SOLDIERS' PILGRIMAGE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16362, 6 November 1918, Page 8

SOLDIERS' PILGRIMAGE.

GLIMPSES OF NATIONS AT "WAR

Three months were occupied by one of the New Zealand reinforcement drafts in the journey from Wellington to a training camp in England. After a stay of some weeks in Jigypt, the troops were transported across the Mediterranean.

Describing the latter part of the journey, an Auckland soldier writes: — The port of disembarkation has a large inner harboui, connected to tho outer harbour by a short high-walled canal. As we glided through this entrance wo received ringing cheers from the townspeople who had flocked to the sides. They wore, I think, under the impression that we were Americans. We were. I think, the first New Zealanders to travel through Italy, and it was characteristic of our trip that we wero taken for Americans. A ten-minutes' march, and we were in an English "rest camp." Wo discovered iater that there were English Btaffs all along our route. After a twohours' spell, we moved to our train, a long one of about 30 trucks and two carriages. Some of the trucks wero French, some Italian, but all bore a legend in French, meaning that the truck would accommodate eight horses or 32 men. About 28 men wero packed into each truck: there were, of course, i no conveniences of any kind —not even seats. Imagine seven days of that! ATTEMPTS AT CONVERSATION. We followed the east coast for two days, seldom losing sight of the Adriatic for more than an hour or so. /At halts we would be given tea, and could have something equally appreciated—a ■wash. At about 8.30 p.m., we found ourselves in an inland town, where we "stayed till midnight. After tea we made a most amusing attempt to get into conversation with some of the Italians. A stick of chalk and numerous diagrams on the side of the Carriages were of greit assistance. To show that we cam© from New Zealand we drew a map of our islands, placing a large dot in the centre, and labolling "Tau Mauranui." An inspiration came to ono of our patients, and, seizing, the chalk, he wrote "Christofer Colombo, It-alien." He thought we wero "Yanks," and wanted to impress on us that an Italian had discovered America! We had by tEis time formed an impression of Italy. On the inland side as far as the eye could see towards Italy's backbone —the Appenincs—were fields, and orchards of olives, figs, grapes, and peaches. • But the one feature that struck us most was that not one square inch was wasted. All the farms were small, and carried practically no stock. Hence 110 wire fences, with two or three feet of waste ground on either side. The divisions were all of trees, or something useful, and the cultivation extended right up to their trunks. It was beautiful country to see, and New Zealand farmers oould take many a lesson from these people in thriftincss, and in making the full use of their land. o ur route was punctuated, as it by numerous "oldfashioned towns, m many of which the central part, or citadel, would be on high ground, and surrounded by the now crumbling wall. The people themselves were all of the poorer class, and appeared to have to work_ industriously for their living. There was a conspicuous dearth of men of fighting age, except, those employed in official capacitics. Young: and old alike pestered us for cigarettes. No sooner would tho train stop than some dirty urchin would appeal for' "cigarftto." They seemed to be fairly successful, for our boys enjoyed the novelty of meeting* them. Others, again, would ask us for "bif" (beef), or would exchange it for "vin" (wine). Our attempts to converse were limited to signs and a few French and Latin words. INDUSTRIOUS FRANCE. On tho fourth day after landing in Italy, the troop train crossed the frontier into Southern France, and wo entered the valley of tho Rhone, which we followed all day, travelling due north. All the ground in the neighbourhood was fully cultivated. Tho farms appeared to be small, and a. paddock of 10. or 15 acres would bo growing half-a-dozen different crops. As this was harvest time everybody was busy gathering in the corn or hay. But the labour was exclusively that of women, old men. and children. Many a man and woman past the allotted span of three scoro and ten was to bo seen toiling with the youth of school age. Yes, the pinch of war is felt here, and many a one who should bo enjoying a ripe old age in comfort, is slaving to support perhaps a grandchild whoso parent is with the colours, or may even havo "gone under." Contrast this with New Zealand, where one has api parently unlimited time and money to j spend on pictures, theatres, and race i meetings. New Zealand women, generally speaking, and certainly thoso in the cities, do not know what hard work j is. Who of them would rise with the sun ■ in the morning prepare breakfast for a < family, and perhaps her aged a dull ache in her side when she sees an ompty soat at tho head of the table; then labour all day in the fields, a"nd return in 'the evening to another tour of household duties? Aye but "It's a cruel war," as wo often remark with far less cause than these people, have. And yet they could spare tho time to give v<t a friendly cheer and wave as we passed. ENTHUSIASTIC GREETINGS.

The French people received us enthusiastically. in the evenings specially crowds lined our route and cueers ! were interchanged. At our stops we attempted to converse with them; our efforts meeting with a certain measure of success due mainly to the presence of a few French scholars. The French spoak very quickly, and are on that account hard to understand. Like the Italians, they seemed to appieciate cigarettes above all things. In the north the children asked us continually for biscuits. I hope they found more pleasure in them tnen we did. At 2 a.m. on the last stage of the railway journey, we woke to hear the distant rumble of the guns on the Western front. It was a low, distant, muttering note, punctuated every second or eo by the dull boom of heavy artillery. It mado the war seem pretty close. It was a wonderful trip that few of us are ever likely to forget. It provided food for the cyo and mind alike, and was a miniature education. Strangely, the journey did not tiro us unduly, nor did it appear lengthy, al--though eight' times as long as from Auckland to Wellington. In order that we might recover from our long enforced confinement, we wore marched a 1 few miles to U rest camp, whore we spent a day and a half with nothing to do but eat, drink, sleep, and be merry. In another portion of the camp wore American soldiers who interested and amused us. One of them remarked j with characteristic, Yankee twang "what beats mo is you fellows boing able to speak our language!" Their chief concern was to get to the "darned shooting gallery," as soon as possible.