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A little French destroyer, pearl-grey in the evening light, steamed past us, and the French sailors waved their arms, and danced a welcome to this troopship of their allies. The Rangoon yelled at them: "What price Suvla?" Some English sailors, towed past in coal barges, asked us whether we were downhearted, and we called back: "NO! What price SUVLA! Are we going to win?
To the expatiated seaman the arrival of a troopship has a greater interest than have ordinary arrivals; for has she not scarce two months since, perhaps, looked on the very scenes we so long to behold? She is thus a link between us and home. Then there is also the additional interest of seeing fresh faces, whilst to the more fortunate who are about to leave us she is the absorbing topic.
I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship "Orontes," and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it.
"I ask because they had a new turn of a scientific nature called 'Home and Friends for a Tickey." "Oh, you mean the cinematograph the pictures of prize-fights and steamers. I've seen 'em up country." "Biograph or cinematograph was what I was alludin' to. London Bridge with the omnibuses a troopship goin' to the war marines on parade at Portsmouth an' the Plymouth Express arrivin' at Paddin'ton."
She had written to a soldier on board the troopship Crocodile, and he showed the letter to a sailor friend, who remarked: "That is good: we poor fellows have no friend. Do you think she would write to me?" "I am sure she will," replied the soldier; "I will write and ask her."
The previous day, HMS Conway, Alligator, and Wellesley, with a troopship and two transports, arrived in Chusan harbour. The ships took up position opposite a large Joss House or Temple. Sir Gordon Bremer was in command of our force. In the evening a deputation was sent on shore, calling upon the governor to surrender the town of Chusan and avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The next morning they were at Folkestone, where the big troopship lay in the harbour. Before mid-day the ship was crowded with soldiers. How many men were there Tom had not the slightest idea; but they filled every part of it. Generals, colonels, majors, non-commissioned officers, and privates were all huddled together.
There is nothing to see in it any more than there is in Hulk C. 60, late of her Majesty's troopship Himalaya, now a coal-hulk in the Hamoaze at Plymouth. A river front, a narrow terraced river-walk of semi-oriental houses, barracks, a mosque, and half-a-dozen streets at right angles, the Desert racing up to the end of each, make all the town.
All good things must come to an end of course and we had to return to Glasgow to re-start our travels. Waiting for us at the dock was our troopship HMT Antenor, well repaired we hoped.
Von Schlichten allowed himself to be smitten by an idea. "By Allah, so we had!" he exclaimed. "Look, you're going to Skilk, in the next week, aren't you? Well, do you think you could get all your end-jobs cleared up here and be ready to leave by 0800 Tuesday? That's four days from today." "I'm sure I could. Why?" "Well, I'm going to Skilk, myself, with the armed troopship Aldebaran.
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