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[Page 25]
any old thing, bits of tin, dried maize stalks, mud, branches of bushes, or a few broken pots or chairs or kerosene tins. An average village would occupy about an acre. Here and there among the fields were curious compact small Arab native (Arab) cemeteries. The graves are without head stones and are generally like mud boxes with round roofs. The crops growing now in winter are chiefly lucerne, beans & occasionally cabbage with some other fodder plants unknown to me. There are many drainage channels, a few irrigation ditto, and here and there we could see bits of the Mahmoudieh Canal which carries barges (Markim) between Cairo and Alexandria with produce. The journey takes 4 to 6 weeks, and the boats carry masts on tall sails which look to be springing from amongst the green crops. Along the banks of the drainage channels I saw small trees like the Casuarina. Cattle are tethered where the crops have been cut to get any bits left by the reefers. They are great farmers, the fellaheen. Just outside Cairo the train stopped and the engine took the other end and brought us about 3 miles to a station just where we detrained. As our men had had their breakfast at 6.30 we decided on giving them some food, and opened some beef and biscuits. There was water handy. I looked for a nice shady place for the men, and saw just opposite the station a nice gateway through a high wall, showing a fine green shady strip of grass [indecipherable] inside – just the place. As I walked towards some natives in the gateway to enquire if we could go in there a big Soudanese policeman came forward and held up his hand with a smile, saying something I did not understand as my Arabic is not much advanced beyond the stage of “istue”. and “imshi”; and I knew that neither of these words would suit this time. I knew however the meaning of the upheld hand though it is the first time a have had anyone attempt to stop me in Egypt. The sight of the uniform has a marvellous effect. A European woman who was looking on stepped forward and told me in broken English that this was the late Khedive’s palace and was still guarded. I thanked her, saluted her, and smilingly withdrew. I found another shady spot near. We left the men with a Quarter master and 2 other officers and set out for Heliopolis. The train was too crowded so we walked out, about a mile. I was in full [indecipherable] order with overcoat, & although the others gave all except their [indecipherable] to their batmen to carry, and I was amongst the last to leave, I was one of the first to arrive here after a quick march, & some of them knocked up and had to finish in the train. And I didn’t turn a hair! After lunch at a hotel (which cost me some surprisingly 20 piastres) with the other Officers we came across to our temporary quarters with No 1 General [Hospital], the Heliopolis Palace Hotel. But that [indecipherable]