For the men, newspapers would be as welcome as anything. I think Papa
might divert those weekly papers from Agra here, as they get a large
supply in the Regimental Reading Room at Agra.
What strikes me about the 1/4th is that they are played out. They've
no vitality left in them. Out of about 300 men there are seventy sick,
mostly with trifling stomach or feverish attacks or sores, which a
robust man would get over in two days; but it takes them a fortnight,
and then a week or two afterwards they crock up again. One notices the
same in their manner. They are listless and when off duty just lie
about. When I see men bathing or larking it is generally some of our
drafts. I hope the cold weather will brace them up a bit. I do wish I
had more gifts in the entertaining line, though of course there are
very few men left to entertain when you've allowed for all our guards
and the men just off guard.
* * * * *
The house is two-storeyed, with thick brick walls, built round an open
well-like court. There is a broad verandah all round the court, on to
which every room opens. There is also a balcony on the W. side
overlooking the river. We sleep on the roof a.p.u. The sun sets right
opposite this balcony, behind a palm-grove, and the orange afterglows
are reflected all up the westward bend of the river, which is very
lovely: though personally I like the more thrilling cloud sunsets
better than these still rich glowings of the desert.
* * * * *
The men sleep in huts just behind. These are sensibly built of brick.
Only the S. side is walled up, and even there a space is left between
the wall and the ceiling. The rest is just fenced with reed trellis
work. The roofs are of reed matting, the floors brick with
floor-boards for sleeping on. Boards and bedding are put out in the
sun by day. The men are very contented in them. If I ask my men how
they like it compared to India, they all say they like it better.
"Why, you gets a decent dinner here, Sir." My experience quite
confirms that of Sir Redvers Buller and other great authorities. If
you feed T.A. well you can put him in slimy trenches and he'll be
perfectly happy: but he'd never be contented in Buckingham Palace on
Indian rations. Here we are of course on war rations, cheese, bacon
and jam, bully beef and quite decent mutton, and condensed milk.
Vegetables are scarce, so lime juice is an issue: and they are said
just to have made beer one, which would be the crown of bliss. Every
man gets (if he's there) five grains of quinine a day. There are,
however, far fewer mosquitoes than I expected. I've only seen one
myself. The only great pest is flies: but even of those there are far
fewer here than in Basra.
When I hear what the 1/4th have been through, I think we are in
luxury. They had a very rough trek to Ahway and Illah in Persia in
May, and coming back much exhausted were stationed a month in Ashar
Barracks (Basra). Here for a fortnight it never went below 100° by
night and was 115° by day--damp heat: and the barracks (Turkish) were
in a state which precluded rest: the record bag for one man in one
morning was sixty fleas from his puttees alone. And of course what
Austen told the H. of C. about fans, ice and fruit was all eyewash.
* * * * *
A man in our Coy. died last night. I'd never seen him or knew he was
ill. I was rather shocked at the way nobody seemed to care a bit. The
Adjt. just looked in and said "who owns Pte. Taylor A." Harris said "I
do: is he dead?" Adjt. "Yes: you must bury him to-morrow." Harris:
"Right o." Exit Adjt. To do Harris justice, he doesn't know the man
and thought he was still at Nasiriyah. None of the man's old Coy.
officers are here.
* * * * *
AMARAH.
_September_ 21, 1915.