IN PERILOUS TIMES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 32, 1 November 1919, Page 7

IN PERILOUS TIMES

A STOItY OF THE EGYPTIAN . RISING. A sensational narrative of how tho British garrison at Assouan narrowly escaped annihilation during tho nativo rising in Egypt last March was told by Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. 11. M'ackesy, C.M.G., C.8.E., D.5.0., who returned to Auckland by tho troopship Remuera on Sunday. Colonel Mackesy"was in command of the Auckland Mounted Rifles throughout tho Egypt-Palestine campaigns.

"The most interesting part of my career," said tho colonel in ail interview accorded an Auckland "Herald" reporter, "was when a party of CO officers and their wives escaped massacre by the Bedouins at Assouan. One day early in March I camo back to Assouan at noon, and found tho town in a stato of wild excitement.

"Tho native populace, acting upon German instigation, was rising against tho British garrison. Not a moment was to be lost. I was the senior officer, and, strange to say, among tho junior officers of tho garrison there was one representative of every part of the British Em pire.

"There wero M English women, including tho Misses E. and M. M'Donald, of Wairarapn, in the town, and the party as a whole showed the finest spirit that I have over seen. No order was questioned, they wore always cheerful, and tho women showed tho most wonderful spirit from that dreadful night when wo escaped from Assouan until we reached Suez in safety.

. "Two ways of escape were open to us— tho road and Iho Nile. Wo know that in all probability if wo took the road the Bedouins would overtake lis, so wo decided to go south, down tho river, into the wilderness. That night wo took possession of a Sudan steamer lying at anchor off the town, drove some stray sheep aboard to keep ns alive, and collected the women in the hotel until tho moment for escape came. To reach the open river we had to go through four locks, and it was arranged that the party should steal aboard in the quiet of tho morning. "Wo got the women aboard without disturbance, and out of the way of stray snipers, but at dawn, just as'the little parly of officers was moving off, we found that 'tho natives were putting out in their rafts, trying to head us off. For. innately for u*. however, we had the faster boat, and though a few stray shots were fired on us we reached the open river without casualty. But. had we stayed another night in Assouan," said the colonel, "none of us would have lived to relate his experiences in Suez."

'Hhe escapees sailed down tho Nile for two weeks, and by divers ways reached Yambii, where they landed. According to Colonel Mnckcxy this is the first time Hint whites have been allowed to set foot in Yambo, a town where the English are not looked lipon favourably by the native population. Fortunately, however, Colonel Maekosy knew the principal residents, and trouble which was already brewing was narrowly averted. Another boat, was procured, and tho P/irty left for Wedge, and finally, after 31) days' strenuous travelling, reached Suez in' sftfelv.