MAORILANDERS IN EGYPT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 232, 10 March 1915, Page 5

MAORILANDERS IN EGYPT.

A ITARA-XiAKI BOY'S LETTER. Mr. W. H. Hawkins, of Tataraimak: whose eldest son is in Egypt with tli Expeditionary Force, has kindly allowe ' us to publish a few extracts from letter he lias just received, dated Jami ary 22, 1015. • n "We are in camp at Zeitun, about fou miles from Cairo. All the New Zealan a force is here and there is quite a cit under canvas. . . , There are ten o us in our tent, and tliey are all goo mates. . Two of them are out of th Black Watch and were right throng: the South African campaign. They ar used to roughing it, and exercise i steadying influence upon the rest of us • • . .It as winter here now, but i is hotter in the day time than is mid summer in New Zealand. I tell yoi we felt it at first, just after,coming.of the boat. Reveille 5.30 a.m., breakfas 7 a.m., parade 7.30. We had to marcl about seven miles out into the deser - and skirmish for an hour or two, am ■ then march back to- camp. about- 2.30 e are right on the edge of the Sahara and the walking is deadly heavy, A 1 the skirmishing was done at the double and by the time we got back to cami we were just about done. The dual and heat were deadly. We had to cam our equipment, overcoat and ride. The experience was searching," and you could easily,sort out the men with faulty make-up. However, we are now hard as na.ls, aid even the faulty make-up! find their muscles firmer and their backs s llTe '' ■ • w o have a company oi about m from Ceylon attached to the New Zealand force . They call them selves the Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps and are all reputed to be independent men who have formed the corps and equipped it at their own expense. Their uniform is khaki shorts and shirts, and puttees, instead pi stocking. A -really sturdy ami finely; set-up body of men. v• • T !' ere aro #lso two battalions of Territorials from East Lancashire camped alongside of us. "j would give. a lot for a sight of a bit of JNow Zealand scenery. Food is very cheap here, and t ? o shillings a day goes on F, my- E 'ght oranges for twopence Halfpenny, twelve large tomatoes for the same price. We were paid today, , and I am the only one -jleft in the tent to-night, the other chaps having gone , into Cairo, and I know it will be a work 01 art" keeping order when they come home.. They are hound to be slopping over.' . I am writing this letter while lying sprawled out on the floor of the tent My light is a candle stuck in a bottle. The position is not conducive to brain work or artistic writlnS. Life here is getting monotonous and we would welcome a 'sniff,' no matter to where., Wiicame in last' night after four days' bivouac about 14 miles out in the desert. The time spent taxed the strongest of us 411 water and supplies had to be carted out from the main camp. We were com polled to go without a wash the whole i""-'' V' ) Ve (luring the last ten days, and some of the boys have been pretty bad, but they had to go on with the game never, theless. My arm was a bit 'crook,' hut not nearly a s . bad as some- -.j suppose you -will hear all. sorts of'-ru-mors from chaps writing home about the hardships we have gone through. Well, don t believe the talcs of anguish. It is only the wailing of' a few. Heaven alone knows how they'll get ohwlien they arrive in the trenches at the front, 'No floubt alsp you hear a lot about the tucker. You may easily p U t t] le cover on two-thirds 0 f the murmuri'ngs. As a matter of fact, we might get more food than is served out to us sometimes but speaking- generally things are satisfactory. There are a number of grumblers about wli 0 expect a bill of fare' here in the desert the same, and even better than, at tTie Royal Oak or the Grand Hotel. Tlie thing is ridiculous. I will be quite satisfied if tilings never get worse, than they have been so far. The grumblers are always the noisiest, and consequently their voices carry the furthest. Yet the {treat bulk of the boys are performing their tasks from day to day without any fuss We arc as hard as nails now and as long as men leave the We' alone r feel; sure everything will "pan out twenty pennyweights to the dish."