WITH OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 219, 23 February 1915, Page 6

WITH OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.

j ACTIVE SERVICE CONDITIONS. The following extract is made from an infantry private's letter, written 'from Zeitoun. Cairo, on New Year's Ive:— '•About 3 p.m.—A gloriously hot day without a cloud. Looking out over the hot, noisy camp from my writing-desk —a hard-packed sea-kit—l can see littV" squads of men kicking up the dust oii the sandy parade ground, and can hear the blare of half-a-dozen bands practising. Above the camp are great, (locks of huge crows, floating lazily along or volplaning swiftly to earth, always alert for any refuse i:i the long tent lines. You may be surprised that 1 am writing to-day, and at this hour; but the fact is that this company is not on parade at all to-day, because of a big day's work yesterday. Wo were paraded for review from 7 a.m. till 10.30 a.m., for route niilreh from noon till 4,30 p.m., and agr;;u at. p.m. for outpost duty, from which v.'e returned at (lawn. ! lilll-.t tell you about. tile outpo-d duty. Wo were a. company about 201) strong, Wearing big, thick overrents and muffled to the oars in sleep-in" caps, with rifles slmig across imr backs, and great square bags—a new addition to our equipment—slung where the overcoats usually hang. We were under orders to be absolutely silent, and even (he 'fa!!-i;t" was whisperer! to us, .Marching four abreast in the moonlight, wi'li their overcoats and equipment, to add to then- size, the men looked huge. And the silent tents and smooth {?i do. serf, lay as white as though under iv mantle of r-now. Not a' sound was hoard hut tlli* steady beat of cur marching feet. The I'vrht was cloudless and unite windless, fortunately; hut, we felt flic cold keenly for all that. Three miles out v.'e halted, and—oh. res-. ] forgot In mention that every sivint! man carried a pick or a shove!-then we commenced digging a, trench. Tn about an hour's time, when the trench was 120 yards long by -(ft wide and :!ft deep. We resumed our packs and overcoats, and lay down in the trench with an oil sheet under as, and a blanket on I on. Our rifles w>v mlcd in threes atom- feet, and a watch, to he relieved every half hour. Was placed on the look-out. This is regular work for actual warfare. Each night in camp outposts ".re J posted north, south, cast, and west. a'i'l usually consist of about. «■ fourth of the camp's strength, fn this war a complete ring is thrown around the sleeping camp.