FARMING AND FOXHUNTING 



you occupied. In our case we were called upon to 

 furnish " Guard " when our turn came round. It 

 does seem foolish to put a guard on any part of a 

 ship in mid-ocean, but there it is : military rules and 

 regulations must be carried on. 



At Malta we had our first stop. Decked in full 

 dress, I rather think we made a good show when we 

 went ashore. Just imagine a thousand men repre- 

 senting every branch of the British Army passing 

 in review order. Why, the occasion was unique in 

 history. What impressed me most at Malta was 

 the armoury of the Knights of Malta. Here we 

 have evidence that throughout history Christendom 

 has ever been fighting the cause of the Jew and yet 

 he is to-day far from a settled home. But it was no 

 business of ours to settle the troubles of the Jews, 

 we were out to settle those of the Australians. As 

 a matter of fact we were not clear of our own by 

 any means. 



Cheering and hand-waving was a part of the 

 show as we weighed anchor, and then down to a 

 dinner of hot pork and beans. I can seem to hear 

 the sudden silence as we neared the open sea out- 

 side the breakwater. Oh, was it not rough ! Next 

 stop Port Said, for coaling, and then on through 

 Suez. Going through Suez with land on both sides, 

 you rush about from port to starboard afraid you 

 might miss something ; it all seems so fascinating. 



After Suez the next call was Colombo. Leave was 

 granted to those who wished to go ashore, and the 

 Yeomen were never behind when a new venture 

 was afoot. We had a few lively sparks in our party. 



24 



