The Turk as a soldier was never to be despised. Centuries of history studded with names such as Kossovo in olden times and Plevna in modern, show that the Turk is a good soldier even if he is a bad governor. The operations against Turkey in this war prove that in trenches the Turk is as good a soldier as he was of old. But the natural aptitude of the Colonial as a hunter soon asserted itself, and cunning marksmen proceeded to stalk the wily snipers. As the trench systems grew up, points of vantage, screened by branches, were occupied by the best shots, accompanied by an observer with a periscope. This gave an Australian corporal of engineers an idea that was instantly availed of--the application of a periscopic attachment to the ordinary service rifle. [Illustration: [_Lent by Sergt. P. Tite, N.Z.E._ BELOW POPE'S HILL: A DRESSING STATION OR THE N.Z. NO. 1 FIELD AMBULANCE.] The necessary glass for the mirrors was not available, but over on the horizon were a hundred transports waiting with stores and horses. A fleet-sweeper with a working party went out one fine morning and called on each ship. From the ornate saloons and the cabins the mirrors were removed, lowered gently to the deck of the trawler, and hurried off to Anzac Cove. There the sappers cut the mirrors into little parallelograms and slipped the pieces into the wooden frames at the requisite angles. In a few weeks the new periscopic rifle was in use all along the line, and from that time the superiority of fire was ours, and it was the Turk's turn to keep his head down. Straightening the Line. [Illustration: A SHELL BURST ON STEEL'S POST.] At the end of the first week it was obvious that our defensive line could be much improved. Between Pope's and Walker's Ridge there was a deep canyon--one of the forks at the head of Monash Gully. The Turk held the high ground looking down the canyon, so that, troops who were at Pope's, if they wanted to get around to Walker's, had to go away down Monash Gully, along the beach, and up Walker's Ridge--a distance of nearly three miles, whereas the gap in the front line between Pope's and Walker's Ridge was only about 200 yards. Again, between Pope's and Quinn's there was a ridge, so far unnamed. This ridge was practically "No Man's Land," and, if occupied by the Turks, would be a dangerous salient to us, as it looked into the back of Quinn's Post and down the head of Monash Valley. So it was decided that if the left flank of our line--that is, from Quinn's to Walker's--was flung forward, a continuous front line could be obtained and communication within the Anzac area would be much simplified. It was originally decided that this pushing forward of our line would be made on May 1, but a Turkish attack was launched that evening, and was heavily repulsed by machine guns and rifle fire from Pope's and Courtney's Posts, which enfiladed the attacking infantry. Our attack was postponed until the evening of May 2.