THE TENTH CONTINGENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2516, 4 June 1902, Page 13

THE TENTH CONTINGENT.

THE NORFOLK'S VOYAGE. i {From Otjb Special Cobsespondikt.) from "Wellington.) May 22. We arc about 100 miles from Albany, and are experiencing a furious storm. The I heavy sep. 3 striking tho ship make her tremble as if in terror of her life. She is proving a splendid sea boat, and, considering the force of the gale, is steady. The I word " fcteady " is hardly applicable just j now, for she is rolling to and fro. The upper deck is knee deep with restless waters, ' and it is only below and in the troop decks that a dry place for the soles of one's feet can be found. The veterinary officer and men, in addition to ordinary guards, were j up all night. The cry of " Horse down" j became too familiar. In several cases horses , got down, and were washed out of their | stalls. Ons animal was carried at least 30ft ' along the deck before it could get on its pins again. Several stalls aft were caught by a heavy sea, and smaslred in. Th«. horses were rolling on top of each other, ' but were soon released. So far ,only four ' are dead, but there are signs of the mor- ' tality in others. The equine life excites,., pity — horse 3 nearly mad with fright, horses in slinga oblivious to storm or noise, horses J in good health with ravenous appetities, , horses pleading with intelligent eyes and j whining tones for release. The sight of a i lot of horses on board a ship in a storm j can never bo forgotten. To see a few men fall on a swamped deck affords to the on- j lookers amusement, and when a mess orderly rolls over with his dish of Irish stew we laugh, knowing he will have another show and a fuller dish next time. But to see the horses fall, to hear their appeals, to see their wounds, and not to be able to give them shelter or solace, 'makes the heart ache with sorrow for the noble beasts. The steam winches have been at woifc slinging them up as fast as they fall down, and j those of the crew who could be spared have worked willingly in this rescue work. From horses to men. Wo have a good report. After leaving Sydney it was found at roll-call there was only one deserter, and evidence was abundant that his absence wae premeditated. He had been seen in Sydney in civilian's dress, and had failed to execute some commissions entrusted by inexperienced young men. A young man suffering from rheumatic fever will be left in the hospital at Albany, and long before this reaches i New Zealand it is hoped his friends will have had word of his convalescence. He is not dangerously ill, but the crowded state of the ship does not give facilities for hospital work. The health of the men continues good. Those who have been at sick parades do not speak highly of the taate of the doctor's drugs. The old story is re- j vived that he administers pills according to ' rank — one for a trooper, two for a corporal, ' three for a sergeant, and so on. A sergeant swallowed his three, and then blurted out, "Thank God, I am not a major!" Courtmartial business has not been of a serious nature, and a good feeling exists throughout the ship. Divine service was largely j attended yesterday, but the storm referred to arose immediately after. After leaving Sydney we encountered head winds and heavy seas. The ship's engines were kept at "dead slow," and for three days she did not average more than five knots an hour. The men's quarters were i dry, but the offic&re' cabins on the tipper deck were literally swamped out. The two officers of the Maori Contingent (Taranaki and Uru) suffered most. It was said that Uru had taken refuge in a tub found in his cabin, and wus heard singing, " I am out on the ocean sailing." The skipper did all ho conld for the comfort of those swamped out, and cheerfully took charge in his own cabin of portmanteaux, etc., that were not safe in the 'deluged deck houses. The horses stood the rolling well, but unfortunately, three succumbed, and two or three others look far from fit. Oh Wednesday, April JO, when off the Victorian coast, the storm ceased and the waters became as I placid as a lake. Advantage was taken of ! the good weather to put the ship into good order. Horses were shifted, stable floors moved, and everything cleaned up. Many a Chinaman's fortune was thrown overboard. A concert had been arranged for Tuesday evening, the 29th, but on account of the rough weather the majority of tho nrtista J and performers were indisposed, and it was postponed sine die. Wednesday evening ! being calm the concert came off in one of the troop decks. Sergeant-major Coleman, in | the chair, congratulated the management on their wise action in postponing the- concert and on the crowded state of the house. ' Ho noticed that the bo:cv, and stalls werf I full (and, indeed, they wore) of men 86 well ; as horpes. The singing of Troopers M'C'onnell and Opio was loudly applauded. Tho captain of the ship was present, and a heavy weight in sackcloth was lying in front of the chairman. A representative of Samson was called to lift it, and after the most sti'pnuou>3 efforts lie managed to carry it to where the skipper ptood. With Herculean efforts he toilod in turning it over, and cut [ away the sackcloth, when it turned out to | bi a loaf of the chip's bread. The joke was taken in good part, especially as all felt I there was no valid reason for complaint, with cue exception, and that was the ln-aw bread supplied for two days. Taken all through, the provisions are first-clasj. but some mon ! must grumble, and an Englishman without : a grie-.anee is a rara avis; and this ship is no exception. The complaints when analysed are very paltry. A trooper actually complained to his officer that thp horses sneezed on him as he passed. Needleee to pay, orders were issued to the horsea not to sneezo as men pa^ed the stalk. The i horses are disobeying orders, and will have ito be court-martialled. Some good fun breaks the monotony by the cartoons, parades, etc., of the "Norfolk Buster," pubI lishe-d by Sergeant-major Coleman and Serj geant Prictor. The names of the different I editors are not divulged— a very wise pre1 oaution Quoits are played on the quarter1 deck and ping-pong in the saloon. The I Tioopcrr. have every conceivable musical inj strument from a piano to a Jew's harp, and orca«ionallv the bagpipe appeals to the patriotic Scotchmen on board. The run j from Sydney to Albany haa been uneventf ul, with the exception of thf inconveniences I cau=r-d by tho gale> of the first three days. I Our stay" in Albany is only for a few hours, vhen no one but two or three officers will ' be. allowed a-hore. j

Tbero is no necessity to suffer from coughs mid tc.ld* while TUS3ICURA is a\ailal>le.