MYSTERIOUS LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1940, Page 8

MYSTERIOUS LAND

EGYPT AND ITS WONDERS "The heat at this time of the year is terrific," wrote Major S. F. Hartnell, of the Taranaki Comparfy, in a letter from Egypt dated August 10. "It is seldom we have a day or a night that is not terribly hot, but the winter is not far away n'ow, so that is something to look forward to. I think we all envy the second echelon their station in England." ■ - Physically, however, Egypt seemed to .agree with him, Major Hartnell said in mentioning that he had put on weight. At the time he was doing a "pretty tough" tactical course at the Middle East Tactical School. "They don't seem to mind how hard we have to work, even in the heat of the day," he.commehted. "However, we didn't come to have a picnic so we must not complain." Egypt was indeed a strange and mysterious country with its many wonderful sights, said the New Plymouth soldier. It was impossible to realise the countless ages that had elapsed since the great pyramids and wonderful tombs were made. He had been in a tornb built about 5000 years ago, yet the carvings and walls and their colours were as sharp and clear as if they had been 'the work of yesterday. The dry atmosphere did a great deal to preserye such creations. Only Rich and Very Fcor. The people of Egypt were found to be very interesting by Major Hartnell. There wer only two classes,' the very rich and the very poor. The wealthy lived a life of luxury while the poor existed on ls 6d a day and things did not seem to have chahged a great deal socially since the days of the Pharaohs. Farmers used exactly the same type of plough as they did when Christ was starting the Christian faith in that part of the world. The gathering of crops, the watering of land and the method of transporting goods and chattels on camels and donkeys had been unchanged for countless. ages. Cairo was a strange city with its great , modern buildings and, by contrast, its appalling slum areas and their strange and offensive odours and teeming masses of people. "There are some places I would not go alone at night for all Ihe money in the world," Major HartneE said. The modern part of Cairo, he continued, was very fine indeed. Wonderful buildings with good shops lined the streets with their never-ending flow of taxis, gharries and trams. Except for the colour of the people and their strange dress and headwear, one could easily imagine one was in a European city. In the . Mushy bazaar in the heart of old Cairo was made all the brass, gold, silver and copper work for which the Egyptians were famed. Narrow, crooked and smelly little streets with shopowners imploring passers-by to go into their premises made it all very interesting.. The place had not changed in hundreds of years and it was amazing what things could be bought there. Silks, rings, ' every type of curio likely to catch the eyes of the soldiers were stocked. After beginning by asking a terrific price the shopkeepers after bargaining and haggling usually came down to about half the original amount.