THE NINTH CONTINGENT.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11278, 20 May 1902, Page 5

THE NINTH CONTINGENT.

THE SOUTH ISLAND SECTION.

FROM ALBANY TO DURBAN.

(FBOM OPK SPECIAL COIIBKSrO.NT)ENT.) DURBAN, April 12. We dropped anchor in the roadstead at Durban at 3.45. to-day, just 31 days out from Port Chalmers, and are now lying two or three miles out, awaiting orders. Of course, we expect to disembark here; but one can never tel. We may be sent to Delagoa Bay, or to Port Elizabeth, or to East London. So far n-o news has reached us. No launoh has come alongside, although we have been gazing over the side of the Ktnt for the last three hours. We are notquite so important as we fancied ourselves to be. Ht-re we are., the transport Kent, with 521 officers and men, and 556 hoises, anxiously awaiting orders and eager to get to the front, and no one has taken any notice cf us! To return, however, to our voyage. We had a very good time at Albany during the three dayw we spent there. The people of ill ban v appear to be particularly good to New Zealand troops. They say the New Zoalanders are the best-behaved troops that they have ever seen, and they have had a varied experience of colonial contingents. J On the Monday morning half the battalion were sent ashore in a launch, and came back at noon. The other half of the men went \ ashore at two o'clock, and returned at bix. | On the Monday night the officers gave a dance in the Oddfellows' Hall, or some such , place, fro which they invited all the leading people of Albany, and "bright the lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men." I'm afraid that's a rather a hackneyed quotation ; but a very enjoyable evening was spent—at least, so say those who were so fortunate as to be there. j On the Tuesday we left five men behind I us, invalided, an«J at 5.30 p.m., amidst waving of handkerchiefs and music from j the band, we steamer out of King George's Sound on our 4000-mi!.e voy- I aga to South Africa. What a wonderful voyage it is from Albany to Durban—l mean as regards -weather. We have on board with us rosn who have done this voyage with 01-hsr contingents on the Monowai, the Gymeric,~ihe Waimate, and tbe Maori, and they till have practically fohe sane© tale to tell—always the game fine weather, the same calm sea, the same brigbt, sunny days. It was just-the.same -with us until two nights ago, when a strong breeze and a heavy swell made things rather uncomfortable, not so much for the men as for the horses. A busy night it was last Thursday night down in the horse lines. By 5 o'clock in the evening' it looked as if we were in for a bad night, and by 8 or 9 o'clock all the officers and men were at work in their lines looking after their horses. It was a queer sight. The long alley-ways were crowded with men, and as the Kent rolled to starboard one saw a long- line of hundreds of horses' heads surge forward in unison, as if some parade "order had been given. Then, as the boat rolled to port, back all the horses' heads disappeared, to the accompaniment of a dull, heavy thud as their feet canra to a standstill on the battens. Every few minutes a horse would go down in his stall, and half a dozen men were instantly at work getting him on to his feet again. Some of the weaker hordes that fell had to bo hauled out of their stalls into the alley-way before they could be got on to their feet. The poor brutes were so legweary after standing in their narrow stalls for 30 days and 30 nights that when they got .down they wanted to stay down, and when they were dragged out into the alleyway they lay flat down on their sides and declined all invitations to rise.' One could fancy them saying: "Oh! this is Paradise. Do let mc a^one!'' Thanks to the devoted attention and veterinary knowledge or Captain Brand (the veterinary officer) and his farrier-major and assistants, we have lost only six horses from Dunedin to Durban'out of 562. Tlie daily inspection of the ship, which takes plaoe at 11 a.m. is a formidable .proceeding. Punctually at 11 each day a procession, consisting of the captain of the Kent, accompanied by Major Jackson, the adjutant, the orderly officer, the chief medical officer, the veterinary officer, and the orderly-sergeant end orderly corporal of theday, statffcs on its round of inspection, and' visits every part of th© ship, going round.all the horse lines and. men's quarters. After leaving Albany parades were held twice daily for the purpose of instruction in'manual and firing exercise. The men were drilled in squads by officers and noncommissioned ofilcers. Practice in shooting wis given at the stern of the boat. Boxes and bottles were thrown overboard, and we blazed away at these as long as they.were in sight. Sometimes one would see a box 800 yards astern getting peppered by-a squad of ten men in a way that augurs badly for the Boers. Several concerts have enlivened the proceedings, one of the most enjoyable being beld in No. 3 hatch one evening, when the whole of the itemslwere provided by Major Jackson and his offiers. 'Lectures on "First Aid" have -been given, ■by Surgeon-Captain Deck and Surgeon Falconer.