we arrived, and a few days later another ship carried some Padres and
other officers of the Division to the same destination. For the rest of
us there were for the moment no transports, so we had to wait--not a
very terrible task, when our most strenuous exercise was sea-bathing or
playing water polo, and our recreation consisted of walking into the
town, to which an almost unlimited number of passes were given. Here, it
must be admitted, there was often too much to eat and far too much to
drink, and the attractions were so great that everybody waited for the
last possible tram back to camp, with the result that this vehicle
arrived with human forms clinging to every corner of the sides, ends and
roof--a most extraordinary sight. On one occasion two well-known
soldiers who had dined too well and not too wisely, stood solemnly at
the side of the road holding up their hands to a tram to stop, when a
party of lively French scavengers turned the hosepipe on to them, and
they had to be rescued from the gutter, where they lay with the water
running in at their collars and out at their ankles. The officers, too,
had many popular resorts, such as Therese's Bar and the Bodega for
cocktails, the Novelty for dinner, and a host of entertainments to
follow, ranging from the opera, which was first-class, for the serious,
through the "Alcazar" and "Palais de Crystal" for the frivolous, to the
picture palaces for the utterly depraved.

On the 20th we learnt that our Transport was now ready for us, and the
following morning we marched to the docks and embarked in H.M.T.
"Andania," late Cunard, which can only be described as a floating
palace, fitted with every modern luxury. We were all rather glad to be
leaving Marseilles, for it was an expensive place, and many of the
officers were beginning to be a little apprehensive about the lengths to
which Mr. Cox would let them go. However, all would now be right,
because once in the desert we should draw extra pay and find no Bodegas.