On Land and Sea at the Dardanelles

Ken's

e said simply. 'I th

miled

at. You see, I don't know the first thing about mountai

ook hi

We'll find some way out. Stop here a min

oked a

y? Hadn't I better com

u,' said Roy. 'I'm going to

dred foot drop was as simple as a promenade down the sunny side of Piccadilly. Ken,

ve minutes befo

t I think we can get down. This ledge drops a long way, and ther

le to say that Ken felt happy. Glancing down into the tremendous depths that yawned below, he felt that he would infini

aking the bayonet which-with the automatic pistol captured from

s teeth an

aid Roy quietly, and K

articular difficulties. As Roy said, 'If it wasn't for

ue, and tried hard t

was to flatten themselves, limpet-like, against the cliff face, and claw their way

Roy pu

we can go on this ledge. We've got to drop to the lower one now. Don

d let himself down gently. There was a knob of rock about seven feet down

ce so as to give himself something to

r of feet, let alone two. But when he reached it he found that Roy had left it all

ame Roy's quiet voice. 'Afraid we'll have to leave it

at crack to the right. I'm go

he dared not look. But a moment later he fe

rattle of falling s

im. For the moment he fully

ried sharp

Just a chunk of rock broken out. The stuff'

en, 'Now yo

is happened; then just as he began to feel that he could

e step more, and y

a ledge nearly a yard wide. It seemed lik

cut up in the Dardanell

e return of the triumphant submari

w a lon

anything I ever struck. Don't mind telling

rather breathlessly. 'If you had,

g with. You kept your head, and did what you were told. Well, now I think the worst is ov

but nothing like what they had already tackled, and within ano

fallen rock. On each side the cliffs towered so high that only a mere sli

a flat stone slipped under his foot, and near

f, anyhow,' returned Ken. 'But I'd giv

f we follow the stream we'r

ts of the compass very clear in my head, and there's no sun visib

h a puzzled expre

that case, this is the head waters of so

quently we're still going pl

's no use trying to climb up the

this gorge. After that we must see if we can't skir

ance they continued on their

id Roy at last. 'We're ge

in,' said Ken with a smile. 'It looks to me as

ks,' answered Roy. 'I say, don't you wish we'd got our whole crowd up

at, Roy. If we ever do get back we'll have

scrambled on to th

on the summit, 'and by the look of the country you're about right as to th

o a shallow ravine, down which the stream found its way into a broad valley below. A rough track crossed

must keep clear of that road. Seems to me the best thing we can d

's nothing to stop us from climbing up

h brush, which gave them ample cover. Reaching the top, they got a sight of the sun, and found that they were facing almost due east.

lf a mile when they entered a little wood. Passing through this, they were dismayed to find themselves on the edge of a steep bank abou

'We're bound to be spotted i

or the present,' answered Ken, a

hrough the leaves saw a body of Turkish troops, about

red Roy, as he stared at the closely-for

n until they were out of sight around a curve

the end of the friendly wood, and the ground b

the way,' said Ken, and calmly sat himself down on a b

er viciously. 'I'm infernally hungr

stood staring out thr

wood less than a quarter of a mile away, and if we watched our chance we might slip across without being spotted.

took a long and

he said at last. 'I'm

better. Those Turks h

rting when Ken heard a sound

ere's something else

s, and after a few minutes a team of mules came into sight around the left-hand

'We shouldn't have stood much show if w

staring fixedly at the gun.

rned

smash our chaps, Roy. Jove

t even got our rifles. They're lying smashed up at the bottom

ed very quietly. He laid his hand as he spoke upon on

mules. Then before the men have recovered from their confusion, we ought to be able to give them a couple more. If we could land one o

me,' Roy answered, his face glowing with excitement. 'And, by Jingo,' he added

ixty feet above the road, and the slope below was next door to per

like a gigantic egg. He put his weight against it, and found that it rocked, but even so

y into the thick of the trees. He was back in

he trick,' he said

Slowly, because not only is a 77-millimetre gun with its caisson a heavy weight, but also because the roa

a Turk like themselves, and consequently were taking

p under the big rock, a

,' he whispered in a to

d upon the long gray gun which came jogging slowly onwards, its grim

re it came opposite. Then

ow

feet, Roy tugging on the lever, Ken

ebounded, and at the same time started half a dozen other stones. In a moment a rock avalanche was roaring down the steep. The great stone led the way. In

and hid all below. Then from out

w the first. There was no need. When the dust cloud cleared, one mule which ha

ss the road. Of the men, not one remained. Most were not only dead, but buried.

oked a

' he said, but though he tried to smile,

ather ghastly wiping 'em out like that, but one has got to remember that that gun would

nd a couple of rifles, and I'll lay we shal

kept breaking away under their feet. They had to go quickly, too, for ther

for rifles that had escaped injury. They found three, but only one was serviceable. The sights of the oth

y to be particular. They st

e a deep groan fro

g round

,' he said quickly, 'we can't leav

he was roaring

by the groans he and Roy soon pulled out a you

ined him

g the matter, so far as I can see, except bruises and a

urk's eyes opened, and he stared up

men!' he

to his lips, but

he said i

or spirits,' Ken explained to Roy, and pu

grave courtesy. He sat up and lo

to drop shell upon us,' he said. 'Nor had we any

resignedly. 'And our fate for being drive

a smile, and at his fluent Turkish the man's dark

urk s

he said keenly, and by his accent and language,

d not

not mean to ask idle questions. I thank you

uneasily. 'We are right out in the open here. That chap wil

aid Roy, and tu

od turn, tell us the neare

pointed u

the British. You must wait for the darkness of the night or you will for a certainty be captured. My ad

eously. 'Is there anything el

t a while, then move onwards. In the name

id Roy impatiently, as he set off a

rest of the day, and try to sli

watch where we go and set his pals

sake, don't go judging the Turk by the German, Roy. That fellow considers

ven now, one can't tell whether we've been spotted, and it isn't likely that the next German

he wood and flung themselves panting

Roy. 'And a bit of lunch, too. Here, catch

ung up. He was

ered. 'There's