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[Page 9]
on & 8 hours off. That is we did 8 hours on duty. You will be able to see that as far as work goes we were a long way from being overworked. At 12-0 oclock we had dinner & at 5-0 oclock tea. At 6-0 P.M. we drew our hammocks once more & by 9-0 P.M. when "Lights Out" was sounded all hands were in their hammocks.
Now just afew lines with regard to our food. The food we got was real good food spoilt in the cooking. The bread (for the main part of the voyage) was sour & doughy & absolutely unfit to be eaten. It was as a result of the food that I came to be ill. On the day we arrived at Port Said we were given rabbit for dinner & by about tea time that day two thirds of the men were sick with either ptomaine poisoning or verdigrease poisoning. Personally I think it was the latter.
Well I myself felt nothing wrong until about two oclock the next morning when I woke up feeling as though I wanted to vomit. I lay still for a few moments & then as I still felt the same I got out of my hammock & made my way on deck here I began to vomit & continued to do so on & off for about three hours. By then I felt a lot better & went down below again. At about seven oclock the same morning I began to feel 'queer' again & so went along to the doctor & got him to examine me. He gave me some medicine & some mustard & water with the result that in about five minutes time I was sick once more. After that I felt as right as rain & went about my usual affairs. I did not feel ill again untill yesterday afternoon when I was taken very bad indeed. It happened as follows about two oclock yesterday afternoon our company & several others companies left the ship & got into the train in order to