[6] Was there ever a ship that lived through such shelling as this old hulk was subjected to for the period of nine months during which she lay aground at “V” Beach? Or on whose decks so much blood had been shed? The sale of the _River Clyde_ to a Spanish firm at Malta seems hard to justify and shows a regrettable lack of imagination. [7] Padre Kerby read the Burial Service over nearly one thousand graves of the Manchesters in Gallipoli. [8] One man, indeed, tried to cultivate friendship with a horned viper. He had actually tied a string to its tail—how he managed this goodness only knows!—and was showing it round when it rose in its wrath and bit him. The fact that he was near the M.O.’s tent saved him, but he was left with a “dud” finger for life. All sorts of queer pets, lizards, tortoises, praying-mantis, etc., were kept by the men when their units were stationary, and one of these—a large lizard—proved to be of a rare species, and found an honourable refuge in the Cairo Zoo. Desert mice and rats of various kinds abounded, and were often tame and amenable, but of larger animals only a few gazelles and, once, an Egyptian wild-cat, were seen. Nearly every cookhouse acquired a pet goat, the diminutive black one of the 10th Manchesters being the most admired of those. The 6th L.F. goat “joined up” at Imbros and saw service in Gallipoli as well as in Sinai. [9] The 42nd did not regard as a happy compliment to their marching prowess the fact that while the troops of other divisions were occasionally allowed to go by train, _they_ had always to walk. A Tommy, home on leave, got into conversation with an Australian in a London bus. “Are you 42nd Division?” asked the Australian, who had been in the desert in 1916. “That’s so,” the Lancastrian replied. “Well,” drawled the other, “why don’t you get out and walk?” [10] It was alleged and universally believed that Colonel MacInnes after each day’s hard work used to spend his few hours of “rest” in repairing Dam 66. [11] About the middle of January the 126th Brigade found themselves opposed in this sector by the 126th German Infantry Brigade. [12] Pigeons, working in pairs, were proving very useful at this period, and “Signals” thought it might be a good thing to teach our Portuguese allies something about the pigeon service. They accordingly sent two pairs of birds to the Portuguese Staff, with instructions as to their use, and awaited results. The pigeons did not return to the loft, but next day a very polite note arrived, thanking “our comrades, the British officers, for their _hospitality_.”