ESCAPE FROM ASSOUAN.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1211, 10 December 1919, Page 7

ESCAPE FROM ASSOUAN.

HRITISn GARRISON'S PERIL

THRILLING NARRATIVE

A sensational narrative of how the British garrison at Assouan narrowly escaped annihilation during the natiro rising in Eovnt last- March was told by Lieutenant-<-olonol 0. E. R, Mackesy, C.M.G.. G.8.E.. U. 5.0., who returned from England by the troopship Remuera, on Sunday. Col* one! Mackesy was in command of thAuckland Mounted Rifles throughout the EgyjA-Palestrne campaigns. •"'The most" interesting part of my career," said tho colonel in an interview «ji) tho vessel, " was when a party oi 60 officers and their wives escaped bv the Bedouins at Assouan. One day early in Mareli I came back to Assouan at noon, and found the town in a state of wild excitement, POPULACE INCITED Bl" GERMANS•'The native population, acting upon German 'instigation, was rising against the British garrison. Not'a moment was to bo lost. 1 was the senior officer, and, rtrange to say, among tho junior officers in' the garrison there was one representative of everv part of the British Empire. " There were 14 English women., including the Misses E. and M. M'Donald, oi Wuiranipa, in the tow i, and the party as a whole showed the'finest spirit that 1 have ever seen. No order was questioned, thev were always cheerful, am. tho women' showed "tho most wonderful .spirits from that dreadful night when we eicaopd from Assouan until we Wiij lied Suez in safety. FL'GITIVES ON THE NILE: "Two ways of escape were open to its tho road and the. Nik. We knew that m all probability if we.took the road the J'.edouins would' overtake us, so we decided to go south, down the river, into tho wilderness. That night we took possession of a Sudan steamer lying at anchor oil the town, drove some stray sheep aboard to keep lis alive, .and collected the women in the hotel until the moment for escape was ready. To reach the open ,iver we bad to go through tour locka. .„.,] it was arranged that the pjrty should seal aboard in the quiet of the morning. ' "\\'e cot the women aboard without disturbance, and out of the way of stray J\, ttt „ but at dawn,- just, as .the little portv 'of officers was mduog oft, we found tiiat'tlie natives wee potting ont in their Wtrving to head us oh. Fortunately f,, r ~, however, we had the taster boat,. ~„(l though a few stray sh»t r were fired „,, us we reached the open river without casualty. But bad we stayed another niefht in Assouan," said the colonel, ' none „{ us would have. liyed to relate our ex|;.erienees in Sue/.."

SAKKTY AFTRK 30 DA VS. The escapees sailed down tho Nile for two weeks, anil l».v divers ways reached Vaiiibo. whore they landed. .According to Colonel Mackeay, 'his is the- firsjfc time thiit v. bites have been allowed to set foot in -Yambo, a town where the' English are Hoi looked ii|)on favorably by tho native population. . b'oitunatelv. however., ! nlouel Macfce.sy knew the principal residents, and trouble, which vras already brewing: was narrowly

averted "■ ■ <■'• ' Another boatr"was_ .procured, -anil the nartV left- for Wedge, and, linally.ai'ier 30 days' strenuous travelling, reacted" Snea in'safety.