n the top of a steep rise.

The sun was blazing hot and the sweat was dripping from our faces. We
were continually on the look-out for wounded, and always alert for the
agonised cry of "Stretcher-bearers!" away on some distant knoll or down
below in the thickets. Looking back the bay shimmered a silver-white
streak with grey battleships lying out.

In front the fighting broke out in fierce gusts.

"Pop-pop-pop-pop!--Pop-pop!" went the machine-gun. We could see one man
getting another belt of ammunition ready to "feed." Bullets from
the Turkish quick-firers went singing with an angry "ssss-ooooo!
zzz-z-eeee!... whheee-ooo-o-o! zz-ing!"

"D'you know where Brigade Headquarters is?" asked the adjutant.

"I'll find it, sir."

"Very well, go up with this message, and I shall be here when you come
back."

I took the message, saluted and went off, plunging down into the
thickets, and at last along my old water-course where I had crawled away
from the sniper some days before.

I made a big detour to avoid showing myself on the sky-line. I knew the
general direction of our Brigade Headquarters, and after half-an-hour's
steady trudging with various creepings and crawlings I arrived and
delivered my message. I returned quickly towards Pear-tree Gully. I
stopped once to listen for the "Pop-pop-pop!" of our machine-gun but I
could not hear it. I hurried on. It was downhill most of the way going
back. I crept up through the bushes and looked about for signs of our
men and the officer.

I saw a man of the machine-gun section carrying the tripod-stand,
followed by another with the ammunition-belt-box.

"Seen any Medical Corps here?"

"They've gone down--'ooked it... you'd better get out o' this quick
yourself--we're retreating--can't 'old this place no'ow--too 'ot!"

"Did the officer leave any message?"

"No--they've bin gone some time--come on, Sammy."

Well, I thought to myself, this IS nice. So I went down with the
machine-gunners and in the dead grass just below the gully I found a
wounded man: he was shot through the thigh and it had gone clean through
both legs.

He was bleeding to death quickly, for it had ripped both arteries.
Looking round I saw another man coming down, hopping along but very
cheerful.

"In the ankle," he said; "can you do anything?"

"I'll have a look in a minute."

I examined the man who was hit in the thigh and discovered two
tourniquets had been applied made out of a handkerchief and