WITH THE CAMEL CORPS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15919, 5 June 1917, Page 7

WITH THE CAMEL CORPS.

BY COMPASS IN SANDSTORM

• In private letters to his homefolk "Trooper Bluegum," of the "Sydney Morning Herald' 1 staff, chats pleasantly about some of his experiences with camels,, one corps of which ho commands in.Sinai. "I'm fit as a fiddle," ho wrote on March 17th, "fairly revelling in health and strength, despite rough tucker, bully beef (plenty of it, and good), and long, dreary rides on camels. That daring traveller and distinguished Oriental linguist, Sir Richard Francis Burton, in one of his books has reoorded that 40 miles on a camel is a great feat in one day. Well, I took my section over 40 miles Wednesday over shocking country, sandhills so steep that vro had to dismount and literally drag tho animals up and down the hills. For ten hours wo wore in a sandstorm so fierce that wo couldn't see a dozen yards in front of us. I had. all tho limo to steer by compass, but wo were lucky enough to reach our objective. The flying sand cut our faces, and tho heat blistered our lips. Wo only had one small water-bottle each, but our boys acted splendidly. Not one fell out, and we finished our journey lato at night all well and 'cheerful as sandboys.' "Yon can have no idea what thoso sandhills are like. It's a work of art choosing the best place for crossing. Camels aro awful cattle in hilly country. They are great on level ground, and will trot on for hours with a heavy load up. But at tho slightest hill they walk or actually stop. Then we havo to dismount, and actuallv drag them alone; the camol is a paradox. I would just have loved it if I could havo stopped to take a few snaps of us dragging thoso camels down a hillside almost like the side of a house. Every minute* they threatened to turn turtle. They looked at times as if they wero poing to turn Turk! All tho while sandstorm mado tho journey 6uch a picnic a s you don't sec at Ba'moral or Fern Bay. Howover, we 'got there' all | richt. Onr only recret was that wo I came across no Turks on tho way."