WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FIELD FORCE IN CRETE, 1897. 521 
by cobs at Malta. I mounted the necessary mounted men on riding 
mules, which I obtained on loan later on from the Army Service Corps 
in Crete. I may add here that this was the first occasion in our history 
in which a mountain battery organized as such in peace, had been order¬ 
ed on active service from the United Kingdom, and the first time for 
forty years, that British troops had been called upon to act in alliance 
with those of Foreign Powers. 
We sailed on the evening of the I oth in the P. and O. S.S. Sumatra 
in company with the Suffolk Regiment, going out to Malta to replace 
the half battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and the 1st Battalion 
Seaforth Highlanders, which either had proceeded or were proceeding 
to Crete forthwith. We had a very rough passage out, and had to lay 
to for several hours in the Bay, and subsequently in the Gulf of Lyons, 
losing two infantry horses, and two mules from the severe weather. 
We arrived at Malta on the 19th, when we were informed that we were 
to go on in 4 days to Crete, and that a telegram had been sent to the 
Committee of Admirals administering the International fleets and 
troops, enquiring as to the town at which we were to disembark. On 
the 23rd, having obtained the necessary mules and ponies, and replaced 
one or two casualties amongst the men, we embarked in an old Cunarder 
of about 1800 tons, the Samaria , which was going to Crete to act as a 
condensing ship, for the supply of water to the troops. The water 
supply of the towns was apparently entirely controlled by the hostile 
Christian Insurgents, who encouraged by the presence of the Greek 
troops, under Colonel Vassos, appeared to be practically investing the 
three principal towns, Canea, Candia, and Retymo. After another 
indifferent passage, during which we had all to be vaccinated owing to 
the presence of smallpox in the towns of Crete, we arrived at daybreak 
26th April off Candia. The Naval Transport Officer and Staff Officer 
of the troops came on board, and informed us we were to disembark all 
the battery except the mules, for which no arrangement had been com¬ 
pleted as to the ground on which they were to be encamped, it having 
to be purchased from the Turkish authorities. Our camping ground 
for the men and officers were indicated as on the top of the parapet 
on the western' side of the town, and had been levelled for us by a 
detachment of the Seaforth Highlanders, between whom and the Royal 
Welsh Fusiliers we were eventually to be encamped for seven months, 
the men confined to a piece of ground about 1000 yards by 25 yards, 
and under the provisions of those clauses of the x^rmy Act applicable 
to active service. 
The Battery had to be transferred to lighters in the road-stead, 
which were towed by steam launches to the quay in the harbour, and 
as we had a very large amount of equipment and baggage, this took 
some considerable amount of time. Able assistance was, however, ren¬ 
dered us by the blue jackets of H.M.S. Camper down and Trafalgar , 
which were at anchor in the roadstead. Later in the day, intimation 
was received that as on two days out of every three a heavy sea was 
running rendering the disembarkation of animals in the roadstead a 
difficult and risky operation, the mules and cobs would have to be 
