Correspondence relating to Mary Anne 'Bessie' Pocock, pre-1914 - Part 11

FLORIANA,
MALTA.
Dec : 28^th 03
[*Best love &
thank you
again
Yrs ever
G.S.W. Parker-Ferris *]
My dear Sister Bessie
How awfully kind of you
to send me such a nice
present for Xmas - I like
it immensely - think it very
pretty & quite a curio too.
I'm afraid I havent written
to you for ages, but its not
because I have forgotten you.
I have been so very busy that
I've done practically no
letter writing at all for the
last 3 months. The Battalion

has had such a bad go of fever
that nearly all the officers
are at once on sick leave.
Every single officer & every
single man has been in hospital
with it. I'm glad to say
they are talking about sending
us elsewhere now, Just when
I dont yet know - Major
Pakenham had a very bad 
attack of fever directly he
got home & has been in
hospital for over three
months now - awfully down
on his luck naturally - He
has got sick leave until
the end of March.
I got back here in October
& have kept fairly fit up
to date - I heard from
Sister Winder "as was"
the other day - She is now
a proud (?) Mother !
She has got a little daughter
& seems very pleased with
it, Just can't make out
what she's doing now -
her husband is still out
in S Africa & means
staying there, & she says

that nothing will induce
her to go out. I fancy
she's tired of him already!
I'm rather surprised to
hear that you have got 
back to your hospital
again. Suppose you soon
got tired of doing nothing.
I'm sure Mother will like
those candle shades - It
was kind of you sending
them to her. Let me
have a longer letter from
you when you get this will you?

GRAND HOTEL
DES
WAGON-LITS, LTD.
Telegraphic Address
WAGONLITS
CODE-5TH EDITION A.S.C
Peking, June 11^th
My dear Sister Bessie
You will see by the
above where I have got to
Came here from Shanghai
leaving there by boat just
a week ago called in at
Wei-hai-wei but not time
to land but landed for
short time at Chefoo & got
to Tientsin on Saturday
A Miss Wood I had met before
made up her mind to start
to Peking with me at the
last minute so made it
nicer. She stayed 1 night at
Tientsin & a Major Markham
lent us his carriage to have
a drive round as I had an
introduction to him. Arrived 
in Peking on Sunday night

Went round with a
guide all day Monday
to see the sights The
Temple of Heaven very
fine. Directly after lunch
I called on the ∧ British Minister
Sir John Jordon also
on Sir Robert Hart &
Sir Robert Bredon as
had introductions to them
Sir R. Hart said he had
some people coming to
dinner & asked me to
join them which I did
although very tired, there
were 17 there among them

Sir John & Lady Jordan
Lord William Cecil & Lady
Cecil who are staying with
the Jordans. There was a
Chinese band & they had
2 or 3 dances & I enjoyed
the evening very much.
Next night I had dinner 
with Lady Jordan alone
as thought I was leaving
for Shanghai on Wednesday
but on Wednesday we had
lunch at Sir R. Bredons
& were persuaded to go the
trip to the Great Wall &
Ming Tombs so I have
missed my boat on to
Hong Kong & shall have to
wait a fortnight. Miss
Wood started back to
Shanghai same way as
we came yesterday but I 

want to go back another 

[[way]] to Honkon ^by train & then

down the Yangshi River
so I must  wait until
tomorrow as only on
Wednesday there is a good 

train which does  it in
36 hours. To get to the
Great Wall we had to
take a guide and bedding.
also food from from here &
stay in a [[?]] hut
then ride on donkeys up
the pass from Nunkou
13 miles among hundreds
of camels going back to
Mongolia & with hundreds
of pack beasts going up &
down, the dust was terrific
& the cruelty to the animals
is dreadful but most
wonderful sights to see
certainly saw China as it
really is. Next day we took