rching sun blazed over the crude
crosses and whitened stones, and the shells shrieked by, while in the
dark coolness of the night shadowy figures brought the day's toll
silently and reverently to its resting place.

CHAPTER XVII

AN OUTPOST AFFAIR

Fortunately for the regiment, most of the daylight hours during the
short stay in the present bivouac were spent away on working-parties or
in support to some section of the front line. They usually returned in
the evening to find fresh holes in their oil-sheets and shrapnel
pellets on their floors. Still, they often had a good night's sleep,
and always a fine bathe in the morning.

While lodged on this slope, Mac and his squadron became involved in an
engagement which kept them fully occupied for three days. One Friday
evening at dusk they moved northwards along the beach to the farthest
outpost. Inland from here about half a mile on a high ridge the Turks
had commenced the formation of an outpost. About nine o'clock this was
attacked and easily captured. Then the squadron commenced digging in,
and, by dawn, with small loss, had dug a fairly satisfactory
semicircular position, facing over ravines, beyond which were higher
hills.

The Turks were expected to counterattack, but contented themselves by
sniping from all sides, which considerably impeded the work of
consolidation. Mac and his section toiled and sweated all day, and, in
the late afternoon, connected their section of trench with those on the
right and left. Water had run dry, no communication could be had with
the rear, the sun blazed down, with withering heat, and altogether Mac
had known of pleasanter spots to spend a summer's day. In the
afternoon, too, the Turks added shrapnel to their missiles.

About ten o'clock at night another squadron appeared for their relief,
and Mac, with keen anticipations of a drink, a bathe and a sleep,
speedily stumbled off through the scrub after his cobbers. Their line
of march lay the length of a long ridge through enemy country, and on
this ridge one of the destroyers protecting the flank chose this
inopportune moment to cast her attention and her searchlight. Each
time it caught him in its brilliant glare on the sky-line, Mac crashed
down into the nearest shrub, prickly holly, arbutus or stunted oak, and
cursed lowly to himself till the beam lifted. Progressing
spasmodically when the beam was directed elsewhere, they reached the
outpost, then stumbled w