anning of his own vessel. Standing on
the navigation bridge, we look out over the decks below at the
khaki-clad assembly. The ship seems brimming over with life and
animation. There is no corner but has its group of soldiers. They are
everywhere; in the rigging, astride the derricks, over the top of boats
and rafts they are stretched out to the sun. Mess-cooks with their gear
push their way through the crowds; there is constant movement--the men
from aft barging forward, the fore-end troops blocking the gangways as
they saunter aft. Noisy! Snatches of song, hails, and shouts--the
interminable games of 'ouse with '_Clikety-clik_ and _blind-forty_'
resounding in the many local dialects of the varied troops. High in
spirit! We are the leave-ship, and they are bound home for a
long-desired furlough after the deadly monotony of trench-keeping on the
Doiran Front.

"Gad! What a crowd," he says. "I had no idea you carried so many. They
look so big--and so awkward in a ship. Of course, on a battleship we
muster a lot o' men, twelve hundred in the big 'uns, but--somehow--one
never sees them about the decks unless at divisions or that. Perhaps
it's khaki does it; one gets accustomed to blue in a ship."

A 'diversion' has been arranged for the afternoon. Dinner over, all
troops are mustered to a boat drill that includes the lowering of the
boats. Since leaving Salonika there has been no such opportunity as now
offers. Despite foreknowledge of the time of assembly it is a long
proceeding. Our complement is made up of small details--a handful of men
from every battalion on the Front. Officers set to their control are
drawn from as many varied branches of the service. The valued personal
'grip' of non-commissioned officers is not at our disposal. There is no
such order and discipline as would be the case if we were manned by
complete battalions. The routine of military movements seems dull and
lifeless at sea, however efficient it may prove on land. We are long on
the job.

By dint of check and repetition the grouping of the men at their boat
stations is brought to a moderate proficiency. The seamen at the boats
swing out and lower, and we set the boats afloat, each with a full
complement of troops. Embarked, and left to their own resources--with
only one ship's rating to steer--the men make a better show. The
division of the mass into smaller bodies induces a rivalry and spirit
of competition: they swing the oars sturdily and mak