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[Page 8]
In train on way to Cairo. Dec 5th/14
(I had to leave my letter unfinished for the time being as I was not well enough to continue writing the day before yesterday as I am however entirely recovered I will now continue I will tell you what was the matter with me a little lower down)
I was saying that we stayed at Port Said for 12 hours, well during that time we took coal aboard & then left for Alexandria. We arrived there at about 8 oclock on Wednesday morning (Dec 3rd) & commenced to make final preparations for leaving the ship.
Now before I go any further I'll give you a brief description of the life we led aboard the ship. We rose at 6a.m. & after rolling our hammocks up (all the privates & non coms. slept in hammocks) & stowing them in the hammock bins, made our way to the wash houses. Here after waiting for about 20 or 30 minutes a man if he was lucky enough managed to get a bath or a wash. The reason one had to wait is that there was not sufficient washing accommodation for all hands (that however as you will be able to understand directly was only a minor evil & one that did not bother us to any great extent) After we had we used to spend the time that was left us before breakfast in cleaning our rifles and bayonets. At about 7-45 or 8-0 oclock we had breakfast and after breakfast were free to do as we pleased untill 8-45. At 8-45 we fell in & were giving instruction in semaphore & rifle drill untill 10-45 when we were dismissed & had the remainder of the day to ourselves. That was all the work we did as a rule. The only exceptions were when it was our turn for gaurd or fatigue [indecipherable] turn for gaurd came once a week & then we had to do four