‘What—­no boats?’

’Plenty of boats, but there are men behind them.  I don’t know how many, but quite a lot.  I don’t even know whether they are troops.  They are sitting about on the shingle, talking and smoking.  Anyhow there are too many for us to tackle.’

Roy grunted.  ’That’s bad.  But, see here, Ken, we’ve got to have a boat some way or other.’

‘We’re going to,’ said Ken fiercely, ’but I’m afraid it means crawling all the way back up that beastly water-course.’

‘Up the water-course?’ repeated Roy.  ’Great Ghost, there are no boats up there.’

’It’s not boats I’m after in the first place, it’s a disguise.  See here.  You know I told you there were two dead Turks alongside that shell hole.  My notion is to take their uniforms or just their overcoats, and then walk boldly down to the beach, and tell the chaps there that we have a despatch to take across to Ghanak.’

‘Put up a bluff,’ Roy answered.  ’I see.  But surely they have a cable across.’

’They had, but the “Sapphire” cut it.  And since it’s gone, why I should fancy the only way of getting messages across is by boat.’

‘But what about the password?’ suggested Roy.

’We’ll have to chance that.  There are not likely to be any officers about on the beach at night.  It isn’t as if there was any danger of attack here.  They are right under the forts of the Narrows.’

‘Well,’ said Roy, rising with a sigh, ’it sounds a pretty good scheme.  But I’d give more than sixpence to get out of crawling back up that abominable gully.

‘I’m afraid there’s no help for it,’ replied Ken, as he started.

Both were tired with their long tramp across country, and they were sadly in need of food and rest.  It was wretchedly disappointing, after they had at last made the sea, to have to turn back again inland.  They were a very silent pair as they toiled back over the cracked clay and loose stones.

There was worse to come.  In the darkness they missed the exact spot where they had first entered the gully, and when they reached the hill-side found that they were lost.  Neither of them had the least idea of the whereabouts of the shell hole with the bodies of the two dead Turks.

[Illustration:  Our boys bring in a Turkish sniper, who by the ample use of foliage has turned himself into a sort of Jack-in-the-Green.]

[Illustration:  Reinforcements of Turkish artillery and machine gun batteries to bar the passage of our boys in khaki.]

A good half-hour they wasted in vain search, then Ken dropped behind the shelter of a small bush.

‘It’s no use, Roy,’ he said desperately.  ’I can’t find it.  We’re simply wasting time.’

Instead of answering, Roy took hold of Ken’s arm with a grip that was like that of a steel vice.

‘Hush!’ he whispered, and pointed.

Two figures had risen in front, apparently out of the very depths of the earth.  They were not more than twenty paces away.