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[Page 29]
while the collection of Australian animals & birds is very good. I return to town & decide to go to Umgeni where the river & mountain scenery is good. The baboons come out on road & scamper away in thousands groups as tram passes. on return some chap in tram advises me to dine Grosvenor but I go to Marine Hotel - a vast structure on Esplanade & the last word in hotels a/c Durban. Tariff here is Breakfast 3/- Lunch 3/- Dinner 4/6 Daily tariff 15/- Suites comprising Sitting room, Bedroom, Bathroom etc from 27/6 & for two persons 42/- per day. There is a new lounge, Palm Court & Private Ball Room. As no one is in dining room I start to make enquiries & find dinner is 7:30 As there was no one to ask I stopped an English Officer Lt. D. Ferraby 5th East Yorks.Rgt & Lt. A Hutchinson 10th East Yorks now both in KAR. Ferraby ask if I have ordered table as otherwise I will possibly not be able to get one & invite me to share their table if their table can be substituted for a table of 3. They go for brush up & ships captain comes in & asked if I am of the OC party. Ferraby comes back & goes into Dining room & comes back & informs me that all is well & we go in to dine. They insist that I shall l be their guest. We talk of many matters and they sharply criticise the table manners of some of the Aust. officers. After dinner they tell me they have an engagment but will be going to a dance at Royal after & send me along at once with their apologies. Here I meet Mrs Jack Phillips PO Box331 Johannesburg. A fine tall & beautiful woman who is giving dance. She introduces me to some girls. Here are many officers of KAR who sail Friday & other officer. As well as all the wealth & all the beauty (mostly Jewish) of the Rand. Names are too difficult to remember save Berman who asks me to a harbour excursion to Island tomorrow at 2. Ferraby will give me rendezvous during march thro street tomorrow. I promise to look up Capt. P. Hayes 14th Battalion (1917 Nov) & then Ricksha back to boat.