SOUTH ISLAND BATTALION. THE VOYAGE TO ALBANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 54

SOUTH ISLAND BATTALION. THE VOYAGE TO ALBANY.

Ti. 1 op -hip Kent. Snlurtla}-, March 22 Tv hron\fa-t ti.no tomrrrow we <-houlcl bo in \'b.i'iy. 1 lie Kent n not a very fa-t b< .it h'-r iato of «-peed having ranged from ?30 id 2£o iiv'e- per day. Tho weather on t' < whole has been good, "and tho voyage ii'ievi-ntful On Thur-day 13th in-t., when vro had been 24 hour-> out from Otago Heads, and wfero loisuni aig'it of tlie New_ ZeaJjuul toaaV,

a number < f telegram's were handed round. At f«r=t many of the recipients weio dubious about takn.g- them. We '■trorgly suspected that -omeone vv.is trying to "have ' v«. and were still trore sii s p*c'ous when the officer distributing the tanuliar-locking envelopes said. "" Latest wires ju-t rtcoivetl by pigeonpost. ' It turned out. how over, that they (imc from a inad-b;;g that Itad beoa put on bciartl at tlie last moment, and. 111 the htirry and confu-10.1. had been overlooked for 24hour-. j C'-jpni n.T 11 MjcDon.il.l a*ii'm rt d comI mantl ot (' .Squadron from th" 15th in-r., j mpo Captr. m Deck, who l.a- been tran=j f erred to tho medical »tatt". Captatn Det-k is a medical man. who h.i=- bet 11 piacti-i'ig nt Mofueka. in the Ne^on district, (^aptam W. Ma r -hall as-ivnod command of D .Squadron from the same date, vice Captain Halpm. ui..at;.t "iot!. Ail four squadrons are I now commanded by oflieor- vho have al I ready -cm a yo:u- pprv ire m .South Africa. ' aid who have t'*e ad\,iiit?c,e f'l a thorough ! kuowletlee of th.* vvo;k th?t hrs before them and tlie varied tlr.fi 1*:1 *:- tli"v' will have to pei ft. 1 in. Many o) the nun v.oie v erv ill i.n the , Thur-day and Frulav . and n wa- o;h^ with I difficulty tli't the tioop officer* coul'l cot a «uf[icir-nt lui-nber of men together to tarry o;it the .-ti'bl^ duno-. One irooner who ; v.a-. bountifully frrdmg tli>> fi-hc- lot 30 hi- "divnor =w\ 'oe ' a- well, aud taw a complete s-tt th^ippwr t.vri th 0 siap'- sitle. i A- the army rai.on ln.-cint 1- l.ot 10 b" I ue_'otiatul by «ny but ihe b, -t nrnulei-. I this unicruiiiato trooper will inobably be sent back fiom Albany to be nfitt.d. By Frulav aftei noon" mc-t of the men net sufficiently recovered to aft to work, and even the band pulled itself together, got upon it- feet, albeit they were somewhat phaky feet, and paved l.alt a dozen sslcetions I during officrr-' v-. I*-.1 *-. I On Saturday imniung at the sick parade ! about 50 ca-o- pie-i-ntcl themselvc^ before I the mt,tbtal oflitc;-. mc-t of the Miffeierbeing merely victims of sea-ickne-s. aggravated, cfoubt -^^, 111 many cases by ' home-sic km In the evening a concert w:.licld in th« men'- quarter-, at wlueh thf officers were present, and a 1 irqc amount 01 talent was discov<ied to t \ist anion^ tit N.C O.s a lid mm. On Sunday tiio -.c k p.'rad° wa- rcdi. erd to 30, and most of thf=-e ta-c- wore returned by tho n.c.'uoal offien- - "fit for h'fht duty." At 3 p.m. c'inrc'i pi-i!' 1 ;\a ; ink' 111 Nt). 3 Latch Caji. 111 ! 1 !•'«.' (em mander of tho tuop'h.p) -.d ' poi-ri- 11 ol the Chun !i of .CugLii'd -?i > t c. . nc' C'"i j/an. captain Dutton re.i.l th" li:-' !■>■.- ■ .:!trr which a '.VT.in va- Ming. ai..l ti n lii c ,iap lain d"bvered an t. trnc=t adil-e-- !n|l () : practical cniiirtm son*c and a'':-mab'y adapted to the oica-son. Thi-> w.ii fo! : owii by another hvmu. eveivbodv joiiuu_ r will. c\coi!snt eifcot in tho v.oid "Stand up. c tand up for .le.-u-." The thnplnm th-11 offered up a '•hort pviyn. an'l tho s<^rv ice vvas bro'.ighc to ,1 conchi'-ion by a ver-e of the National Anthem. simi£ with preat force. In the evening tl c chaplain held a voluntary service. whi"h «?- laigely attended. Monday vvas a bright, beautiful day, witii a calm sea and a blue sky. The «ick paiado was redufed to a dozen, and all except t!n.dozen were going about their work with cheerfulness and alaenty. A boat-drill parade wa- held at 2.30 p.m. The men were told off fa the boats which they wou'd occupy in casa of emergency, and in a fey. minutes they took up the position allotted to them. Tn the afternoon the island* jiort'i of Tasmania were t learly visible, and th" sight of lantl again wa* apparently veiy welcome to tho«e poor lads who had nevei been to sea befoio. At 7 p.m. we were abreast of the Wil-on's Promotory light, and next morning we signalled the C'-ipe Otway lighthouse at breakfast time In the afternoon, between 2 and 3, when the men were off duty, the baud enne on dock and played o number of sf Wtiou;- 111 v1 ry cood f-tj'le Tlx^ thank* ot both offii "i> and men arc cine to the Ldie- who <o kindly took in hind tho ta*k ot pi.nuling the battalion with band nistiuine-ut^. Some jiiiu-einent vva-, cau-etl tiie other evening by one: of the -entries on the hoi>c line<-. At the dead of night the orderly ofTicer ua- Lfoinj/ Iv« u-ual round of in-pec-t i«'ii ti> -cm< il.it the picket uire alort ; nil ..Uintiw to th«'ii tlutie-. In ptrfonmng tlnduty it 1- ii'ittal for the officer to question tho ■-c nti io-, to m'p that they have been propel ly ln-tiuttetl. antl one of the quetious ino?t fietiuontly put 11 in ri-ferem^ to an outbreak of fin- On being a-ked what he would do in the event of In, finding the i-hip on fiie. the fir-t -entry interrogated I romptly replied . "(Jo quickly to tho budge and infoini the effiror on duty there. ' " Very Ejood ' .-aid the < rciei'ly OHII T, niltl pa.^.-etl <r i to xhf ne\t '-cntij. " Sentry ' " Sir ' " ' What Hoiild yon '!t> if yon di-t o\ erod the -hip (o bo oil fire ' "Yell out like am thing. -11," tame the prompt but totally unexpected uiiM\ei. The only promotions that haxe been made on hi ard are in C Squadron Tliet-e were lend'TCtl neee-t-ary by the "absence"' of Soigoant Robertcon, and t<. fill the vat.incy the following j.i oii'otions apn< aretl in ordt 1- — 765/ Coipoial •). Kt-inwclv, to be -errant, uce F \V. Robcrt-on. de-cited. 8121 Lauce 1 oipor.il F. Ma-011, to b« cm poral. v,ol- Ki'imedy, projnoted. 7612 Private T A. Ballantyne. to K» l.v.ice corporal, vhc Ma-on, piumoti-d.