nt shortly afterwards. We were told that Lieutenant
Davidson led a bayonet charge, but he certainly did go into
Sedd-el-Bahr, revolver in hand, to look for curios when there was yet
great danger from snipers. And he used to go up towards the Turkish
trenches, gathering flowers which he would show us on his return.
Every man of us would have followed him anywhere. I recollect going
out to help the bearers to take in some wounded, when the party of
which I formed a member fell in with Lieutenant Davidson. "Oh," he
said, "would you men like to look for wounded on the hill-side?"
"Yes," we answered. "Well, follow me," and we did until an officer
forbade us to go any further.'"

The D.S.O. never materialized. I am assured a Cairo paper announced
that it did, and I was often congratulated on the honour. But, as
Artemus Ward would say, "Please, Mr. Printer, put a few asterisks
here".)

_April 28th._--Yesterday was spent dodging shells, with a short
advance in the evening, and I had not time to write up my diary. At
the present moment I am out reconnoitring alone, my post being the top
of the high cliff west of our landing place, where the snipers gave us
so much trouble, and I sit on the slope of the two gun battery which
has its big Krupp guns dismantled, the result of the naval battering a
few weeks ago.

A great advance on Krithia has begun, the various combatant units
having already moved off, or are busily preparing. Those already over
the ridges near the south point of the peninsula are having the
attentions of the Krithia guns, a constant stream of shells coming
from there. Many are also landing about our beach where the enemy
knows large bodies of troops are still landing. All our sea monsters
are busy off the whole point of Gallipoli, so far up the Dardanelles,
and round the west coast. The air vibrates, and the roaring echoes all
round never cease. And over all is a brilliant, scorching sun, the air
otherwise a dead calm, and not a ripple on the Aegean. In spite of
this calm a terrific day is in progress for the Turk and us, but we
hope to make a great advance before night towards the capture of the
forts at the Narrows. All round where I sit the ground is ploughed up
with great holes, some beside this battery the largest of any, big
enough to completely hide a horse and cart. Pieces of shell of several
hundredweight lie about. The precision of our gunfire has to be seen
otherwise one could not believe how accu