Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

We have joined
one of the lost tribes and
spend our time wandering
across the desert, almost
but not quite living on
locusts and wild honey.

It is a wild
gypsy existence, how far
we are going or where we
shall end up I don't know.

I found an
old Arabian flintlock rifle
in a deserted village this

morning. I hope some-
how to get it back, but
I have not the foggiest
notion how it is to be
done.

Oh! my Zagazig night
was without incident -
I arrived there about 11.30,
found out the best hotel
was a Greek one, woke
up the night porter with
a stick, but all he
could say was "four shillin'",
I can't talk Greek, he
knew neither French nor
English & my few words
of Arabic fell flat.
However I got a bed (only

3 fleas) and a bath
next morning. In these
hotels they don't feed you,
and after much sign
language, pointing to
my mouth, placing
my hand on my little
Mary etc, he led me
to a Greek café, very
dirty, but where I had
a most excellent omelet.

I don't know when
we are likely to get
any letters - our nomadic
existance existence , does not lend
itself to anything like
that. We shall probably
find some growing on

a tamarisk shrub
some day. We are
not far from the sea
and the sea breeze is
delightful these hot
days.

Strange, but a
letter has just arrived
from you, apparently
from nowhere, dated
18th March. I think it
must have grown on
the Tamarisk shrub.

Have had no news-
papers for weeks & very
few letters. We can't
altogether blame the
postal people this end,

they have a lot of
difficulty, more particularly
now the forces are so
split up.

By the way dear,
please don't send the
Auckland Weekly any
more, I don't care for
it very much. The
Press would be far
more interesting. I
think I mentioned this
once before, months ago.
Also it is not much use
sending old 'Presses', because
many others get them &
often when mine arrive
everyone has seen them.

Had a letter from
Finch & one from Alice
H , recently, the former
seems cheerful, and very
grateful for all you did
for them. The latter
tells me you keep up
a correspondence, which
is very nice. I sent
her my annual report
just before we left 'Anzac'
& which she acknowledges.

All the parcels I have
had from you arrive in
excellent order, the idea
of sewing them in bags is
good. I expect all my
Xmas stuff got torpedoed

between Alexandria &
Anzac or else was lost in
the evacuation. Don't
worry about them, perhaps
if I have not got them
someone else has, who
will be glad.

I notice you are
starting underlining
in your letters again!

Hope your "Dream"
goes alright, I suppose
it is not only to be
sold in Timaru .

I don't think Frank
will have much chance
of getting into the NZ
Mounted Brigade , we have

plenty of officers at
present doing nothing
& many more of the old
hands in the non-com-
missioned ranks hoping
some day to get a chance.
He might get into some
other branch as they
have all been increased
lately.

It is many pities
I cannot write and
describe things. The
material here, war &
other is enormous for
anyone who could write.
However I may be able
to give you scraps later