On Land and Sea at the Dardanelles

asked Dave Burney.

g off Cape Helles, which is the southernmost point of the Gallipoli Peninsula, while the people listened to t

ietly under way, and was steaming s

n a puzzled tone. 'This ain'

lander who was standing with the two chums at the starboard rail. 'We ain't

o far as I can see, there are only three other transports going o

re going to do a sort of flank attack. The main landing will probably be down here at the Point. Then when the Turks

un!' exclaimed Dave in a

dred thousand Turks planted on the Peninsula, and you can bet anything you've got le

k we'll land?' as

p into some little cove not very far up. There's a big ridge called Achi Baba which runs right across the Peninsula about four

th a bit. See here, Carrington, if we can manage it, let's

regiment. You're New Zealand, Dave and I are Australians. Still, I dar

out into the night, turned

in our lot, and so far as I can make out three b

below and turn in,

t, O'Brien, who had

tay and look at the pretty scene

they can. Faith, it's mighty little slape any of ye will get, once you're ashore. Go down now and a

and, sergeant?' as

wid ye, and if ye want to know what it is we're go

gh at first he was too excited to sleep, Ken soon dropped off, a

ce in his ear, and like a shot Ken w

in the small swell. There was not a light to be seen anywhere, yet all was

was equipped and ready. Then he and his companions were ordered down to the lower deck where the electrics were still b

ng their equipment with keen eyes, and pr

kindled as they rested on the

s I do what you have been training for during the past six months. The day you have been waiting for has come. See tha

nt came a low-voiced order from his company commander, and he foun

see the cliffs that seemed to rise abruptly out of the sea, about half

ng pulled rapidly inshore. Boat after boat came stealing out of the gloom, all loaded down to the gunwales with fightin

not with them. He had been ordered

mouth close

the country,' he muttered. 'Loo

' Ken whispered back. 'For all you or I

on't they f

now their job as well as we do, and perhaps better. I shall be p

grated on the shingle, the men were out of her, wading knee deep to the shore. They were as eager as terriers. The

p, and men by scores for

pered Dave. 'This is going to be

nd right out of the centre of the precipitous slope facing them something like

iant relief. Next instant there was a crash of musketry, and rifles spat fire and

w up his arms and dropped withou

'Fix bayonets!' Colonel Conway's voice rang l

ed into their sockets. Men were falling fast, but the r

Give 'em the steel. A

issed skywards, but before it broke the men had reached the base of the cliff. Its white glare sho

rs rolled helplessly back down the steep slope to the beach. But those left never paused or hesitated. They scrambled

o get to close quarters, and he and Dave Burney we

the powder. Without an instant's hesitation he drove his bayonet at a dark figure beneath him, at the same time springing down

bayonet at a

burly man in a fez was swinging at his head with a rifle butt. Ken

are, they were no match for the long, lean six footers who were upon them. Inside three

ted,' panted Dave's

. Are you

othing else missing so far

wn. This is only the first act. The

ow that it was over a pestilence of bullets began to pour again from hi

s the two crouched together agai

nd tackle the next tre

ple of minutes later the order

rom up above began the ugly knocking of a quick-firer. It sounded like a giant running a stick along an endle

covered with low, tough scrub, the tangled roots of which caught the men's feet as they ran, and br

o struggled along, side by side, still

e attackers were not to be denied. In a livin

stabbing upwards at the attackers. It was useless. The Australians and New Zealanders, savage at the loss of so many of their comrades, fought like fur

rs. Almost every man in the trench, with the exception of a

plunged his bayonet into the earth to clean it

un it,' cor

do you

You don't suppose the Turks are going to

hed this little lot,' s

By this time the news of our landing has been telephoned all over the shop, and reinforcements are coming

ve along and take up o

for reinforcements. If I'm not mistaken t

ug in. We hol

n. All the earthworks are on the seaward side.

nued, as the voice of Sergea

ver. They'll be turning guns on us an' blowin

ching spades. It was in Egypt they had learnt the art of trench-making, but

There were scores of them. Every little patch of scrub held its sharpshooter, and a

ed up on the cliff to the left who can fire right down t

he wounded. There was no possibility of returning the enemy's fire, and in the darkness the ships could not help. All

are the very de

, who was making his way down the tr

over on the bluff to the left as is doing the dam

n five yards of where he stood. H

Ken. And then, on th

t some of us go an

oken only by the intermittent

poke?' demanded

red Ken, saluti

e man who know

n the Peninsul

hink you could fi

was trembling with eagerness. Was it possible that hi

to O'Brien, and the sergeant

alk them, of course. If you can't reach them come bac

st bursting with gratitude. His chance had