[#] The _Achates_ had a Syrian interpreter on board.
"You see," went on the Lamp-post, "all the Turkish soldiers who used to keep the peace--sometimes--in the villages and small towns have been withdrawn to Smyrna or the Dardanelles, and now they are away the Turks and Greeks are at each other's throats hammer and tongs. The Interpreter told me that there are more than thirty thousand refugees from the coast in Mytilene alone, and thousands more are trying to escape before they are killed."
"That's why the Greeks here are giving the Turks in the hills such a rotten time, I suppose?" the Sub asked.
"It rather spoils the picture," Uncle Podger said; "I wish you hadn't told us."
"Let us go, some day, and see the castle at Mytilene," the Lamp-post suggested. "The Interpreter says that it was started five hundred years B.C.--by the Phoenicians or someone like them, and has been added on to by everybody else ever since. He says you can see some parts which are Roman and some which the Persians built. I'm frightfully keen on things like that," he added apologetically:
"Come along, you chaps! Everything's ready!" the others shouted, carrying up the kettle of boiling water.
A grand tea they had, although the Orphan upset a good deal of the only tin of milk over himself. That did not matter much, for they managed to save most of it with spoons.
"Pass the Orphan, please," one or other would say, "I want some more milk;" and whoever was sitting next to him, Bubbles or Rawlins, would sing "He's too heavy," and pretend to scrape more milk off his bathing-suit.
The China Doll and the Pimple, however, felt that there were two things lacking to make the picnic a complete success--sardines and some tinned sausages to cook over the fire; but, of course--and they sighed heavily--the gun-room store was empty.
The China Doll, presently, blinked and blushed, and suggested that they should ask the War Baby to the next picnic. There was a shout of "He's all right, but he doesn't belong to the gun-room--this is a gun-room picnic."
"But, if he came, he might bring some sardines and 'bangers'. I know they have some in the ward-room--I asked their messman."
"You're a perfect marvel, China Doll; fancy thinking all that out in your noddle!" the Pimple said admiringly. "I votes we do ask him."