LIFE ON TROOPSHIP.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 4010, 17 August 1915, Page 2

LIFE ON TROOPSHIP.

THE VOYAGE IN THE TAHITI. A VISST TO CEYLOW. INTERESTING LETTERS EKOM TROOPER P. A. G’iJIKAiJA. The following interesting l-. iters have been received by Mr 'and Mrs W. A. G 1 ’Maura, of Gisborne, fro meir son. Trooper I*. A. O'Meara, proceeded to tho front witii i b iftJi keinloigerncnts: K.IVi.N.Z.T. TAP 1:1, July if. i'Jls. Dear Mother, —In sight -A Gey lon now, will bo in Colombo in ih morning. Am getting leave from IUIO to y p.m. and hope to bo able U tome of tho sights of the city. N- thing' very startling lias happened - a the journey. Saw two largo win;l , us wore leaving Albany—they wore quite done to tho ship am! wore bn! • large. Plenty of Hying fish about, ! .y arc quite a small article (aboul .ha size of a herring) and llv abou. . chain and then dive into the •v. :r again. Have seen two rather pro ,y gulls; one was v.'liito with a long n in w tan, while the other bad a mil like a fish. The Ma'unganui rear-'v- •:! a call about a- week ago and left us at lull speedi for Suck. Site bad ill > stationary hospital on board So i ex," ■ nut i - why sli-ci left us. We are very lucky in visiting Colombo as we exp .'■Tad to go direct to Suez. Wo can now so ‘ a light from a lighthouse, also a .duo's lights in the distance. lam on norse pieyuot and am writing thin in the lounge which lias been ret apart I'o Hie piquet to sleep in after the officers have it. We generally get in the room at 9 o’clock. We do not ex ; , poet to get much sleep to-niv.be as we have to feed up at midnight ami our watch comes from four to six tomorrow morning. It is now 10 o’ciock and supper has just arrival -coffee and ships biscuits. We have beci sleeping on dock for about* ten days. It. is lovely, the evenings are so fresh, but a trifle warm. We have mid rather bard luck with the weather as /'«> has rained a great deal on tli" trip and the rain comes up so suddenly in tim tropics that, if one is .‘Toping on il>e deck one has to hurry to shelter or else get wet. We crossed the Im ) at about 4 a.m. the day before yesterday, but no rejoicings took p a./'". An'l enclosing some more used,canteen tickets as souvenirs and will post some curios from Colombo. The Aparima has had hard luck with tin; horses; she lias lost 30 altogether, and we have lost five. She lost 14 in one day (7th inst.). I am going to uirn into bed now and will write more at four o’clock to-morrow morning. Have hoard no news from the outside world since i left Now Zetland. Albany for news was worse than the Motn twenty years ago, They sold out of panel's, postcards, and tucker in about ]w H'-'ii-hour. We were, all glad to leave; it rained' all the time. . . . shilling a day does not go far on a iroops.lup—two iced drinks from the ship's bar (dry) and a day s pay has gone forever. ~ Gardiner, Smith and \ keep together and when we buy anything we share. I have often eaten half-a-( lawn's worth of apples in a day* on niy own on a warm day. Apples are' dear on board. This trip has made me feel well —better than 1 have felt for years. I smoko the pYK pipe all the tune —-have only smoked about a packet of cigarettes in the last month. Came across Herb. Hibson at Albany; lie is in the artillery. . . . The blot at the top

is not a tear hut a drop of lemon squash some genius has come to light with. . . • H M \ Z.T. do. R.M.S. TAHITI, Jnl v 12. 19 Id.

Dear Dad,- Am writing this letter at 3 a.m. Monday; wrote, to Mother last, night. It was a lovely night last night, hut of course it came on to rain this morning and we had to come in to shelter. Cannot see any land this morning, but expect to arrive in luiihor in three or four hours. Am going to buy a couple of cheap white suits and some thin singlets when ! go ashore. It has been very hut t-u* ! ;ISI few days and warm clothes are ei, no use. Had to knock off writing just now as a horse went down and 1 had to help get him on his loot. Have mrived in Colombo. This, <s the place for shipping; dozens of large boats here and hundreds of small ones. \\ <* wore* nx't- by score's oi oiitutnicKiHs which wore going out fishing. dhe ship is surrounded now with natives in boats on the cadge for money. The bovs throw them money and it is n great sight to watch the scramble. Coal and water barges are alongside and we have about fifty natives on hoard to coal. Things have livened up since 1 started this letter. ()u° man suffering from an incurable disease—committed suicide ill the hospital on our ship and I believe lie is dead. Colombo (I expect all Ceylon) is under martial law. Come religious disturbance has taken place and so we expert to liiul things lively. Them is also a rumor that we arc being kept hero to strengthen the garrison-—how true it. is 1 cannot tell until 1 go ashore. Am uniting now in a hurry as we have a lot to do before wo have our leave. I .to Star of England is lying beside us and slm has onboard some of the Australian wounded. The breakwaters are a ‘ grand sight—miles of concrete. From the boat T can see the. palms. They grow along the waterfront anti are-'very pretty. Will send you some views. ' We have not much leave—about five hours—but may get more tomorrow. Must close now as 1 do not want niv leave stopped tor loafing. Will write from the shore. I changed mv money into gold, and there is no exchange on golcll, rather the reverse, as tin* value 'increases, ami at runes iint> can make a shilling on. a sovereign in, Colombo- and 1 Cairo.