armistice, some sort of
an informal parley actually took place. Both sides suddenly got panic
stricken, thinking the others were treacherous, and fire was opened,
some stretcher bearers being killed. Nothing else was to be expected
when things are done in this casual and unauthorized way. I felt very
much annoyed, but Aubrey Herbert was still on board and I saw him before
breakfast and told him Walker seemed to have taken too much upon himself
parleying with the Turks and that Birdwood must now make this clear to
everyone for future guidance. Although Aubrey Herbert is excessively
unorthodox he quite sees that confabs with enemies must be carried out
according to Cocker.

After breakfast landed at Cape Helles. Inspected the detachment of the
Works Department of the Egyptian Army as it was on its way to the French
Headquarters. Colonel Micklem was in charge. At Sedd-el-Bahr lunched
with Gouraud and his Staff. General Bailloud rode up just as I was about
to enter the porch of the old Fort. He was in two minds whether or not
to embrace me, being in very high feather, his men having this morning
carried the Haricot redoubt overlooking the Kereves Dere. At lunch he
was the greatest possible fun, bubbling over with jokes and witty
sallies. Just as we were finishing, news came through the telephone that
Bailloud's Brigade had been driven in by a big Turkish counter-attack,
with a loss of 400 men and some first class officers. Most of us showed
signs, I will not say of being rattled, but of having stumbled against a
rattlesnake. Gouraud remained unaffectedly in possession of himself as
host of a lunch party. He said, "We will not take the trenches by not
taking the coffee. Let us drink it first, and then we will consider." So
we drank our coffee; lit our smokes, and afterwards Gouraud, through
Girodon, issued his orders in the most calm and matter-of-fact way. He
declares the redoubt will be in our hands again to-morrow.

Our lunch was to furnish us with yet another landmark for bad luck. As
we were leaving, a message came in to say that an enemy submarine had
been sighted off Gaba Tepe. The fresh imprint of a tiger's paw upon the
pathway gives the same sort of feel to the Indian herdsman. Tall stories
from neighbouring villages have been going the round for weeks, only
half-believed, but here is the very mark of the beast; the horror has
suddenly taken shape. He mutters the name of God, wondering what eyes
may even now be wa