Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1916-03-15


Two of these Australian boys, lean
thanked horsemen from the plains,
free men in the very carriage OF
their heads, started to mount the
steps. Pull them up" the Heuten-
ant of the P. MS guard snapped out
For moment | thought we would
have a scene, but the two boys, who
had not heard the official order, lis
tened with faces as cold as marble,
and, without losing a trace OF dig
nifty, turned and walked down the
stairs. / wanted to cheer. The land
ing at Anzak was easier for them
than to walk down those stairs, but
they did it like cowboys and men.
"kine's" Son Private.
Most of these Australians have
ing by their rank how much money
they have. One private has rented
the most expensive house for rent in
Cairo and has retinue of servants.
He is the son of pearl king.
The democracy of this army shocks
some others. Usually they like it, be-
cause the type of British officer who
has been sent to Egypt is usually
man who has knocked about the back
countries and values men for being
men. | spent the morning with a
British major who had received or !
ders to work up a contingent to
handle a camel corps. For corps cap
tain he picked up an Australian who
has not an "h" to his name and
swears beyond belief. But he under
stands camels and that is all my
large share of his provisional recruit
ing sitting in cafe, and the word has
passed around where he is to be
found. And this is the British army!
An Australian told me story On
his colonel. They were fresh back
from Gallipoli, and ordered up for a
review So the colonel gave them a
few instructions, in the family circle,
as to how they were to behave, and
ended by saying:
And for the love of Mike when
the General is here don't call me
Bill"
l can quite believe that story. After
seeing the joyous Australians it does
not seem a bit out of the way.
Longing for Scrap.
Three of those mighty men from
the Antipodes were riding on a street !
car with me the other day and three |
dapper effendi, with polished boots
and more than polished manners, en-
tered and sat down opposite.
One of the Australians leaned |
across to me and remarked:
Stranger, can't you do something to |
start a fight? / need exercise
The effendi looked disturbed but |
kept their seats.
The most typical of the stories l |
have heard on passable authority oc-
Cured the night of the evacuation OF |
Anzac, the particular evacuation in |
which the Australians did not lose a |
man. Officers have told me that as |
they walked down that deadly slope |
to which they had chung for months |
they had not the slightest eXpecta-
tion of ever getting away alive. They
hoped they might get some of their
men off on the transports which had |
come up under cover of night, but to |
themselves they considered i'm
possible.
That night, though everyone knew
a n
chosen by several mighty Australians |
to get dead drunk. They could not be |
moved. But in the dawn, hours after
everyone else was gone, they woke |
from their drink Numerically, and |
swan out until they were picked up.
After First Effect, Ordinary Life.
Once the first overwhelming effect
Of the Australians has passed, one |
sees from the terraces more of the |
ordinary life, the racing Charles
with their shouting drivers bearing
along Egyptian women with fine eyes
and the thin white wells, more
than protection, now
in vogue in the East. Some of the
ladies of the sultans palace have
also just passed in a French limou-
sine, going three times as fast as
anyone else, and l note they too wear
the gossamer yashmaks.
On the sidewalk Immediately be-
low the rail of the hotel, an Arab
woman Is squatting telling the for
tunes of two Australians. A water
carrier, dirty beyond belief, pushes
along through the swarming porters
Officers are arriving, bag and bag
gage, every half minute, and through
the red fezzes comes brighter touch
of color as two British generals, red
bands on their caps, red tabs on their
lape1s and strips of service ribbons
with every color in the rainbow, pull
up.
But through all this distracting
color comes figure in white turban,
and white burnoose who dominates
the sidewalk. A staff officer who has