tely no shade. Last evening a Taube sailed over us and
discharged four bombs at the warships, all missing, but one was within
a few yards of its mark. This evening two came over together, but were
fired at before they got overhead, and bore off to the left, unharmed
although numerous shots from the ships followed them.

After breakfast I went to Brigade H.Q. to announce that the ship
("Manitou"--B.12) which brought our baggage came in yesterday, and
after discharging about a third of our belongings set sail for
Lemnos, as she had to be there by a given hour. I had to explain that
we could not open a clearing station with our shortage of equipment,
but that by afternoon we would be prepared to put patients into
improvised blanket shelters. The Brigadier for the time being is
Colonel Lucas, who was absent on a visit to his regiments, and I had
an interview with Major Brand of his staff. He gave me orders that our
unit had to dig itself in before night. This is very necessary as we
are still under shell fire in every part we hold here, and are just as
exposed as in Helles. Another ambulance is encamped beside us, and two
shells bursting among them this morning killed two men and wounded
two. A big piece of shell hurtled over my head last night, hitting a
rock about two yards away.

Three rumours have come to us this evening, which have put us all into
the best of spirits, although we know one is a story, and we are so
accustomed to rumours that we doubt the truth of the other two:--

1. Achi Baba has been captured!--certainly not true. The ships in the
bay were well bombarded this afternoon, and we saw two shells hit a
big transport. A section of an ambulance was on board this ship, and,
on their landing in the evening, their comrades gave them a rousing
cheer, and when this was heard in other parts the only interpretation
that could be put on it was the capture of this troublesome hill.

2. Warsaw we could guess had to fall to the German army, but we hear
they soon had the worst of it and fled with enormous casualties.

3. We hear we have advanced 26 miles in France. We try to believe
there is some truth in this, but it must be a great exaggeration.

The Turks are supposed to have a number of big guns mounted on rails
behind one of the higher ridges overlooking us, and rumour says this
railway was taken this afternoon, but I do not believe it. Ugly
ridges they are, and certainly we can never capture some of them
exc