Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-03-26

"a on leave when the war began
IA and who hurried to his station
in India after the outbreak OF
hOstilities has written the following
letter to friend In New York from
Lahore, Punjab:
Personally | have very haZy recol.
lection Of what did happen 1t was all
so sudden was trying to catch a
salmon. with my little dog looking OH
approvingly. when man came up to
me on the bank with telegram. "For-
Dongola at Southampton" That was
what the telegram said. and | had to
get my back to 1t to get there in time
] put my belongings on the motor and
drove to the nearest station. Here
produced authority to commander the
whole train If necessary. and every
thing went on the train-everything
except the car.
l arrived in London In hot haste. col
lected everything could lay my hands
on In the time. and next day by special
train reached Southampton. and SO
boarded the old trooper. What voy-
age that was! The trooper had accom-
OdatiOns for 1870 officers and 200 of
tcers were detailed for her. at South.
amptQn 300 were stopped on the plat.
form and taken back to London. 9th.
ers were recalled before we sailed, and
deep, 500 officers OH ship to hold 100
Half the Crew Deserted.
Half the crew had deserted The
provisioning of the ship had been left
to the last minute ana was unspeak
able But we managed The Empire
wis just beginning to hum, young
lady. and we were the first lot Of nor
nets let loose And the first lot got a
thin time of 1t What Il din of confu
sion there was. Generals. cOlonels
majors, captains. snlaIterns. chap
iains. doctors, naval men and teIegrn
phists all mixed up in one hopeless
tangle.
We slept in the hold. on boxes. In
boats. on stairs-anywhere you could
find place to lie down in. Finally
we sorted ourselves and went about
things as the Englishman always has
done We scrubbed and cleaned the
decks, we waited on each other In
turns. fed ourselves. the naval men
navigated the ship. and relays of sub
alterns stocked her as required. We
packed the baggage and arranged ev.
erything in an orderly fashion.
Some had uniforms. some had not.
and many had only what they stood
up in. Then came sorting and a
lending and a borrowing. so that all
might be clean and keep clean. And
then we must have games and sports.
for we are race that likes to live
cleap, fight clean und not worry very
mucE about the future
THE Voyage to India.
could ill volumes with that voy.
age. but will spare you How we were
escorted by torpedo craft which sud
denly left us: how we rescued POrtu.
guese fishing boat In midocean and
then were chased by cruiser which
stopped us with Il shot: how she turn
ed out to be French. and we all fell on
each others necks metaphorcally: how
we lined our decks and cheered. and
how they cheered. and we cried "A
Berliny our route being via Bombay,
and they cried. "A Berlinr' their route
being via God knows where; how we
cheered the Hightiier out of Glib"
when she started off to sink the Kaiser
Wilhelm der Crosse and did 1t forty.
eight hours afterward.
How we watched the arrivals from
the Adriatic fight in Malta. How Fl.
NJ. s. Warrior played us "Auld Lang
Syne" as we passed into the canal. and
how we replied with BRITANNIA Rules
the Waves" and how every ship In the
citing took 1t up and that end of Egypt
rang with the old song How we yell.
ed to the Russian volunteer fleet steam
er held up to let us pass. and how the
russians shouted themselves hoarse
and climbed up the rigging and nearly
fell out Of it to give us last wave.
the bay of SueZ and there started or
down the Red sea with IL. NJ. s. Chat.
ham escOrting. How the Red sea was
at its worst, and how the bad food and
want Of ice did its work. How the
ship had to be stopped and the grim
packages dropped overheard. No fight.
ing Of Prussians for them! How We
all discarded clothes and wore towel
and so through that sweltering III
fernO through the strait of Bah Man
deb. rightly named the gate Of tears
II you are going east. for you have to
come through it. but more properly
named the gate of hell; If you are so
ing west, for 1t Is all in front of you.
And SO to Alden.
And then? Oh. yes, the empire was
beginning to move! A long line Of
thirty transports with their escorts
slowly steaming and the next day the
same and yet another lot ere We reach
Bombay. And that is how We carried
the admiralty dag from Southampton
to Bombay.
The Scenes at Bombay.
And Bombay! What sight! Ger.
man prizes with their names painted
over and now numbered III. NJ. Il. 54.'
ETC.. elnbarking men. horses and guns
The huge cranes. grinding and creak.
Ing as they lift the guns and the
horses. All one shouting, bustIing hive
Of activity
And the streets! There were the
brass band Of old England. the pipes
Of the Ghurkhas and the Dogras. the
drums Of the Rajput And you mel
the regiments interchangeable hideOus