The _Pamir_ left H---- at exactly six o’clock. No need to add that Fourgues and I did not shut an eye during the trip. Twelve hours’ watch apiece out of the twenty-four and filthy weather. The rest of the time I spent in the engine-room in overalls trying to see to overheating and leaks. At the Training School one learns little about mechanics--I am the more aware of this, having forgotten everything! The first day we had a lot of bother with condensation and the hammering on the cylinder cover was so great that we were obliged to reduce speed and drain the cylinder. The engine-room filled with steam. All the reservists ran off, squealing like pigs. With the old _Pamir_ men we patched it all up and the next day it was the tubes of boiler 3 which began to blow. That’s the old one which was in urgent need of repair. The cattle-dealer, who was on duty at the feed pump, did not know where the cocks of the tanks were. When one had emptied itself he simply let it go. The gauge fell to zero and you can imagine the explosion. We drew the fire under one boiler and after that could barely make seven knots. In the Bay of Biscay we caught it proper. Two of the carriers and the bill-poster came out of the bunkers half dead, spitting blood and coal-dust by the quart, so now there was no way of getting the coal on the fire. Fourgues slowed to five knots. Our firemen were simply unable to stoke. It was more than they could manage, and at every shovelful they fell down, sending the fuel everywhere except into the mouth of the furnace. With such a crew Fourgues was afraid the trip would take a month, and that we should run short of provisions and coal. So he put in at the port of ---- and had a pretty cold reception. In the first place, it was Sunday and they wanted to know why he came bothering people then instead of on a week-day. He must have talked to them like a father, but I was unfortunately not there to hear. They gave him permission to get the provisions, but as for coal, search me! “What!” says he, “you have heaps there! Can’t you give me half of one heap?” “Impossible. What you see there is not to be touched. It is the mobilization reserve.” “Great Scott! We are not merely mobilized, we are at war!” “Possibly, but this is stock belonging to the mobilization--which means that it can’t be touched.” There was no way out of it. But of what use is coal which is there for war, but which cannot be given out in time of war? The _Pamir_ sailed after eight hours in port. We got provisions. Fourgues telegraphed to the office for money to be sent to Morocco. We were stony-broke, and would have to eat down there and pay for coal and get water and everything.