he dark that he had rather face the losses the men in
boats must suffer from aimed fire. Executively he is responsible and he
is backed by his naval associates.

Birdwood, on the other hand, is of one mind with me and is going to get
his first boat-loads ashore before it is light enough to aim. He has no
current to trouble him, it is true, but he is not landing on any
surveyed beach and the opposition he will meet with is even more unknown
than in the case of Helles and Sedd-el-Bahr.

When a sportsman goes shark fishing, he should beware lest he be
mistaken for the bait. Gaily I cast my fly over K. and now he has
snapped off my head. That story about a second French Division was
false. K. merely quotes the number of my question and adds, "The rumour
is baseless." Well, "_tant pis_," as Guepratte would say with a shrug of
his shoulders. Our first step won't have the weight behind it we had
permitted ourselves for some hours to hope. _Everywhere_ the first is
the step that counts but _nowhere_ more so than in an Oriental War.

Now that the French Division has been snuffed out, how about the Grand
Duke Nicholas, General Istomine and their Russian Divisions? Are they
also to prove phantoms? Certainly, in some form or another, they ought
to be brought into our scheme and, even if only at a distance, bring
some pressure to bear upon the Turks at the time of our opening move. I
think my best way of getting into touch will be by wireless from de
Robeck to the Russian Admiral in the Black Sea.

Dick dines, also Birdwood.

_15th April, 1915. S.S. "Arcadian." Lemnos._ Boarded H.M.S. _Dublin_
(Captain Kelly) at 9.30 this morning, where Admiral de Robeck met me.
Sailed at once and dropped anchor off Tenedos at noon.

Landed and made a close inspection of the Aerodrome where we were taken
round by two young friends of mine, Commander Samson and Captain Davies,
Naval Air Service. By a queer fluke these are the very two men with whom
I did my very first flight! On that never to be forgotten day Samson
took up Winston and Davies took me. Like mallards we shot over the
Medway and saw the battleships as if they were little children's
playthings far away down below us. Now the children are going to use
their pretty toys and will make a nice noise with them in the world.

After lunch spent the best part of two hours in a small cottage with
Samson and Keyes trying to digest the honey brought back by our busy
aeroplane bees from their