The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-10
CvGar CoErezpondenA American
 Magazlne)

NOTES ON ITALIAN PRISON FRS; So help me, I've heard them singlng '-Therell Always Be an &nglandt" .. They're often glard- cd by Greek soldiers, who hate them =, Once in the desert, Q single Australian with Q light machine gun was ordered Co guard several hundred of them An inspect ing officer later found him sur- rounded by interested Italians He had the gun in pieces, showing them how 1t workedl They make beautiful tin flowers from old gaso- line cans ,.. And excellent sta- tuagy from desert sand mixed with Q little cement, which the obllging British give them Says a Bri- fish officer in charge of prison camp: "rt's Q shame to shoot peo- pie who can make such things They're bloody poor soldiers but bloody good prisonersl"
 CAIRO IS THE CITY where it usually rains only once Q year i. Where they say tomorrow when the apricot blooms" when they mean tell it to the marines" Where tangerines are called Master Jo- seph" for the man who introduced them there Where so many coins are counterfeit that most shops have a marble slab beside the cash register to test them Where flour merchants have be ] convicted of weighing brown bread Hour with cement, sawdust and plaster of paris Where two des- ert Bedouins calmly killed their sis- ter for marrying farmer, which violates Bedouin code =. ;. Where most sales clerks speak at least four languages Where bingo game numbers are yelled out in English, French and Arabic--Where English-language movies have sub- titles in French, Greek and Arabic,
 ROWING CORRESPONDENCE; It's so wild at Fighting French Fort Lamy, near Lake Chad, that you can often shoot antelope right on the airdrome Revolting com merciAliSm: Outside ChriSt's sepul- chre in Jerusalem, hawkers try to sell you crown of thorns for 25 cents Halle SelaSsie the spells it that way) has @ playful Great Dane named Woll, who continually tears off his coat buttons The Emperor loves American baking powder biscuits Recently an American firm flew over 10 pounds of baking powder when l mentioned he was short. After the Ethiopian campaign ended, you could buy Leica cameras from the natives for 50 cigarettes Maybe she wouldn't like t. but the Queen of Sheba has Q brothel named for her in her na- tive country, Ethiopia Oper- ated by White Russian prince, its walls and steps are solid leopard skin Thanks to the wartime lira exchange. the best hotel in As- mara. Eritfea, costs about Sl day, including meals A taxi ride anywhere in the city is l2 cents. a shave is cents, whiskey- -and-sod1 is 8 cents Shopping in Addis Ababa, you receive change in three oAA AN6dA Pilota flying passengers down Africa skim the big game country at put 50 feet high, so you can see all the elephants, zebra, giraffe, hippo and whatnot During the British blockade of Madagascar, Frenchmen drank a horrible concoction called the Blockade Cocktail"-rum, syrup and vanilla beans in alcohol.
 INDIAN TROOPS swear by their "kukree" knives. which they far prefer to mere fifles. A kukree is long, curved, murderous; razor is dull by comparison. Tradition forbids them to pull it from its sheath for any reason whatsoever without drawing blood. If they show it to you. they must prick your finger, wet the blade in a drop of your blood. Once near Tobruk. an Indian, stark naked. with a kukree on a string around his waist. crawled off into the night after an annoying sniper. He crawled back an hour later, grinning, with two German ears.
 DESERT SONGS: The R. A. F. in the desert has a Flying Boot" club, open to all missing pilots who walk home When boiling tea water over an open fire, British soldiers toss in twig or match stick. ito keep the smoke out of .he tea" To shave. they often drain a cupful of hot water from the truck radiator and later pour it back in the top, soap and al. . Homesick Tommies named a desert crossroad "Piccadilly Circus" and built. from old gasoline cans, huge statue of Eros, like London's British desert commandos carry a 3O-inch rubber tubing to distill fresh water from salt. if they have to. using two water canteens In the siege of Tobruk, British soldiers some times sang Deutschland Uber Alles" and the Nazis replied with 'Tipperary" Both sides often played tunes on their machine guns, "Hinky Dinky Parlez Vous" being most recognizable.
 AFRICAN VOICES: A Greek sol- dier RaVaQeiy. When the war Is