Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-1916-Part 5

bushes; five minutes after
we saw a mans head
watching us still at
four hundreds yards
away. We immediately
rode out, and so did
he, keeping under every
available cover. We
commenced to trot, but
he straight away broke
into a swift canter,
heading up the opposite
ridge. We pulled up,
and so did he but
continued walking on.
Being exasperated I
stood up in the stirrups
and yelled and waved.
He stopped, looked
around, and as we came
on, he walked off again.
Being certain he was
an Australian, and
now being thoroughly
wild, I yelled out
and cursed him in the
most vivid language
I could command.

with their arab occupants,
and their lice, and
filth, evil smell, and
stuffy heat and dirty
wooden benches, Stanley
said to me "How do
you like fighting for
your Country." The
cursed country that
treats its soldiers as we
are thus treated, facing
daily a living death
in this cursed desert,
is not worth fighting
for, . . . . We have
got grand rooms in
this continental hotel.
From the doorway
window this morning
I woke up to see the
masts of ships and
hear the sounds of
street traffic. But I
could not sleep well,
even for these few
hours. The bed was
too strange, and I
kept waking up thinking 

That settled it. He stopped,
but eyed us very
suspiciously as we
approached, crouched
in the saddle ready for
a gallop at the least
alarm. We got within
fifty yards of him and
saw his own patrol
re 800 yards away, on
the opposite ridge. The
cunning beggar had
led us right up to them.
He turned out to be a
corporal in the 7^th Light
Horse, and was much
surprised to hear that
we were in the district,
as his was the first
patrol to go so far
south. We turned away
south again, and
soon reached Wazet,
which is a tiny well
of excellent water,
hidden at the foot of
two small sandhills.
There is no oasis

I was on some cursed
duty . . . . We soon found
out that all are out to
make all they can out
of the poor devils of
soldiers while the sun
shines. . . .. A Scottie
was telling me last night
that we lost three aeroplanes
on the raid at El Arish
but that our planes
bombed the Turkish
hangars and burned
seven xxxxx of the Turkish
planes. Whatever the
truth it was a pretty
solid raid. 12 1.30 pm.
After breakfast we
strolled out, and Stan
and Bert bought some 
khaki shorts. After
a while we went back
to the hotel, where Stan
and Bert changed. I
could not help thinking
how neat and cool
they looked while
old Morry and I 

there. Under a clump
of big bushes was Mr
Stanfield and his four
men. The four men
went back to the oasis,
while we at Mr Stanfield
and us four were  to
camp near the well and
go out to Hill 200, which
over looks the Turkish
camp, very early in the
morning. Mr Stanfields
men had seen plenty
of Turks, one patrol
having passed within
a hundred yards of
where they lay hiding.
So we looked for some
good fun in the morning.
That night the four
of us took it in reliefs
to watch and hold the
horses, one man holding
the horses and keeping
a sharp lookout for an
hour, then waking the
next relief by a kick.
The horses are very

were weltering along
in our great stuffy
tunic. Port Said is
far cleaner than Cairo.
The streets are well
laid out nice and
wide. I'm dammed
if we weren't stopped
by two English
military police,
with proper cudgels
up and all. They
demanded our pass
and we showed it
them. Then they told
us we were not
properly dressed two
of us having khaki
shirts on instead of
tunics. We had a
big argument, and I

should have hit one
of the cursed representatives
of English
military law fair on
the jaw. But its not
their fault. Here we

used to the work, and
kept very quiet and still,
and you can bet the
look out man kept
his eyes thoroughly open
and moving, and his
ears open too! We all
went out in our shirt
sleeves, as usual, fully
armed and saddled
up, ready to jump into
the saddle and away
at a seconds notice,
as we were prepared
all through the trip.
When a mans very life
depends on his alertness
and quickness it is marvellous
how very speedy
he can be. Before

dawn we were away,
going towards the
east, where six miles
away was Hill 200,
which overlooks the
Turkish camp of Bir-el-Mageibra.
Just before
dawn we struck the

are, months upon
months in the rotten
desert fighting England's
battles. Then we
rush down on a
few hours leave, buy
our own cool khaki
clothes hoping to discard
our heavy
clothes that we have
been working in for
months, been sleeping
in for months, without
ever taking them off
the clothes thick with
sweat and grease
and crawling with
innumerable lice.
And instead of
having relief for a
few hours the
cursed English 

military law says,
"Keep those vermin
infested clothes on,
and go out in the
desert with them
again. . . . . . The 

foot of the big hill
200, which rises
solitarily from among
the smaller hills
surrounding it. The
big hill is divided by a
valley, which runs
right up its centre for
a distance of a good
half mile, the valley
being only four
hundreds yards across
its two sides running
parallel with one
another right up to
the top of the hill where
was our observation
post. The sun was just
breaking out as we
entered the valley. At
the top of the big hill
we dismounted, and
left one man with
the horses. We cautiously
walked out of
the depression, and
crawled out on the
very edge of the

business people
here charge us with
exorbitant prices
for everything, of
course . . . . .  After
a while, we hired
a boat and sailed
down the mouth of
the canal. Dinner at
the hotel was real
good, and nicely
served. We had two
bottles of wine with
it, and did our
best to imagine that
there was no military
in all the whole world.
9.30 p.m. We went
out this afternoon,
and above all things,
went surf bathing,
Glory of glories!
Surf Bathing, We got in
trouble again coming
back to the hotel.
Stan and bert had
changed into their new
clean clothes again

big hill, where we looked
down in the misty
darkness on to the hilly
plain, where lay the
Turkish camp. The sun
got brighter and stronger,
the mist lifted from
the low straight country,
and straight before
us we saw a very narrow
long razor backed sand
hill, whose lowest
spur ran right to the
foot of the Turkish camp.
Then on the skyline, two
miles away, with a pair
of field glasses, we could
see men moving about.
The light got stronger,
and closer in we could
see groups of men. Then
all on the little ridges
we could see the
Turks turning out. Then
the sun was right out,
and at a level with
the foot of the long

and I'm damned if we
didn't run into two
police down a side
street. We had an argument
of course and naturally
Bert flatly refused to
put his tunic on. But
one of the police spoke
very decently, and
explained that it
was not their fault
about the tunic and
thick clothes, it was
just the military rule,
which of course we
understand. But as
Bert said that is no
good to us, we can't
argue the point with
these big military
heads, our only
chance is to knock
their police about
until the heads sit
up and ask "Whats
wrong." One of the
police was
explaining the

F.J. Barbut.
Mr Idries
& Troop A Squadron 5 L.H
2 fl  1A
1  '   2B  anopen
2  '   No pK   br
24/6       3/7

Have you recovered your
good humour?
S. Mitry's photo Stores
Emad EL Din Street
Opposite Eastern Telegraph
And Haret EL Zahar
Opposite Shepheards Hotel
Cairo Egypt
____
Thursday 2nd. picquet  Sat Sapping Q.M.F
Sat Picquet
Cornell 1 pair shorts
18 photos       photos,
Brommil 4 Spools No 2
Openings chess book
£1.0.0.
Cornell photos 3/- 5/- spools
Teas 1/9    shorts 6/-
_____
Watch
[*I DRL 373
3/8*]