NEW ZEALANDERS AT CAIRO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16288, 22 January 1915, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS AT CAIRO.

LETTER FROM THE FRONT. Following is a letter, written by Mr V. Jervis, from tho Zeitun camp, near Cairo, and dated December B:—"As you will see by the above, we are now in Egypt in camp. After leaving Aden we heard rumours of landing in Egypt, and at buez these were confirmed, and wo disembarked at Alexandria and came on here last Thursday night. You will think I have forcotten you, as it is such a long time since 1 wrote, I think about when we were at Aden That is a terrible place, just a hugo rook rising out of a dreary desert, and seems to be about the last place made. We saw there about 10 transports wiih British Territorials going out to India. We only stayed there ti very short time and didn't gel ashore, so there wasn't much to see there. We then went ni> the Red Sea for about six days, and it was pretty hot. The coast is absolutely barren, with big ranges of mountains, among them Mount Sinai, famous in the timo of Moses. Suez is right at the head of the Red Sea, and is a very flat place, right on tho water level. We stayed there a few hours, and, as usual, were surrounded bv native craft. After a lot- of preliminaries we entered the canal one after the other, Now Zealand in front. The canal is cut right through the, desert, and is about 100 yards wide. The ships ahead looked very funny, just as if they were steaming straight through the sand. Wo passed a lot of Indian troops lining the canal on the Turjiish side, who all hailed us gladly. At night the scene was very fine. Each ship had a searchlight in the bows, and it lit up i.hn narrow winding canal and bare sandy banks for a long way ahead. About 3 o'clock in tho morning I was awakened by a fearful din. and discovered it was natives coaling the ship. Thev each came up with a basket of coal, emptied it and went back for more, all the while gabbering and shrieking like a lot of monkeys. We were at Port Said, and a very well built and prosperous place it appeared. There were two British and three French warships there, besides onr own escort, and with us the place seemed pretty full. Native boats simply swarmed around, and the whole place seemed alive wirh them. That afternoon, after we had coaled, wo steamed out on our own, and made for Alexandria, where, we were to disembark. Wo landed there next morning, and found the harbour full of shipping of everv description. We didn't have much time to look at the surrounding country as we got off the boat .about 9 a.m. and started to load up our train. We stayed on that wharf till 8 o'clock that night, when we piaetcally had to patrol the whole train to keep tho natives from selling had whisky to tnc men. We musr la ive broken about three dozen bottles of the stuff while we were there. We moved off about 8 p.m. in horrible third-class vans, and spent about the worst night I have had in a train before wo arrived at our destination at about 5.30 next ihorning. Wo then marched out iiere and found that we were to camp on the desert, absolutely nothing but sand as far as wo could see. We sat down and patiently waited for our baggage to arrive, and then put up the tents. After all tho work was over pretty well everyone went 0 cal *P. J ®! to Cairo. I was orderly ofhcei, and had to stay in camp. The general came round and found the camp deserted, and wanted to know why, and said everyone had to come back. I was 8 ™ Tff 1 a + I "' art - y ro scou '- round Zeitun, about 17 r /' Vas Sen , t , into Cairo with about 17 men to get all our fellows back as soon as possible. We didn't get back !,;ll ' T ut a "d were dead tired. Next "J? 1 lnto Cairo with another officer, and had a look round. The town is very well laid out, and prottv large, with with 0 ™??* buik , lingS '- It is swarming tion- Thf CaPS natlves of a] l descripa large number of cafes, all run on the French system of open air tables and chair. About two miles from us, 011 the way to Cairo, is one of tho most beautiful o!Titv 11 «Jt T is c - alled Heliopolis. •/ - ? Sun. It is a suburb of Cairo, and was built to cater for the swarms ot tourists who visit here in winter. Eight years ago it was a bare desert, now it is a collection of the most beautiful buildings I have even seen. They are all built oSt of white sandstone, and the architecture is wonderful, even the smallest houses and shops being works of art. One of tho hotels, now shut down, is reckoned the most sumptuous place of its kind in the world, and it certainly looks it. I will have to tell more about thc.so places another time With the Australians and ourselves there are .about 85,000 troops here, including British Territorials. Indians, and native troops. They say we are likelv to stiv here till after the winter, and do our training here, as this is a better place to do it at this season of the year than in England. We will then probably go straight to France. -They think there may be some fighting with tho Turks here, but of course wo don't know."