in three lines, each ship being about three
lengths astern of the one ahead. The sight was most inspiriting, and
made one feel proud of the privilege of participation. The ---- towed
the submarine AE2, and kept clear of the convoy, sometimes ahead, then
astern, so that we viewed the convoy from all points.

The day after leaving Albany a steamer, which proved to be the ----,
joined us with C Section of our Ambulance. Signals were made for the
---- ---- to move ahead and the ---- to drop astern, the ---- moving
into the vacant place. The manoeuvre was carried out in a most
seamanlike manner, and Captain Young of the ---- received many
compliments on his performance.

Three days later a message was flagged from the ---- that Major
Stewart (who commanded the C Section of the Ambulance) was ill with
enteric, and that his condition was serious. The flagship then sent
orders (also by flag) "Colonel Beeston will proceed to ---- and will
remain there until next port. ---- to provide transport." A boat was
hoisted out, and Sergeant Draper as a nurse, Walkley my orderly, my
little dog Paddy and I were lowered from the boat deck. What appeared
smooth water proved to a long undulating swell; no water was shipped,
but the fleet at times was not visible when the boat was in the trough
of the sea.

However, the ---- was manoeuvred so as to form a shelter, and we
gained the deck by means of the companion ladder as comfortably as if
we had been in harbour. Major Stewart's illness proved to be of such a
nature that his disembarkation at Colombo was imperative, and on our
arrival there he was left in the hospital.

The heat in the tropics was very oppressive, and the horses suffered
considerably. One day all the ships carrying horses were turned about
and steamed for twenty minutes in the opposite direction in order to
obtain a breath of air for the poor animals. In the holds the
temperature was 90 deg. and steamy at that. The sight of horses down a
ship's hold is a novel one. Each is in a stall of such dimensions that
the animal cannot be knocked about. All heads are inwards, and each
horse has his own trough. At a certain time in the day lucerne hay is
issued. This is the signal for a prodigious amount of stamping and
noise on the part of the animals. They throw their heads about, snort
and neigh, and seem as if they would jump over the barriers in their
frantic effort to get a good feed. Horses on land are nice beasts, but
on boa