NEWS OF THE FOURTH CONTINGENT.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10763, 17 September 1900, Page 5

NEWS OF THE FOURTH CONTINGENT.

Mr John Davies, who accompanied the Fourth Contingent, as assistant to Dr. Watt, bats written to his father, Mr J. Davies, of Lvttelton, under date July 29th, Manzinayama in Rhodesia. The writer explains that the name of the place signifies "Plenty r of meat and water." The Contingent "was on the inarch from Bulawayo to Tub", and a i good idea is given by 'Mr Dairies of the 1 troubles that had to be endured. "In some 1 places," he says, "the horses had to- be watei-ed with a- bucket from a hole in the sand, troopers having to take their water from the same hole before the horses and bullock. c . To give this water each troop has to be twenty-four hours behind the others on the inarch, so you can imagine what water we drink at times—water we would not let pigs drank in New Zealand. We daren't drink it until it is well boiled, and even then, it is slimy and greasy on the top. We make tea or coffee out of it and drink it ■with relish, and sit around our camp fire and eat our hard biscuits and bully beef with as joyful faces as when we had the best of food in our happy homes'across tho sea. Yes, a soldier's life is a great one. Many hardsliips have we to contend with, but happiness and content reign everywhere about, and at night one hears singing from one camp five, laughing and talking from another, whistling from another, and eilence from another —a lot who are tired aiu{ asleep. Since we left Buluwayo we have had a. good time. We Dass plenty of stores now. and can buy butter, cheese, jams, fish, r.-itmeal, milk. etc.. so we live better than we it id on our first long march, from Mar en(M'ms to Buluwayo, which took 25 days, and t':iy wi-re 25 days of hardships; but al-th.-ugh they v.-eie days of hardships I would sooner have been here than at home with plenty-to ifc'a-esperi*

enee, and I wouldn't hays lost it for much money. . . . \y e have been sleeping in our clothes for over a month now, and haven't been under shelter, excepting that of a tree, for the.same period of time; the sky is our roof. It's a very healthy climate, and a great country for consumptive people. It's very hot in the dsy it's winter), and just the opposite at night. , ' In a letter dated July 30th Mr Davies says the inarch to Tuli uad been countermanded and the Contingent had returned to Buluwayo, having killed two lions and several deer.

Captain Walker, of the s.s. Ormazan, has to a friend in Lyttelton to the etfecfc that he experienced terrible weather on the voyage to South Africa, and at the date of the letter, July 29th. the deaths of horses on board had "numbered 27. Ha speaks very eulogistically of the men who 'had charge of tho horses, nnd says they bt?<haved well, -worked well, and proved themselves worthy of the name of New 7«ealanders.