rations in packs, our reserve accompanying us with 

 wagon trains. By trade and barter with the natives 

 we manage to add a few fresh vegetables, some milk 

 and an occasional egg to the rather concentrated ration 

 we carry. Each man does his own cooking and I have 

 a little Greek broken in to prepare my meals and look 

 after my equipment. Naturally we travel light, sur- 

 plus equipment being stored on our barge, which fol- 

 lows as best it can under convoy of the British gun- 

 boat. 



A week ago yesterday we had our first real taste of 

 action. Three companies of us entered a village about 

 noon, with the advance guard a mile or so ahead about 

 to enter another village. Prom the church steeple the 

 major sighted enemy entrenchments on the edge of the 

 village, men deploying, and several bolshevik boats in 

 the river. The space between the towns lay across 

 meadows commanded by the enemy positions. The 

 major sent one company across to follow the advance 

 guard, holding our company in reserve in a cemetery 

 on the edge of the town. After some desultory firing 

 the enemy spotted our position and opened up on us 

 with artillery, and we had a close shave in getting bet- 

 ter cover. From then on the artillery kept on all af- 

 ternoon ; when dark came our company moved up into 

 the woods back of the town and spent a wretched night 

 in the rain. Our other two companies intrenched and 

 held excellent positions. Five gunboats in the river 

 and their artillery and one-pounders kept us in hot 

 water all morning. To make it worse we had nothing 

 to eat and no way of bringing it up. 



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