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[Page 24]
Durbanites. The steam dredger took us ashore. Near the entrance to the harbour we saw a Whaling Station, and several large whales hauled up on shore. We marched to the sea beach, and most of the boys had a surf bathe. At 1 p, m, we formed up again and marched through the Town to the Town Hall, where we were dismissed till 10 p, m. The Durban Town Hall is the finest building of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The Rickshaw men made a harvest. There were more troops in Durban (from all parts of the Empire) than the white population of the Town. Regiments from nearly all the Counties of Great Britain were represented. Thousands of the Tommies are there bound for Mesopatamia and German East Africa. After a walk around the Town, Dick and I boarded an electric Tram and went out to Mrs. Harwin's, where we arrived at 4 p, m. They have a beautiful home on the Berea, overlooking the Town. We had a beautiful dinner splendidly served by Kaffir boys dressed in white clothes. After dinner, Mr Harwin (who is one of the finest) took us round to the native Quarters and got several of them to dance for us. I gave them a bit of a Maori Hakka and brought down the house. The Kaffirs were greatly impressed with my size, and told Mr Harwin (in Kaffir) that I was the biggest soldier they had ever seen. As they go in for quantity and not quality, I think I will go back to Africa when this stunt is over, and apply for a job of Kaffir King. We returned to the house, where Mr Harwin supplied us with cigars and cigarettes. Seated on the verandah after dinner, we had a lovely view of Durban , lying below in the dusk of a calm night, twinkling