27-1-1900

S.S.Maori King 27-1-1900 Dear Edie I am writing this to you because you was always kind to me and I thought you might like a letter from a soldier. I hope you got the photo I promised you and that it is a good one. I have been very seasick but I have always done my work and drill except one day when the doctor put me on the sick list. We are nearly all getting our sea legs now and pass the spare time with single sticks, quoits and boxing. They are a lively lot I can tell you. We had a fine time at Melbourne the people nearly went mad over us. There was New South Wales and Tasmanian troops in port; but we seemed to be the favourites. The girls came down to the ship in hundreds to be kissed and to kiss us at any rate they did and didn’t our poor Nats suffer. Everybody was begging a feather; mine is like an old hen in the moult. It is a fine city such splendid churches and fine buildings; the streets are paved with small wooden blocks and are wide like East Street and trams are running for miles. You can ride 3 or 4 miles for 3 pence. A lot of us rode to a farm outside the city with a river and got two boats and had a fine row for a couple of miles with lovely scenery on each side. The boatman would not charge a penny so we gave him 3 hearty British cheers and he looked very pleased. I went into a shop to buy some fruit and the woman gave me a big bag of lovely peaches. You do not see such at Rockhampton and she would not take a penny and everywhere we went it was the same. They were so good to us. We still keep having good tucker but I have not been able to eat heartily yet. The best feed I had yet was yesterday; we had plum duff it was very good. Arthur would have shifted some of it every dinnertime. They give us beer or soft drink; I always have soft drink so does a lot more it is 6d a bottle if you buy it. Being sick I have bought a lot and it soon runs away with some money. Tell Arthur that Brice was in Brisbane trying to come with us but he was left behind, he was going to go by the third contingent. Bert Keoge was rejected for bad shooting he done very bad, he was hoping for the next too. I daresay you will see some letters in the paper from Trickett. He has written a letter to the company he says from the 3 officers but I have not seen it yet. Dodd and I had a good single sticks this afternoon and didn’t nearly kill each; oh we are great mates Dodd and I, he has been pretty sick too in that to lay at Albany but I do not drink. We shall not get a chance to land till we get to Africa. You might write a letter to me, I should like one from you very much. I remain Your affectionate friend E.T.Johnson Cheerio Can give you these x x x x x