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[Page 62]
under a sort of verandah & it was most uncomfortable & what with the cold & our equipment on sleep was very scarce. My impressions are that the "Gypo" reserve are not to be trusted. Today was their Sunday & they wanted to get out & crowded down to the gate. We were called out fully a dozen times during the afternoon to drive them back & they did not look at us too friendly at all. It was my first time on guard with loaded rifles. I got a few buttons for my collection. Reg & I went up to the canteen to try & get a small tin of jam. He wasted 3 piastres but we knew they only charged the reserves 1 piastre & that is all we would give him. He kicked up a row & the Lieut Colonel "Gypo" was just outside so I called him in & asked what the jam cost. He went pop on the canteen chap & gave us one "backshees". It was very acceptable as the rations were on the starvation side of things. The latrines here disgusted me. They all have a tap in each "compartment" & are the "wallaby" type & the methods of the natives were disgusting
Saturdy Feb 12th
clear hot day : cold morning : on guard at the "Gypo" barracks. My shift was 4 to 5am & 10 to 11am we were relieved by a Coy of New Zealanders about 12noon & altogether did not have a bad time excepting that we were hungry all the time. The rations worked out two small slices of bread & 1/3 of a small tin of salmon to a meal : washed down with water : during the morning we had to again force back a crowd of the reserves who had begun to hang around the gate & their glances at us showed that they loved us like