WITH OUR BOYS IN EGYPT.
HAWKRA TROOPER'S LETTER. We are permitted to make the following extracts from a letter received fro.n a Hawerp. trooper with the New Zealanders in Egypt;— "We have a very large camp, a good deal over 10,000 all told, and we are right on the desert, about seven miles from Cairo, 'although there, are. several small towns near at hand, Heliopolis is about 14 miles away, where wc go to church On Sundays, and there are some lovely buildings there. The church :s very big. and it is quite n. treat to see inside. We do not get worked very hard, and have plenty of leave. It is very hot tramping over the desert, but we are getting quite used to it by this time. 1 do not know how long wc will be here, but I fancy it will for a good while, as the Turks are expected to give a bit of trouble. ....
The natives are nowhere as good a class as the Maoris, and wc do not have anything to do with the beggars, except when we have a gang of them working. We have no straw in our tents nnd simply have a water-proof sheet to lie on, except, of course, our blankets. The ground is pretty hard, but we do not notice that much now. and sleep quite comfortably. *
We had a big day yesterday in Cairo. Prinee Hussein was made Sultan, and the English, Australian and New Zealand forces lined the streets for the procession. It tell you it was rather a fine sight.- I did not think much of the Sultan, but the horses were simply grand, the pure-bred Arabian ones, you know. Three of us went to the Pyramids last Saturday, and had a very interesting day. We saw all the various tombs, etc., of the kings and queens, and finished up by having our photos taken on camels in front of the Sphinx. . . . We are having very hot and dry weather here at present, and by the look of*th« place, I do not think it ever rains. By jove, Cairo is the place to see life! The population of the town is about half a million, so you ca n guess what it is like for size. I do not go into the town very often, but when I feel inclined several of us go into the nearer and smaller towns for the evening. The tent which I am in charge of is quite a cosv little place. We have bought mats for the floor from the natires, and they are a great improvement. Fruit is very cheap around here. You can get' oranges at 40 or 50 for a shilling. They are very refreshing when you are on the march, and we are always able to get plenty of them, as the natives follow us up.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 210, 12 February 1915, Page 3
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480WITH OUR BOYS IN EGYPT. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 210, 12 February 1915, Page 3
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