Series 03: John Brady Nash letters, January 1914-December 1915 - Page 61
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[Page 61]
Abyssinia is about one fourth larger in area than N. S. Wales and has a population of about eight million persons.
Why is this sea called "red? Because it is bordered by the country which the ancients called Erythrea [also spelt Eritrea] (Gr. [Greek] eruthron – Red) hence the Red Sea, or the sea near the red land.
11-1-15, 6.35 a.m. Dr. Kennedy has just put his head through my cabin door and said – "See there Sir?" "What is it?" "Mount Sinai in the distance."
Quickly said do these two words stir to action the cells and fibres of the brain whereon are impressed lessons of early youth, given to the Christian child by his parents or his other teachers. Dr. Ken. always takes a kindly interest in me. He is a nice lad.
Jerome in reply to a question said – "Mount Sinai is the place, or mountain, upon which the ark rested when the flood waters were subsiding". – Then my Comedian's valet said – "Noah, the old chap, sent out a raven which did not come back, then some time after he sent out a dove, which returning with a green leaf he judged that the waters had subsided, and that he might safely open the door or make a hole in the wall." Jerome knew the story too.
As soon as I jumped from bed, a bible was obtained from His Reverence – Col. Ney. – who lives next door to me, therein the 8th Chapter of Genesis was soon found and the valets were advised to read about Mount Ararat, and the ark. Each of them did so & was enlightened. Taylor rather crowed over Jerome saying – "I knew that it was not Mount Sinai, but I did not like to speak against what Jerome said." Good.
10 p.m. – Most of the day has been used by me in reading about the piece of the world through
[Private John Henry Taylor, No 766, 23, a horse driver of East Sydney, NSW, embarked from Sydney on 28 November 1914 on HMAT A55 Kyarra with the 2nd Australian General Hospital and served as batman to Lieutenant Colonel John William Springthorpe.]