This morning a large steamer signalled to our destroyer, so it left us
for two or three hours and then returned. In the night it was
exchanged for another one. We were told that they had to be very
careful along this route, as nine boats were torpedoed in one week;
naturally we were all more or less anxious, looking down into the cold
water. I much dreaded the risk we ran as I should much prefer to be
shot or shelled to being drowned. We heard that we reach Malta in the
evening, but owing to our having to go so much out of our course we
did not arrive until the following morning at 6 a.m. It was an anxious
night; neither the captain nor the chief officer appeared for dinner;
no end of men were on the watch for enemy submarines; it seems that
there are many in the Mediterranean just now, and we were told that
this is the worst danger zone at present. The Germans have a specially
large new one here which is doing a lot of damage. It has been very
rough all night, and the boat had to slacken speed as we were not
allowed to enter Malta before 6 a.m. I met a very interesting English
lady from Constantinople on board this morning. She has lived there
for forty years. Her husband is a doctor. She had three sons--two
solicitors, the third an invalid. He suffers from fits. The youngest
son's name was down on the list to be sent to Gallipoli with the
English and French prisoners, whom the Turks were sending from
Constantinople, in the hope that this would prevent our troops from
bombarding Gallipoli. This poor mother was so distressed, and pleaded
so hard to the Turkish officials that they consented that her son
should be released. She then made another plea for her husband to be
allowed to leave the country, and he left for Malta. Then she procured
the release of her delicate son, and he also joined his father, and
now she herself is on her way to join them. The other two sons were
not allowed to leave; they are being kindly treated, but have come
down to breaking stones. I felt very sorry for her, but admired her
courage and cheerfulness in such distressing circumstances. All her
valuables from her lovely home she sent to the Turkish bank, but of
course has no hope of seeing them again; they are sure to be
confiscated. Fifty or more of our men were sent to Gallipoli from
Constantinople, so that should the place be bombarded they would be
the first to fall; but the English and French threatened the Turks
with other reprisals, and they were withdrawn. They left the ship and
spent five days in a mosque, where they had to rough it terribly,
though the officials were very kind to them, and on their return to
Constantinople gave them a good dinner. Everybody out here speaks so
well of the Turks, and all those we have met seem so very sorry that
they are fighting against the English, and they said it would be their
ruin joining the Germans, their great dread being the loss of
Constantinople. Three little birds are following our boat, often
coming on board; one is a robin, but the other two we do not know. We
had several cats on board and were much afraid for the safety of the
birds. Two sparrowhawks also pursued them.