ARMY TRANSPORT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13972, 19 April 1916, Page 3

ARMY TRANSPORT.

A KANGAROO VISITOR. THE HUMAN DEPTHS. An army transport sergeant writing to a friend m Hastings* says : — "Meeting incoming troops is a far more tiring game than a good long trek On the long road, one sees the ' stuff loaded, and it may not be touched till the destination is reached, and then one has the teams all jingling along m a string behind, "'.whereas, at this other game, I am almost sure to be tied to the railway siding, with the waggons ••oming and going all the timo. I have it) trust the chaps to. .find their destinations or send a corporal 'in charge and trust him, and, of course, it's all a bit of a worry, with Btuff going to half a dozen different destinations.

"This morning at stables a . mascot kangaroo strayed along and the nags were highly interested r whilst one of the drivers, an Australian, nearly cried with joy. Latter*.' the kangaroo hopped up to a tethered camel, and they had a great pow wow. The niggers are very scr." ■ <1 of kangaroos and run for their lives.

"It is astonishing what depths there are m some of these rough untutored chaps. One man' l know, has- 'criminal' written on his face. He *seems at first to be bad right through. ' I gave him a splendid team after he haa served a term of imprisonment, and I said quietly to him, 'D- I'm giving you one of the best pairs m my section. Look after them well, and I shan't bother you. Get troublesome again, and you lose them.' That was five* months ago. He has eften been drunk since, but only at night, and) "has team is a picture of beauty. He said to mo one night on picket — the time I get close to the boys — 'Sergeant I never had a living thing to look after before, I've always been m trouble, but I'm— you know "a bloke gets kinder fond. of "'is 'orses.' That was the only way ho could express it. but it means just this, ' that the chap never had a chance— born and reared God knows where and how—and though the iron had entered his soul and he trusts no man, yet he can find something that he can lov*e and/ trust, and that needs his care. So he Keeps straight because he must be, m order to keep his horses, and they love him and has great rough voice, and follow him about like a pair of big dogs. When I find_ a man neglecting his horses I take him to ace this pair, and say. 'Look at 'em. feel their skin, and then go and look at your own, and kick yourself over the stable.' These rough chaps are more use to me than the bank clerks and ribbon measurers. These are ' all right m their • own place, nq, doubt, but not with ns. We want hardy, capable men m the transport. "One day T saw a mPst (amushit? tiling, Three English territorials, with a six mule team, were stuck m "the wind, at\d one. of my boys cam« past with a single pair of 'horses.. -•' He stopped a. minute to watch, and said with terrible scorn. 'Why don't yon lot 'em pull?' They told him 'his 'mouth was too big,' etc.. and he got down, unhitched his waggon, hooked on m front of tho mules, -and pulled-- the' bally, lotout on to the. hard . toad. '-You blokes want to learn to drive,' he said, 'if yon was mules you'd knqw. what I m'eau'' "