Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 95
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[Page 95]
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some of their magic from the ancient Chaldeans. (You will remember that the magicians of pharoah were able to turn their rods into serpents) Well a very wise Egyptian (who bye the bye is a freemason) gave Major Lynch a valuable scarab mounted in a gold ring. There is a book dealing with it & wonderful properties & powers are attributed to this uncanny thing. It is a talisman & a protection to the owner but has deadly powers. It is claimed that nothing can harm the owner, who however, can shrivel up an enemy by just pointing at him & muttering incantations. (Not unlike our Northern Territory Natives who will an enemy to die by pointing a bone him)
I had some fun with a Dragoman who wanted to sell me some scarabs. I pulled his leg a treat & teased him till he was mad as a march hare. The conversation as far as I can remember it was something like this
Dragoman: - "You like fine Scarab?"
Unsophisticated Australian: - "No Scab here: all good unionists"
Dragoman:- "Not Scab: Scarab, good Scarab"
U.A. "Oh"