rks, dropped from an
aeroplane, gave the whole army half an hour to clear out of the
peninsula, otherwise they would shell us into the sea. The shelling
had to be resorted to, and commencing at 5 p.m. they worked so
vigorously that plainly they meant what they said. The artillery duel
then started was on this left side, and, our Gully being between the
two fires, all the shells went right over our heads, and the shrieking
was as bad as any I ever heard. At periods during the three hours this
lasted they crossed at the rate of 200 per minute. We were close to
three of our own batteries, and these had to be peppered over our
heads, and most of the shells being shrapnel, timed to burst in the
air, we had many an explosion immediately above us. We all cowered as
well as we could up against the rocks, and although shrapnel bullets
and half a shell base came among us no one was hit. In spite of all
this bombardment, an artillery officer told me next day that all the
casualties he knows of are one man and five horses wounded. All these
were hit in a small side Gully like our own, a shell bursting in their
midst.

Padre Creighton came back tired and hungry at 8.30 and found no supper
nor fire to cook it with, the cook's life having been frightened out
of him he forgot the necessity for bodily sustenance for the rest of
us. I noticed the cook at one time flourishing a spade like a cricket
bat, and on asking him what this was for he declared, "You can easy
see the bloody thing comin'". He intended to let fly at the first
shell that came his way. Creighton in his usual energetic way buckled
to, and prepared an excellent supper of fried onions on toast, with a
little bacon. This was much enjoyed, as was also the Bivouac cocoa
with which it was washed down.

_July 4th._--Aberdeen Gully. A glorious Sunday morning. A slight
shower during the night has refreshed the air and nature's dusty face,
and now, with a brilliant sun and a gentle breeze, one can feel as
happy as one can out here, thousands of miles from home--but are we
downhearted? No! There is also almost an absolute calm from those
noisy death dealers, shots being only very occasional. A big howitzer
is going off at times, but apart from that the unnatural silence seems
ominous, like a calm before a storm.

Padre Creighton is to-day offering five pounds to a shilling that it
will be Christmas before we take Achi Baba. My forecast is we will be
there before this day week