New Zealand.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 45, 24 February 1915, Page 5

New Zealand.

STREET ROW IN CAIRO. That the New Zealanders in Egypt are having a little excitement with the native population of. Cairo has been apparent from what has appeared in letters from troopers. The following account of one of the little rows with the natives appears in a lettei received by Mr Whitcombe, of Linwood, from his son at Zetoun camp:— “The Gurkhas and our crowd have been mixed up in half the rows in Cairo lately. They amuse one—the Gurkhas. They stalk along as if they owned the place, and the majority of the little beggars cannot talk English worth a cent, but they can use theii fists pretty well. The other night, I and three other chaps, two of them Australasians,went wandering down a low-class native street, and met a fellow who insisted Upon taking us into his shop and showing us silk handkerchiefs, rings, scarves, caps, etc., and then accused us of pinching some handkerchiefs. Well, we argued the point, but the more we talked the more abusive he became, and finally had half the nigger population in and around the shop, arid not only niggers, but respectably dressed and thievishly inclined Jews, Turks, Greeks and all sorts, all talking and waving their arms at once Things got pretty warm with us as this chap kept on gassing, so we began to hove off. These Dagos and half-breds blocked the way and refused to let us out, so we took to them and started a pretty mill going. We easily got the worst of it; the odds were too big. But we got out and bolted, the gang on our heels. Our luck held, and we reckoned on a clean get away, when slap we went into a bevy ol native police. We tried to dodge by, the croud behind sung out, and the Johns grabbed us. We fought like blazes to get away and were still going strong, when about a dozen of the little brown men came bolting down the track and gave us a hand, with the resuit that we wiped the door with the police, and then set upon the crowd indiscriminately, ■ taking especial care to deal tenderly with the Jew-nosed son of perdition who began the rumpus. He soon had enough, so we chivvied him into his den again, and went in after him, while some kept the dom as free as possible Notwithstanding our efforts, a big lot of the general public got in, and the slmv got sort of upset a bit, with the result that om Jew friend found his stock of silk goods rather depleted. I guess he won't try his get-rich-quick tricks again in a hurry.”