While swimming, the opportunity was taken by a good many to soak their pants and shirts, inside which there was, very often, more than the owner himself.  I saw one man fish his pants out; after examining the seams, he said to his pal:  “They’re not dead yet.”  His pal replied “Never mind, you gave them a ——­ of a fright.”  These insects were a great pest, and I would counsel friends sending parcels to the soldiers to include a tin of insecticide; it was invaluable when it could be obtained.  I got a fright myself one night.  A lot of things were doing the Melbourne Cup inside my blanket.  The horrible thought suggested itself that I had got “them” too, but a light revealed the presence of fleas.  These were very large able-bodied animals and became our constant companions at nighttime; in fact, one could only get to sleep after dosing the blanket with insecticide.

My little dog Paddy enjoyed the swim almost as much as I did.  He was a great favourite with everybody but the Provost-Martial.  This official was a terror for red tape, and an order came out that dogs were to be destroyed.  That meant that the Military Police were after Paddy.  However, I went to General Birdwood, who was very handsome about it, and gave me permission to keep the little chap.  Almost immediately after he was reprieved he ran down to the Provost-Martial’s dug-out and barked at him.  Paddy was very nearly human.  One day we were down as usual when Beachy Bill got busy, and I had to leave the pier with only boots and a smile on.  I took refuge behind my old friends the biscuits, and Paddy ran out to each shell, barking until it exploded.  Finally one burst over him and a bullet perforated his abdomen.  His squeals were piteous.  He lived until the next day, but he got a soldier’s burial.

TURKISH PRISONERS

We saw a good many Turkish prisoners at one time or another, and invariably fraternised with them.  They were kept inside a barbed-wire enclosure with a guard over them; but there was no need to prevent their escape—­they would not leave if they got the chance.  On one occasion twelve of them were told to go some distance into the scrub and bring in some firewood.  No one was sent with them, the idea being to encourage them to go to their lines and persuade some of the Turks to desert to us.  But they were like the cat; they all came back—­with the firewood.

I saw two of our men on one occasion bringing in a prisoner.  They halted on the hill opposite us, and one of them went to headquarters to ascertain how the prisoner was to be disposed of.  In a very short time he was surrounded by fourteen or fifteen of our soldiers, trying to carry on a conversation, and giving him cigarettes and in fact anything he would accept.  An hour before they had been trying their best to shoot one another.  In one of the attacks on our left the Turks were badly beaten off and left a lot of their dead close up to our trenches.  As it was not safe to get over and remove the bodies, a number of boat-hooks were obtained, and with them the bodies were pulled in to our trenches.  One of the “bodies” proved to be a live Turk who had been unable to get back to his line for fear of being shot by our men.  He was blindfolded and sent down to the compound with the other prisoners.