Tomorrow sometime
we shall be at Aden and mark off
another stage on our journey.

Nothing of importance
has happened since we left Colombo ,
except that it has been very hot
all the way.

We spent two days
at Colombo , and we were able
to go on shore with the men &
march them about the town in
parties of 30. I took one lot on
shore and we had a great time.
We went right through the native
quarter and I have not enjoyed
a walk so much for a long time.
It was frightfully hot & we quickly
sweltered in khaki, but didn't
mind it a bit.

The streets in the native

quarter are narrow but not very
dirty, although I would not like
to say as much about the houses.

Imagine for yourself a narrow
winding street with houses on either
side of various colours made of a
sort of stucco, bars for windows,
little open shops underneath,
mostly very dirty, and every
now & then a Buddhist temple
in (from the outside!) a more or
less dilapidated condition. The
street crowded with men & children,
and an occasional woman. The
men wearing robes & white European
clothes often very dirty, and the
children almost naked. Riksha
men running up & down, a quaint
wagon drawn by very small
oxen passing up & down. Some
of the children are very pretty
& have the most lovely eyes. The
Ceylon native the Tamil, is rather
undersized but the Cingalese although

a little bigger are not much.
Some of the men are handsome
but the majority not so. I only
saw a few women and only one
good looking one. We went on
and found a fruit bazaar &
the noise was terrific. Everyone
wanted to sell something cheaper
than the last. I let the men
buy some fruit. We eventually
came to the modern part of the
city and there there are some
very handsome buildings & shops.
I very much wanted to get some
little thing & send it you but
I did not have an opportunity.
I saw the place where Hurdley
gets a lot of his stuff from &
all I found out were large
black elephants standing 1 foot
high 2/6. I think I gave him
2/6 for that nice one on the
mantelpiece! I should much
have liked a few hours to myself to fossick round but it was not
to be.

The following day I was
trying to arrange to go on shore
to buy a few things for myself
& others, when I was suddenly
ordered to take 3 boats 27 men
(we were anchored in the stream
1 1/2 miles from the shore) & go & get
some provisions, so that upset
my little plan. I was given
infantry crews who had had
no dinner, we left at 12.30,
reached the shore a little after.
1 waited till 3 for the provisions,
loaded up, got away at 3.20
(still nothing to eat) & started
for the ship, incidentally carrying
provisions also for the Waimana
who had forgotten to send a
boat of the her own. Well we
got along to within about 600
yards of our own ship when she
pulled up her anchor & went

to the outer anchorage over a
mile further on. We had a
head wind, a strong current &
a cross sea, it was also beginning
to get dark. We reached this
ship at 7 o'clock, just about
dead. We were quite happy &
those infantry fellows behaved
splendidly, they had had
nothing to eat since 7 in
the morning. Since that trip
I am sure if those men were
properly handled they would
be as good as any others.

This morning Tuesday there is
almost a complete calm, the only ripples
on the sea caused by the movement of
the ships. We are not far from land,
some swallows were flying round the
ship this morning. Jelly fish, sharks &
bonito's bonitos are quite common in this sea.

My writing is rather weird because
I am having lessons in sword fighting
from Sg. t Major Sloan and it is rather

trying on ones fingers & wrists at the
beginning.

I wonder if you will get any of
my letters before Christmas. I rather
doubt it. Perhaps the censored ones
will reach you.

Perhaps I may be able to send you
something from Aden , but it is
all in the air at present.

I suppose you will spend Xmas
in the country? I hope you both will
enjoy yourselves. We had quite a nice
one together last year didn't we dear?

If Helen has some spare toys she
perhaps might like to send them Home
for some refugees, I have no doubt
they would be glad of them, & you
could find out the right address.

I don't expect to get any letters from
you till we get to England , which
should be just about Xmas day.

I wish I could let myself go in
these letters, there is so much to tell
you about men & things on board,

but I don't exactly know whether these
letters will be censored or only delayed.
It would be grand to have a yarn
with you.

Do you know in spite of the length
of this voyage & the monotony of it,
I am really enjoying myself, & I
have not been so fit for a long time.

Pinkie has prickly heat & is very
miserable all he does is to scratch &
sleep at present. Nearly all the cases
of measles on board I believe were
prickly heat, because most of them only
last about 4 days.

Good bye dearest old girl , look
after yourself & Helen , if possible I will
send a cable when we reach our
destination. I shall burst if I can't say what
I want to soon, not that it is anything
important. I only want an ordinary
yarn. Kiss Helen for me & she can
kiss you for me. All my love to you
both. Roy .

You will see I am rapidly
developing bad habits and writing
partly in pencil when without doubt
if I were to look very hard I could
find some ink.

Do you know I had a most
extraordinary feeling at Colombo of
having been there or in places like it
before. I felt completely at home in
the place, and although I was not
in the town for more than three
hours I felt more at home than
in 3 years in any N.Z. town.
I hope it does not mean that we
are to live in India , because I
know you would not care for that.

Blackmoor is well. A swelling
appeared on his chest the other
day and we had to lance it, &
he seems better for it. He eats very
well, and although he is thinner
it his coat is a perfect picture. I
have still young Hatton for a groom

and he looks after my horses really
well.

If you see Marion give her
my love & tell her Harold is looking
the picture of health & apparently
enjoying himself. He is making
an excellent soldier and is one of
the best men I have. My only fear
is that he will be promoted too
quicky and I shall lose him from
my troop.

Well it is after 5.30, & I shall
go and have a bath.

I am such a poor hand at
expressing myself on paper, I wish
I had your gift that way, anyway
you know what I want to say.
Above all I want you to be happy,
& not to get impatient for time to
pass quickly. Try dear to cultivate
a calm that will see you through
everything, keep yourself employed as
much as you can, and the time will
pass more quickly.

Love
Roy .