The Fight for Constantinople: A Story of the Gallipoli Peninsula

for

elled him to buckle on the sword, but the binoculars he, somewhat rashly, discarded as an encumbrance. "Nearly ready? Farnworth, I'm not paying you a compliment when I say you look a proper swaggering Prussian officer of the von Forstner type with that insipid little

s' growth of beard from his superior officer's face, for duri

eyed his handiwork in the upslanting

rnworth. "You look absolutely 'It'-von K

y in which the midshipma

of the Kaiser. Take their handkerchiefs and tear them in halves. That's right; now set our old friend Ahmed up, while I

the left arm of the subaltern just above the elbows, and the former's left to the right arm o

r legs, sir?" a

ich for the last six weeks has been an inferior

back to back. To all appearances they were securely tru

et up and make them to that window-bar? It would puzzle the w

. "We'll heave together. M

ound, while the whole length of the aperture was furnished with three ve

tied the other end to the lowermost part of the middle bar by means of a clove-hitch. It

e the Turks won't twig my rotten rendering of this tongue-twisting jargon, but that won't matter. If we spoke English they might smell a rat, for a good man

key into the pocket of his greatcoat, the Sub, accompanied by his companion, walked noisily along the corridor, allowing his sword to clank loudly upon

turning to the right, Dick knew, led to the courtyard. It was dimly lighted. Nearly a score of Turkish soldiers were squ

oldier on guard. Upon hearing the officers approach, he drew himself up and saluted. Not for one moment did he show any signs of suspicion, a circumstance that gave Di

tore to another, while on the flat roof of one side of the barrack buildings stood a sentry in charge of the pair of anti-aircraft guns, Away to the right a search-light

ield-artillery had departed and returned. The wall on either side was protected by a thick wall of sand-bags, evidently pla

es lighted by lanterns of a similar type to those used in magazines on board ship in pre-electricity days. Along the side passage ran a pair of

ons, he knew, could not be for use on board a ship, since there was no accommodation for vessels alongside the water-front of Fort Medjidieh. Besides,

e Sub concluded that they must be the formidable Schwartz-Kopff torpedoes. Moreover, they were intended to be fired from shore stations. Carefully screened fr

doubt he would be able to discover the exact locality of the firing-station, but realizing it would ser

his attention. Somewhat dubious as to what would be awaiting him on the ot

et from the door was a grey-painted sentry-box, in which stood a ferocious-looking Bashi Bazouk, his shawl simply bristling with we

away a regiment of infantry was drawn up in quarter-column, while in front, and almost at the angle nearest the British officers, were seven or e

anded one in the uniform of a

Colonel," replied a German sergeant-major. "The Major said it was most

less he ought to be here before this. Hurry, S

e gripped Farnworth by the arm and hurried him back und

lowering his voice to a whisper. "They're sending a fellow to look fo

p gun of a pattern of the early 'nineties. Since the ordnance on this side was intended solely for defence against a land attack, the guns were not so formidable as those enfil

the tramway was originally intended to supply the heavy guns with ammunition. Making

hey saw the German uniforms approaching, the gallery was deserted. Without actually meeting anyone, Dick a

tected by a thick bank of earth faced with sand-bags. The purr of electric dynamos betokened the fact that the seaward sea

a whisper. "Let's try that port

een the chase of the weapon and the side of the embrasure for the Sub to wriggle. The walls here were not less than fifteen feet in thickness, and since

ing like burnished silver in the complex rays of the search-light. Almost immediately opposite were the

, while fifteen or twenty miles to the southwest the sky was agleam with the flashes of heavy guns, showi

. It was to be used as a decoy to attract the British and French fire, while at a distance of not less than four hundred yard

ack of each trench, Dick noticed, were light canvas screens stretched upon wooden frames, and painted a similar colour to that of the surrounding soil. These screen

ll protected by sand-bags hidden by coarse grass and thorn-bushes. Already a dozen huge guns were in position, while others were being haule

e darkness and the increased distance prevented Dick from coming to any definite conclusion as to the nature of their toil. Dearly would he ha

ne reappeared. With methodical craftiness the Turks had refrained from carrying the line across the moat, where it would be exposed to shell-fire. Instead, they had gone to t

a party of officers and men in German naval uniforms were busi

dn't I like to send a shot through the war-head of that 'tinfish

idshipman, seeing his superior officer

s a good chance of a miss. It would be of more service to the British naval and military authorities to be informed of all the preparations

certain that the torpedoes that had been fired at the Calder during her observation-dash up The Narrows had not been discharged from that position. It showed that, how

teaches a man to observe and act promptly. Every minute was precious, for by this time

o be detained, but finding the door locked, he concluded that Major von Eitelheimer and Second-lieutenant Schw

h," declared Dick. "Are you game for a twe

dshipman. "I saw a pole with a hook at one end

erymen still kept out of sight of the supposed German officers, he removed the pole from its slings. It was ab

evice on a previous visit to the Near East, when a disastrous fire broke out in the Galata district of the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Whenever a fire showed signs of getti

Now down you shin, while I k

essing in disguise, for the contrast threw the outer face of the wall and the bottom of the ditch, into deep shadow, although

Sub agilely followed, notwithstanding the fact th

ir?" whispered the midshipman,

stand a better chance of dodging that infernal search-light. I fancy even our borrowed uniforms

ents, that in the darkness had escaped their notice. Well it was that they had not attempted to leap

rough the wire. The presence of the entanglements was a

ier Dick's ankle came in contact w

ve been all up," for the copper tape was intended to conduct an electric curren

being painted a dull grey did not reflect the light, he wrapped around it several folds of a silk handkerchief which had formerly belonged to Major von

hispered the

arc struck half-way down the wall against which the fugitives were lying. Had the fugitives

came from the eastern part of Fort Medjidieh. Up swung the troublesome beam until it poin

tected by the alert Turks, they were subjected to a heavy fire. Shells seemed to burst perilously

ne had landed almost in the centre of the fort. Although, from where they lay, the British officers could form no accurate idea of where

by our own sea-planes!" declared

the attention of the Turkish search-light was directed skywards, the two fugit

he did so the second and third bombs dropped almost simultaneously, exploded-one close to a search-light in the wall,

ed bolting to their burrows sufficiently long to draw the canvas screens over the deep narrow trenches. Here and there a shot rang out from the ear

de along the shore; while on the other hand the Turks would not be likely to look for them in the interior. His idea was to make a circuitous detour, and regain the Allies' position in t

th futile efforts they grasped at the earth to save themselves, then,