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At Cramond you would have cool air during the morning, afternoon, & night hours. With you is hope with me that a safe return to Macquarie Street is in the lap of the Gods for me. I enclose a brief reply to my Macks' postscript. [It] has been written. Will you please hand it on.
Mirabile dictu! At Mena House, rain real wet rain, fell in showers during the night and one this morning. A few drops have we seen since our coming but nothing anterior that should be called a shower. Wet rain does fall in this part of Egypt. My eyes & other senses can vouch for it in the future.
Australia and Egypt are mixed in front of me, on the steep sand bank which rises from the level ground, to the edge of the plateau whereon the grand pyramid – Cheops – stands.
An artillery officer has his men his horses & his guns, and is exercising them in the work of moving them all up and down the sand hill. For a thoroughily trained outfit there would be no trouble, but for such raw material as is being dealt with one cannot expect all to go smoothly. During the descent of one gun to which six horses were attached two of the animals fell. No hurt I fancy. The sand is deep & loose, the falling therefore but brief distance & the landing as into a pack of feathers. All the living creatures should during the exercises swallow a full peck of Egypt's dust. They have finished and will soon be on the way to the encampment, having earned a dinner and some rest.
This morning between 7 & 8 o'clock I galloped across the desert, enjoying the air to the full. Were the rolling sand hills covered with green of some kind they would be picturesque in the extreme, but then they could not be called the Libyian dessert.
As far as I can judge little alteration is being brought about where the war is waging. Little credence ban be placed upon the reports from the Eastern front. If the other contestants on the side of the Allies had the same grit as do our men appear to have then progress might be won,