Part 02: Dene Barrett Fry letters, 17th May 1915-16 April 1917 - Page 72

[Page 72]

15
Orsova is in you look at the height of her stern and you will see you need to be a bit of a monkey to manage the up trip at any rate. And yet it was only necessary to have one chap on board, and that was accomplished by a rope placing a rope under his armpits, and with a series of sudden jerks we managed to yank him on board. Instead of thanking us he wanted to fight everyone at once. Why, I don't know – we were very gentle, and he simply had to be got on board.

Well, it was one of the 3 days (or rather nights) which comprise the niggers Christmas, and of course the town was in festival. During these three days, the whites always keep out of the blacks ways, because of the many ways which on special occasions like this you can offend an arab. So naturally when we landed in half a doz boatloads on the wharf about 1 mile from our ship, the Egyptian guard refused to allow us to enter the town. Things were at a deadlock when some brainy specimen conceived a brilliant idea. He whipped off into the gloom and tied a white handkerchief round his arm, which is the sign of a picket or city police. He bustled up to us with a most officious air, swearing horribly and demanded in racous raucous tones "What the devil the is the delay" "was" without waiting for a reply he gave the order. "City picket fall in" grabbing some one as right marker, numbered 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.