OUR ILLUSTRATIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue II, 14 July 1900, Page 81

OUR ILLUSTRATIONS.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS ABROAD. HOME THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL. We make the following extracts from the letters of the kindly correspondent who is sending us pictures of his trip through the Suez Canal, and across the Continent to England. He says: “Our voyage from Colombo to Aden was uneventful, save for the usual board-ship squabbles, scandals, and amusements. We had athletic sports, dances, multitudinous tournaments of every sort of game, and two monster progressive euchre parties. At Aden, owing to the plague in India, we could not go ashore, but this was not much loss, as the steamer did not wait long enough for us to have visited the celebrated tanks, these vast receptacles requiring an excursion of several hours. Passing through the narrow straits of Beb-el-man-deb, we saw where the splendid liner China, was run ashore, and were amazed at the carelessnes which could have entrusted a huge ship and hundreds of lives to subordinate officers in so dangerous a spot. The Red Sea behaved very well. It was certainly hot, but nothing unbearable, and the last night before we arrived at Suez was so comparatively eool that one young globe trotter assumed his overcoat, presumably for the purpose of afterwards boasting be had found the Red Sea so chilly he was obliged to wrap up. It was in the Red Sea we had the fancy dress ball, and this function was a brilliant success. A champagne bar was presided over by two extremely good-looking young- stewards dressed as barmaids. Clean shaven, and with flaxen wigs they made extraordinarily fine-looking girls,; and caused much merriment. Suez is an insignificant strip of houses;.and seems as a city of the dead amidst a limitless expanse of sand on the one side, and sen on the other. Our stay here was very brief, and almost before we realised it we had entered the canal.

At first one imagines it will not be easy to tire of the-wonder of the thing. It looks almost as if one could jump ashore, so insignificant is the gap of wafer betwen ns and the banks. A number of lads and lasses, in the scantiest attire, raced along the banks, just keeping, up with the steamer, which goes at what seenjs to us a snail’s pace. These lads disillusionise us as to the distance. They shout for pennies or fruit, and it is a very fair throw to get an orange or an apple ashore. The outlook becomes so monotonous ' and heat is so extreme that, as a fact, we soon retire to our deck chairs and leave one of the wonders of the world unobserved. Port Said we reached at night. It is probably the wickedest and vilest city in this earth. We walked round several of the dancing and gambling saloons, and the sights were certainly the reverse of edifying. [A detailed description of sonie of the scenes witnessed is given bv dur correspondent, but for various reasons we omit this.—Ed ‘‘Graphic,”] We took on a. considerable quantity of coal here and some huge fish were brought on for the freezing chamber. Thev looked much like gigantic hapuka. I shall send the next series from Brindisi and Naples. KITCITEN ER’S DEF EAT. The following amusing yarn is related concerning Lord Kitchener, the subject of our picture. Whilst the lord of Khartoum was engaged in stamping out the rebellion in the Prieska district, he ordered the destruction of a farmhouse which was occupied—in the intervals of potting rooineks—by a party named Reitzman. Visiting the place a day later he found the house still intact. Tn the doorway of the doomed farmhouse stood a Dutch girl, pretty as a picture, her hands clasping the lintels and her eyes bidding defiance to the Irish sergeant who was in charge of the party of destruction, and was vainly endeavouring to persuade her to let them pass in. But; to all his blandishments of “Arrah, Darlint: Wisha now, Aoushla,” ete., the maiden turned a deaf ear, and a deadlock prevailed. Kitchener's sharp “What's this?” put a climax to the scene. The girl evidently guessed that this was the dreaded chief-of-statt and her lips trembled in spite of herself. Kitchener gazed sourly at her, standing bravely though tearfully there, and turned to "his military sec-

retary, “Put down,” he growled, “that the commander's orders with reference to the destruction of Rightman’s farm could not be carried out owing to the unexpected opposition. Forward, gentlemen.”

Writing of the Canadian volunteers who offered their services and were accepted by the Dominion authorities, a correspondent says: — “ Verily they were a motley crowd. Some of them wore fur caps; some ‘Stetsons,’ or cowboy hats with a stiff brim; some had red ‘tuques,’ and reminded me of Masaniello; one desperado had a broken brown ‘ billycock.’ Beside them the Mounted Police busby with its yellow bag looked smartness itself. Many were clad in long fur coats, reaching nearly to their heels; they looked the most comfortable.. Some had buffalo .or buckskin pea-jackets, which were certainly serviceable. A few poor devils had no overcoats at all, not even gloves. There were men in moccasins; there were men in shooting boots; there were men in riding boots, and men in rubber overshoes.” THE NORTHERN GUN CLUB, EPSOM. On Saturday a very pleasant afternoon was spent on the range of the above Club, where a handsome silvermounted pipe was keenly contested for by some 16 or 17 competitors. Quite a large number of ladies patronised the range, seats having been arranged in a sunny spot for their com fort. Among those present 1 noticed the following:—Major Morrow, l)rs. Hood and Owen. Messrs Whitney, Oldbury, Chatfield. Walker, Thornes, Noakes, Bell, Prost, Kelly, Bodwick, and Wilson. Among the ladies I recognised Mrs Morrow, Mrs Heather, Mrs A. L. Wilson, Mrs Coates, ami the Misses Coates, Mrs Wilson, Miss Brown, Miss Langsford. Tile firing was exceptionally good. Dr. Owen, with his usual steady firing, taking with ease everything that kept well up. Messrs. Whitney, Bodwick. and Kelly displayed some very pretty shooting, Dr. Hood and Mr Bell also keeping things lively. Mr Wilson’s shooting won for him the trophy. The results are:—Wilson, 1; Whitney, Bodwick, Bell, tie for 2nd. Afternoon tea was supplied by some lady friends. . Several improvements have been made on the ground; a neat tea-room has been erected, a promenade has been sectioned off for the onlookers, and a good supply of seats provided.