a horrible mental crisis quite different from
the ordinary anxiety of the battlefield, where I usually see what I
think to be my way and chance it. I refer to Freddy Stopford. Here is a
man who has committed no fault; whose life-long conscientious study of
his profession has borne the best fruits in letting him see the right
thing to do and how it should be done. And yet he fails when many a man
possessing not one quarter of his military qualifications carries on
with flying colours. For there is no use beating about the bush now and,
simply, he was not big enough in character to face up to the situation.
It overwhelmed him.

* * * * *

"A month ago we had the Turks down, undoubtedly and, whenever we could
get a little ammunition together, we were confident we could take a line
of trenches. As for their attacks, it was obvious their men were not for
it. Now their four new Divisions of fine fighting material seem to have
animated the whole of the rest of the force with their spirit, and the
Turks have never fought so boldly as they are doing to-day. They are
tough to crack, but D.V., we will be the tougher of the two."

_17th August, 1915. Imbros._ From his cable of the 14th, K. seems
prepared to see me relieve Mahon of his command. But Mahon is a fighter
and if I give him time to think over things a bit at Mudros, he'll be
sure to think better. I am sure the wisest course to take, is to take
time. A Lieutenant-General in the British Army chucking up his command
whilst his Division is actually under fire--is a very unhappy affair.
Lord Bobs used to say that a soldier asked, for the good of the cause,
to serve as a drummer boy under his worst enemy should do so not only
with alacrity but with joy. Braithwaite agrees with me that we must
just take the responsibility of doing nothing at all and of leaving him
quietly to cool down at Mudros. Hill, who carries on, was the General in
command at Mitylene when I inspected there; he is a good fellow; he was
anxious to push on upon that fatal 7th August at Suvla and everyone says
he is a stout fellow.

Have got the name of the doctor who upset the Brasseys with his yarns.
He declares he only retailed the tales of the wounded youngsters whom he
tended. No more to be said. He has studied microbes extensively but one
genus has clearly escaped his notice: he has never studied or grasped
the fell methods of the microbes of rumour or panic. Am I sure t