SIGNS FROM THE SMOKE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 132, 6 February 1915, Page 3

SIGNS FROM THE SMOKE.

(Bv ALBERT DORRTNGTON.)

OUR MEN IN EGYPT. It- is safe to predict that the nnme j Sinai Peninsular wil write itself on the j histories of Australia and the Dominion, j The most far-seeing statesman would j searely have judged a struggle be- j tween Ottoman and Antipodean within | the realms of possibbUy. Aha yet the j lighting in the Far East has settled j down to that. . . j The Sinai Peninsular is fatneuS for j its hotn'ess, its Arabs, and a fairly b;*£j thirst. If the present writer wore giv- j oil his choice, he would sooner fight the Unspeakable in the &r;Hing sands of \ Alcabar than freeze ui sight of the Ger- j mans along the Ah no. Tho Australian | and New Zealand .-ontirgeais, accord- j ing to the lutes* xeyorts, are express- . ing discontent, at bejU.T so i'c-r removed j from the KaisT-s Willi ig horde.-i. Vte.il impatience >vi].l ]i.<y?. ..et us hope: A week spent m the oissrid slush ot' Bixmude and Artie is mmgb to ccol the . fighting ardour i >- tiu'cst men.-

ABOUi' Tmi TURKS. ' The Turks a:v fme «.-.avalryuift:i a lid at one time wer?. e-joiidered the fir.vft stuff'in Europe or .via.; In rh« early seventies, when the ?»iibitaest ft as fit grips with Russia, lxe« made flair! of the Cossack wherever he found turn. But that was the Plevia-Kan: period. Against the Bulgarian:: of a ester-year the Ottoman -was smjt.en hi) and turban until they iieil howling. One of the very latest reports anent tlue Turkish

invasion of Egypt is that the' O torn an Government has loosed bands' of brigands and gaol thugs to fight Germany's cause. The lighting, when it oct'nrs, will be around Gati, which js variot. &Ey spelt on the maps as Katiyah or Quth 'aSome maps show Gati on the route I'o El Arish from Kantara, that is the' camel track into 'Syria, and that u* C by Napoleon on his retirement fret a Egypt. It is about 20 miles east of the Canal.

Eight years ago, on my way front f Australia to London, I passed through ! a small strip of Syria. It was there I|\ heard men speak of camel steak and I Jackal broth. Probably wo shall hear j more of these Eastern luxuries when i Bill comes marching home.

THE ATTITUDE OF UNCLE f.JAM.

One wonders whether nations in tho bulk i'eally possess sense of humoxr or ridicule. The present war has repealed Uncle Sam as a leaner person I'Viar. usual, wjth an abnormaly long iorjguc stowed away in the corner of .his cheek. I have never yet met. an E ls;lishman who took an American seriorsly except as a weird kind of commercial animal. At one time I used to frequent literary clubs and smake rooms

where men of various nation*, lties foregathered. To-day I recall-The quiet smiles my eulogies of Uncle'Sam and his works evoked. One learns, seoner or later, to understand the Englishman's smile. But from what I gather in the club rooms to-day, America will got the frozen hand and eye from three European Powers wren her day arrives'. It is when ÜBele Sam poses as tins friend of humanity that one yearns tt» present him with a gag. At the present moment h« is aiore or less busy preparing the way Sat peace, and telling the world at.large what a hot time: the Power will Ksave that dares ever again to break the neace.

GERMAN INFLUENCE IN UNITED I STATES. I Tn* : most casual glance at the Amer-fc ican political machine reveals the inv- j pocouee of any United States' Prosi* j d«?nt to interfere in a world conflict i against Austria and Germany. The poll- j ing n-achinc would not allow it. The j twelve million German-Austrian voters! in Ac.serica are, strong enough to send, j any hostile President to the far end of j nowhe to. Events have proved it. Sens | tors harye openly declared the fact. The signati a-e of the United States to any ■ peace <V»coment in the future mast ai- j ways <*epi;rsd for its good faith 071 the t will-power of its vast Germanic popu- ! lation. Only the other day Taft do- j dared that would not violate ! the Mdiro* Doetdoe if slie iiivadud J Canada. ITuft wait? s{:mply addressing | tlio.se '•en million Gorman-Ausfcrians, j and that is Anu-iict'.n sentiment in a • nutshell, ' N !

Only the other <3sy Mexico dared io sneeze or soniefhing, and forthwitlf Uncle Bam went warships to investigate the sne«fZK«. Unfortunately for Mexico she has. na> large influential German population to tell Bam to get. home to his cheesei barrels and wooden, hams. THE PUK. iSHMENT OF DE WET. Btfring tbj.> late Boer Wai a tale that gain ed wide credence wan that De Wet wajr< in reality none other than Charles Stewart Parnell. Jrislraacii in Irelamiß and America belim-ed the yam. It w.tis accepted by those who refused to b»elieve the true stovy of Farnell's deathr. The myth doubtless sprang from th'« undoubted resemblance that De Wetbore to the great, Irish .leader. I am anxious t© know what the Boer Government will do with, the rebel who bears the moist name. No doubt German gold waa responsible for his latest flutter. He jcvill probably got off with a caution unless it can "be proved that

Lie*, with certainty what world hapyx f. that were the. ea.-.f-i ■Anyhow, the G-iveriimeat thai conic, ae 3 a De Mojsture and iiis ways .night to be made out that hyena stew mentioned somewhere in this letter.