HARD LYING
Tins is a capital book. Captain Weldon is of the lucky people who got into a sideshow during the War, which, though risky enough for the most exacting, had always the element of adventure, so lacking in the trench business. His position was complicated ; officer commanding a British ship, which someone else navigated, and which carried a mixed cargo of seaplanes and aviators, French and British, with spies of several nationalities. Working out from Egypt they operated along the coast towards Palestine—and, as a matter of course, were torpedoed once. The result of this was, incidentally, to make Captain Weldon a looker-on at the Gallipoli landing, about which he has a great deal to say. But the main interest of the book lies in the description of Secret Service. His particular task was to go ashore. with the boat- carrying the "agent," more often than not to running in through surf by night without the least guarantee that there would not be a Turkish patrol on the beach to receive the party. Fetching them off was only a degree less precarious. But there is little talk of the danger and much of the thrill : an Irishman is talking, in the best Irish manner. He has fine things to tell at times— the story of a Jew girl-agent, who was captured, and pressed by torture to give information. "She refused to tell her tormentors anything and at last, seizing the rifle of one of her guards, she shot herself." In the same raid the Turks were after a man, who escaped and could have probably rejoined Captain Weldon. But there appeared a proclamation that unless he surrendered, the whole Jewish colony would be massacred, and so, he came in deliberately to be hanged. The book tells much that is pleasant to read about, the French aviators and their relations with their British com- rades. They were not so young as the average of British pilots. "We don't rob the nurseries," was the retort of one when asked "why all the French aviators- were such old' men." Captain Weldon thinks that for his purposes the more experienced men were better. But the cleverest thing he• records is the letter written by a captured British officer, Sir R. Paul, :which passed the Turkish -censor, Yet conveyed how far the railway had got; and noted the presence of German aeroplanes.
Hard Lying is a first-rate title ; it means, technically, the service in small craft for which extra pay is given to the Navy ; and all this service was of that kind. But the jolly chaffing innuendo is quite in keeping with Captain Weldon's tone.
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