THE DEPARTURE OF THE FLEET FROM LEMNOS
On Friday, the 23rd of April, the weather cleared so that the work could be begun. In fine weather in Mudros a haze of beauty comes upon the hills and water till their loveliness is unearthly it is so rare. Then the bay is like a blue jewel, and the hills lose their savagery, and glow, and are gentle, and the sun comes up from Troy, and the peaks of Samothrace change color, and all the marvellous ships in the harbor are transfigured. The land of Lemnos was beautiful with flowers at that season, in the brief &AELig;gean spring, and to seawards always, in the bay were the ships, more ships, perhaps, than any port of modern times has known; they seemed like half the ships of the world. In this crowd of shipping, strange beautiful Greek vessels passed, under rigs of old time, with sheep and goats and fish for sale, and the tugs of the Thames and Mersey met again the ships they had towed of old, bearing a new freight, of human courage. The transports, all painted black, lay in tiers, well within the harbor, the men-of-war nearer Mudros and the entrance.