Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 77]
Raucous tones "What the devil is the delay". Without waiting for a reply he gave the order – "City picket fall in" grabbing someone as right marker, number us off, called "Form fours, right" and quick marched us up to the gate which opened like clockwork, and through we went into the city. We broke off when out of earshot, and could hardly stop from choking. No wonder they say Australian armies are the most self-supporting of any in the world. We had great fun. We wandered about the lit-up streets like you see crowds of Chinese seamen doing in Sydney, staring open mouthed at everything that was new. We went to the bazaar and saw the women in their extraordinary veils and the blackest of kiddies in the whitest of frocks. Billy would love one of these tiny mites as a teddy bear.
They have such lovely large innocent looking eyes. We shouted them to big slices of watermelon and soon had an admiring million or two round us. As a penny a slice was becoming expensive we simply handed them a few dozen off the old joint's bench and told them to nick, which they did. The old folk around enjoyed the joke, but the salesman was very irate. We got into the carriage and drove everywhere. I suppose I spent two hours in those buggies and my expenses totalled 3 piastres, equivalent to about 7 ½ d. Everything was wonderful to us. A whole mob of people calling at the top of their voices, Allah, Allah, in a monotonous voice for hours at a time is worth listening to. When the horses go too slow we took the reins in our own hands, dumped the cab driver out and told him to wait where he was till we returned. He always grinned for they enjoy a joke as much as anyone. Some of these drives were hair raising but somehow no one was killed. Things went on like this till midnight, when they quietened just a little. We then wended our way back to the wharf. We got through the guard there with same ruse, and packing into the many niggers' bumboats waiting put off for our ship. I'll never forget the climb up that knotted rope at 1 in the morning. I don't think anyone will either. It was just about of last effort. We got safely in though, and had a good sleep on deck.