“It appeared at that time that Turkey had been ready for quite a while
to sign a separate peace, but the Allies couldn’t get the idea. My
greatest desire was to get out of Constantinople, and I finally stowed
away on a little rusty cargo-steamer bound for Odessa. We were rolling
around the Black Sea one day when the crew were seized with Bolshevism
and went on strike.
“It was great on that ship with the engines dead. We rolled and rolled
for days on end. I had bought a Russian sailor’s uniform by that time
and so could go about without fear of capture. The main thing was
to get a crust of bread and cup of water. It was a hell ship and no
mistake, with the sun beating down all day and the officers and crew in
continual fights.
“Finally they patched up a truce and we made Odessa, the trip taking
almost three weeks. It was bad in Odessa and when we heard that
Bulgaria had made a separate peace I decided to make a try for the
Bulgarian coast. I stowed away aboard another cargo steamship and
finally reached Bulgaria and my British countrymen.”