six miles from the Kizil Irmak. More than once we discovered that -the map was a mine of misinformation. It is only fair to say, however, -that the river in this part was shown in a dotted line, an admission -that it had not been surveyed. - -During the day one or two marmots came out of their holes to inspect -us, standing up like picket pins the while, but without a trap they are -very hard to catch. Looking up between the sides of the ravine, which -were at least 300 feet high, we saw several vultures hovering over our -heads. A few butterflies flitted about near us; and these were the only -signs of life. Nevertheless it was not pleasant waiting there, as we -had to do for nearly ten hours till darkness should come. We knew we -had been seen by many people in the village and in the fields, and any -gendarmes who might have been given news of our whereabouts would have -ample time to catch us up. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE ANCIENT HALYS. - - -Shortly before sunset on August 15th we started to climb the ravine. -This was a mile and a half long, and by the time we reached the top -night had fallen. On our way up we had seen a stone that looked very -like a bird; as one of us stooped to pick it up, the stone, to our -great surprise, turned itself into a night-jar and fluttered away. The -hills we now crossed were very rough and steep. At the bottom of the -first valley to which we came we found a stream, by which we halted -in the bright moonlight for a few minutes' rest and a drink. It was -fortunate we were amongst some rushes, for suddenly three or four men -rode by on donkeys not ten yards from us. They did not see us. Later, -on coming to a big nullah, we followed it, hoping that it would lead us -eventually to the Kizil Irmak, but by 3 A.M. we had tired of -its winding course and took a more direct line to the south. - -The wind was bitterly cold, and the only comfortable few minutes' halt -enjoyed that night was under the lee of a hayrick. At 5 A.M. -we caught a glimpse of a big river six miles away; remembering, -however, our enforced march of the previous morning, we decided to halt -where we were without venturing farther. A shallow ditch, about two -feet deep, was our hiding-place for the day. Here we found some straw, -which proved a blessing. With it we obtained for our heads some sort of -protection from the sun, but, despite the shelter, the heat entailed -upon us a sleepless day. A bunch of straw, too, served as a cushion -for our thinly-covered hip-bones. Later on in the day we used straws -for drinking out of our water-bottles. It was a good scheme, for, by -judiciously choosing a very thin stem, one had the satisfaction of -drinking for minutes at a time without having expended more than a few -drops of water. - -The cold wind of the night had died down at dawn, but towards sunset -a light breeze again sprang up, and this refreshed us greatly. We had -been so sure of reaching the Kizil Irmak on the previous night that -we had made no provision for water. Consequently, by now, it was much -needed, and we felt that when we did reach the river we would make a -good effort to drink it dry. Some of us ate grasshoppers that day. The -small nourishment they afforded did not make it worth our while to -expend any energy in chasing them, but if one came to hand and allowed -itself to be captured it was eaten. Opinions differed as to their -succulence. Nobby stated they were like shrimps; Johnny noted in his -diary that they were dry and rather bitter. - -To the general relief, Grunt's ear had begun to heal; we had by now -used nearly all our supply of iodine and bandages on it, and had it -become poisoned Grunt would have had a very bad time. - -It was not till nearly 10 P.M. that we reached the Kizil -Irmak, and then only with great difficulty. The country was well -populated, and many shepherds' huts and sheep-dogs barred our path. -At one point we actually passed by the front door of a small house, -outside which two men and their families were lying. The men sprang up -in alarm at seeing eight extraordinary figures walk by, but we did not -wait on the order of our going. Before reaching the river we came to a -small stream where we drank our fill: then making several detours and -walking as noiselessly as possible, we finally reached the bank of the -Kizil Irmak. It was difficult in the moonlight to judge how broad it -was: probably 300 yards across. But at that time of year half the bed -was merely sandbanks, with a few trickles running through them. Taking -off our boots and socks we tied them round our necks; trousers were -pulled up over our knees, and we started off, hoping that we should -find the main stream fordable. At the point where we stood the river -was on a curve, and it was clear that the deep water would be on the -opposite side. Walking along in single file we crossed in a direction -slanting up-stream, and to our delight reached the other bank with the -water only just above our waists. This bank was covered with reeds and -difficult to climb. - -The river water had been much warmer than the small streams we had -passed, but now as we sat wet to the waist in the wind we soon became -very cold; for it was a lengthy process wringing out our clothes and -dressing on the steep bank where we remained so as not to be seen in -the bright moonlight. Here we also washed our faces and brushed our -teeth. When we started from Yozgad we had thought of the Kizil Irmak -as the first definite mark in our journey, and though we had not -crossed it as soon or in the same place as we had intended, yet we -were across it, and one stage was successfully accomplished after nine -days' march. As soon as all were dressed and ready we again set off, -and, passing a gigantic and solitary rock near the bank, here running -almost due N. and S., we went up a steady incline over prairie land. -At 2 A.M. we halted and slept for two hours under the shelter -of some small rocks. At daylight we crossed a valley which had been -converging on the left with our course, and drank at a little pool on -the farther side. This would have been a pleasant resting-place for -the day: we could have lain and slept under the shade of the trees -which ran the length of the valley, and we even saw a few blackberry -bushes to tempt us; but there were signs of human activity in vegetable -gardens around, so we proceeded. - -Again it was a case of out of the frying-pan into the fire, as we soon -came into open country that was cultivated and signally lacking in -cover. Two men on a track we were about to cross stared very intently -at us, but moved on. An old man on a donkey was ruder still; for not -only did he stare at us, but he waited till we came up to him, and then -without an introduction asked us where we were going and whence we had -come. These questions were answered by Cochrane pointing vaguely to the -south, and then to the north; and so we left him. At 6 A.M. -we were momentarily out of sight of mankind in a shallow depression in -the ground. It was overlooked by a hill to the north, but a glance over -the next ridge showed us that we were half encircled by villages: we -therefore stayed where we were. All day we must have been seen again -and again by herd-boys and women on the hill, what time the sun beat -down upon us from a cloudless sky. Cooking a meal or tea was out of the -question, and our 11 oz. of food that day consisted of two biscuits, 1 -oz. of chocolate, and 4 oz. of sultanas. The last named are not only -of excellent food value, but last a long while when eaten one at a time. - -When we marched on at 7 P.M., thirst once again controlled our -movements, and we spent over an hour in an anxious search for water. -After visiting one clump of trees after another, we were at length -rewarded by the discovery of a trickle feeding a small pool. The water -moreover was sweet, and we felt that the refreshment of that drink was -well worth the hour's search. Having filled chargals and water-bottles, -we set off once more over easy rolling country, and within three -hours were again drinking our fill at an unlooked-for spring. The -moon set shortly after midnight, and coming soon afterwards to a deep -reed-filled ditch, we thought it would best repay us to rest there till -dawn should reveal what sort of country lay ahead. The icy wind which -on the march had been a blessing, now threatened to be our bane. The -nullah itself was sheltered, but it was marshy; so we lay down in a -shallow but dry water-channel beyond, and obtained what sleep we could. - -It was, however, with little regret that at dawn next day we restored -our frozen circulations by a brisk walk, the improving light having -revealed the existence of a village close at hand. Making off into some -low hills to the S.W., we proceeded to pick our way up a small valley, -until at 5.30 we reached the head of a dry water-course. Here we -settled down for the day. It was not an ideal hiding-place, but by this -time we had ceased to expect one. We soon discovered a village track -led by our lair a few yards above our heads. Along this would pass -from time to time a country bullock-cart. The creak of the primitive -axle revolving wood against wood within its rude socket was a noisy -reminder, which we little needed, of the backward state of Turkey's -civilisation. In view of the persistence of such anachronisms even in -India, perhaps we should say it was a symbol of the stupid conservatism -of the East. In addition to the unfortunate proximity of the road, -our valley had the disadvantage of being itself the frequented path -of cattle, a small herd of which came leisurely by not long after our -arrival and showed more surprise at the strangers than did the two -boys who followed them. We had seen water a little farther down the -valley--mere puddles, it is true, but sufficient to justify our using -a chargalful for cooking. It was not long, therefore, before a welcome -half-mug of cocoa was being measured out, to be followed later by the -standard mixture of rice, Oxo, and a few raisins. During the day most -of us got more than the usual quota of sleep, for the cool wind still -held. - -At 5 P.M. our conversation, carried on now almost -unconsciously in the low tones of the fugitive, suddenly broke forth -into a more natural loudness; for two men had seen us from the road -and were bearing down upon us. We had fortunately decided beforehand on -a story containing a touch of local colour. Salutations over, the usual -questions were asked as to where we had come from and what was our next -objective. A Turk does not usually stop to inquire who you are; but -this time we volunteered the information that we were German surveyors -who had been engaged on fixing a site for a new bridge across the Kizil -Irmak, and that we were now making our way to the railway at Eregli. - -The pair appeared satisfied, but put the question why we did not -shelter from the heat in one of the villages round about. To this -came the ready reply that one day we had done so, but had not been -politely treated, so now we only entered when in need of food. We took -the opportunity of finding out from our two callers the names of the -various villages visible from the road above; unfortunately, none were -marked on our forty-year-old map, so that this means of settling our -position failed. However, we at least had the satisfaction of learning -that there was a spring only a couple of hundred yards farther up the -hill; in fact, when standing up we could see its stone trough. - -Despite their apparent friendliness and the absence of any sign of -suspicion, we were relieved to see our visitors depart; and having -filled ourselves and our water-vessels at the spring, lost no time in -moving on. We soon found that we were on the top of a small plateau, -which to the east rose gently towards a low range of hills; while to -the S. and S.W. the country fell away in a steep scarp. Below this -stretched the desert plain, in the midst of which could be seen in the -failing light the shimmer of the great salt lake. Even when we expected -to have the guidance of the peaceful shepherds, this desert had not -been a pleasant prospect; still less did we relish the thought now, -after the troubles we had experienced in comparatively well-watered -country. It was, however, a matter either of going on or giving up, so -we went on. We had now been free men for eleven days. - -The moon at this time served us for rather more than half of each -night, so that even after sunset we could see the solitary peak of -Hasan Dagh rising majestically over the plateau's edge to a height of -several thousand feet above the plain. As we descended the scarp to -our right we lost sight of this landmark; but our course was decided -for us, since we soon found ourselves compelled to follow a gradually -narrowing valley. For the next three and a half hours we were confined -to a steep-sided gorge. A little before this a man mounted on a donkey, -and accompanied by a boy, had seen us, and to our disagreeable surprise -turned and followed. We had shaken them off, when in the shadow of the -gorge we saw a group of several men. It is hard to say whether they -were more likely to have been brigands or fugitives like ourselves: one -thing seemed certain, they had no business there. At any rate, they -let us pass undisturbed, but the impression was forced upon us that -this ravine we had entered was a death-trap, and when it veered more -and more to the west we decided to make an attempt to get out of it. -A clamber up the rocky southern slope, however, only revealed ridge -after ridge and valley after valley between us and the plain, so we had -perforce to go back into the ravine. Our relief was great indeed when -at 1 A.M. the valley opened out, and we debouched on to the -desert past a village. - -Before we left Yozgad, Nobby had continually impressed upon the party -the need of living as much as possible on the country. To aid us -in this he had consulted with another naturalist, and prepared an -elaborate list of somewhat uncommon but possible foods. Amongst them -appeared tortoises, snails, frogs, snakes--these last were especially -nutritious, stated this unique document--rodents, and grasshoppers. -There were also notes regarding mushrooms, and how to distinguish -them from poisonous toadstools. Tortoise we ate at Yozgad, not, we -must hasten to add, because we were reduced to it by lack of better -nourishment, but with a view to testing its edibility. It proved -messy and uninteresting, but at least non-poisonous. We had, however, -hardly come across any tortoises during our march, although we had seen -many on the journey from Changri to Yozgad four months previously. In -fact, the only item of the list we had sampled so far had been the -grasshoppers. We had, of course, also placed considerable dependence -on being able to eke out our meagre ration by plucking corn as we -went along at night, intending either to boil or to parch it the next -day. We had discovered that the Turkish soldiers did the latter very -quickly and effectively by making a small fire of twigs, placing whole -ears of corn on them, then adding more twigs on top. When the fire had -died down they took out the corn and separated the grain by the simple -process of rubbing it between the hands. Unfortunately for us, although -we had passed a good deal of ready-cut crops, there never seemed to be -enough grain inside to be worth the trouble of collecting. - -On this particular night, however, Nobby was able for once to satisfy -his predatory instincts by looting a couple of water-melons, for there -was a bed of these outside the village we were now passing. These were -cut up and divided out among the party without further ado, and eaten -as they continued on their way. As a matter of fact, the melons were -far from ripe; but even the rind seemed too good to throw aside, for -by this time we were ready to eat anything: but it did not tend to -quench thirst, we found, so the rind was sacrificed. - -The going was easier, and with one long halt of an hour and a half -we plodded on steadily until 5 A.M. It was then, of course, -daylight; and as a mile to our west there was a large town, boasting -a rather fine-looking white tower, we resolved to lie up in a dry but -grassy irrigation channel. A light haze covered the country, but in the -direction opposite to the town we could just recognise Akserai built -near the foot of the Hasan Dagh peak. Before us stretched the desert -plain, bare except for an occasional nomad encampment; there seemed -little sign of movement, even around the town near by. - -By 10 A.M. this 19th of August, we came to the conclusion that -we might as well go on by day. We had practically no water, and if we -were to be in the sun it was better to be on the march as well. The -next water shown on our map was a river called the Beyaz Sou, or "White -Stream," and thither we set forth, once more transformed into Germans -by the simple expedient of replacing the fezes we had been wearing by -Homburg hats or service dress caps, one or other of which each of the -party carried for this very purpose. - -In less than an hour we were glad to find ourselves nearing a stream, -on the banks of which were a few reed huts and a vegetable patch with -some more of those excellent water-melons. This time, however, there -were not the same facilities for their removal, and, as we rather -anticipated, their wild owners would not part with them, money or -no. We therefore proceeded to the stream, which was perhaps a foot -deep and twelve feet across. The paddle was refreshing to the feet; -the water for drinking purposes less encouraging, for above us were -cattle watering and the bottom was muddy. It belied its name of "White -Stream," we thought, as we filled up our water-bottles. While doing -this and wiping the mud off our feet, a villainous-looking cutthroat -came out from a tent close by and drew near for a talk. We told the -usual German story, and he asked for no details, but mentioned there -was better water in a village farther on; we could see its grove of -trees to our left front. - -On resuming our march we did not visit it, but kept due south over the -scorched prairie land, varied here and there with a bit of plough. The -heat was already terrific. At 1 P.M. we halted for an hour -within a broken-down enclosure of large sun-dried blocks of mud. Two -of these made an excellent fireplace for the dixie, while dry camel -thorn and scrub provided fuel in abundance. Here we cooked some rice -and cocoa, which, although amounting to only half a mugful apiece, took -some time to demolish, for in that temperature the food was long in -cooling. - -Here a dissertation upon mugs. If an aluminium mug saves an ounce -of weight, it makes a ton of trouble: and Looney's was thoroughly -unpopular on account of its unpleasant habit of burning the fingers of -any one who handled it. Moreover, it shared the failing of instability -with Perce's empty ovaltine tin, which did duty for mug after his own -had fallen out of his haversack on the very first night. Its small base -was a source of anxiety both to its owner and the disher-out of brews. -If you ever think of having all your food for a month or so out of a -mug, let it be a squat enamelled one. - -While we were eating our simple fare, a man passed ahead of us, but -took no apparent notice of our little group. - -We marched on at about 2 P.M., having as our next objective -Mousa Kouyousou, _i.e._, the Well of Moses: aptly named we thought, -for the parched plain before us would need a Moses' wand to make it -bring forth water. No treed oasis round this well was to help us in our -quest; the map itself wrote the name vaguely across the desert without -committing itself to any definite spot. All we could say from the map -was that the well should be almost due west of Hasan Dagh. In that case -we ought to find it within eighteen miles of the Beyaz Sou, and that -as we imagined was now five or six miles behind us. An hour later we -unexpectedly came upon a couple of small irrigation canals, at the -first of which we halted a few minutes to bathe our scorched feet. The -heat and glare of the desert were indeed overpowering; mirage seemed -to raise the southern end of the Touz Cheul--the Salt Lake--above the -level of the plain, and mocked us with the vision of an arm of water -stretching out eastwards at right angles to our course, until we began -to wonder where we could best cross it. As we proceeded, however, it -became clear that this was in reality but the broad white bed of a -dried-up river. - -A horrible suspicion entered our minds that here was the real Beyaz -Sou, and that the muddy stream and two canals we had crossed were -merely its diverted waters. The surmise was soon confirmed, for, as -we drew near, we were able to see far away to the S.E. a humpbacked -bridge of some antiquity, now standing high and dry. This meant that -those eighteen miles to the Well of Moses were still before us. On the -far bank of the old river-bed could be seen a few huts, apparently -deserted, while a little farther on, and to the west, stood an old khan -or inn which eventually turned out to be in ruins. It was possible, -however, that a well might be found there, so we decided to go rather -out of our way on the off-chance. We amused ourselves by estimating how -long it would take to reach it. The most pessimistic view was twenty -minutes, but from the time of the guess we were on the march for a full -hour before we finally reached that khan: so much for distance-judging -in the desert. - -At 5.30 P.M. haggard eyes were peering down into the depths -of two wells, obviously long disused, but which might still perhaps -contain a little water. As it happened one of them did, and Cochrane -lowered a mug. All he succeeded in drawing up were a few putrid dregs, -in which floated some decomposed cockroaches--to Nobby's disgust -especially; for it was his mug. Prospects were not very bright: Moses' -Well, if it existed at all, was still something over twelve miles -distant, and if we marched on at night it would be the easiest thing in -the world to miss it in the darkness. - -At length the sun set, and as the air became cooler our spirits revived -a little. We made up our minds that we would carry on for only part -of the night, so as to be short of the well when daylight appeared. 7 -o'clock accordingly saw us once more on the march; the going remained -good, although the country was becoming rather more undulating. There -were still the little fields of dusty plough in the midst of otherwise -hopeless desolation. After a couple of hours we took our long halt -on the edge of one of those ploughed patches. Nobby, wiser than the -remainder of the party, dug himself a shallow trench in the loose -soil, and so slept for five happy hours undisturbed by the cold which -woke the rest; for we seemed to live in extremes of temperature. - -Dawn on the 20th August found us very anxious. Having marched for -another two hours or more, we felt that the well must be somewhere -near. As the light grew stronger, we crossed a couple of steep rocky -nullahs, and looking back saw that we had passed not far from a village -in a group of trees. A minute later two stunted trees ahead caught our -eye. We thought there might be water here, but were disappointed. By -six o'clock we were seriously thinking of going back to the village -behind us, when another came into view on our left. This time, however, -there were no trees, and the huts seemed entirely deserted; but next -moment our steps quickened as we recognised the stone circle of a well. - -As in other countries in the East, so in Turkey, water is often drawn -up by bullocks: they are harnessed to a rope which, passing over a rude -pulley supported directly over the mouth of the well, is attached to -a large waterskin. The track beaten out by the patient beasts as they -go to and from the well gives a measure of its depth. In the present -instance, we could see by the length of the track that our well was a -deep one; but it was comforting to find that the hoof-marks appeared -fairly recent. So deep, indeed, was this well that no sound could be -heard of the splash of a dropped pebble, but as the eyes became more -accustomed to the dark depths, it was possible to recognise the sparkle -of running water. - -Packs were off in a moment, and while Johnny and Grunt went on to -see what they could find in the village, Cochrane joined up the -heterogeneous collection of string and cord produced by the rest. -There was still insufficient length, however, until we had added on -a couple of strands unravelled from a skein of rope. Nobby's mug was -then lowered, and we began filling our water-bottles and chargals. No -drinks were to be allowed until this had been done--a wise precaution, -for after a few mugfuls the string snapped, and poor old Nobby's mug -was gone. It was not long before a new line was made, this time all -of strands from the rope, and a water-bottle was lowered, suitably -weighted to make it enter the water mouth upwards. As soon as the -supply was ensured, Ellis and Looney started a fire in a high stone -enclosure near the village huts; for here it was possible to obtain a -little shade from the already burning sun. - -Inside the enclosure there was a limitless supply of canes, placed -there by some unwitting friend, and these, after weeks in the sun, -were dry and burned admirably. Things were certainly beginning to look -up, and we refreshed ourselves with a series of brews--cocoa, rice -and Oxo, and tea--calculating with satisfaction that we had covered -something over forty-four miles in the preceding thirty-five hours. - -Our contentment was but temporarily disturbed by the arrival of two -men on donkeys--who with three or four boys now came into the village. -They passed by the open side of our enclosure, so we thought it best -to call out the usual greeting, as though pleased to see them. To this -they responded, and a few minutes later, having dismounted in the -village, the two men came up, borrowed a brand from our fire, lit their -cigarettes, and chatted pleasantly enough. The conversation turned, as -often, on the subject of firearms. We slapped our thighs in a knowing -way, and left them to infer that we had revolvers. They seemed to take -our presence as a matter of course, and asked no awkward questions as -to what we were doing in such an out-of-the-way place. After a short -rest they took their departure, and we thought no more about them. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A RETREAT UNDER FIRE. - - -An hour later, having refilled every water-carrying vessel, we too got -under way. Scarcely had we gone three hundred yards from the well, -however, when a rifle bullet whizzed over our heads and plunked into -the higher ground some distance beyond. We stopped and turned, to find -that we were followed by a party of five ruffians, two of whom we could -see had rifles. Grunt shouted out to ask what they wanted, upon which -they waved to us, as much as to imply that it was all a mistake and -we could go on. It is difficult to know what leads one to do certain -things on such occasions: whether we were not inclined to allow so -risky a mistake to pass unnoticed, or whether it was that we did not -like to leave such doubtful characters in our rear; something at any -rate induced us to find out more about them, so we began to walk back -towards the well. To our surprise they too then began retreating, so -six of us halted while Cochrane and Grunt approached them alone. -Still, however, our friends seemed far from keen to make our nearer -acquaintance--or rather we should say, renew it, for it was now -possible to recognise amongst them the two who had ridden in on donkeys -an hour before. This helped to explain their caution, for perhaps -seeing our bold front, they thought it better to keep out of range of -those revolvers of ours; at any rate they kept moving off as fast as -Cochrane and Grunt advanced towards them. Even the armed men would not -remain within shouting range, so that pour-parlers were somewhat at a -standstill. - -Others were by this time getting in amongst the village houses, where -it was hard to see what they were up to. They might work round under -cover, and so suddenly come in on the flank of our two envoys if they -went back much farther towards the well. Cochrane wisely called a -halt, and waited for the six behind to move up to some higher ground -from which it would be easier to watch the opposing party. Some of -these, however, even disappeared over the low ridge beyond the village, -reappearing later reinforced by three more men. Meanwhile a period -of stalemate ensued: our two envoys were not to be enticed into the -village, still less would the enemy come any nearer. It must have been -a full quarter of an hour that we stood there looking at one another. - -At length, in reply to Grunt's repeated inquiries as to what they -wanted, the nearest man started taking off his clothes, and made signs -for us to do the same. This, at least, was plain acting if not plain -speaking. - -Events now began to move much more rapidly. There was not much -difficulty in deciding what to do, and in any case, on these occasions -one acts almost intuitively. If we thought consciously at all, it -was that though we were hardly in a position to dispute these men's -demands, seeing that our revolvers were only imaginary, we could at -any rate give them a run for their money--or, more accurately, for -our clothes. To give them these without a struggle was tantamount to -relinquishing once and for all what little hope remained of getting -out of Turkey; it would further involve the very unpleasant, if not -positively dangerous, experience of spending several days and nights -in the friendless desert, with next to no clothes or food. Cochrane -and Grunt, at any rate, did not hesitate for a moment, although for -the last few minutes one of the armed men had been covering them at a -range of little over a hundred yards, and was sure to fire when they -turned. And so it happened; but a sustained aim does not make for good -shooting, and the shot went wide. The remaining six waited for the two -to rejoin them, and then all of us, extending into skirmishing order, -began a hasty retreat. - -The chances were not very equal: even if both sides had been unarmed, -we were severely handicapped by our packs and water-bottles. The two -full chargals Johnny and Looney had to empty as they ran. Moreover, -although by this time we were in hard enough training, we could -scarcely expect to possess sufficient stamina for a protracted -retirement; and if the ordinary villagers of this lawless countryside -were in the habit of turning brigand on every favourable opportunity, -we might have others joining in the chase when the first tired of it: a -second village had already come into view. - -But there was little time to be thinking of all these possibilities; -we had the more immediate danger of being hit by one of our pursuers' -bullets. As soon as they had seen us take to flight they had reopened -fire. One of the rifles was obviously a Mauser, the other gave the -impression of being rather an antiquated old blunderbuss; but it is -not pleasant to stop even one of those comparatively slow-moving lumps -of lead. Strangely enough, however, none of us felt afraid for his own -safety: the chief fear of each was that some one else of the party -might be hit, which would mean that all our plans of escape would have -to go by the board, for we should naturally all have stayed with the -wounded man. Providentially, the wild villagers' shooting was not very -good, although one shot struck the ground between Nobby and Perce. - -[Illustration: -_Sketched to Authors' description by Hal Kay._ -THE FLIGHT FROM MOSES' WELL.] - -At this stage we seriously thought of dropping one of our packs, in the -hope that the Turks might delay their pursuit to look at their loot, -but the suggestion was not entertained for more than a moment. So we -carried on, doubling for a hundred yards in every three. With these -loads it was impossible to keep running continuously. - -The shots were now beginning to follow one another at longer intervals. -Looking back, we found to our joy that we were actually outdistancing -our pursuers. This seemed almost too good to be true. We began to look -round anxiously in case they might perhaps have something else in -store. One armed man sent round on a pony or donkey would be enough to -cut us off; we accordingly kept a sharp look-out to right and left. -No one, however, appeared, and after a precipitate flight of over two -miles, and the creation, if there had been some one to time us, of a -world's record for speed under novel conditions, we found that our -pursuers had abandoned the chase. Probably those imaginary revolvers of -ours had still kept them in check, for we noticed that they followed -us over each little rise with considerable circumspection, as though -fearing we might be lying up for them. - -We had come through with the loss of the water in the chargals and of -Ellis's water-bottle. The later had jumped out of its sling at the -hottest stage of the pursuit, and had to be left where it fell. May its -new owner find it always as empty as it seemed to be with us! - -It was now about 12.20 P.M. and the heat at its worst. It -was no time, however, to rest or even to slacken our pace more than -we could help: and we did in fact carry on at well over four miles an -hour until 2.30 P.M. Then seeing no further signs that we were -followed we allowed ourselves a short halt. - -By this time our throats were parched with thirst and our clothes -saturated with perspiration; but worst discomfort of all was the -pain of our feet. The violent running and marching, the fiery heat -of the sun above, and the radiation from the glowing earth beneath, -had combined to reduce them to bits of red-hot flesh, and we longed -for water to cool them. But everywhere stretched the desert, dusty -and bare, bordered by naked barren hills. To avoid approaching those -immediately S. of us, we had latterly altered our course rather to -the S.E.; for we were developing an unholy and not unnatural dread of -brigands, and imagined that every hill was infested with them. - -Not till 4.30 that evening did we dare to take more than a few minutes' -rest. As we lay on the ground we scrutinised with deepest interest the -Taurus Mountains, which, as the heat-haze lifted, stood out clearly -ahead--the last great barrier to be overcome before we reached the sea. -From a distance of about sixty miles it looked a level range, broken -by no outstanding peak, pierced by no low-lying pass. Anywhere in the -portion where we were likely to cross, however, the map indicated a -height of not more than 5000 feet; so we turned our attention to nearer -objects. In the next shallow valley we could see several flocks of -sheep, or so we thought. These we watched eagerly through our glasses, -for their presence denoted water. We fancied we could see a stream a -little beyond them, but when we reached the spot after dark we found -that mirage had once again deceived us. It was not until we had marched -another sixteen weary miles that our needs were to be met. - -That night, the beginning of our third week of liberty, the strain of -recent events and our anxiety for water were reflected in our tempers, -and Cochrane had the thankless task of trying to keep the balance -between those who demanded water on or off the nearest route, and those -who howled for smooth-going for the sake of their agonised feet. A -twentieth-century Solomon, he kept the balance well: for the sore-feet -brigade he had two hours over an ideal marching surface; then, in -deference to the all-for-water party, two hours over stone-strewn -ground at the foot of some low hills. These held out the best prospect -of finding the precious fluid. The search, however, was all in vain; -for although we passed close above a village where there must have been -water, we did not dare to seek the source of its supply. This night -opium pills and "Kola" tablets were in great demand, but even those -could not keep some of us going, and soon after midnight we took an -hour's rest. A little before, we had passed by an enormous flock of -sheep: so disheartened were some of us that we very nearly decided to -go up and ask the shepherd to show us the nearest water. This, however, -Cochrane wisely decided not to risk. Instead, while the remainder lay -down and rested, he left his pack and went off with Old Man to search -for it. - -Their self-sacrifice was without result. After an hour's absence they -rejoined the party, and we marched on, determined to make a last -desperate effort to reach the Ak Gueul (White Lake) near Eregli. This -was still fifteen miles or more away, and would, we knew, be salt; -but it was the next water marked on our map. Just before we halted we -had crossed a track, and along this we started off at something over -four miles an hour. Doubtless this pace could not have lasted, and -providentially, an hour later, we were deterred from our purpose by the -sound of more sheep bells. There must, therefore, be water somewhere -in the neighbourhood. Though it was a pity to waste the moon, which was -at its full and would only set an hour before dawn, we decided, after -all, to wait the two hours which remained before daylight. We could -then find out where the flocks were watered, and be fairly certain to -find good concealment amongst the ridges of the Karadja Dagh, which was -visible to the S.W. At this time we had, on the average, less than a -pint of water a head. - -Dawn on the 21st August found us huddled behind a couple of small -rocks, seeking in vain for shelter from the cutting wind which was -blowing harder every minute from the north. So chilled were we that -another opium pill all round was voted a wise precaution. "Seeing red" -is not an uncommon occurrence, but, owing to the opium, some of us -that morning saw a green sunrise. In the valleys on either side were -numerous flocks and herds; but no stream gladdened our straining eyes, -nor could we recognise a well. There was no village in sight, so at six -o'clock we determined to take the risk of passing the shepherds, whom -we could see below, and to push on at all costs towards Eregli. We had -moved down the S.W. slope of the hill for this purpose, and had gone a -few hundred yards across the valley, when we hit upon another Moses' -Well, this time no less than 200 feet deep. With joy did we draw water -out of that well of salvation, for such in the light of later events it -was. - -We were at the time within a few hundred yards of a large flock of -sheep; but a rainstorm was brewing, and the shepherds were far too -occupied with getting their sheep together to worry about our presence. -We were thus able to fill up all water-vessels undisturbed. After -this we went back to some broken-down stone enclosures which we had -previously passed. One of these, about ten feet square, we reached at -8 A.M., having collected little twigs and dried weeds as we -went. We now had concealment from view and a little shelter from the -wind, but not from the rain, which soon began to fall and continued -in heavy squalls until late in the afternoon. Every now and then the -officer of the watch peeped over the wall to see that no one was -approaching. That day, however, we saw nothing but the flocks and some -men with camels, who came over the hills where we had been at dawn -but did not come our way. At intervals we regaled ourselves with tea -and brews of rice and cocoa, or rice and Oxo. Of rice we had almost a -superfluity compared with other food, owing to the number of days on -which we had been unable to cook. But the hot food and drink did not -suffice to keep us warm: every shower left us shivering like aspen -leaves. - -Even opium proved no longer effectual, though probably to it and to -liberal doses of quinine is attributable the fact that none of us -suffered from chill or fever after our exposure on that day. - -Late that afternoon the sun appeared for a time, enabling most of us -to snatch a little sleep. This was what was needed more than anything -else. Much refreshed, we left our rude shelter at 6 P.M., and -hurriedly refilling our water-bottles at the well, continued across the -valley. Within an hour we were lying at the top of the low ridge on -its southern side. From here we overlooked the bare plain stretching -to the marshes near Eregli, and thought we saw the reflection of water -in the Ak Gueul. When six hours later, and after covering seventeen or -eighteen miles, we reached the lake, it was to find that it was dry, -and that it had been only the white salt-encrusted basin that we had -seen. There was nothing to do but carry on. Besides the need of water -to keep us moving, an icy wind blew without respite upon our backs, -making even the short hourly halts a misery. Secondly, we had on the -previous day checked our food supply, and calculated we had only enough -for another four days at the most. Meanwhile, there still remained the -Taurus range to be crossed. - -We therefore pushed ahead, and were soon fighting our way through thick -reeds. The struggle continued for two hours, and so exhausted us that -towards the end we had to halt for a few minutes and eat the biscuit -which was part of the coming day's ration. - -When we renewed the battle, it was with the expectation of finding -ourselves at any moment crossing the main line of railway between -Karaman and Eregli. This, of course, had not been built when our map -was made, but we judged it must be on our side of the foot-hills of -the Taurus, to the nearest point of which we were now making in the -hope of being hidden there by dawn. If the railway were guarded, as it -had been at all bridges and culverts when we passed along it on our -way to captivity more than two years before, our approach, we thought, -would be well advertised by the crackling of the reeds. In many places -these were as stiff as canes, and as much as eight feet in height. -Our only hope was that the sentries would be octogenarians, and be -stupefied into inaction by the apparent charging of a whole herd of -wild elephants. - -At 4 A.M. we emerged from the reeds to find that the railway -was not on our side of the nearest ridge. Dawn found us safely hidden -in a deep and rocky ravine, preparing to spend our first day in the -Taurus. The merciless north wind still sought us out--so much so, -indeed, that even in the sun it was impossible to keep warm until -close on midday. We had about half a bottleful apiece of water, and -under these chilly conditions it would have been ample for the day. -Unfortunately it was again essential to cook rice, as we could afford -no more biscuits; so all the water had to be expended on boiling. To be -precise, our day's ration consisted of one pint mugful of rice and Oxo -each: liquid refreshment there was none. - -Some of us felt half drunk for want of sleep, or perhaps as a reaction -after the opium, when at dusk that evening we moved up to the top of -the ravine; but our limbs were slightly rested. It was a relief too to -find that at sunset the icy wind had dropped for a while, and that the -country ahead of us was a plateau with only slight undulations and a -splendid marching surface. A S.S.E. direction was now taken, for we had -decided to make our way across the Taurus by the most direct route to -the sea. At 8 P.M. we were settling down to our second five -minutes' halt, when Looney caught the glint of steel rails to our left -front, and a look through the glasses established the fact that we had -reached the railway. No sentries or patrols appeared to be in sight, so -we completed the usual hourly rest and then cut boldly across the line -and gained some slightly more hilly country to the S.E. From here we -saw a hut some way down the line, which may have been built for the use -of sentries; but whether this was so or not had ceased to be of vital -interest, for we were now safely across. - -After only another hour's march all of us were beginning to feel much -more fatigued than we had expected on setting out that evening, the -effects probably of lack of sleep and water. However it was, we now had -another consultation as to the route we should attempt to follow to the -coast. This time we came to the conclusion that it would be taking a -very grave risk to go by the shortest way--for the following reason. -In that direction the map showed difficult country and very little in -the way of villages or likely places for water, so that, with the short -rations now remaining, an accident, such as descending a ravine and -finding no immediate way out again, or even a sprained ankle, might be -disastrous to the whole party. It was decided then, if nothing else -interfered, to go at first a little west of south, and later make our -way across the Taurus where the mountains were lower, following the -valley of the Sakara river down to the sea. - -At 9.30 P.M. a halt was called to give ourselves a long -sleep till midnight. Before the end of it most of us were sorry we -had settled upon such a lengthy one, so chilled were we by the cold. -While we were resting, a train rumbled by in the valley below, showing -that we were still not far from the railway. On resuming our journey, -therefore, we kept among the low hills. An hour's fast marching brought -us into sight of a village, round which we worked our way, and on the -farther outskirts were overjoyed to find a well. The water was about -sixty feet down, and so cold that for all our thirst we could hardly -drink a mugful each. We remained at the well for nearly three-quarters -of an hour, filling all our water-bottles and chargals. Now and again -a dog barked, but no inhabitants put in an appearance. There was even -leisure to inspect a bed of Indian corn near by. Unfortunately only -a single cob could be found. It was very young and tender, and most -refreshing, as far as it went when divided between eight. - -With our thirst quenched by the ice-cold water, we were able to -maintain an average pace of three miles an hour until 4.30 next -morning. The indefatigable Cochrane was even then for going on. Most of -the party, however, were utterly exhausted: since leaving the well the -surface had been passably good, but the country had been on a slight -incline, and intersected by a series of irrigation channels and natural -nullahs, which all added to our fatigue. In one of the latter, then, we -removed our kits, and collected little bits of dried thorn and scrub in -readiness to make a fire as soon as it should be light enough to do so -without risk of detection. - -We had marched sixteen or seventeen miles, though not all in the most -useful direction, so there was gladness when the two cooks on duty -announced that the first dixieful was ready. A mixture of rice and -cocoa once more graced the menu. Cochrane, who had gone ahead to -reconnoitre, had still not returned, and the rest began to be anxious -lest he should have been seen, or have come to grief in some way. After -a while three volunteers went out to look for him, and eventually saw -his head peering cautiously over a rock. He had been cut off from the -nullah by the chance arrival of a shepherd, and had been biding his -time till the latter should think fit to move to pastures new. - -The sun was already hot, and its heat, although considerably relieved -by the cool breeze, once more precluded the possibility of any real -sleep. Nor could we forget our hunger. On this occasion we were rather -extravagant with our water. We had two brews of rice and Oxo and one -of tea; then we boiled our last two handfuls of rice with a little -cocoa, and so had a rice mould to take along with us in the dixie and -eat that evening. Unfortunately the cook, who shall be nameless, upset -it, so that a fair proportion of grit became an unwelcome ingredient -of the dish. Our lavishness in water knew no bounds when we proceeded -to boil up half a mugful, in which we were all to shave. This was the -first time we did so since leaving Yozgad sixteen days before, so that -the two little safety-razor sets were given an arduous task that day: -few of us succeeded in removing all the growth without the use of two -of our spare blades. It was a long and painful performance, but most -refreshing in its result, and, as it proved, a very timely return to -comparative respectability. - -During the morning we went once again into the problem of food. At -dawn we had most of us been in favour of going into the next suitable -village, and there boldly replenishing our supplies as Germans; but as -we recovered a little from our over-fatigue, we agreed with Cochrane -that we might still reach the coast in three days. On tabulating our -total supplies, we found we should in this case be able to allow -ourselves the following daily rations: For the rest of the day already -begun, the rice, cocoa, and grit mould. For the second day, remnants -of tapioca, beef-tea, and Ovaltine, amounting in all to about 4-3/4 oz. -per head; and chocolate, cocoa, and arrowroot, totalling perhaps 1-3/4 oz. -per head. For the third day, there would remain for each member of the -party one biscuit, 5 oz. of raisins, 1 oz. of chocolate; and, between -the party as a whole, four tins of Horlick's malted milk tablets. - -For emergencies after the third day nothing would be left, so that, if -on reaching the sea we did not at once find a dhow or other boat, and -that with provisions, we should still be lost. But man proposes, God -disposes; and it is as well for man that it is so. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE THREE HUNS. - - -As the country before us appeared to be quite deserted, we began to -move off a little before 3 P.M. The going was much the same -as in the early morning, but what had then been small nullahs became -broader and deeper ravines, running across our path at intervals of -seven to eight hundred yards. The north sides of the ravines were -especially steep. An hour and a half after our start we saw ahead of us -some men and a string of camels, possibly engaged in contraband affairs -with Cyprus. Accordingly we halted under cover of some rocks until we -could march again unseen. The rate of marching was slow, hardly two -miles an hour, for we were all very exhausted, trudging along in the -hot sun, and Grunt was almost fainting. After two hours he had to give -up. The terrific blow on his head by the brigand must have been the -start of his collapse, and now, after many days of sticking to it, he -could go no farther. His head felt very dizzy and each foot weighed a -ton. We knew there must be water in a valley a few hundred yards ahead, -as we had seen some trees and a bit of a village. We therefore halted -for food in a small nullah, meaning to get to the stream after dark. - -The dixie containing the cocoa, rice, and grit mould was produced, and -we had our meal. The grit was a blessing in a way, as one had to eat -slowly. Two ounces of rice, tinged with cocoa, does not go far with a -ravenous craving for food. As dusk came on we walked slowly for the -few hundred yards to the edge of the river valley, the sides of which -were precipitous and impossible to manoeuvre by moonlight. Cochrane and -Nobby walked along the edge of the ravine to see if there was an easier -descent, but found none. While they were away Grunt told us that he -wished to be left behind, as he was afraid of keeping us back. He said -that if we left a little food with him he could lie up for a couple of -days till we were clear of the locality, and he would then go to the -nearest village, buy food, and make for the coast later,--if he felt -strong enough and was not captured. - -When Cochrane returned we held a council of war and decided to halt -for the whole night. Accordingly we returned to the rice-and-grit -nullah, and worked down it towards the main valley until we found a -good resting-place. Nobby found a spring of excellent water a short -way farther on, and there our water-bottles were refilled. By way of -medical comfort Grunt was given the small quantity of Ovaltine that -remained and a piece of biscuit. The Ovaltine had been carried loose -in a bag since we started, and was in consequence as hard as a brick. -Johnny tried to cut bits off the brick, but the knife edge merely -turned on its owner's thumb, so finally Grunt had to gnaw it. - -On these very cold nights we had a system of what we called snuggling, -usually in pairs; in larger numbers if the ground permitted, but only -once did the level of our sleeping-place permit of more than two. That -was on the following night. This night Grunt's snuggling partner lit a -pipe, the best pipe of his life, and listened to poor old Grunt gnawing -Ovaltine. It was hard to bear. Fortunately the pipe and the Ovaltine -lasted for the same time. Grunt was very depressed. He reminded his -partner how at Yozgad one day he, being of massive build and great -strength, had prophesied that he would stand the trek worse than any -of us. Ellis, as usual, was very restless. He is a noisy sleeper. When -he doesn't grunt he snores, and he is not still for a minute. We never -heard him whistle in his sleep, but doubtless he does. When lying in -hiding by day we had to wake him if any one came at all close to us. - -Before we went to sleep it was decided that the following morning -three of us should go to the nearest village on the river in the guise -of Germans, and buy enough food for the party to finish the journey to -the coast, some fifty-five miles away. - -At daylight, about 4.30 A.M., a move was made farther down -the nullah. Here was cooked a two-ounce porridge ration, and then -began our preparations for entering the village. The three to go were -Grunt, Nobby, and Johnny. Grunt had the best Turkish of our party, so -he also had the undying disgrace of playing the _role_ of Hun officer. -Nobby and Johnny were the Boche rank and file. It was essential to the -success of the scheme that we should make a good impression on the -villagers. Smartness was our watchword. The theatrical party therefore -were allowed to commandeer clothes. Grunt had Nobby's "Gor Blimy" -(better known, perhaps, as cap, service dress, mark two, star); Ellis's -uniform coat, his own trousers, the Old Man's wrist-watch, and Perce's -boots--not a bad effort. Johnny had his own kit with the exception -of his trousers, an important part of which had remained lazily -behind on a rocky slope the second night of the escape, while Johnny -energetically slid on. Nobby had Ellis's "Gor Blimy" and boots, the -Old Man's coat, and Looney's trousers. The three actors then shaved, -washed, put "Vermi-jelly" grease on their boots to give the latter a -false air of respectability, and at 8.30 A.M. were ready for -their performance. - -They thought they were playing a drama at the time: looking back it -was true comedy. The three set off down the steep goat-track towards -the village. It was a tense moment, and we all thought that the -evening would most probably find us once more under the orders of some -uncivilised Turkish _chaouse_; for we had decided that if the three -were captured in the village the other five would give themselves up. - -Poor old Cochrane looked very anxious, and it was not to be wondered -at. On the seventeenth day of his former attempt to escape, some two -years previously, he and the two other naval officers of his party of -three were compelled by starvation to buy food from a shepherd's hut. -This man informed on them, with the result that they were taken by -gendarmes. Recaptured, they were kept for six months in a filthy prison -in Constantinople, untried by any court-martial. When the latter was -held, Cochrane and his friends were given a three weeks' sentence, -but actually were imprisoned for yet another four months. This is an -excellent instance of Turkish justice, and the kind we were to expect -should any one make a false move in the village. - -Grunt, the officer, walked on ahead. Nobby and Johnny, each carrying an -empty pack and haversack, marched behind. - -The first glimpse of the village with its two grey-domed mosques and -a few hundred houses rather frightened them: it was a much bigger one -than they had expected, and the larger the village the more likely -they were to be discovered as impostors. It was, however, too late to -turn back. There were men and women working in the fields who had seen -them, though they caused no real interest except to small boys, who -are inquisitive the world over; so they marched on, Nobby and Johnny -keeping perfect step, with Grunt at a respectful two paces in the rear. -When they entered the village they asked the way to the headman's house. - -Their story was to be a plausible one. Their German surveying party -was composed of one officer and seven men. They had left the railway -at Eregli, and, taking to cart transport, were making for Mersina. The -carts had unfortunately broken down, and being pressed for time they -had marched on. They now wanted a few days' supplies for the party. -A hard story to disprove without taking a lot of trouble, and Turks -usually avoid taking much. Also, they had that forged document in -Turkish, with the office stamp of Enver Pasha's Ministry of War on it -to prove their _bona fides_; but this was only to be shown as a last -resource. - -After being wrongly directed three times by people who, if questioned -further, would probably have said they were strangers to the place, -the party entered a shop, and Grunt requested the owner to allow his -small boy to show them the way. They were taken to a two-storied -timber-built house, against the door of which lolled a Turkish private -soldier. The conventional greetings passed, and the man asked in -Turkish if they were Germans. The reply was in the affirmative. To -their immense surprise this "simple soldat" in an out-of-the-way -village started talking a very fluent German. It was the limit. The -rank and file now came to the fore, and one suggested that the man -had misunderstood them. They were not Germans: they were Magyars -(Hungarians), and did not understand a word of German. The last part of -the statement was untrue by two words, for the three of them compared -notes that evening and counted the German words they knew--"Verboten, -Schweinfleisch, and Bier" were the sum total. - -Stepping by the soldier, Grunt led the way into a small hall furnished -with some harness and a few carpet saddle-bags. On the left was an -open door, which they entered. Here was a long narrow room with a low -ceiling. On three sides of it carpets were spread, with a few cushions -on the floor. Reclining against the cushions on one side were two -grey-bearded Turks, and a young Greek in a straw hat, blue suit, and -brown boots. As they came in, the Greek said in English, "Come on, -come along,"--the limit was surpassed! Later it was found that the -Greek knew only a few words of English, but it was very unpleasant at -the time. Grunt gave the Turkish salutation and sat down. Nobby and -Johnny stayed strictly at attention. Grunt motioned with his hand, and -received a smart salute and heel-click from his two subordinates, who -then dared to seat themselves. - -The old Turk, who received Grunt's salutation, was obviously the -headman. His jacket was gaudy, his pantaloons were very voluminous, and -many daggers graced his highly-coloured belt. - -To our party's disgust the German scholar now appeared and sat -down beside Johnny. People began to flock in, and the questioning -started--thousands of questions. The three answered as best they could -and gave their story. The soldier now explained that he had served -many years in Austria and knew a great deal about it. The actors did -not. Where had they come from in Austria? Oh, Pruth! This opened the -flood-gates once more. Did they know such and such a place? At some -names they nodded and looked intelligent: at others they shook their -heads. Fortunately the headman here broke in. Had they rifles and -revolvers? Revolvers, yes! but the rifles had been left in the carts. -Would they show him the revolvers? Grunt refused, saying there was an -army order against it. So it went on. - -Then another unpleasant incident took place. Grunt was wearing Ellis's -service dress jacket. Before we left Yozgad its brass buttons had been -covered with cloth, so as not to flash in the sun or in the moonlight. -One of the large front buttons, however, had during the days that -followed escape become uncovered, and though we remarked upon the fact -when Grunt put on the coat in the morning, it was not covered again. -Now it caught the scholar's eye. He crawled along to Grunt and started -fingering it. He knew something about buttons, he said, and that -particular one was an English button. The scholar was no fool! Johnny -was very contemptuous,--didn't the man know that it was a specially -good Magyar button, and one of the latest pattern? The scholar -certainly made for excitement. - -Now was committed a grave error that might have had disastrous results. -A small bag containing 1/4 lb. of tea had been brought along to the -village, in order to propitiate the headman should need arise, and -at this juncture Grunt thought fit to offer it to him, extolling its -excellence as he did so. No sooner had the bag changed hands than to -their horror the three saw that the word TEA was marked plainly on it -in indelible pencil. Had the Greek seen it, he would almost certainly -have been able to read a simple word like this, and the game would -have been up. But once more the party's luck stood by them, and the -incident closed with the headman putting the bag in his pocket. - -It was dangerous for our party to talk anything but Turkish, even -amongst themselves. Hindustani might have been safe, but they did not -think of it. Early in the morning we had decided what food should be -demanded. The list was as follows:-- - - Five okes of meat (an oke equals 2-3/4 lbs.) - Eight okes of raisins. - Twenty " bread. - Ten " wheat. - Eight " cheese. - Half an oke of butter. - One " honey. - Half " tobacco. - 150 eggs. - -Of course we did not expect to be able to obtain all these, but they -were now asked for. As each item was named, the price was discussed by -all the occupants of the room except the wretched buyers. Usually the -price first mentioned was fairly moderate, but in a short time they had -run it up amongst themselves as if they were bidding at an auction. -They then turned to the buyers and said "such a thing costs so much," -and the buyers were hungry enough to swallow any price. It is a trait -of Turkish commerce that no article ever has a fixed value. Finally -23-1/2 Turkish pounds were paid in advance for the stores. - -It was here that the party obtained a little war news. Of this we had -had none since leaving Yozgad, and at that time the Turkish papers -would have had us believe that the Germans were even then knocking at -the gates of Paris. In the headman's house the war was now discussed, -and the fighting powers of the various nations criticised. As for the -British, they were a very rich and powerful people, and yet just look -how they had been driven into the sea at Gallipoli, and how the Turks -had forced them to surrender at Kut-el-Amara. The French, of course, -were not good fighters, and the Americans quite untrained to arms. The -actors had perforce to agree to all these statements, but their joy was -great, though well hidden under a disgusted mien, when they heard that -the Germans were retiring. - -After this conversation came a welcome diversion. A round table like -a dumb-waiter, about 9 inches in height, was brought in. With it came -a large supply of chupatties, a flat plate of honey, one of cream, a -bowl of sour milk, and a dish piled high with greasy wheat pilau; and -following the food came the headman's son--a lad of nine. The headman -beckoned our three to approach, and, sitting on their hunkers round the -table, the breakfast party of seven began the meal. - -The method of eating is simple, but one requires either genius or years -of practice to be any good at it. Break off a piece of chupattie, -quickly shape it into a shovel, scoop up as much honey or cream as -possible, eat the shovel and its contents, and start again. Johnny is -a novice at the game. Though ravenous for food he is an amateur: his -miserable little shovels are merely damp with honey or cream when he -eats them. - -Mark Twain is unfortunately dead. He alone could have described how the -nine-year-old boy ate: his shovels were immense, and he always took a -full scoop. He was swallowing continuously, and while his right hand -was feeding his mouth, his left had already shaped a new shovel. He -was an expert--a record-breaker. Grunt and Nobby fared little better -than Johnny, for the three had to conceal the fact that they were -starving. The meal lasted not more than six minutes. Johnny reckoned he -had absorbed one chupattie with a negligible quantity of honey, cream, -and pilau. The boy must have eaten eight, and the greater part of -everything else, and thoroughly earned the undying admiration of three -Englishmen. The meal over, Nobby and Johnny put on their packs and -haversacks. For a change the German scholar said they were really good -Austrian packs and haversacks: perhaps the button incident had affected -him. - -A guide was now produced, and the Magyar rank and file went a-shopping. -The packs could not possibly carry the amount of food which it had -been decided to buy, so quantities were cut down, and finally the two -returned to the headman's house, each carrying a load of about 57 lbs. -During their absence Grunt had to answer innumerable questions about -his firearms. - -After a short delay the three took their departure, Nobby and Johnny -again clicking heels and doing a pantomime chorus salute. The distance -to the remainder of the party was one and a half miles, and the path -climbed steeply the whole way. The Hun officer of course marched -coolly ahead, while Nobby and Johnny plodded behind, anything but -cool. After going a few hundred yards they glanced behind them. As -was to be expected, they were being followed. First came the beastly -German-speaking man, then the Greek, and after them the headman himself -on a donkey. Johnny advised Grunt to go on ahead and warn the others -that we were now Magyars, and that we each had a revolver. Nobby and -Johnny walked as fast as they could, but the sun was very hot and the -loads very heavy for them in their weak condition. The men who were -following eventually caught up with them and together they came to -where the remainder of the party were camped. This gave the headman a -bit of a shock, as he thought we had lied about everything, and so did -not expect to see five other Magyars. - -As soon as the party could get their equipment on we formed up in two -ranks. Grunt made some guttural sounds, at which we "left turned" and -started to march off into the blue, leaving three very puzzled men -behind us. After an hour's going we halted and, seeing no one following -us, had a meal of two chupatties and six raw eggs each. For the two odd -ones of the fifty that had been bought we had "fingers out." - -"Fingers out" was a procedure whereby all such debatable matters were -decided during our escape. On the last sound of the words "Fingers -up!" each member of the party held up any number of fingers he chose, -subject to the maximum being four and the minimum one. Having decided -beforehand at which person the counting would start, and which way -round it was to go, the total number of fingers shown was added up and -on whatever member of the party this number ended when counting round, -that was the man. This was the sort of thing that happened: "Starting -with Perce, going round right-handed, Fingers up!" Suppose the total -was 19. That would mean, in our party of eight, that the man two after -Perce would win the count. "Fingers out" was used only to settle -who was to have the pleasant things, such as these odd eggs, or the -scrapings of the cooking-pot; duties such as going on ahead to scout or -going back to a spring to fetch water were undertaken by volunteers. - -We were still on the wrong side of the ravine in which was the village, -and inasmuch as it was dangerous to stay in a locality where we had -aroused such suspicion, the ravine must be crossed. A mile farther on -we discovered a possible line of descent to a ledge half-way down. -The ravine was about four hundred feet deep and its sides almost -precipitous. - -As we climbed slowly down, Perce, who was coming last, started three -enormous boulders, which crashed below. As Johnny leapt aside one -missed him by only a few inches. Half the descent was successfully -accomplished, but the ground beneath fell sheer away; so we went a -few hundred yards in an up-stream direction on our own level. Coming -round a rocky spur a wonderful sight met our gaze. Beyond us the cliff -curved round in a shallow crescent. It was of soft yellow sandstone, -and contained two large uninhabited cave-villages, about two hundred -yards apart. With the passing of centuries the cliff had worn away, -revealing a honeycomb of square caves. The larger village must have had -ten or twelve stories of rooms connected up by some form of staircases -inside, but we did not see them. The smaller one had two stories laid -bare, but it was not as well finished as the other. The entrances to -the village were Roman arches: under these ran a short passage leading -to the door itself, which was rectangular in shape. In some cases the -one archway contained two doors. The finest arch was carved on both -sides, with crude paintings on it. From the foot of the villages a very -steep pathway ran down to the river-bed below. This we followed, and -a quarter of an hour later arrived at the bottom. Here was the most -delightful sight we had seen since our start from Yozgad: green and -shady trees lining the grassy bank of a murmuring mountain stream. The -water was ice-cold and as clear as crystal--a merit when we thought -of the stagnant cattle-wallows from which we had had to drink. It was -too tempting to leave at once. We found what we thought was a secluded -spot, and here we first of all arranged our packs so that each of us -had an equal weight to carry after the morning's purchases. Then we -bathed. The joy of that bathe after seventeen days was indescribable, -and worth many a hardship. - -A bridle-path ran along the edge of the stream, and unfortunately any -one who happened to pass would be able to see us. As luck would have -it, an old man rode by on a donkey while we were engaged in giving our -socks a much-needed wash. When he had gone we looked at each other and -heaved a sigh of relief, for he had not even glanced in our direction; -but when he rode past us again twice in the next twenty minutes and -still failed to look at us, we thought it was time to move. Hastily -filling our water-bottles and chargals, we started to climb the other -side of the ravine. The chargal, an extra weight of ten pounds and -hard to carry, changed hands twice before we got to the top, from where -the view of the cave-villages was very fine. - -For the next three hours we picked our way over dreadful going, amongst -grey limestone rocks, cracked and pock-marked everywhere. Progress was -very slow, as one had to watch one's feet the whole time for fear of -breaking an ankle. It was here that we started a leveret, and made a -vain attempt to kill a long snake which swished past Johnny's feet. -We saw four snakes during our escape--one of which made Nobby leap -violently into the air as he nearly trod on it. When there was a chance -of resting, we were almost too tired to think at all, so the thought of -snakes did not worry us. - -At about 5 P.M. Cochrane betted Johnny half a sovereign that -the sea would be visible from the next rise, provided there was no -further mountain range within five miles. The bet was lost by nearly -a week, for it was not till the twenty-third day out that seascapes -became part of our scenery. - -At 6 P.M. we halted in a rocky cup-shaped depression with some -dried wood lying about. Here we set to work with the meat bought at the -village. It was, or had been, a beautiful goat-kid, and from it we made -a stew such as no multi-millionaire can buy. Certainly no "Cordon-bleu" -has ever achieved such an appetising dish. The recipe will now be -divulged: Take a joint of goat-kid, put it on a rock and saw pieces -off it with a blunt clasp-knife. Place the bits in a dixie over a wood -fire, add a little water, and wait impatiently till the meat is half -cooked. Put your share into an enamel mug, and with the hunger of -seventeen days' starvation as relish, and the thumb and forefinger of -the right hand as a fork, eat, and thank your God. - -Our dinner this evening was one to be remembered: a mugful of meat, -two chupatties, a table-spoonful of cheese, and a few spoonfuls of -cooked wheat for each of us; and for the first time for many a day we -lay down feeling well fed. That night we found a level bit of ground -where five could sleep together. Of the rest, two slept practically in -a bushy fir-tree, and Cochrane curled round the fire. All went well -until some one of the five--Ellis for a sovereign--wanted to turn, and -the chance of sleeping was at an end. Fortunately, it was nearly time -to move off, so we did not lose much rest. Just before daylight we -started and did about two miles in two hours, the going being of the -ankle-breaking variety. We were not many miles from a main road, so it -was senseless to risk travelling much after dawn. Looney, too, with his -iron-clad ammunition boots, was going very lame, with large blisters on -his heels. We therefore hid for the day in another rocky cup similar -to that of the previous evening. Shortly after dawn, Nobby, a keen -shikari, slaughtered a hoopoe, which had the misfortune to have a fit -in front of him. This made a welcome addition to our larder, and when, -at our meal before starting that evening, we had "fingers out" for it, -Nobby very appropriately won it. In this bivouac we had the misfortune -to lose our second and last pair of scissors--they were a great loss, -and we sadly needed them later on. The cracks in the rocks, where we -spent the day, were several feet deep, and the scissors are no doubt -lying at the bottom of one of these. - -There was some doubt who was guilty of the crime of losing them, but we -bet another sovereign it was ----. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -IN THE HEART OF THE TAURUS. - - -During this 25th August we had fixed our position so far as our -obsolete map would permit. We had, we thought, just crossed the -watershed of the Taurus, and if the day had only been clearer might -perhaps have obtained our first view of the sea from our point of -vantage that morning. This fact of being on the watershed, together -with a compass-bearing on to a peak recognisable to the south, settled -our position fairly definitely as a little to the west of the range -marked Gueuk Tepe on the map. This was in agreement with a check by -dead reckoning based on Looney's diary from the time we had passed the -Ak Gueul, and meant that we had still forty-five miles between us and -the sea, even as the crow flies; or, by the way we should take for the -sake of better going, something well over fifty miles. - -Soon after setting out on the following night's march, the accuracy -of our estimate was confirmed, for the map showed a main road not -far ahead from our supposed position, and this as a matter of fact we -crossed within half an hour's trek. Just beyond the road and a little -to the east of our course rose a cone-shaped hill, crowned by what at -first looked like an old castle, but which, on a nearer view, resolved -itself into a natural outcrop of white rock. It was then 7 o'clock. An -hour later we were grateful for the find of a small stream of perfectly -clear water. This was the first we had discovered since crossing the -beautiful valley where we had enjoyed our much-needed bathe thirty odd -hours before. - -By this time, however, we had become comparatively inured to a shortage -of water. It was only a fortnight ago that one of the party had -collapsed after a lesser privation. Now we did not even trouble to fill -completely the larger of the two serviceable chargals, although it is -true there were other reasons which encouraged us in this serenity. For -one thing, now that we were on the southern slopes of the Taurus, we -hoped that our water troubles were over. In point of fact, we were to -find ourselves sadly disappointed. Then again, we were loth to put such -a drag upon our speed as a full chargal certainly was, change hands -though it might every half-hour. So far that night we had maintained -a pace of four miles an hour. The meat eaten during the previous two -days had undoubtedly met a very real need, and with the cheese and -chupatties, and the longer periods for rest, had given us a sense -of renewed vigour. Time, however, still passed with the same deadly -slowness. On the first night that we had started taking the chargals -turn and turn about at regular intervals, more than one of the party -had imagined that he had been doing a spell of a full hour, and was -horrified to hear that in reality it had been only half that length. - -On this night the moon rose at about 8.30; there was thus a short -period of darkness between sunset and moonlight, and as we should have -a three-quarter moon for the whole of the rest of the night, we could -afford to rest for twenty minutes when the twilight had faded. This was -the more desirable, as we were still in difficult country. The surface -itself was not as bad as might have been expected, for, after all, we -were in the Taurus; but our course was constantly being crossed by -steep nullahs. The climb up their farther sides was very fatiguing. - -To avoid some of these, we proceeded, wherever possible, to follow the -crest-line, and as soon as the moon was up the field-glasses once more -proved their value by enabling Cochrane to pick out the best route. As -time went on, however, the country became more and more broken, until -we found it necessary, if endless detours were to be avoided, to take -the nullahs as they came. After a few more climbs, we almost gave up -trying to keep on our proposed course, which was a little E. of S., -and nearly decided instead to follow down a valley to the S.W., which -promised better going. In the end, however, we contented ourselves with -making a mile and a half an hour in our original direction, and were -rewarded by finding in one of the nullahs a little spring of water. - -At 11 P.M., having found a fairly sheltered nook (for the wind -at night was always cold at this altitude), we took the opportunity -of snatching a little sleep. It has to be confessed that some of us -also made a premature attack on the next day's ration of cheese and -chupatties. To help level up our loads, these had been shared out -already, and after our experience of the joys of a full meal--we allude -again to the goat--we found having food in our packs a sore temptation. -Without the safeguard of common ownership, it ceased to be inviolable. -Yet perhaps after all it was best to eat at night, when we were doing -all the hard work, and when, in addition, it was cold. - -Shortly after midnight we moved on, and were soon cheered by the -discovery of a narrow track leading in the right direction, and -cleverly avoiding all the difficulties of the broken ground on either -side. This we were able to follow at a hard 3-1/2 miles an hour until -a little before daybreak. Then seeing lights ahead, we left the main -track, thinking it must be leading us on to a village. Immediately -around us there was no cover from view, and as the first tinge of dawn -lit up the countryside, we saw that our only hiding-place would be in -the wooded hills on the farther side of the valley in which lay the -supposed houses. Proceeding at our best speed, we began a race with -the sun, punctuated only by halts of a few seconds now and then as -Cochrane searched anxiously round through the field-glasses; for we -could hear herds moving about, and other lights had come into view. The -descent proved steeper and longer than had been anticipated, and it was -not till after five o'clock, and just before sunrise, that we reached -the foot of the valley. Here we found we had to cross a stream ten to -twelve feet wide, and, on account of the marshy ground, at a point -not 500 yards away from the lights. These came, as we now saw, from a -small group of timber huts, and in our haste to reach cover we plunged -straight through the stream, to find that only a few yards farther up -we might have crossed by stepping-stones in a place where the stream -was only a foot deep. - -This was no time for vain regrets, so we were soon clambering up the -farther slope, which was covered with scattered pines. Under cover of -these we gave ourselves a couple of minutes' breathing space, for the -hill was steep, and then went on over the top of the first ridge, a -thousand feet above the stream, and into a little dip beyond. Here we -found a trickle of water, and settled down amongst some small trees and -thorny scrub. The first thing to do was to take off our soaked boots -and let them dry; after this a brew of cocoa was prepared--well earned -by what we reckoned was a 27-mile march in the previous twelve hours. -Most of our feet were terribly sore, and Looney spent an hour sewing on -bandages before he struggled back into his boots that day. - -With the present satisfactory rate of progress we could afford to be -rather more liberal with our food; and so the camp fire never died -down, for we took it in turns to make "pilaus" all that day. These were -made from crushed wheat, and differed from the porridge we had been -accustomed to make from it while at Yozgad, in that before boiling -it was mixed with a little melted dripping, a supply of which we had -obtained from the village. The resulting pilau was a vast improvement -on the plain porridge, besides being rather quicker to cook--a -consideration in view of the smallness of our cooking-pot. Altogether -we must have had five pilaus at this bivouac, but as each when -distributed filled only a third of a pint mug, we cannot be accused -of greed. To avoid all waste we had brought along even the bones of -the goat; from these we now made a weak soup, after which the bones -themselves were divided out for a last picking, some of us even eating -their softer portions. We were out of sight of the huts in the valley -which we had so hastily crossed, but could see the top of the hill on -the farther side; here was a fairly large walled village, with houses -built of stone and roofed with the usual flat mud roofs. Although -we could see this with our glasses, we were too far to be observed -ourselves, and moreover little sign of life appeared there. That -afternoon, however, we had a few anxious moments, when two men came -over the next ridge to the south of us: they passed within a hundred -yards of where we lay, but appeared not to have seen us. - -In the evening, having moved a short distance up the same ridge, we -were having a five minutes' halt when two more men, this time on -donkeys, came over the crest and almost rode on top of us. They asked, -"Who are you? Where are you going?" and "Why hiding?" We did not -answer, so they said, "Are you foreigners that you don't understand -Turkish?" Then they went on, and so did we. Fortunately, even should -they report any suspicions they had, we were in country that was much -intersected and in which it would have been difficult for any one to -trace us. So difficult, in fact, was the bit of ground which met our -view on reaching the top of the range we were on, that it was some -minutes before we could make up our minds which would be the best line -to follow. - -Eventually we decided to make for a ridge which seemed negotiable, -and on proceeding came very shortly afterwards to a spring and a -goat-track. After drinking all the water we could, we followed the -latter. It was as well we did so, for the track took us round the head -of a precipitous ravine which might have taken a whole day to cross if -we had attempted to pass over direct. On the far side, too, the track -still kept the general direction we wanted, namely, some twenty degrees -east of south, and so we clung to it steadily until 8.30 P.M. -We had been marching for three hours, and now following our procedure -of the previous night, slept till 9.45, by which time the moon had -risen. Before halting, we had seen one or two shepherds' fires ahead, -so took the precaution to move fifty yards or so off the track in case -there should be any traffic. By this time we had given up keeping a -watch on the night halts, though we still did so by day. The reason for -this was that sleep was only obtainable during the nights, and we could -not afford to let even one member of the party go without it. On this -particular occasion it was comparatively warm, considering that we -were on an open hillside in the Taurus, and we were much rested by the -sleep we obtained. - -When we resumed our way we still kept to our friendly path, although -it was becoming more and more stony. A little before midnight we found -ourselves in a dilemma, for, after leading us to the edge of a deep -valley which ran at right angles to our course, the track now branched -right and left. The problem was which path to follow. If we had stopped -to think we might have realised that, in mountainous country, even -the most friendly road cannot always take you by a direct route, and -that the longest way round is often the shortest way home. However, on -this occasion we made an error of judgment and went straight ahead. -The slope, at first comparatively grassy and gradual, became rapidly -more rocky and precipitous, until at about 1.30 A.M., after -descending close upon 1500 feet, we found ourselves on the edge of a -yawning gorge, at the bottom of which foamed a raging mountain torrent. -We were not as glad to see this water as usual, for we had crossed a -rivulet on our way down: at this we had already quenched our thirst, -although at the time dogs had been barking at us from some shepherds' -huts on the valley slope. The difficulty now was to find a practicable -path up the farther bank. The torrent itself was passable easily -enough, for natural stepping-stones abounded in its rock-strewn bed; -and in fact we did cross and re-cross it several times in a painful -endeavour to make our way a little farther to the west. - -Everywhere, however, beyond a rough and narrow ledge of rock by the -side of the stream, the far bank rose up sheer above us. In the -moonlight the scene was wonderful, and we could not help thinking how -perfect a place this would have been for a day's halt. But we could not -afford to lose precious time, and for the present our whole aim was to -leave it as soon as possible. At one spot, having seen a light burning -not far from the water's edge, we proceeded very cautiously. It proved -to proceed from the stump of a tree which some one had probably set on -fire to warm himself and had left burning: happily no one was there -now. After a two hours' struggle we had to own that we were defeated, -and were compelled to climb back out of the gorge and still on the -wrong side. Moving along its edge at a higher level, for another two -hours we searched in vain for a more likely crossing-place, and were -almost in despair when we suddenly heard the voices of men and women -below us. Looking down, we saw in the moonlight a party of Turks or -Armenians in the act of crossing a fine old bridge which spanned the -gorge between two absolutely vertical banks in a single semicircular -arch of stone. Even now it was some little time before we could pick -up the path leading down to it, but when we did so we were agreeably -surprised to find that the bridge was not guarded. In the last five -hours we had progressed but one mile in the right direction. - -When at last we crossed the gorge it was barely an hour to dawn, and -we had not followed the mountain road leading up the farther side for -long before we had to be on the look-out for a hiding-place. There was -little cover higher up the hill; so we turned right-handed and dropped -down once more towards the gorge, hoping that after all it would do us -the good turn of providing us with water and shade for the day. On the -way down, however, we saw a cave hollowed out in the rocky hillside, -and as the bank below was very steep, we decided we would not give -ourselves a single foot of unnecessary climbing when we started off -again next evening. We accordingly entered the cave; but Cochrane and -Perce, after ridding themselves of their packs, valiantly climbed down -again to the water and came back with the two chargals full. So much -had all the fruitless clambering taken out of us that we were more -tired on this day than after double the distance on the night previous, -and, except for taking turns to cook, every one lay like a log in -the cave. The latter faced west, and was roofed by two elliptical -semi-domes side by side beneath a larger arch in the rock, but being -shallow in width compared to the height of the roof, allowed the sun to -stream in upon us in the latter part of the afternoon. - -On leaving the cave at about 7 P.M., as rugged country still -lay ahead, we thought it best to work our way obliquely up the hill and -regain the track which had led us up from the bridge over the ravine. -To this we clung for the greater part of the night which followed, -although it involved passing through several villages. We found -ourselves in the first almost before we realised that a village existed -there at all: it seemed, however, a city of the dead. - -Not a dog barked at our approach, and the narrow crooked streets -appeared deserted, until suddenly the white-clad figure of a woman -flitted across our path. Fortunately she did not pause to find out who -were these strange nocturnal visitors. - -Not long afterwards we saw lights ahead, and as we drew nearer found -that our road branched to right and left, the latter branch leading -towards the lights which seemed to proceed from a village. After the -previous night's experience we had no intention of attempting any -cross-country going if we could possibly avoid it. Here, indeed, to go -on direct would have necessitated crossing first a valley of unknown -depth, and then an enormous ridge which reared up its black bulk -against the clear starry sky. It was fairly obvious that the two roads -went round either end of this ridge; after that it was a toss-up which -was the more likely to lead us towards the sea. In view of the village -and of the noisy clatter on the stony track of the booted members of -the party, Cochrane elected to take the right-hand branch, and this -we followed for over a mile. It was leading us due west, and seemed -likely to continue to do so for several miles more before the ridge -was rounded. The coast opposite our position ran, we knew, rather from -N.E. to S.W., and so every mile we marched west added another to our -distance from the coast. At the next halt we reconsidered the question -of roads, and decided we must go back and risk the village. But it was -essential to make less noise, and so, as we once more approached the -cross-roads, those not wearing "chariqs" padded their boots with old -socks, bits of shirt, and pieces of felt. - -It gives some idea of the absolute weariness of body which now -was ours, when it is stated that it was only after much forcible -persuasion from Nobby that those who would have the trouble of tying -on the padding could be induced to take this precaution. But in the -end wise counsels prevailed, and we succeeded in passing through the -village--and it was a large one--without causing any apparent alarm. -Looney, however, lost one of his mufti hats with which he had padded -one of his boots. - -The track now increased in width to as much as ten feet, being roughly -levelled out of the solid rock, and running along a ledge above a -precipitous ravine. Below us we heard the roar of a mountain stream, -and as at one point a rough path had been cut down to water-level, -Cochrane descended it and fetched up a chargal full of water. It was to -prove a serious mistake that we did not fill all our receptacles here. -On resuming our way, we were taken by our road over another striking -bridge which crossed the ravine a little higher up. This time the arch -was a pointed one. Once more we found the defile unguarded. We were -probably in magnificent mountain scenery, but could see little of it, -as the moon had not yet risen. Even though after crossing the bridge we -waited in the warmth of a little cave till after the time of moonrise, -the moon itself did not become visible until two hours later, so steep -were the slopes on every side of us. We could see, however, that we -were going round the eastern shoulder of the ridge which had blocked -our direct route, and this ridge rose sheer from the very edge of the -ravine. - -Without a road to follow, we should have fared badly indeed. Even -with it, the climb from the bridge had been severe, but on proceeding -we soon came to the top of the rise and found ourselves walking on a -carpet of pine-needles through a beautiful open forest. This was a -wonderful contrast to the arid wastes or rugged ridges across which had -been so many of our long and weary marches. Even here, however, the -country was soon to resume its more normal aspect. We found ourselves -descending into an open valley with no signs of trees or vegetation. -Our road, too, dwindled to the width and unevenness of an ordinary -village track, and this it turned out to be, for it led past a few -isolated huts, and finally at 1 A.M. took us into a village. - -A little before, during one of the hourly halts, we had seen in the -moonlight a man approaching on a donkey; so we took to our feet and -marched again in order to pass him the more quickly. This we did -without a single word being exchanged. - -In the village we could hear the sound of men talking and laughing -together. This was rather disconcerting, as for one thing we had been -hoping to find where they obtained their water. Far from finding -either well or spring or stream, however, we even had some difficulty -in finding the path out of the village. We were about to cut across -country, and had gone as far as to climb over a hedge into some -vineyards, when we recognised the path to the west of us. It worked -along the side of a hill apparently towards a saddle in the steep ridge -which closed the valley ahead. While we were in the vineyard we felt -around for grapes, but the vines were barren; in fact the whole valley -seemed waterless. We now regained the track and had nearly reached the -top of the ridge when our path suddenly took into its head to start -descending the valley again. Though we were loth to leave any track so -long as it made some pretence of going anywhere in our direction, this -was too much for our patience, and Cochrane led us due east, so as to -cross the bleak ridge which bordered the valley on that side and see -what the next valley could do for us. But even here our difficulties -were not to end: the farther hillside was rocky in the extreme and -covered with scrub and stunted trees, amongst which we clambered for -some two hours without finding any valley to promise easy progress in -the direction of the sea. To "Kola" tablets we once more resorted. -Finally, an hour before dawn, we lay down as we were, disheartened, -without water, and without a road. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -DOWN TO THE SEA. - - -When daylight came, we found ourselves in a network of extraordinary -valleys. Large trees grew on the rock-strewn slopes, while along the -bottoms were little strips of bright red soil, sprinkled with stones, -and yet suggestive of great fertility; and indeed in some parts it -was clear that the ground had in a previous year been ploughed. Yet -as far as human habitation was concerned the valley seemed entirely -deserted; only here and there as we marched on we passed a few timbers -of some ruined shelter, indicating its former occupation by shepherd -inhabitants. The whole scene gave the impression that here had once -been flourishing well-watered vales, which had then been blasted by -some strange upheaval of nature, by which the whole water supply had -suddenly been cut off and the former inhabitants compelled to quit. - -To open our eyes on such a scene did not tend to revive our spirits. We -had not a drop of water in our water-bottles, and although a valley -was soon found leading in the right direction, we followed it without -much hope of being able to quench our thirst. After an hour or so, -however, at a place where the valley widened a little, we picked up in -the soft red soil a number of goat-tracks, and noticed that several -others joined them, all seeming to converge towards the same spot. -These suggested water, but soon after they suddenly ceased. - -Fifty yards up the hill there was a stone enclosure, and just as -Cochrane was leading on, Nobby thought it was advisable to make sure -there was nothing there. This was most fortunate, for inside he found a -well. Next moment we were all within the enclosure, and on lifting out -the heavy timber bung which closed the hole in the stone-built cover, -found water not twenty feet down. It tasted slightly stale, and no -doubt the well had not been used for some time; but this did not affect -our enjoyment of a couple of brews of "boulgar" (porridge made from -crushed wheat), which were now prepared, and flavoured with a spoonful -of our precious cocoa. - -Still more refreshing to those who could summon up the necessary -energy, was a wash and a shave. Even a wash-hand basin was provided in -the shape of a little stone trough which was built into the enclosure -wall, and was doubtless intended for use in watering the flocks of -sheep and goats. - -After nearly two hours' grateful rest and refreshment, we resumed our -course, and soon after entered a broad ravine. Here grew enormous -oak-trees, seeming to flourish amid the barest rock and boulders, -although the bed of this quaint valley appeared to have had no water -in it for ages. At one point, where we halted under the shelter of a -rocky outcrop, some of the party filled a haversack with the tips of -stinging-nettles. Gloves were not an item of our equipment, and our -fingers were badly stung, but a little spinach would provide a pleasant -variation in our next cooked meal. - -We went on till 11 A.M. without seeing a single sign of life. -Then we came to a strong timber barrier across the narrow foot of the -valley, and saw beyond it a man engaged in winnowing. We quickly drew -back out of view, and decided we should have to make a detour. The -country was not so desolate or uninhabited as we had thought. First, -however, we would fortify ourselves with a little food. For this -purpose we climbed a short way up the western side of the valley and -settled down in the shelter of a big tree. While Cochrane and Perce -cooked some "boulgar," the rest lay down and were soon fast asleep. -It was a hard struggle indeed to rouse oneself from such delightful -oblivion of all our cares, but our Mr Greatheart was not to be denied, -and after our food we left the Enchanted Ground. - -To avoid the risk of being seen by people in the valley, it was now -necessary to climb up the steep rocky ridge ahead instead of circling -round its foot as would otherwise have been possible. The surface was -atrocious; jagged points of rock cut into our feet through the soles -of our much-worn footgear. If one wished to avoid a sprained ankle, -every step had to be taken with care, for the rock was cut up into -innumerable crannies and honeycombed with holes. It took eight hundred -feet of stiff climbing to reach the top of the first ridge. Beyond it -we were not pleased to find a whole series of equally steep though -smaller ridges and valleys, and all at right angles to our proper -course. After a long struggle we had to give up the idea of going -straight ahead, and instead began to follow down one of the valleys. -This led us back into country very similar to that in which we had -found ourselves early that morning: once more our path took us over the -small boulders and down the line of red earth. - -There were no further signs of life until nearly four o'clock. Our -sudden appearance then startled three or four small children who were -tending some goats on the hillside. A moment later we came into view of -a single black tent, set up at the junction of two branches into which -the valley now divided. - -Concealment was impossible; besides, we were in our usual trouble -for water. The only inhabitant seemed to be an old woman, who came -out of the tent to find out why the children had run back. To avoid -frightening her, the party halted some distance off, while Cochrane and -Grunt went forward alone to find out what sort of reception might be -expected. - -For some minutes the Circassian (for we thought she must be one) stood -talking to the two envoys at the door of her tent. Then she signalled -us to approach, and invited the whole party inside her abode. Here -she offered the equivalent in the East of a chair--namely, a seat on -the mats which covered the earthen floor. The amiable old dame next -produced a large circular tray, which she set in our midst, and on -which she placed some wafer-like chupatties and a couple of bowls of -the inevitable "yourt." Never did simple meal taste so sweet, but the -amount provided served only to whet the appetite of the eight hungry -travellers. It was gently suggested that we should like a little more; -we told her we would pay for everything we had. At the same time we -produced some of our mugs as likely to provide a method of eating the -"yourt" more in keeping with our hunger. Lest the full number should -alarm her, we tendered only four, and these she filled readily enough, -and several times over, from an almost unlimited supply which she kept -in a row of large copper vessels standing along one side of the tent. -We noticed also several large sacks, which we thought must contain -flour or wheat, and thought it would be advisable to lay in further -supplies if we could. Not a thing, however, would our hostess sell: -neither flour, wheat, cheese, goat, nor fowls. We asked her to make us -some more chupatties, but without avail. No money would tempt her--she -was evidently not a Turk,--even the offer of a little tea could not -work the oracle. Her hospitality--and it was true hospitality that she -had shown to us--was limited to what we might eat on the premises. -From what we could gather from her rather peculiar Turkish, the old -lady seemed afraid to sell us anything without her husband's consent. -It was impossible not to admire her steadfastness, and as we left we -presented her with three silver medjidies (worth altogether about -twelve shillings). On this she relaxed to the extent of allowing us to -take three eggs that she had. - -We tried to find out how far we were from the sea; but she seemed -hardly to know of its existence, so cut off had she been all her life -in her mountain fastness. She directed us, however, to some other tents -farther down one of the valleys, and said we might be able to buy some -food there; so thither we now wended our way. There was a well outside -the tent, but it was dry at the time and was being deepened. A few -drops of water which she had given us within had come from some distant -stream, she said. "Yourt," however, is a wonderful thirst-quencher, so -lack of water did not cause any worry for the time being. - -We agreed, as we went on, that if we found the tents which we were -now seeking, only half the party should go to buy; partly because we -thought in that way we should be less likely to frighten the occupants -from selling us food, and partly to avoid letting people see the exact -strength of our party, in case any one should take it into his head to -report our presence. Accordingly, when three-quarters of an hour later -we arrived at two more tents, Cochrane and Nobby approached one, and -Grunt and Looney the other. The first pair were not received with very -open arms, and had to be satisfied with only a little "yourt" eaten -on the spot, and a few coarse chupatties which they were able to take -away with them. They came on to the second tent, to find that the other -pair had fallen upon their feet. They had arrived at a very propitious -moment. Just inside the doorway they had found a smiling old dame -busily engaged in making the chupatties for the family's evening meal. -With some of these she regaled her guests, and Grunt at once asked -her if she would bake some more for companions of his who had gone on -to prepare the camp for the night. With a good deal of coaxing, and -influenced perhaps a little by the sight of silver coins, she finally -made another dozen. Meanwhile another woman entered and ladled out -some beautiful fresh milk which was boiling in a large cauldron in the -tent. The four were able to enjoy two mugfuls of this between them, -but could only induce the woman to give them one more mugful to take -away for the others. After much haggling, however, and on receipt of -two medjidies, she was persuaded to let them have six pounds of fresh -cheese made from goats' milk. - -As prearranged, the rest of the party had gone a few hundred yards -farther down the ravine in which stood the tents, and finding that no -further purchases were to be made the four now rejoined them. - -The camping-ground had been chosen some forty yards up the southern -side of the ravine. The steep slope was covered with pine and oak -trees, and at their feet we slept. It mattered little to us that our -beds were uneven. We had before this slept soundly at all angles and on -pointed rocks; and here we had a mattress of leaves and pine-needles -on which to lay our weary bodies. The occasional bark of a dog or the -soft hoot of an owl were the only sounds that broke the stillness of -the night. Through the trees could be seen patches of the starlit -heaven. We owed much to those wonderful stars. Big and bright in these -latitudes, they had led us on our way for many a night, and when there -was no moon to befriend us they had lighted our path so that we could -still march slowly on. - -It was after a sound and refreshing sleep, that shortly before 4 -A.M. next day, while it was yet dark, we shouldered our packs -and moved eastwards down the stony bed of the confined valley. This -gave on to a broader one at right angles to it; crossing which we -halted in a small wood for an hour to prepare our simple breakfast. -Here Cochrane climbed an oak-tree hoping to obtain a glimpse of the -sea, but it was not yet in sight. - -Hardly had we started off again when we suddenly saw a boy coming -towards us through the wood. He was carrying a few chupatties and a bag -of "yourt." We stopped the lad, and although at first he was unwilling -to part with the food, which he intended to sell to some tent-dwellers, -yet finally we persuaded him to humour us in exchange for two silver -medjidies. While eating this unexpected addition to our breakfast, we -questioned the boy as to our whereabouts. Though very uncertain about -it, he thought the sea was three hours' journey away: the nearest big -town was Selefke (the ancient Seleucia), but where it was he did not -know; we should see a well near two tents in the next village. - -Thus informed we left him, and on emerging from the wood saw the two -tents about a mile distant and close to what must be the main road -to Selefke; away to our left stood some very fine ruins. Through -field-glasses they looked like some ancient Greek temple. - -We decided to go to the tents for water, and in order to vary our -story to suit our surroundings, for this occasion we would be German -archaeologists. Arriving at the encampment, we were received by an old -Turk and his grown-up son, and taken into the bigger tent. Here we sat -down on a carpet, and leant against what felt like sacks of grain. -Having given our reason for being in the locality, we explained that we -were willing to pay a good price for antiques. - -"I have none," replied the old fellow. "Of what value are such things -to me? But you Germans are for ever searching after relics from ruins. -Four years ago a party just like yours came here for the very same -purpose, asking for ancient coins and pottery." So we had hit upon a -most suitable story. - -A little girl now appeared on the scene. To keep up the conversation we -asked the old man her age. - -"She's seven years old," he answered, "and my youngest grandchild. I -have six sons, of whom five are at the war. One of them is a _chaouse_ -(sergeant) on the Palestine front; another an _onbashi_ (corporal) near -Bagdad. I had another son in Irak too, but he was taken prisoner by the -English." - -"Have you good news of him?" asked one of us. - -"Yes, I had a letter from him a year ago, saying he was in good health -and well treated." - -What the other two in the Army were doing we do not remember, though -doubtless we were told. The sixth son, perchance a conscientious -objector, was in the tent with us. He joined in the conversation now -and again, and finally produced a musical instrument like a deformed -mandolin. - -"Can any of you play?" he asked. - -"I don't think any of us can," replied our Turkish scholar. "But we -should like to hear you play us something," he added politely. "First, -however, could we have some water to drink? We are all very thirsty." -This saved us the ordeal of listening to Oriental music, for the little -child was sent round to each of us in turn with a shallow metal cup -of water, and by the time we had had a drink the musician had put -his instrument away. Encouraged by these beginnings of hospitality, -we asked if they had any bread for sale. At this the old man shouted -some questions to the other tent, at the door of which a woman soon -appeared. She talked so fast that we could not understand what she -said, but the expression on her face and all her gestures gave us -clearly to understand that she had never heard such impudence. In the -end, however, the old Turk gave us half a chupattie each. Meanwhile two -of the party had gone off to the well to fill all our water-bottles, -the rest remaining in the tent trying to persuade the man to give us -more bread. Since no more was forthcoming, as soon as the two returned -with water we moved on again. - -Food-hunting was now becoming a vice, of which, in our hungry -condition, we found it difficult to cure ourselves. Though we had -still some of the food bought at the big village on August 24, we -eased our consciences with the thought that we might have to spend -some days on the coast before we found a boat. Moreover, in these -isolated tents, dotted about in so unfrequented a district, we might -with safety try to obtain additional supplies, for there was not much -likelihood of meeting gendarmes, and there was no town very near where -the tent-dwellers could give information about us. The next few hours, -therefore, were spent in searching for these isolated dwellings. But -our luck had changed, for at four tents we were received with a very -bad grace. One old woman, in particular, who, without any make up, -could have played with great success the part of one of the witches in -"Macbeth," showed great animosity towards us, and ended her tirade by -saying that nothing would induce her to give food to Christians. - -Thus rebuffed, we marched on. A mile to our left front were the ruins -we had seen earlier in the day. Their fluted columns were immense, and -the capitals richly carved; but a closer inspection would mean going -out of our way, and a few minutes later they were lost to view. - -Only two of us went to the fifth tent that we saw. The remainder walked -on a few hundred yards, and waited hidden in a small valley, easily -recognisable, because it led up to a conspicuous tree. Half an hour -later the two rejoined the main body, having bought 1-1/2 lb. of crushed -wheat and the dixie half full of porridge made with plenty of sour -milk. This was divided amongst the six, as the purchasers had had a few -spoonfuls in the tent. - -Continuing, we came across some dry wells and also a few fruit trees. -The fruit was unripe, unpleasant to taste, and unknown to any of us; -but we ate it. The trees may have been plum-trees, which after many -decades had reverted to the wild state. At 1 P.M. we found a -well containing a little water, and not far from another tent. Once -more only two went to buy supplies, while the others stayed at the -well. Here, after much talk, the old woman in the tent let our agents -have a dozen chupatties and some good cheese. The latter she took -out of a goat-skin bag from under a millstone, where it was being -pressed. Though rather strong, it was very good indeed, and tasted like -gorgonzola. Near the tent was a bed of water-melons and a patch of -Indian corn; but the good lady refused to sell any of these. Judging -by the heap of melon-skins lying in a corner of the tent, she and her -better-half were very partial to this fruit; hence, no doubt, her -disinclination to part with any. We now decided that we were becoming -demoralised by this "yourt-hunting," and that we would not visit -any more tents; so when, half an hour after resuming our march, we -passed close to one, we walked by it without taking any notice of the -occupants. - -All this time the going was very bad. Countless small nullahs crossed -our path. The ground was rocky and thickly covered with thorny bushes -the height of a man, so that it was necessary to take a compass-bearing -every few minutes. For a long time we had been steering a very zigzag -course, when at 2.15 P.M. we arrived at the head of one of -these many nullahs and saw beneath us a deep ravine running in a -south-east direction. - -Through the undergrowth at the bottom it was possible to recognise the -dry stony bed of a river, and this we decided to follow. A little north -of where we were the ravine made a right-angled turn, and at this bend -we were able to find a track to the bottom. Elsewhere the sides were -sheer precipice, impossible to descend. On our way down we passed a -massive sarcophagus hewn out of the solid rock. The lid had been moved -to one side, and the chamber was empty--a result, perhaps, of the -visit of the German archaeologists of whom the old Turk had spoken that -morning. An eerie place for a tomb it looked, perched on the side of -a steep cliff. It was a relic of a former civilisation. That part of -Asia Minor was once fertile and well populated, but some underground -disturbance of nature had diverted or dried up the water without which -the land could no longer live. Now it is a dead country. The terraced -gardens near the coast still retain their step formation, but that is -all. Only the wild locust-tree can find enough moisture to produce its -fruit, and bird and animal life have almost ceased to exist. - -On reaching the bottom of the ravine in safety, we allowed ourselves -nearly an hour's rest before we followed the slope of the stream. This -in the main continued to take us in a south-easterly direction, though -at times it ran due east. Along the bottom ran a rough and stony track, -crossing frequently from one side of the river-bed to the other as the -valley twisted and turned. At many points, too, it had been overgrown -by the thick brushwood which had sprung up in the scanty soil at the -foot of the ravine, and often we had to push our way through. - -By this time, in fact, marching was altogether a most painful -performance. Our footgear was at an end. Uppers had all but broken away -from the soles, which were nearly worn through, so that walking over -stones was a refined torture. After two hours' going in the ravine we -saw a side valley running into the left bank. Here was a camel with two -foals, which were picking up a scanty living in the main river-bed. We -also heard the bells of goats and the voice of a small boy shouting -to them somewhere on the top of the ravine. Assuming there was a tent -village not far off, we made as little noise as possible. Nothing -however appeared. Towards six o'clock we came to a very sharp bend, -where the track we had been following climbed up the side of the ravine -in a southerly direction. At the time we debated whether to follow the -track or the river-bed, and finally decided on the latter course. As we -proceeded, the bed became rougher and rougher and the track less and -less defined, and just before dark we halted. We had walked for many -hours that day, but could only credit ourselves with five miles in the -right direction. - -Moonlight, for which we had decided to wait, did not reach us in our -canyon till after 2 A.M. next morning, though the moon itself -had risen some time before. In the meantime we had cooked a little -porridge and obtained a few hours' sleep. Now we retraced our steps -till we came to where the track had left the ravine, and up this we -climbed into the open. - -At the top we found ourselves in an old graveyard near a few deserted -and ruined huts. Halting for five or six minutes, we ate a few -mouthfuls of food and lightened our water-bottles. We then followed -the track till 5 A.M., when we came to another deserted -village. Near this was a well; so we replenished our stock, and halted -in some thick scrub a few hundred yards farther on. Here Grunt, to his -consternation, discovered that he had lost a small cloth bag containing -one and a half chupatties and two sovereigns. The loss of the coins -was nothing, but the bread was all-important. Grunt therefore decided -to go back to the deserted village near the graveyard, where he had -last eaten from the bag, and Nobby went with him. A couple of hours -later the searchers returned with the coveted bag, and said they -had seen the sea; the rest could raise no enthusiasm, and were very -sceptical. - -At a quarter to eight we set forth from our hiding-place, and five -minutes later the party as a whole had its first view of the sea. -The morning sun was on it, making sky and sea one undivided sheen. -It was difficult to realise that at last we were near the coast. -From the point where we were to the shore could be barely six miles. -Within forty miles of the coast we had been at a height of something -approaching 5000 feet, but each ridge we had passed had in front of -it another to hide the sea from us. Thus it was that not until we had -marched for twenty-three nights and twenty-two days did we first look -on it. As we scanned the water through the field-glasses, it looked as -dead as the adjacent country. Not a sail was in sight anywhere, not a -single ripple disturbed the shining sheet of glass in front of us. With -heads uncovered, and with thankful hearts, we stood gazing, but without -being in any way excited. Thus it was that no shout like the "Thalassa! -Thalassa!" of Xenophon's Ten Thousand broke from the lips of our little -band that still August morning; although here was the end of our land -journey at last in sight after a march of some 330 miles. Had we seen a -single boat it would have been different. There was nothing. - -Our great desire now was to get down to the coast itself. We thought -that there must surely be a village somewhere down on the shore, where -we should be able either to get hold of a boat at night or to bribe -a crew with a promise of much money if they would land us at Cyprus. -Before us, the intervening country was covered with bare rocks, stunted -trees, and scrub, and fell away to the sea in a series of small ridges -and terraces. Still following the track, our party, weary and hot, came -to a halt at 11 A.M. on the 30th August, two miles from the -shore, in the shade of a ruined stone tower. There were similar square -towers dotted along the coast; perhaps their ancient use, like that of -our own Martello towers, had been to ward off a foreign invasion should -need arise; or, in less exciting times, to show lights towards the sea -to guide at night the ships in those waters. We stopped at the tower, -because we thought it was unsafe to go farther and risk being seen by -any coastguard that might happen to be stationed there. It was well -we did so. From here Cochrane went on alone, and while he was away we -saw our first boat. Coming round a headland of the coast, a few miles -east of us, a motor-boat passed across our front and disappeared into -a narrow bay a mile and a half to our west. She towed a cutter full of -men. Cochrane also had seen them, and came back to the tower to tell us -the news; unfortunately, he had not found the hoped-for village. - -A few yards from the tower was a shallow stone-built well. Its water, -though very dirty, being merely a puddle at the bottom, for us was -drinkable. The day was very oppressive, with a damp heat, so we -refreshed ourselves with a dixieful of tea. After this, Cochrane, -taking Ellis with him, again went forward, this time to try to find -the exact anchorage of the motor-boat. On their return they said -there were tents on the shore. In one of them were horses, and in the -neighbourhood several Turkish soldiers were moving about. Studying our -map, we decided we were within three miles of Pershembe, a point for -which we had headed for some days past. The coast-line before us ran -N.E. and S.W. We were on a narrow plateau one and a half mile from the -sea, and the high ground continued till within a few hundred yards of -the water; in some places even to the edge of the coast itself, which -was indented with small bays and creeks. - -On the headland to the east, and gleaming white in the sunshine, stood -a magnificent stone-built town, walled and turreted, but showing -no signs of being inhabited. Nearer to us, on the foreshore, was a -small lagoon, spanned at one corner by an old bridge: on the water's -edge could be seen green reeds and half a dozen palm-trees, and here -three or four camels were feeding. Opposite to the lagoon and some -eight hundred yards off the shore was a small island fortress, its -turreted and loopholed walls rising sheer from the sea. It boasted fine -bastioned towers, and when the sun was willing to act as master showman -this dazzling gem was framed in a fit setting of sapphire. This, though -we did not know its name at the time, was Korghos Island. - -Here may be mentioned a very peculiar coincidence, although we only -learnt of it after our return to England. This was, that Keeling, after -his escape from Kastamoni, had spared himself no trouble in attempting -to arrange schemes of escape for his former companions, and only a -few weeks after our departure a number of his code messages reached -the camp at Yozgad, amongst them one detailing our best route to this -very island of Korghos. Here were to be waiting either agents with a -supply of food or a boat, between three different pairs of dates: one -of those periods coincided with part of this very time that we were on -the coast. When we eventually reached Cyprus, we learnt also that two -agents had been landed on Korghos Island, but that they had been seen -and captured. - -To continue the description of the coast at which we had arrived: -immediately below us the ground fell away to a low-lying stretch of -foreshore, which extended for nearly a mile between the end of our -plateau and the sea. Half a mile west of us lay a deep ravine, which -looked as if it would run into the creek entered by the motor-boat. - -Along the sea and lined by the telegraph poles the main coast road -wound its way. In the early evening Nobby, Looney, and Johnny went off -to reconnoitre, but it was impossible to approach the coast by daylight -because of the men moving about, and they had to return to the tower -with little additional information. There were five tents for men and -a larger one for horses, and though no guns were visible it was very -probable that here was a section of a battery for dealing with any boat -that might attempt to spy out the nakedness of the land. Two years -before that time, Lord Rosebery's yacht, the _Zaida_, had been mined -a few miles along the coast at a place called Ayasch Bay, which she -had entered for the purpose of landing spies. Four of her officers had -come to the prisoners' camp at Kastamoni, and we heard from the three -of them who survived that there had been some field-guns on the shore -where they were captured. - -Our resting-place near the tower was an unsatisfactory one. We were -close to water, it is true, but we were also close to a track leading -down to the coast, and though we were soon to change our minds, we -thought at the time that no flies in the world could be as persistent -and insatiable as those which all day attacked us. For these reasons, -and the additional one of wishing to be nearer the creek which we -thought the motor-boat had entered, we decided to move to the ravine -half a mile west of our tower. We would visit the well early in the -morning and late at night for replenishing our water supply. - -Accordingly at dusk we again packed up. Our way led us through thick -undergrowth along neglected terraces, and at about 6.30 P.M. -we were on the edge of the steep-sided valley. By a stroke of luck we -almost immediately found a way down to the bottom. Although we were -to become all too well acquainted with that ravine, we only found one -other possible line of ascent and descent on the tower side, and one -path up the western edge. The river-bed, of course, was dry, and filled -with huge boulders and thickly overgrown with bushes. Pushing our way -through these, we had only gone a quarter of a mile down the ravine -when we decided to halt for the night. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ON THE COAST. - - -There was still, however, no time to be lost in discovering and -obtaining the motor-tug or other boat, seeing that we had arrived on -the coast with barely three days' supply of food. That same night, -then, Cochrane and Nobby carried out a reconnaissance, continuing -to follow our ravine down towards the sea, in the hope that they -would come out opposite the bay into which the tug and her tow had -disappeared that afternoon. The remainder settled down to sleep as best -they could, without a dinner and on hard and stony beds, taking it -in turns at half-hour intervals to keep watch. This was necessary to -prevent the two scouts passing them unawares should they return in the -dark. - -The whole party had reached the coast on their last legs. In the case -of Grunt especially, nothing short of the certainty of being able to -walk on board a boat could have moved him that night. He had still not -recovered from the effects of the blow on the head. As for Cochrane -and Nobby, it must have been pure strength of will which enabled them -to carry on, after the trying day in the damp heat. Cochrane, indeed, -had undertaken what proved beyond his powers; upon him more than any -had fallen the brunt of the work of guiding the little column night -after night and day after day. It was not to be wondered at that on -this occasion he had not proceeded a mile before his legs simply gave -way beneath him, and he had to allow Nobby to proceed alone. - -Soon afterwards the ravine took an almost northerly direction. When -it eventually petered out it was at some distance to the north of the -probable position of the motor-boat. Nobby now found himself crossing -the coast road; this we had assumed would be guarded. On the way out -he saw no one; but on his return journey next morning he proved our -assumption correct by almost stepping on the face of a man who lay -sleeping on the road. He was presumably on duty. The propensity of -the Turkish sentry for going to sleep at his post once more stood us -in good stead. During the night it had been too dark to see much, and -Nobby had had to return without having discovered a boat. After hunting -round, he had settled down on the edge of a small creek running into -the sea, where he remained till the first streak of dawn enabled him to -pick his way back to the mouth of the ravine. His main difficulty that -night had been to keep himself awake. All the time he was in deadly -terror of falling asleep and awaking to find himself stranded on the -coast in broad daylight. - -[Illustration: -_Sketched to Authors' description by Hal Kay._ -LIFE IN THE RAVINE.] - -He tried to occupy himself with fishing. He had taken with him the -line and hooks which were an item of the party's equipment on leaving -Yozgad; but no bites came to keep up his flagging interest. Before -long he had a midnight bathe, to the great envy of the rest of the -party when they heard of it next morning; but the water, he said, had -been almost too warm to be really refreshing; the rocks, too, were -unpleasantly sharp to stand on. He next picked at an exposed nerve -in one of his teeth, and the acute pain thereby inflicted served to -keep him awake for the rest of the night. At long length the sky began -to lighten, and Nobby, after his narrow escape while re-crossing the -road, once more entered the ravine and picked up Cochrane. The two then -rejoined their anxious comrades. - -It was now 5 A.M. Dawn was slow to reach our hemmed-in -hiding-place; but when it was light enough to see, we discovered that -the sides of the ravine were covered with trees bearing what Ellis -fortunately recognised as "carobs" or locust beans. We were soon -doing what we could to stifle the gnawing pains of hunger by eating -quantities of this wild fruit. Some people believe that this is what is -meant by the "locusts" eaten by John the Baptist. To our taste they -seemed wonderfully sweet and had something of the flavour of chocolate, -so that throughout our stay on the coast they formed an unfailing -dessert after, and often before our meals. When we eventually reached -Cyprus we found that there the tree is cultivated, and that thousands -of tons of carobs are exported yearly for use in cattle foods. However -humble their use, in our case at any rate they were not to be despised, -and as a matter of fact the cultivated beans are used to some extent in -the manufacture of certain chocolates. - -The night reconnaissance having failed to solve the question of the -motor-boat's anchorage, at 7 A.M. on this last day of August, -Johnny and Looney set out on a search for the elusive bay by daylight. -Climbing up the southern side of the ravine, they had to keep out of -sight of the men who were known to be below them, so they at first -remained at some distance from the coast, moving parallel to it for -over a mile. They then turned towards the sea until they reached a -terrace below which the ground fell away rather steeply to the shore. -From this point of observation it was possible to see the greater part -of the series of capes and bays into which the coast was divided. Still -no sign of the tug gladdened their eyes. A closer approach by day would -involve considerable risk. A couple of motor-lorries and a mounted -patrol had already been observed moving along the road. The two scouts -sat down awhile on some boulders behind a large bush, and while Johnny -peered between the branches through the field-glasses, Looney drew a -rough panorama so as to be able if necessary to indicate to the rest of -the party any particular bay. - -It was about 10 A.M.: the two were about to seek some point -of vantage from which it would be possible to see more of some of the -bays, when suddenly they heard the hum of a motor. Next moment the -tug shot into view from the hidden portion of one of the bays to the -N.E. Once more she towed a cutter full of men and stores, and through -the glasses it was possible to recognise the Turkish flag flying at -her stern. The two remained where they were, watching her until she -disappeared round a bend far up the coast towards Mersina. - -Possibly she made daily trips, carrying working parties and material to -some scene of activity, so the two decided to try to overlook the head -of the bay in which she had appeared, in order to discover something -definite about the anchorage. To reduce the risk of detection, they -first withdrew out of sight of the road and worked their way more to -the north before cutting down again towards the shore. On the way -out from the ravine they had passed near some ruins, and these they -now took in their course to see if there might be a well there with -water in it. It was unfortunate that there was not, for in this dead -city there was one enormous and very deep amphitheatre, into which it -was possible to descend by a path cut in the rocky side. Here shade -from the sun would have been obtainable at all hours of the day, and -altogether it would have been a better hiding-place than the ravine, if -only it had contained a water supply. But though they found the remains -of one well, it was absolutely dry. - -The two now made their way cautiously towards the place whence the -boats had been seen to emerge. The slope of the ground, however, became -more and more pronounced as they approached the coast, so that they -were able to see little more of the bay than had been visible from -their earlier observation point; although by this time they were within -sight of the tents seen on the previous day. These stood a little way -out on a small cape. Dodging from cover to cover amongst the patches -of scrub, sometimes on hands and knees, they finally found themselves -close to the coast road itself. - -Leaving Looney screened from view, Johnny now went on alone. He was not -twenty yards from the road when a Turkish soldier passed along it. A -moment later four or five others were seen skirting the seaward edge -of a rocky headland to the south, apparently engaged in looking for -mussels. It was now obvious that opposite the head of the bay which -they sought, the coast rose so sheer, that to obtain a view of the -whole would entail going forward across the road to the edge of the -cliff beyond. With so many people moving about, this, by daylight, was -out of the question, and after seven hours' reconnaissance in the hot -sun the two had to be satisfied with bringing back the information that -they knew which bay the boats had entered the day before, but that they -were there no longer. - -Meanwhile another party of two--to wit, the Old Man and Perce--had gone -forth from the ravine in a last search for food. Without a further -supply of this we should be compelled to give ourselves up unless we -at once discovered a boat. Of inhabited villages there appeared to be -none, even should we have dared to attempt another entry after the -experiences of "the three Huns." The Circassian encampments, too, had -ceased. - -It is a fairly well-known fact that in the East if villagers are driven -away from their homes for any cause, such as a punitive expedition, -they usually take steps to bury any valuables which they are unable -to carry away, the most common of which is grain. We had bethought -ourselves of the deserted village some miles back, near to which we -had halted just before our first glimpse of the sea. It occurred to us -that the occupants might have been compelled by the Turkish authorities -to quit on the outbreak of war, as being within too short a distance -of the coast. In this case, then, there might be food there, buried -or otherwise concealed. In this, providentially, we were to find -ourselves not mistaken, although the search party set off with little -hopes of success. - -It required a five-mile climb up the series of ridges to reach the -village, and the track was very rough to the feet. On the previous day -even the descent had been trying enough in the oppressive heat which -seemed to prevail on the coast; so the ascent was doubly so. Moreover, -the village itself did not come into view until one was within a mile -of it, and as there were remains of other tracks branching off at -frequent intervals, it was not easy for the Old Man and Perce to keep -to the right one. Great was their relief when, after a good deal of -wandering, they found themselves safely within the farm enclosure; for -really the "village" comprised only one house with its outbuildings, -all within a square walled enclosure. - -There seemed to be no one about, so they set to work to force the -rough country locks with which all the doors were fastened. They -had brought the little adze with them, and for this work it was -invaluable, although its steel edge was not thereby improved. One of -the upstair living-rooms was first invaded. On entering they found -the floor bare, but cupboards and lockers in the wall stuffed full of -a wonderful variety of things--rolls of cloth (obviously made on the -spot, for there were remains of the looms), coarse cotton-wool, a few -handkerchiefs, cobbler's materials and tools, an old coffee-grinder in -pieces, some hoop-iron, an enamelled mug, a dozen wooden spoons, and a -miscellaneous collection of odds and ends such as seem to collect in -all houses, English and Turkish alike. The only items of present value -were the handkerchiefs, a little prepared leather, the mug, and some of -the spoons. These they removed, and by dint of looking into many small -cloth bags found something of greater value--namely, a couple of pounds -of dry powdery cheese, and as much salt as we were likely to want if we -stayed on the coast for a month. - -These alone, however, were not going to keep eight hungry mortals -alive, so the joy of the two searchers was proportionately great when, -on breaking into an outhouse and stumbling over a litter of wooden -staves, they discovered in the next room something over 300 pounds of -wheat lying in a heap on the floor. The grain was uncrushed and dirty, -but that disadvantage could be overcome with a little trouble. Further -search revealed nothing more in the way of food, but it was noted that -in other rooms there were several cooking-pots which might be worth -taking down on a future visit. For the present the two loaded up their -packs with some grain, and hurriedly bundling back the things which -they had turned out from the cupboards, set their faces once more -towards the sea. - -At 5.45 that evening two weary figures staggered into view, being met -by Cochrane, Nobby, and Johnny, who had gone up to the well near the -tower to draw water. They had reason to be happy, for this find of food -postponed indefinitely our capitulation to hunger. - -All five remained at the well till after dark in order to grind enough -grain for an evening meal, using a heavy stone to beat a little of it -at a time inside a hollowed-out slab, intended for use in watering -sheep. Nobby and Johnny, who stayed a few minutes after the other -three, were accosted on their way back to the ravine by a couple of -men riding away from the coast on donkeys. They asked our two whether -they belonged to the camp below, and seemed quite satisfied when they -said they did. This confirmed suspicions which some of us had had the -previous day, that certain of the tents we had seen contained Germans; -for the two men could certainly not have taken any of us for Turks. - -Crushing grain by pounding it with a primitive stone pestle and mortar -is at best a fatiguing process, nor are the results favourable to easy -digestion. Not only did some of the grains escape being crushed, but -chips of stone from the sides of the mortar became mixed with the food, -which was none too clean in itself. Cochrane said he would make the -most worn-out old coffee-grinder do better work with the expenditure -of half the energy, so we decided to have another expedition to the -village next day to fetch the one which had been noticed there. -We could hardly hope to make a series of visits without eventual -discovery; it was best therefore to fetch down at the same time as much -more of the wheat as we were likely to want. - -Accordingly at 7 A.M. on the 1st September, four of the party -started off carrying empty packs. These were Nobby, Johnny, and Ellis, -and the Old Man, who went for the second time to show the others the -way. On arrival they found distinct signs that the two men who had been -met the previous evening had gone to the farmhouse and to the well just -below it. Whether they had noticed anything wrong, there was nothing to -show. In any case, the four lost no time in loading up and returning to -a safer spot, reaching the ravine at about 3.30 P.M. - -The other half of the party had gone in turns to the well, to fetch -water and do some more crude grinding for the day's food. It took -an hour and a half to do a single trip for water alone. Each time -nearly an hour was spent in drawing up water mugful by mugful till all -available receptacles were full. So we were thankful when later on that -day, Cochrane, scouting around, discovered another well. This was not -only a little nearer to our lair, but also had one place deep enough -to permit the use of a canvas bucket. This meant a great saving of -time. The water, too, held in solution rather less mud, and none of the -bits of mouldy wood which formed a fair proportion of the hauls from -the well by the tower. Near the new well there were more ruins, in this -case only a few low walls, and, standing apart, a semicircular arch of -some twelve feet in diameter--just the bare ring of stones remained and -nothing else. - -From now onwards, for the rest of our stay on the coast, we settled -down to a new kind of existence--in fact we may be said to have -_existed_, and nothing more. Life became a dreary grind, both literally -and metaphorically. For the next few days, at any rate, we thought of -nothing else but how to prepare and eat as much food as we could. This -was not greed: it was the only thing to do. None of us wanted to lie a -day longer than absolutely necessary in that awful ravine, but we were -at present simply too weak to help ourselves. To carry out a search for -another boat was beyond the powers of any one. - -Cochrane rigged up the coffee-grinder on the same afternoon as it had -arrived--lashing the little brass cylinder to the branch of a tree at -a convenient height for a man to turn the handle. A rusty saw, cutting -like all Oriental saws on the pull-stroke, had been discovered in the -village and brought down by the last party, and this proved useful now -and on subsequent occasions. - -Whilst one of the party worked at the mill, and another supervised -the cooking of the next dixieful of porridge, the rest were busy -picking over the grain in the hopes of removing at any rate some small -proportion of the empty husks and the bits of earth with which it was -mixed. Even so it was impossible to clean the dirt off the grains -themselves. - -Nothing, we thought, could be more wearisome than this never-ending -task. Our misery was aggravated by the swarms of flies which -incessantly harassed us as we worked. What right they had to be alive -at all on such a deserted coast was never discovered. He whose turn -it was to cook found in the smoke from the fire a temporary respite -from their attentions; but they took care to make up for lost time -afterwards. When the water was nearly boiled away, bits of porridge -were wont to leap out of the pot and light on the cook's hands. The -ensuing blister did not last long, for within twenty-four hours the -flies had eaten it all away. We had no bandages left, and pieces of -paper which we used to wet and stick on the blisters fell off as soon -as they were dry. It was not many days before Old Man's and Johnny's -hands became covered with septic sores. Unfortunately, too, most of us -were out of 'baccy, as a means of keeping these pests away. Some took -to smoking cigarettes made from the dried leaves which littered the -stony bed of our unhappy home. Even the non-smoker of the party had to -give way to the pernicious habit once, out of pure self-defence. - -Nor at night was it easy to obtain peace. The flies had no sooner gone -to their well-earned rest than the mosquitoes took up the call with -their high-pitched trumpet notes. But of course it was not the noise -which mattered, but their bites; and in the end most of us used to -sleep with a handkerchief or piece of cloth over our faces, and a pair -of socks over our hands. - -Ravine life was most relaxing--partly owing to the stuffiness of the -air in so deep and narrow a cleft, overgrown as it was with trees and -scrub; but perhaps still more to reaction, after more than three weeks -of strenuous marching. So long as we had had the encouragement of being -able to push on each day, and feel that we were getting nearer home, we -had no time to think of bodily exhaustion: the excitement, mild though -it was, kept us going. Now, unable to do anything towards making good -our escape, it required a big effort to drag oneself to one's feet -for the purpose of fetching a mugful of porridge. It required a still -bigger one to go up in pairs to fetch water from the well, although it -was essential for every one to do this at least once a day, merely to -keep the pot a-boiling. This, too, was the only way of obtaining a deep -drink; except for half a mug of tea made from several-times stewed -leaves, all the water brought down to the nullah each day was utilised -for cooking the wheat. Fortunately, to take us to the well there was -the further inducement of a wash for both bodies and clothes. The -latter by this time were in a very dirty and also worn-out condition; -but thanks doubtless to our having spent no appreciable time inside -villages actually occupied by Turks, they were not verminous. - -On account of the washing, visits to the well were apt at times to -develop into lengthy affairs--anything up to five or six hours, which -did not help towards getting through the daily tasks necessary to keep -ourselves fed. Not only did this involve having reliefs at the mill -for eight out of every twenty-four hours, but much work was necessary -to keep up the supply of cleaned wheat to feed the machine. Necessity, -however, is the mother of invention, and from the 5th September, acting -on a suggestion made by Looney, we used to take the next day's wheat up -to the well and wash it there in a couple of changes of water. There -was a convenient stone trough on the spot. The chaff floated to the -surface, while the earth, whether in loose particles or clinging to the -grains themselves, was dissolved. After washing, the wheat was spread -out in the sun on squares of cloth brought down from the village, and -when dry was fetched back to the ravine by the next water-party. - -Like most schemes, this one had its weak points. It was very -extravagant in water, and in a few days our well began to show distinct -signs of being drained to emptiness; in fact, only a puddle could have -existed to begin with, though a larger one than that in the well near -the tower. - -The second disadvantage was that the grain, while left out to dry, -might be discovered and give away our presence; but, in any case, one -pair or another of the party was so often up at the well that the risk -was not greatly increased; besides, there was not much to induce a Turk -from the camp below to visit the ruins. - -In the end we were seen, the first occasion being on the 6th September. -That evening, Cochrane, Old Man, and Looney were up at the well, -when an old fellow with a dyed beard--a Turk, as far as they could -say--suddenly appeared, and eyed their water-bottles very thirstily. He -accepted with readiness the drink they offered to him, but appeared to -be nothing of a conversationalist. He was indeed almost suspiciously -indifferent who the three might be. There was a mystery about that man -which we never entirely solved. From then onwards, almost to the end of -our stay on the coast, not a day passed without his seeing one or other -of the party. To explain _our_ presence at the well, the water-parties -pretended they were German observation posts sent up to watch the sea, -over which, as a matter of fact, one could obtain a very fine view -from that place. We usually carried up the field-glasses to have a -look round, and these perhaps helped out our story. To live up further -to our Hun disguise, we once told the man that really the place was -"yessak." This is the Turkish equivalent to "verboten," and, to judge -from our experiences in the camps, is about as frequently used. - -On another occasion it was sunset when some of us saw him. After -his usual drink he washed his hands and face and said his prayers -Mohammedan-wise. After his prayers he said he had seen two boats go -past coming from the east and disappearing to the west. Little remarks -like this made us think at one time that he might possibly be a -British agent, landed to get information, or possibly for the express -purpose of helping escaped officers like ourselves: for there had been -plenty of time for the news of our escape from Yozgad to reach the -Intelligence Department in Cyprus. - -One day Grunt and Nobby deliberately went up to try to get into -conversation with the mysterious individual. In the end they came to -the conclusion that he must be some kind of outlaw. He told them that -a friend and he had come from a place far inland to sell something or -other to a coastal village, and he himself was now awaiting the other's -return. They were going to take back with them a load of carobs, of -which he already had been making collections under various trees. The -beans seemed to be his only food, and he was obviously half-starving. -This, combined with the fact that he relied on us to draw up water -for him when there must be good water near the Turkish tents below, -showed that he was in hiding for some cause or other. This was as -well for us, as, if he had thought at all, he could not for a moment -have been deceived by our story. Even if we were on watch, we should -hardly trouble to bring up not only our own, but a lot of other men's -water-bottles to fill with muddy water at a disused well. Whatever the -explanation, the great thing was that he did not interfere with us. Two -evenings before our final departure from the ravine, he told us that -his donkeys would be coming back next morning, and that was the last -time that he was seen. - -A few extracts from diaries may serve to convey some idea of our -feelings during these earlier days in the ravine:-- - -"_2nd Sept._--Struggled up to well at 8 A.M. Had wash in -mugful of water: temporarily refreshing, but exhausted for rest of day, -and feeling weaker than ever before in spite of five brews of boulgar" -(each brew was at this time about the half of a pint mug all round) -"and one small chupattie each, made by Nobby. Flour for last made with -much hard grinding after mill had been readjusted. Readjustment alone -took two hours to do.... Flies awful all day...." - -"_3rd Sept._--Locust beans quite good toasted over ashes, and make -sweet syrup if first cut up and then boiled, but this entails a -lot of work. Every one cleaning and grinding wheat all day. As now -set, grinder produces mixture of coarse flour and boulgar. Tried -unsuccessfully to simmer this into a paste and then bake into thick -chupatties." (All our efforts at this stage were directed towards -producing something digestible with the minimum of work.) "Day passed -very slowly, with occasional trips for water." - -"_4th Sept._--Most of us rather doubtful whether we shall be able to -get back our strength on a boulgar diet, and flour takes more grinding -than we have strength for at present--rather a vicious circle." Another -diary for the same date says--"Feeling weaker now than I did when we -first arrived; no energy for anything." - -Next day the tide seems to have been on the turn. - -"_5th Sept._--Most of us slightly stronger, but held back by chronic -lethargy. Continuous brewing all day. To save interruptions at the -grinder we now feed in two parties of four, taking alternate brews: -this means we get nearly a big mugful at a whack, at intervals of about -three hours.... Most of us fill in gaps eating burnt beans. Charcoal -said to be good for digestion!... One thing is, our feet are rested -here, and blisters healed. We are also undoubtedly putting on flesh -again, and if we can get rid of this hopeless slackness shall be all -right.... Grunt, working from 1 P.M. onwards, made 1 large and -4 small chupatties each, so we are coming on." It was something to feel -full again sometimes. - -"_6th Sept._--My energy as well as my strength returning a bit now.... -Mill hard at it all day.... 4-1/2 mugfuls boulgar (1 pint each) and 6 -chupatties (4-1/2 inches diameter and fairly thick) the day's ration." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -FAILURE AND SUCCESS. - - -Our experiments at chupattie-making had led us in the end to grind the -wheat in two stages--first into coarse meal, and then, with a finer -setting of the mill, into flour. This meant less strain both for us and -for the machine: upon the safety of the latter practically depended -our survival, and frequent were the exhortations to the miller on duty -not to be too violent with the wretched little handle. Standing there -in the sun--for though there were trees in the ravine, they were not -high enough to shelter a man standing up--one was greatly tempted to -hurry through the task of twenty hoppers full of grain, and so risk -breaking the grinder. A quotation which Looney had learnt from a book -read at Yozgad proved very apposite on these occasions. It was from a -label pasted on to a French toy, and ran as follows: "Quoi qu'elle soit -solidement montee, il ne faut pas brutaliser la machine!" - -When enough flour was ready, some one would knead it into a lump -of dough, which would then be divided up by the cook and flattened -into little discs. These were baked several at a time on the metal -cover of our dixie. When enough chupatties were ready, the cook would -pick them up one by one, while some one else, not in sight of them, -called out the names of the party at random. This was to get over the -difficulty caused by the chupatties not being all of quite the same -size. Similarly, after each brew of porridge had been distributed into -the mugs by spoonfuls, we determined who was to have the scrapings of -the pot by the method of "fingers-out." It was necessary to scrape the -dixie each time to prevent the muddy paste which stuck to the bottom -becoming burnt during the next brew; and the way to get this done -thoroughly was to let some one have it to eat. - -On the 4th September, Nobby discovered a shorter way up to the well, -by first going a little down instead of up the ravine we were in. From -that date onwards, except for one night when it was necessary to be -on the spot in case of eventualities, Looney and Perce, and on one -occasion Johnny, went up at dusk to sleep near the well. Although the -mosquitoes were almost as troublesome there, they found that the air -was quite invigorating--a great contrast to that in the ravine, where -no refreshing breeze ever found its way. - -By this time hardly one of us had any footgear left worthy of the -name, so we soaked an old _mashak_ (skin water-bag) and a piece of -raw hide, both of which had been brought down from the village on -the second visit, with a view to using them for patch repairs. Both, -however, proved too rotten to be of use, for they would not hold the -stitches. - -We had been a week in the ravine before any of us felt capable of -farther exploration. To save time in getting to work again, on the -last two evenings Cochrane and Nobby had had a little extra ration -of porridge. Now at length, on the 6th September, they felt that it -was within their powers to make another reconnaissance. Nothing more -had been seen of the motor-boat, but the bay in which had been its -anchorage on our first night on the coast seemed to offer the best -prospect of finding a boat of some sort. Accordingly at 5 P.M. -the pair set off once again down the ravine, hoping to arrive near the -end of it before dark. And so began another anxious time for all, as we -wondered what the final night of our first month of freedom would bring -forth. It had not been easy to keep a correct tally of the date during -the march to the coast. More than once there had been no opportunity of -writing a diary for three days at a time; whilst on the coast one day -was so much like another that to lose count of a day would have been -easy. One of us, however, had kept a complete diary, and so we knew -that we had now been at large for a month. - -To celebrate this we had decided, if all went well that night, to -have something very good to eat on the morrow. Every one voted for -a plum-duff. Johnny had cooked a date-duff one evening during the -siege of Kut, when his Indian _khansama_ (cook) found the shell-fire -too trying for his nerves. To Johnny then was given the post of -_chef_. During the day each of the party did an extra fatigue on the -coffee-grinder, with the result that by dusk we were able to set aside -about two pounds of flour for the pudding. Its other ingredients were a -couple of small handfuls of raisins and a pinch of salt. When Cochrane -and Nobby departed operations commenced. The ingredients were mixed; -the dough was kneaded on a flat rock and the resulting mass divided -into two, for our little dixie was incapable of holding all at once. -Each pudding was then rolled into a ball, tied up in a handkerchief, -and boiled for two and a half hours. Thus it was close upon midnight -before our dainties were ready for the morrow. The stillness of the -nights in the ravine had often been broken by the melancholy chorus of -a pack of jackals, usually far away but sometimes close at hand. We -decided to take no risks of loosing our duffs, and so slung them in the -branches of a tree. - -Meanwhile Cochrane and Nobby proceeded on their reconnaissance. We had -made plans before they started in case of certain eventualities. One -was that if the two were recaptured they should lead the Turks to the -rest of the party; it was realised that otherwise they might be very -hard put to it to prove that they were escaped prisoners of war and -not spies. A more cheerful eventuality was the possibility that the -motor-boat might have returned unobserved. In that case if a favourable -opportunity of capturing it occurred, Cochrane and Nobby were to seize -the vessel, make their way to Cyprus, and send back help for the rest -four nights later. The rendezvous from which they would be fetched was -to be on the headland opposite the little island on which stood the -ruined castle. We eventually learnt that at the proposed rendezvous was -stationed a battery of guns, so that it was well for us that this plan -had never to be executed. - -Our two scouts had many exciting moments in their reconnaissance that -night. They went to within a few hundred yards of the mouth of the -ravine, and then, turning to the right, made their way up to higher -ground by a side ravine. They climbed hurriedly, for the light was -rapidly failing. From the top it was still impossible to overlook the -bay which they wanted. They were moving along parallel to the sea when -suddenly they heard voices. They could pick out four figures a little -more than a hundred yards away, silhouetted against the sea on their -left. These were Turks; they seemed to be looking out to sea, and after -a minute or two squatted down on what appeared to be the flat roof of -a house. At this juncture Cochrane swallowed a mosquito. Nobby says -that to see him trying not to choke or cough would have been laughable -at any less anxious time. - -After this episode the two moved off with extra carefulness. It was -now quite dark. They had not gone much farther when they again heard -voices. This time the voices were quite close and coming towards them. -Our pair took cover and waited: happily, at the last moment the owners -of the voices turned off. - -In view of the number of people who seemed to be about it was no good -increasing the risk of detection by having two persons on the move; so, -soon after, Cochrane left Nobby in a good place of concealment, and -went on scouting around by himself. - -Half an hour later he came back. He had been able to overlook the cove, -and there were two boats there. It was too dark, however, to see of -what sort they were, and as there was a shed with a sentry on duty -close to the boats, the only thing to do was to wait for daylight. The -two now slept and took watch in turn. At the first sign of dawn they -moved down to a rock, commanding a good view of the creek. One of the -boats appeared to be a ship's cutter, some twenty-eight feet long, the -other perhaps twenty feet in length. Having seen all they could hope -for, they lost no time in moving off, as it was now quite obvious that -the house on which they had seen the four men on the previous evening -was a look-out post; and it was now becoming dangerously light. - -Instead of returning directly to the ravine, however, they made their -way some distance down the coast to the S.W. They were able to see -Selefke, and to recognise through the glasses a dhow in the river -there, but it was some way inland. It was 11 A.M. before the -reconnoitring party again reached the ravine. The news they brought -gave us something definite to work for, and we decided that if we could -finish our preparations in time we would make an attempt to seize -one of the boats two nights later. That would be on the night of the -8th-9th September. But there was much to be done before then. Masts and -spars, paddles and sails, and four days' supply of food for the sea -journey had to be made ready. For the paddle heads Cochrane and Nobby -had brought back some flat thin pieces of board which they had found -near a broken-down hut; and also a bit of ancient baked pottery which -would serve as a whetstone for our very blunt knives and the adze. - -On the strength of the good news and to fortify ourselves for the work, -we decided to wait no longer for our feast. The duffs were unslung -from the tree, and each divided with as much accuracy as possible -into eight pieces: in this way we should each have a slice from either -pudding in case they varied in quantity or quality. Both were superb, -and the finest duffs ever made. We commented on their amazing sweetness -and excellent consistency. In reality a raisin was only to be found -here and there, and the puddings were not cooked right through. When we -had finished, Old Man asserted that he could then and there and with -ease demolish six whole duffs by himself. This started an argument. - -"What!" cried one; "eat forty-eight pieces like the two you have just -had. Impossible!" - -"Granted; twenty pieces would go down easily enough," said another, -"and the next ten with a fair appetite. But after that it wouldn't -be so easy. You might manage another ten, but the last eight would -certainly defeat you." - -Old Man, however, stuck to his assertion and refused to come down by so -much as a single slice. As it was impossible without the duffs under -discussion to prove him right or merely greedy, the subject was allowed -to drop. - -By this date Perce was the only one of the party who still had some -tobacco, English 'baccy too, for he smoked very little. To celebrate -the discovery of the boats, he now broke into his reserve. A single -cigarette was rolled and handed round from one to another of us. It -only needed a couple of inhaled puffs to make each of us feel as if we -were going off under an anaesthetic. After the two or three puffs one -thought it would be nice to sit down, and in a few seconds one felt it -would be pleasanter still to lie down full length. That is what we did. -The effect only lasted a minute or two, but it showed in what a weak -condition we were. - -On the evening trip to the nearer well it was found quite impossible -to draw up any more water from it. It had been gradually drying up, -and now the two on water fatigue could not scoop up even a spoonful of -water when they let down a mug, so they had to go on to the well near -the tower. This, too, was going dry, but still contained a little pool -of very muddy water. - -Shortly after four o'clock that afternoon Looney and Perce had started -off on the third visit which was paid to the deserted village. They -were armed with a long list of requisites: more cloth for sails; a big -dixie for cooking large quantities of the reserve porridge at a time; -some more grain; nails and any wood likely to be of use; cotton-wool -for padding our feet when we went down to the shore; and many other -things. They returned next morning at 9 A.M. with all the -important articles, together with some hoop-iron and a few small poles. -The latter were the very thing for the paddle-shafts. They also -brought down some raw coffee-beans which they had found in a little -leather bag; these we roasted and ground next day, and enjoyed the two -finest drinks of coffee we remember having had in our lives. - -Meanwhile we had started cooking our food for the sea voyage. It was to -consist of small chupatties and porridge, but the latter would not be -cooked until the latest possible date for fear of its going bad. Forty -reserve chupatties had been set aside before we retired to rest on -the night after the feast-day. From that day onwards till we left the -ravine the coffee-grinder was worked unceasingly from 5 A.M. -till 7 or 8 P.M. There was no question of a six hours' day -for us; for while we ground flour and porridge for the reserve, we had -still to provide our own meals for the day. We realised then, if never -before, the truth of the saying, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou -eat bread." - -Little of the 8th September had passed before we realised that it was -hopeless to think of being ready by the following night. We therefore -postponed the attempt, and settled down to our preparations in more -deadly earnest. Cochrane decided on the size and shape of the sails, -which were to be three in number. The rolls of cloth obtained from the -village were about fourteen inches in width, and the biggest of the -three sails was made with seven strips of the cloth. It was a good -thing that we had still two big reels nearly untouched of the thread -with which we had started from Yozgad. - -When the strips had been sewn together, the edges of the sail were -hemmed. Later, pieces of canvas from Ellis's pack, which was cut up -for the purpose, were added at the corners for the sake of additional -strength. No one had a moment to spare. Those who were not sail-making -were doing something else,--either at the mill, at work on the paddles, -cutting branches off trees for the spars, fetching water, or cooking. - -September 9th was similarly spent, but again on this day it soon -became obvious that we should not be ready by nightfall. By the time -we retired to our sleeping-places, however, our preparations were well -advanced. Two of the sails were finished, the spars were cut, some of -the paddles were completed, and the larger part of the chupatties and -porridge cooked. The porridge was put into one of our packs. It was not -a very clean receptacle, but being fairly waterproof would, we hoped, -help to keep the porridge moist; for our chief fear with regard to the -coming sea voyage was shortage of water. - -On the 10th we worked continuously from daylight till 3.30 -P.M., by which time our preparations were complete. Before -moving off we hid away all non-essentials, so as to reduce our loads. -With the big cooking-pot half-full of water, and the spars, sails, -and paddles, these were going to be both heavy and cumbersome. We -also buried our fezes and the copies of the map, lest, if we were -recaptured, they should encourage the Turks to think that we were -spies. For the same reason, any allusions to what we had seen on the -coast, and to our visits to the deserted village, were carefully erased -from diaries. These precautions completed, we carried our unwieldy -loads down the ravine to a point opposite the shorter path to the -wells. Here we left our impedimenta, and taking only water-bottles, -chargals, and the big cooking-pot, which had a cover and swing-handle, -climbed up to the well near the tower and filled up. The water supply -was almost exhausted, and it took an hour and a half to fill our -receptacles and have a drink. It was impossible to practise the camel's -plan, and drink more than we really needed at the time. It required a -tremendous effort to force oneself to drink a mugful of these muddy -dregs. - -While the rest were filling the water-bottles, &c., Old Man and Nobby -went off to a suitable point for a final look at part of our proposed -route to the shore. Then all returned to the kits in the ravine. We -had decided that we would move down to the beach in stockinged feet, -so as to make as little noise as possible. For most of us this was -not only a precaution, but a necessity, since our party of eight now -only possessed three pairs of wearable boots between us. We accordingly -padded our feet as best we could, and proceeded once more towards the -sea. - -The going was so difficult that we had several times to help one -another over the enormous boulders which filled the bottom of the -ravine, and down precipitous places where there had once been small -waterfalls. - -At 7 P.M. we were not far from the mouth of the ravine. Here, -then, the party halted, while Nobby, who had been there on two previous -occasions, scouted ahead. When he returned, reporting that all seemed -to be clear, we crept on out of the ravine. It was now night. Walking -very carefully, testing each footstep for fear of treading on a twig or -loose stone and so making a noise, we came to a wall. This we crossed -at a low place where it had been partially broken down, and a hundred -yards beyond found ourselves approaching a line of telegraph poles and -then the coast road. Up and down this we peered in the light of the -young moon, and seeing no one went across. The ground here was level, -but covered with big bushes and a few stunted firs, between which we -made our way to the shore. It was grand to hear the lapping of the -waves and smell the seaweed after nearly four years. - -The creek, in which were the two rowing-boats, lay a mile to the west -of us. We had intended to strike the shore where we were, for by -walking to the creek along the edge of the sea the risk of stumbling -against any tents or huts in the dark would be reduced; but it took -us longer to reach our objective than we had expected. It was almost -midnight when, a quarter of a mile from the creek, and near a place -where a boat could be brought conveniently alongside, the party halted. -Leaving the others here, Cochrane and Johnny were to try to seize one -of the two boats marked down four nights previously, and Nobby was to -accompany them in case they needed help. - -The shore line, which they now followed, rose rapidly to a steep -cliff forty feet or more above the level of the sea. When within a -hundred yards of the boat which they wanted, they found a way down to -a narrow ledge two feet above the water. The moon had long set, but -they could see the boat as a dark shadow against the water reflecting -the starlight. Here, then, Cochrane and Johnny proceeded to strip. They -continued, however, to wear a couple of pairs of socks in case the -bottom should be covered with sharp spikes, as had been the rocky edge -of the shore for the most part. They tied two pieces of thin rope round -their waists with a clasp-knife attached to each. Thus equipped, they -let themselves down off the ledge, and slipped quietly into the sea. -Fortunately the water was warm; but it was phosphorescent too, so they -had to swim very slowly to avoid making any unnecessary ripple. - -As they neared the boat, which now loomed big above them, some one in -the shadow of the cliff a few yards away coughed. Next moment they -heard the butt of a rifle hitting a rock as the sentry (for such he -must have been) shifted his position. Hardly daring to breathe, they -swam to the side of the boat farther from him and held on to it. Here -the water was about six feet deep. After waiting a few minutes to let -any suspicions on the part of the sentry subside, they moved along to -the bow of the boat. - -They had hoped to find it anchored by a rope, but to their great -disappointment it was moored with a heavy iron chain. Speaking in very -low whispers, they decided that one should go under the water and lift -the anchor, while the other, with his piece of rope, tied one of the -flukes to a link high up in the chain. When the anchor was thus raised -clear of the bottom, they would swim quietly away, towing the boat. -Accordingly, Cochrane dived and lifted the anchor, while Johnny tied -his rope round a fluke and made it fast to a link as far up the chain -as possible. They then let go. - -With what seemed to them a terrific noise, the chain rattled over -the gunwale till the anchor was once more on the bottom. Were they -discovered? Another cough! They did not dare to move. Could the plash -of the water lapping against the sides of the creek have muffled the -sound of the rattling chain? If only the chain had been fixed! But -perhaps a short length only had been loose. - -Another attempt was made. This time it was Johnny who lifted the -anchor, while Cochrane tied his rope to it. Unfortunately he had the -rope still round his waist, and when the anchor dropped he was carried -down with it. How lucky that he had his clasp-knife! For though he was -free in a few seconds, he came to the surface spluttering out the water -he had swallowed. It was a near thing that he was not drowned. Where, -meantime, was the anchor? Little did they realise that it was lying -once more on the bottom and laughing at their efforts to carry off the -quarry that night. - -Some point of the chain, of course, must be attached to the boat, but -it was risky to continue getting rid of the spare length by the present -method. Besides, there was no more rope with which to tie up the anchor -to the chain. As for getting into the boat and weighing anchor from -there, it would be sheer madness. The sentry would be certain to see -them, naked and wet as they were. - -By this time they were both shivering violently with cold, though, as -has been said, the water was quite warm. As a last attempt they tried -to take the boat out to the end of the chain by swimming away with it -farther from the sentry. Again the chain rattled over the gunwale, and -there was nothing for it but to admit defeat. - -Slowly they swam back to the ledge where Nobby was awaiting them. He -said they had been away for an hour and twenty minutes, so it was -not surprising that they had felt cold. With numbed fingers they put -on their clothes and climbed gloomily up the cliff. By this time the -walking over sharp rocks had cut their socks and padding to pieces, so -that they were marching almost barefoot, a very painful operation. - -On their rejoining the party, the sad tale of failure was told. As the -time was 3 A.M., the only thing to do was to get into the -best cover we could find near the coast and sleep till dawn. About a -hundred yards inland we lay down in some small bushes beneath stunted -pine-trees. There we slept. - -Our thirty-fifth morning found us in a state of great depression. There -seemed no chance left of getting out of the country. Lying in our -hiding-places we reviewed the situation in an almost apathetic mood. - -We were on the eastern side of a W-shaped bay, a mile wide, and opening -southwards. Its eastern arm was the creek, in which was the boat we had -failed to capture. There was a similar western arm, the two creeks -being separated by a narrow spit of land. From quite early in the -morning motor-lorries could be seen and heard winding their way along -the tortuous road. In several places this closely followed the coast -line, and at one or two was carried on causeways across the sea itself. -We lay on a headland on the seaward side of the Turkish encampment, and -were overlooked by the look-out post on the cliff-side. - -At noon a council of war was held. As we were lying dotted about some -distance from one another, for the time being we all crept into an -old shelter made of branches, not many yards from us. There matters -were discussed. Although several schemes were put forward, going back -to the ravine in which we had spent so many wearisome days was not -one of them. To return there would have made us into raving lunatics. -The final decision was to make another attempt that night to seize -the boat; this time there should be four of us in the water. If that -failed, about the most attractive proposal was to go boldly on to the -coast road and by bluff obtain a lift on a motor-lorry, demanding as -Germans to be taken in a westerly direction to the nearest big town, -Selefke: we might get a boat of some sort there. The chief lure of -this scheme was that, should the lorry-driver believe our story, we -should cover a few miles without walking on our flat feet. This was a -fascinating thought indeed, for despite nearly a fortnight on the coast -we had no wish to set out on the tramp again. - -Two or three of us, however, thought we might sum up the energy to -march eastwards along the road in the hope of finding a boat in the bay -of Ayasch. But even if we did this there was still the difficulty about -food and drink. Unless we replenished our supply we should have to -undertake a sea voyage of at least a hundred miles with only two days' -rations and perhaps a water-bottle full of water apiece. The consensus -of opinion was thus come to that if we failed again that night we might -as well give ourselves up the next day. We then went back into our old -and safer hiding-places. - -At about two o'clock in the afternoon we heard the sound of a far-off -motor. This was no lorry. It came from a different direction. In a few -seconds we were all listening intently. - -"It's only another lorry after all!" - -"No, it can't be. It's on the sea side of us!" - -As the minutes passed, the noise became more and more distinct. Then -our hearts leapt within us, as there came into the bay, towing a -lighter and a dinghy, the motor-tug which we had last seen the day -after we had reached the coast. Skirting the shore not three hundred -yards from where we lay, the boats disappeared into the eastern creek. - -Apathy and depression were gone in a second. Excitement and--this we -like to remember--a deep sense of thankfulness for this answer to our -prayers took their place. - -The motor-boat was flying at her bows a Turkish and at her stern a -German flag, but most of her crew of seven or eight looked to us like -Greeks. In the lighter were over twenty Turks. - -Another council of war took place, but of a very different type from -the last. All were hopeful, and we made our plans in high spirits. -Throughout our discussion, however, ran the assumption that some of the -crew would be on board the motor-boat, and we should have to bribe them -to take us across to Cyprus. It never entered our heads for a moment -that any other scheme would be possible. In fact, when about an hour -before sunset the dinghy with a few of the crew and some water-beakers -on board was rowed across to a point opposite us on the western side -of the bay (where there must have been a spring of fresh water), we -determined to hail them on their return journey. - -At one point they came within three hundred yards of us. In answer -to our shouting and whistling, they stopped rowing and looked in our -direction. They must have seen us, but they refused to take any further -notice. Whom did they take us for? And why did they not report our -presence when they went ashore? No one came to search for us; and as -the mountain had not come to Mahomet, Mahomet would have to go to the -mountain. Some one would have to swim out to the boat that night, and -proffer bribes to the crew. - -As the dusk of our thirty-sixth night fell, a ration of chupatties and -a couple of handfuls of raisins were issued. A move was then made to -the nearest point on the shore at which there was a suitable place for -a boat to come alongside. There we waited till the moon set at about -8.30. In the meantime we drank what water remained in the big dixie. -This left us with only our water-bottles full. - -At this time our best Turkish scholar was feeling very sick. The last -scrapings from the pack containing the porridge had fallen to him, and -as all of it had turned sour during the previous night, Grunt's extra -ration was proving a not unmixed blessing. This was a serious matter, -as we relied on him to negotiate with the motor-boat's crew. However, -at 9 P.M., he and Cochrane, the Old Man and Nobby, set forth -on the last great venture. The others moved all the kit close down to -the edge of the rock where a boat could come in. - -An anxious wait ensued. The four had set out at 9 o'clock, but -it was not till 11.30 that Looney, with his last reserve--half a -biscuit--gone, saw a boat coming silently towards him. In a trice the -other three were awakened. Was it friend or foe? She had four men on -board: they were our four. The moment the boat touched at the rock the -kit was thrown in. Cochrane had done magnificent work. He had swum -round the creek, found out that there was no one in the motor-boat, -cut away the dinghy belonging to the lighter, swum back with it, and -fetched the other three. - -Eight hopeful fugitives were soon gently paddling the dinghy towards -the creek, keeping, so far as might be, in the shadow of the cliffs; -for though the moon was down, the stars seemed to make the open -bay unpleasantly light. As noiselessly as possible the dinghy came -alongside the motor-boat and made fast. The creek here was about sixty -yards wide. The tug, moored by a heavy chain and anchor, was in the -middle of it. Some fifteen yards away was the lighter; on this were -several men, one of whom was coughing the whole time we were "cutting -out" the motor-boat. This took us a full hour. - -On trying the weight of the chain and anchor, Cochrane decided to loose -the motor-boat from her anchorage by dropping the chain overboard. He -did not think it would be possible to weigh the anchor. Odd lengths -of cord were collected and joined up in readiness for lowering the -end of the chain silently when the time came. But success was not to -be attained so easily. Boarding the motor-boat, Nobby and Perce had, -foot by foot, got rid of almost all the chain which lay in the bows, -when another score of fathoms were discovered below deck. It would be -quicker, after all, to weigh anchor, and by superhuman efforts this was -at length achieved without attracting the attention of the enemy, our -coats and shirts being used as padding over the gunwale. - -[Illustration: -_From a photograph by Mrs Houstoun taken at Kyrenia, Cyprus._ -THE MOTOR BOAT.] - -As soon as the anchor was weighed, we connected the motor-boat with -the dinghy by a tow-rope found on the former; all got back into the -dinghy, and in this we paddled quietly away. With our home-made paddles -and heavy tow we were unable to make much headway. With six paddles in -the water, we could credit ourselves with a speed of not so much as a -single knot. - -Once clear of the bay, Cochrane again went aboard the motor-boat and -this time had a look at the engine. We had remaining at this time -about an inch of candle, but this served a very useful purpose. By -its glimmer Cochrane was able to discover and light a hurricane-lamp. -He told us the joyous news that there was a fair quantity of paraffin -in the tank. Unfortunately no petrol was to be found, and it seemed -unlikely that we should be able to start the engine from cold on -paraffin alone. So weak indeed were we, that it was all we could do -to turn over the engine at all. While frantic efforts were being made -by Cochrane and Nobby to start her, those in the dinghy continued -paddling. After three hours all were very tired of it, and very -grateful for a slight off-shore breeze which gave us the chance of -setting a sail. Cochrane rigged up our main-sail on the motor-boat; all -then clambered aboard the latter. - -Our speed was now quite good and many times that of our most furious -paddling. Suddenly looking back, we saw the dinghy adrift and -disappearing in the darkness behind us. Whoever had been holding the -rope at the dinghy end had omitted to make fast on coming on board the -motor-boat. The dinghy still contained all our kit; so to recover this, -including as it did what food and water remained to us, Cochrane and -Johnny jumped overboard and swam back to it. The sail on the motor-boat -had been furled, and in a few minutes the dinghy was again in tow. - -After this slight misadventure the engine-room was once more invaded, -and Looney and Cochrane experimented with the magneto. There was a -loose wire and vacant terminal which they were uncertain whether to -connect or not. Eventually, with Nobby turning over the engine, a shock -was obtained with the two disconnected. Two were now put on to the -starting-handle. But the cramped space produced several bruised heads -and nothing else as pair after pair struggled on. - -At length at 4.30 A.M., little more than an hour before dawn, -the engine started up with a roar, in went the clutch, and off went the -motor-boat at a good seven knots. At the time when the engine began -firing, Nobby, who was feeling very much the worse for his exertions in -weighing anchor followed by his efforts to start the motor, was lying -on deck in the stern. Startled by the sudden series of explosions, he -thought for a moment that a machine-gun had opened fire at short range, -till he discovered that he was lying on the exhaust-pipe, the end of -which was led up on deck! - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -FREEDOM. - - -We reckoned that by this time we were some three miles from the creek, -so we could hope that the roar of the engine would be inaudible to -those on shore. On the other hand, sunrise on the 12th September was a -little before 6 A.M., so that dawn should have found us still -within view from the land. A kindly mist, however, came down and hid us -till we were well out to sea. As soon as it was light enough we tried -to declutch in order to transfer our kit from the dinghy to the tug. -But the clutch was in bad order and would not come out. The alternative -was to haul up the dinghy level with the tug, with the motor still -running, and then to transfer all our goods and chattels on to the -deck. It was a difficult task, but it was done. We then turned the -dinghy adrift. This meant the gain of an additional two knots. - -It now seemed as if our troubles really were nearing their end. The -engine was running splendidly, the main tank was full to the brim; -there was enough and to spare of lubricating oil, and in a barrel -lashed to the deck in the stern was found some more paraffin. A beaker -contained sufficient water to give us each a mugful. It was brackish, -but nectar compared to the well-water which we had been drinking for -the last fortnight. We also allowed ourselves some chupatties and a -handful of raisins. - -Our principal fear now was of being chased by one of the seaplanes -which we thought to be stationed at Mersina, not many miles away. We -had seen one on two occasions during our stay in the ravine. Time went -on, however, and nothing appeared. Instead of looking behind us for a -seaplane we began to look ahead, hoping to come across one of our own -patrol boats. It says much for the deserted condition of those waters -that during our fortnight on the coast and our voyage of about 120 -miles to Cyprus not a single boat was seen save those five that we had -seen in the creek. - -Discussing the matter of the discovery of the loss of the motor-boat -and the subsequent action of the crew, we came to the cheerful -conclusion that probably the loss would not be divulged to the -authorities for a considerable period. The rightful crew would know -what to expect as a punishment for their carelessness, and would -either perjure themselves by swearing that the boats had sunk at their -moorings, or thinking discretion even better than perjury, disappear -into the deserted hinterland through which we had marched. Should these -two guesses be wrong, there was yet another course which we thought -possible, though not so probable, for the crew to take. Thinking that -the motor-boat and dinghy had drifted away, they would not mention -their disappearance till a thorough search had been made of all bays -and creeks within a few miles of the locality. - -The cherry of this delightful cocktail of fancy was very palatable; -whatever else happened, the occupants of the lighter, agitated to the -extreme and dinghyless, would have to swim ashore, and this thought -amused us greatly.[11] - -Now for a few words about the motor-boat. She was named the _Hertha_, -and boasted both a Turkish and a German flag. In addition to her -name she had the Turkish symbol for "2" painted large on either side -of her bows. Broad in the beam for her 38 feet of length, she was -decked in, and down below harboured a 50-h.p. motor. In the bows of -the engine-room we found a couple of Mauser rifles dated 1915, with a -few rounds of small-arm ammunition; some of the latter had the nickel -nose filed off to make them "mushroom" on impact. We also discovered a -Very's pistol, with a box of cartridges; trays of spanners and spare -parts for the motor, and two lifebelts taken from English ships whose -names we have forgotten. On deck, immediately abaft the engine-room -hatchway, was the steering-wheel, while farther astern was the barrel -containing the extra paraffin, a can of lubricating oil, and various -empty canisters. - -Till noon the sea was sufficiently rough to be breaking continually -over the bows, and three of the party were feeling the effect of -the roll. To the rest, to be thus rocked in the cradle of the deep, -borne ever nearer to freedom, was a sensation never to be forgotten. -The motor was going splendidly, and we all took turns at the wheel, -steering by the "sun-compass," and, with the exception of Cochrane, -very badly. - -By 1.30 P.M. we could recognise the dim outline of the high -mountain-range of Cyprus: on the strength of this we each ate another -two chupatties and a handful of raisins, finishing our meal with a -quarter of a mugful of water. - -But we were a trifle premature in our lavishness. Our troubles were -not at an end, for half an hour later the engine began to fail, and, -while Cochrane was below looking for the cause of the trouble, she -petered out. The fault was subsequently traced to the over-heating of -one of the main shaft bearings, the oil feed-pipe to which had been -previously broken, and had vibrated from its place. Having satisfied -himself that no serious damage was done, Cochrane decided to wait half -an hour for the bearing to cool. During this time Old Man and Looney -had a mid-sea bathe to refresh themselves, while Perce and Johnny tried -to boil some water for tea. The fire was made on an iron sheet, on -which some bights of chain were shaped into a cooking place for the big -dixie. The roll of the boat, however, though very much less than in the -morning, proved too great to allow the dixie to remain steady on the -chain, so the idea of tea had to be abandoned. We now had leisure to -observe the sea, and we decided that its colour was the most wonderful -we had ever seen--a clear purple-blue. - -When the bearing had cooled, we tried to start the engine again. One -pair followed another on the starting-handle, but all to no purpose. -All four sparking-plugs were examined: the feed-pipe, separator, -and carburetter were taken down. Except for a little water in the -separator, all seemed correct. We refilled the tank with paraffin from -the barrel on deck, but our renewed attempts still met with no success. -Our efforts to turn the crank became more and more feeble, until, by -4.30 P.M., we lay down on deck utterly exhausted. - -Just before sunset we decided we would make a final attempt to start -up. Should that be unsuccessful, we would set the sails; but to our -great relief she fired at the second attempt. Our joy was somewhat -tempered by her refusing to run for more than a few minutes at a time. -It was found that this was caused by the feed-pipe from the tank -repeatedly choking, owing, no doubt, to grit in the oil obtained from -the barrel, which, as we had noticed when pouring it in, was very dirty. - -After dark, Cochrane did all the steering; while down in the -engine-room were Looney as mechanic, and Old Man and Johnny as -starters. Meantime, Perce sat on deck with his feet through the -hatchway against the clutch-lever below him. By jamming this hard down, -and tapping the clutch with a hammer, it was possible to persuade the -cones to separate when required. For over four hours we spent our -time starting and stopping. Our two best runs lasted for thirty and -thirty-five minutes. Usually a run lasted for five or less. We took -it in turns to tap the feed-pipe with a piece of wood, in the hope of -keeping it from clogging; but it was of little use. Each time the -engines stopped, Looney took down the separator and feed-pipe and blew -through them, getting a mouthful of paraffin for his pains. When all -was ready again, the two starters, though almost dead-beat, managed -somehow to turn the crank. - -By 10 P.M. we were becoming desperate. It was only Cochrane's -cheering news that we were within two hours' run of the coast that kept -the engine-room staff going. A run of five minutes meant a mile nearer -home, so we carried on. - -An hour later, Cochrane told us all to sit on the starboard side, for -it was on this side that the feed-pipe left the tank. This was sheer -genius on his part. From that very moment the wilful engine behaved -herself, and ran obediently till we meant her to stop. As we neared -the coast, at a distance, perhaps, of three miles from it, Nobby -fired off a Very's light, in case there were any patrol boats in the -neighbourhood; but no answering light appeared. Next day, in Cyprus, -we asked the police if they had seen the light. They had not seen it, -they said, but had heard it. This proves how wonderfully sound travels -over water, for we would not for one second doubt a policeman's story. -But, as is hardly necessary to point out, a Very's signal, like little -children, should be seen and not heard. - -Having had only our memories of the bearing and distance to Cyprus -from Rendezvous X to guide us, we had worked out in the ravine that -the bearing on which we had to steer would be S. 50 deg. W. On sighting -the island in the afternoon, we had found that this was too much to -the west; so Cochrane had altered the course to make for the western -end of the high range of mountains visible about due south of us. When -about two miles from the shore we turned eastwards, and moved parallel -to the coast, on the look-out for a good anchorage, if possible near -a village. Finally, about a hundred yards from the shore, we dropped -anchor in a wide bay. - -On leaving Yozgad each of the party had possessed a watch, but by this -time only two were in working order, and these were Old Man's and -Johnny's. As the chain rattled over the side, the latter looked at the -time, to find that the hand once more pointed to the witching hour of -midnight. This timepiece served its purpose well, for it was not till -an hour later, when it had ceased to be so essential, that it shared -the fate of most of its comrades and was broken. It was interesting to -find later, on comparing the Old Man's watch with Cyprus time, that -there was only two minutes' difference between them. We had checked -our time occasionally by noticing when one of the "pointers" of the -Great Bear was vertically beneath the Pole Star; the solar time when -this occurred on any night had been worked out before we left Yozgad. -Fairly accurate time-keeping was of importance, for on this depended -the successful use of both the "sun-compass" and the star-charts. - -And so we had reached Cyprus, but we were all in too dazed a condition -to realise for the moment what it meant; in fact, it took many days to -do so. On arrival in the bay, Cochrane, with his keen sense of smell, -had declared that there were cows not far off, and at about 3 o'clock -we heard a cock crow. We said we would eat our hats, or words to that -effect, if we did not have that bird for breakfast. There was not a -single light on shore, and we had no idea whereabouts in Cyprus we -had dropped anchor. As the stars disappeared in the coming light of -dawn, we saw the coast more clearly. Then by degrees what we thought -were ruins on the coast, rocks a couple of hundred yards east of us -took form; later these proved to be the still occupied Greek monastery -of Acropedi. Then a house or two near by stood distinct; then trees; -and finally our eyes beheld not a mile away a large village, boasting -churches, mosques, and fine buildings set in trees, and beyond a -mountain-range rising sheer from the very houses. - -With the first light came a man to the beach opposite us. We shouted to -him in English, French, and Turkish, but he appeared not to understand. -Soon he was joined by two or three others. Then they started arriving -in tens and twenties, men, women, and children. Mounted gendarmes -galloped down. We shouted ourselves hoarse, but to no purpose. We tried -several times to start up the motor, but we could not turn the handle. -Finally Cochrane jumped overboard in a shirt borrowed for the occasion, -as it was longer and less torn than his own. He must have felt still -rather undressed for the ordeal, as when he reached the water he -shouted for his hat, which was thrown to him. Clothed thus he swam -towards the shore. In two feet of water his courage gave way, and his -modesty made him sit down. So situated he harangued the crowd. - -Finally there appeared a gendarme who understood English. He said there -was an English police officer in the village, which was named Lapethos; -so borrowing a pencil and a piece of paper, Cochrane wrote a note to -the Englishman reporting our arrival. He explained to the gendarme that -we wanted to bring the boat ashore, but that we could not start the -engine. When this was understood several men at once stripped and swam -out to the rest of us. Cochrane came back smoking a cigarette, which he -passed round when he got on board. The Cypriotes too brought cigarettes -perched behind their ear like a clerk's pencil, and these we smoked -with great appreciation. The scheme was for us to weigh the anchor, -give the men towing-ropes, and they would then pull the boat inshore. -The men, though small, were well built. As they had started swimming -almost before they could walk, it was no hardship for them to tow our -heavy vessel. Laughing and shouting, they pulled us along until they -thought a rest would be pleasant, then they came on board again. They -shouted now and then in sheer lightness of heart; they were very cheery -fellows. We were not towed straight inshore, but to a small natural -jetty a hundred and fifty yards west of us along the beach. - -Here we stepped on British soil, eight thin and weary ragamuffins. We -know our hearts gave thanks to God, though our minds could not grasp -that we were really free. - - * * * * * - -Our story is nearly at an end, though we have yet to bring our eight -travellers to England. Should our already distressed readers hope -against hope that the two authors will be torpedoed long before -arriving there, we will put an end to any such fond anticipations by -telling them truthfully that we were not. In order, however, to soothe -in a small way their injured feelings, let us divulge the fact that -we, with all but two of the party, spent several days ill in hospital -before we reached home. One nearly died from malignant malaria, -doubtless caused by the bites of the mosquitoes on the Turkish coast. - -Having given the reader this sop we will continue. Surrounded by a -large but kindly crowd, we sat down on the rocks above the natural -jetty on which we had landed, and waited for an answer to Cochrane's -note. In the meanwhile a gift arrived from the monastery: a basket -containing bread, cheese, olives, and pomegranates. No larks' tongues, -nor the sunny halves of peaches, have ever been so welcome, and we had -a wonderful meal, finishing with clean sweet water and cigarettes. - -About half an hour later an officer, in what looked to us then -extraordinarily smart uniform, came down to see why this crowd had -collected, and on hearing our story conducted us to the village. The -road led through orchards whose trees were heavy with pomegranates -and figs; past vineyards and banana palms, tobacco plants and cotton. -Everywhere we could see the signs of a fertile prosperous land, and -it struck us forcibly how different it all was from the barren tracts -through which we had toiled down to the coast of Asia Minor. No more -vivid testimony could be borne to the contrast between British and -Turkish sovereignty. - -The officer with us did not belong to the police, but was on survey -work in the island. We were taken, however, to the barracks of the -Cyprus Mounted Police, and here, seated on chairs on the verandah, we -were given coffee with sugar in it. Everything seemed wonderful. We -could smoke as much as we wanted, and the barracks were scrupulously -clean and tidy. One by one we went into the garden near a whitewashed -well, and were shaved by one of the C.M.P. After a good wash we brushed -our hair for the first time for five weeks. All that time we had had -to be satisfied with a comb. As soon as Lieutenant S---- of the Police -arrived, we were taken upstairs to have breakfast, and right royally -did we feast. The meal ended, we were given the 'Lapethos Echo,' which -contained Haig's and Foch's communiques of the 9th September. These too -were wonderful, and we were greatly amazed by the change which had come -over the main battle front since we saw the last paper at Yozgad before -we left; then the Germans were, so we were told, about to enter Paris. - -After breakfast a hot bath and clean clothes were provided for each -of us, our rags being collected in a corner with a view to their -cremation. A Greek doctor anointed us with disinfectant and bandaged -anything we had in the way of sores or cuts. - -At about 3 P.M. two carriages arrived and our triumphal -progress continued. We first paid a final visit to the motor-boat, -collecting our few trophies in the way of rifles and flags. This done, -we were driven to Kyrenia, a coast town eight or nine miles to the east -of us: the police officer and Greek doctor stopping the carriages at -every roadside inn to regale us with Turkish delight and iced water. -At Kyrenia we were expected by the British residents, who accommodated -us for the night and treated us with the truest British hospitality. - -Our sensations on finding ourselves once more between sheets in a -spring-bed are more easily imagined than described. Late next morning, -after a bathe in the sea and when many snapshots of the party had been -taken, we were driven off in a motor-lorry, by Captain G---- of the -A.S.C., to Famagusta, the port of Cyprus on the eastern coast. It was -an eighty-mile drive, and what with stopping at Nikosia for lunch and -at Larnaka for tea, we did not reach Famagusta and the mess of the -Royal Scots, who had kindly offered us a home, till 9 P.M. - -All the recollections of our four-days' stay in Cyprus are of the -pleasantest description, as were those also of our voyage to Egypt in -two French trawlers. As much cannot be said of the fortnight we spent -in Port Said, where we passed the first night sleeping on the sand -in a transit camp and most of the rest in hospital: nor of our ten -days in a troop-train crossing Italy and France. During this time we -learnt--what perhaps we needed to be taught--that we were after all the -least important people in the world. But to tell of these adventures -in detail would be to fill another book. Suffice it to say that we -were sustained by a few comic episodes. On one occasion, in Italy, -we spent five minutes talking Italian, based on slender memories of -school-day Latin, to men in another troop-train, before we discovered -that they were Frenchmen. On another, in France, we remember opening -a conversation in French with our engine-driver, who proved to be an -American. - -At length, on the 16th October 1918, five of our party reached England -together, preceded by Cochrane, who had managed to arrange for a seat -in a "Rapide" across Europe, and followed by the Old Man and Nobby, who -had had to remain in hospital in Egypt for another fortnight. - -Soon after arrival in England, each of us had the very great honour of -being individually received by His Majesty the King. His kindly welcome -and sympathetic interest in what we had gone through will ever remain a -most happy recollection. - -Finally, we arranged a dinner for all our party, the date fixed being -11th November. This, as it turned out, was Armistice Night, and with -that night of happy memories and a glimpse of the eight companions once -again united, we will draw the tale of our adventures to a close. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[11] The following is an extract from a letter received from -Lieut.-Colonel Keeling since we wrote the above: "At Adana I met the -Turkish Miralai (= Brigadier-General)--Beheddin Bey--who was in command -on the coast. He was fully expecting the party [_i.e._, our party], -and put all the blame on the men in the boat [_i.e._, the lighter] to -which the motor-boat was tied. These men were all Turks, the Germans -being on shore. The loss of the motor-boat was discovered before dawn, -and at dawn a hydroplane was sent out to look for her; but she only -spotted a small boat a few miles out, presumably the boat with which -they had towed the motor-boat to a safe distance before starting the -engine. Beheddin Bey drew me a plan showing exactly how everything had -happened." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -CONCLUSION. - - -There is one note, however, which we feel we must add before laying -down our pens. Many of our readers will have already realised that -there was something more than mere luck about our escape. St Paul, -alluding to his adventures in almost the very same region as that -traversed by us, describes experiences very like our own. Like him, we -were "in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, -... in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the -wilderness, in perils in the sea, ... in weariness and painfulness, in -watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and -nakedness." - -To be at large for thirty-six days before escaping from the country, -to have been so frequently seen, sometimes certainly to have aroused -suspicion, and yet to have evaded recapture, might perhaps be -attributed to Turkish lack of organisation. Our escape from armed -villagers; our discovery of wells in the desert, of grain in an -abandoned farmhouse, and of the water (which just lasted out our stay) -in the ruined wells on the coast; and finally, the timely reappearance -of the motor-tug with all essential supplies for the sea voyage--any -one even of these facts, taken alone, might possibly be called "luck," -or a happy coincidence; taken in conjunction with one another, however, -they compel the admission that the escape of our party was due to a -higher Power. - -It would seem as if it were to emphasise this that on at least three -occasions, when everything seemed to be going wrong, in reality all -was working out for our good. Our meeting with and betrayal by the -two "shepherds" ought, humanly speaking, to have proved fatal to the -success of our venture: we had thrown away valuable food, and were -committed to crossing a desert which previously, without a guide, we -had looked upon as an impassable obstacle. And yet we know now that it -would have been entirely beyond us to have reached the coast by the -route which we had mapped out to Rendezvous X, and that it was only -the deflection from our proposed route caused by this rencontre which -brought the land journey within our powers of endurance. It was the -same when we were forced, against our will, to replenish supplies at a -village; the breakdown of one of the party which compelled us to do so -undoubtedly saved us from making an impossible attempt to reach the -coast with the food which remained at the time. Still more remarkable -was our failure to take the rowing-boat on the night of 10th/11th -September, which resulted in the motor-tug falling into our hands and -being the final means of our escape on the night following. - -We feel then that it was Divine intervention which brought us through. -Throughout the preparations for escape every important step had been -made a matter of prayer; and when the final scheme was settled, friends -in England were asked, by means of a code message, to intercede for its -success. That message, we now know, was received and very fully acted -upon. We had also friends in Turkey who were interceding for us; and on -the trek it was more than once felt that some one at home or in Turkey -was remembering us at the time. To us then the hand of Providence was -manifest in our escape, and we see in it an answer to prayer. Our way, -of course, might have been made smoother, but perhaps in that case we -should not have learnt the same lessons of dependence upon God. As it -was, it was made manifest to us that, even in these materialistic days, -to those who can have faith, "the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it -cannot save." - - - PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. - - -[Illustration: MAP OF ASIA MINOR -ILLUSTRATING -"FOUR FIFTY MILES TO FREEDOM." -_Approximate Route followed shown thus_ ---- -_M^c. Lagan & Cumming, Litho Edin_] - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious punctuation errors were ccorrected. - -Hyphenation was made consistent. - -P. 90: was not to carried -> was not to be carried. - -P. 196: an an old castle -> an old castle. - -P. 254: in case of eventualites -> in case of eventualities. - -P. 263: helped to keep the porridge moist -> help to keep the porridge -moist. - -P. 267: unnecssary ripple -> unnecessary ripple. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR-FIFTY MILES TO FREEDOM*** - - -******* This file should be named 50425.txt or 50425.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/0/4/2/50425 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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