WITH THE FORCE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2382, 11 February 1915, Page 8

WITH THE FORCE

WAIRARAPA TROOPER'S LETTER. Trooper F. C. Liddy, formerly of Tauherinikau. in the course of a letter to kis people, write* as follows:— This is a very interesting country. We are camped about eight miles from the Pyramids. We are going there as soon as our horses are fit. They are very good after their long trip. In fact, mine is better than when we left New Zealand. The buildings here in Cairo are the finest, and 1 thiuk tho most wonderful in the world. The peoplo are very interesting, too. There are ail sorts here—a great medley, I can tell you. There aro_ Egyptians, Arabs, French, Greeks, Sudanese, Russians, and many others. The Arabs seem to be the working class. They do all tho cleaning'up about camp, and they come round selling oranges at the rate of about dO for Is. It is not so very hot here just now, but very cold at night. The Arabs use anything, from a donkey, to a camel, to do then' carting with, and they have small flocks of goats and sheep, but what these live on Ido not know. They drive them away out of sight in the inorning, and bring them back at night. There is no sign of grass to ho seen, only sand and stones—and plenty of it. I saw a native funeral yesterday. They use tho same coffin for every one that dies. Tho body is carried to tho grave in itj and then taken out and buried, and tho coffin is taken back again, ready for tho next one —rather a saving, is it lint? The mourners go in front of tho coffin-bearers, who are right at the back. They have a good railway service here, also an electric train runs round about tho town. Tho railway service is better than they haro in New Zealand. The engines are of a. different type here, and they have first, second, and thim-cliias, and the am-cluss is fast without a doub*