Cairo
8th Sept 1917
My Dear People
Now that I am again clear of hospital and free to a certain extent to get about at will I am of course making the best of it. This afternoon as you will observe I am in Cairo but having made up my mind to take it easy while I have the opportunity of doing so I am starting out from this afternoon. This is my third day at Aotea but as each have been uncommon trips & interesting ones too I have not seen fit to let them slip. Of course the first day I had to go to Head Quarters & draw what money the pay book would allow then I sent off a cable which you I have no doubt will have before this, the rest of the day was spent getting round the town seeing some of the odd sights. Yesterday as a party was going out from the Home to the Barage I thought it a good opportunity of getting there as it is a trip I had intended making one day while here. Today also is an uncommon one it being the day on which the Mohamedan Pilgrims set out to Mecca with the Holy Carpet. This is an anual affair the carpet I believe is a costly one & is replaced every year each taking a year to make. As soon as this years one is sent away they commence to make the one for next year, the old one is brought back & deposited in the hundred & one mosques in and around Cairo. This carpet is simply the covering for the tomb of the Mohamed Prophet or some such in Mecca
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It appears to be a great festival season as here there was a huge procession headed by the Sultan & the whole populace appeared to turn out to give the pilgrims & their burden a good send off. Any way it was well worth coming out in the heat of the day to witness & it is what one may not have an opportunity of witnessing again for a long time. The Barage trip was a fine quiet interesting one, this is one of the many places on the Nile where the workings for controling the flood waters of the Nile are built. These are in themselves a masterpiece in engineering & go a long to prove that engineering has made Egypt what it is today. These Barages constitute in the first place a source by which the waters in ordinary time are diverted into the many canals leading over the plains, & in flood time time hold the waters & prevent them spreading over & destroying the crops etc. but for the Barage the whole valley would be submerged during a considerable period of the year. Of course I cannot explain the workings here much as I would like to some of these days in the near future I hope to be able to give a detailed account of them & that I am sure will be much more satisfactory. My stay at the hospital was not so long this time but quite enough I think if I take it easy
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while at Aotea it may make a difference, most of the places of interest round about here I have seen & Cairo itself has not its attractions for me so I can sit down & rest for a few days. The parcels I spoke of in my last letter I made enquiries about & it appears that the one I thought went early in June was delayed until beginning of August so that you should have both now if not by end of this month then early next. The tin of sugar you spoke of arrived a few days before I left the Regiment & the tobacco I got the night I came away from hospital. I also received a letter from Kate the same as the one she sent you. Surely we must be thankful that she was allowed to be with Ernie at the last & that the end came so peacefully as it did with him. Is it not strange how they have been brought together during these months of strife. Now I think all the news I have such as it is has been exhausted so if I ring off & stroll out & have some tea I believe the afternoon will have been well spent. I am writing in one of the Soldiers Clubs in Cairo and on looking up notice through the door that the eating room has filled up with a party of either hospital or convalescent patients. Nevertheless I will find room in the one next door so no need to be disappointed. Now I will stop hoping this finds all in the best of health & believe me to be on the right road to health
Ever Your Affect Brother
Charlie
P.S. I hear there is another mail in so may get some on arriving home. Ch
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Enclosed is a sample of cotton as it comes off the plant. I will try & pick up a better sample some of these days this I destroyed to some extent but I believe you will still get a fair idea of how it is when ready to gather. A field of cotton looks very well at this stage. Ch.
