very extravagant in water, and in a few days our well began to show distinot signs of being drained to emptiness; in fact, only a puddle could have existed to begin with, though a larger one than that in the well near the tower.

The second disadvantage was that the grain, while left out to dry, might be discovered and give away our presence; but, in any case, one pair or another of the party was 50 often up at the well that the risk was not greatly increased; besides, there was not much to induce a Turk from the camp below to visit the ruins.

nullah each day was utilised for cooking the wheat. Fortunately, to take us to the well there was the further inducement of a wash for both bodies and clothes. The latter by this time were in a very dirty and also wornout condition, but thanks doubtless to our having spent no appreciable time inside villages actually occupied by Turks, they were not verminous. On account of the washing, visits to the well were apt at times to develop into lengthy affairs-anything up to five or six hours, which, of course, did not help to get through the daily tasks necessary to keep In the end we were seen, the ourselves fed. Not only did first occasion being on the this involve having reliefs at 6th September. That evening, the mill for eight out of every Cochrane, the Old Man, and twenty-four hours, but much Looney were at the well, when work was necessary to keep an old fellow with a dyed beard up the supply of cleaned a Turk, as far as they could wheat to feed the machine. Necessity, however, is the mother of invention, and from the 5th September, acting on a suggestion made by Looney, we used to take the next day's wheat up to the well and wash it there in a couple of changes of water. There was a convenient stone trough on the spot. The chaff floated to the surface, while the earth, whether in loose particles or olinging to the grains themselves, was dissolved. After washing, the wheat was spread out in the sun on squares of oloth brought down from the village, and when dry was fetched back to the ravine by the next water-party.

Like most sohemes, this one had its weak points. It was

say-suddenly appeared, and eyed their water-bottles very thirstily. He accepted with readiness the drink they offered to him, but appeared to be nothing of a conversationalist. He was in fact almost suspiciously indifferent who the three might be. There was a mystery about that man which we never entirely solved. From then onwards, almost to the end of our stay on the coast, not a day passed without his seeing one or other of the party. To explain our presence at the well, the waterparties pretended they were German observation-posts sent up to watch the sea, over which, as a matter of fact, one could obtain a very fine view from that place. We usually oarried

up the field-glasses to have a he was obviously half-starvlook round, and these perhaps ing. This, combined with the helped out our story. More- fact that he relied on us to draw up water for him when there must be good water near the Turkish tents below, showed that he was in hiding for some cause or other. This was as well for us, as, if he had thought at all, he could not for a moment have been deceived by our story. Even if we were on watch, we should hardly trouble to bring up not only our own, but a lot of other men's waterbottles to fill with muddy water at a disused well. Whatever the explanation, the great thing was that he did not interfere with us. Two evenings before our final departure from the ravine, he told us that the donkeys would be coming back next morning, and that was the last any of us saw of him.

over, to live up to our Hun disguise, we once told the man that really the place was "yessāk." This is the Turkish equivalent to "verboten," and, to judge from our experiences in the camps, is about as frequently used. On another occasion it was sunset when some of us saw him. After his usual drink he washed his hands and face and said his prayers Mohammedan-wise. After his prayers he said he had seen two boats go past coming from the east and disappearing to the west. Little remarks like this made us think at one time that he might possibly be a British agent, landed to get information or possibly for the express purpose of helping escaped officers like ourselves, for there had been plenty of time for the news of our escape from Yozgad to reach the Intelligence Department in Cyprus. One day, therefore, Grunt and Nobby deliberately went up to try to get into conversation with the mysterious individual. In the end they came to the conclusion that he must be some kind of outlaw. He told them that a friend and he had come from a place far inland to sell something or other to a coastal village, and he himself was now awaiting the other's return. They were going to take back with them a load of oarobs, of which indeed he had been making collections under various trees. The beans seemed to be his only food, and

A few extracts from diaries may serve to convey some idea of our feelings during these earlier days in the ravine:

"2nd Sept.-Struggled up to well at 8 A.M. Had wash in mugful of water: temporarily refreshing, but exhausted for rest of day, and feeling weaker than ever before in spite of five brews of boulgar" (each brew was at this time about the half of a pint mug all round) "and one small chupattie each, made by Nobby. Flour for last made with much hard grinding after mill had been readjusted. Readjustment alone took two hours to do.... Flies awful all day. . . .

...

"3rd Sept.-Locust beans quite good toasted over ashes, and make sweet syrup if first

(To be continued.)

THE RETURN PUSH.

BY QUEX.

XVIII.

and saluted very smartly. positions, few horse-tracks, But what do you think? He fewer trenches, and no barbed saluted with a bowler hat wire. The villages we went on; found it in the house, I through had escaped obliteratexpect. . . . I tell you it was ing shell-fire. I learned that an eye-opening day for the our attacks had been planned colonel." thus-wise. Near a bleak crossroads I saw Collinge of B Battery, and got off the lorry to talk to him.