A LETTER FROM CORPORAL NUT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 67

A LETTER FROM CORPORAL NUT.

NINTH NEW ZEALAND REGIMENT ON BOARD THE TROOPSHIP KENT, FOR SOUTH AFRICA.

Dear Dot,— l really never intended to write to you again, but I was talking to Lieutenant Con, and he advised me to write, so I shall try to give you a. description of the voyage as far as we have gone, and I can post it at Albany; and perhaps I'll post the rest when I land at Durban. Leaving Port Chalmers about 4 o'clock on March 12, the troopship Kent, with the Ninth Contingent on board, began her passage to Durban. As we rounded the Heads, of course those who had never been to sea before began to feel a trifle giddy. It is all very fine saying, " Oh, I shan't get seasick! " but when the ship begins to roll, and it's a case of "What, ho, she bumps' " I can tell you they sing a different tune. I felt slightly top heavy for a day or two, but I was never properly sick. Some poor chaps were terribly bad, and they are not right yet some of them; but they'll be all right in a day or two. We passed the Bluff the next morning, and lost sight of New Zealand that afternoon. Dear old New Zealand — rt may l>e a long time before we see you again. The next two days passed without anything very startling occurring. We have the same old loutine: Reveille 6 a.m., stables 6.30, breakfast 8, dinner 1 p.m., stables 4.30, tea 6, first post 9.30, last post 10 p.m. On Sunday, church parade was held in the main troop deck at 3 p.m., and ngain in the evening at 8 o'clock. On Sunday the weather was pretty rough, the Bbip rolling and tossing like one o'clock. It cleared up on Monday, but on Tuesday morning it blew like anything. We lost our first horse that day. The rough" weather is very hard on the horses, for they get bumped from one side to the other; still, it is wonderful liow they stand it. We have all right concerts aboard at nights. Then we have the band playing on deck every fine afternoon, co the time passes plea&antly enough. We m<^t four sailing ships one day, and we meet a steamer nearly every day now. This is Friday, 21st, and another of our horses passed away to a better land to-day, and was committed to a watery grave, the funeral sc-rvice being brief but effective. The weather is all that could be desired to-day. Altogether, I think we have had a capital passage. We sighted land for the first time on St. Patrick's Day. The land proved to be a small island off the coast of Tasmania. On the evening of the same day we sighted tho Victorian coast, and passed quite close in at [Wilson's Promontory, sigualhng to the lighthouse the next morning. We continued in sight of land all day, but next morning we had lost sight of it altogether. We expect to get to Albany on Sunday, so it won't be long till I see land again. Well, Dot, I think I'll " ring off. ' With love to all the L.F., the editor, and your own dear self,— Yours truly, NUT. [It is very kind of Nut to let us hear how the Ninth fared ou the voyage, and I am sure all my friends will look forward eagerly to the continuation of the narrative, and to an occasional letter from Xut when he is far aw.ty on the veldt.— DOT.]