1.11.18.
My dear Mother.
I might get a mail from you any day now I fancy. A referee & a Sunday Herald arrived posted Sept 29th for which many thanks. I sent a letter saying Topher & I are quite near each other at present. I discovered him by chance. All private cables are stopped or I would have sent one to say we had met, but the one saying quite well went just before the order came out. I have’nt gone yet and am rather sick about it as I do not see how I can get to Assam now by the 23rd. Anyhow I expect to be sent any day.
Funny sending a cable quite well, ‘cos just after I for some reason got a bad throat & for the first time for many years was made to stay in bed. Could’nt swallow or smoke & generally felt rotten. However I made a rapid recovery & did not reckon on being fit even by today, but thank goodness I am.
Topher is seedy now. Rotten country eh? He’s got diarrhoea, but I went & fetched him this evening & have put him in a tent next me & got him a couple of days’ ex duty, so he will soon be alright. He’s been to Jerusalem & I expect will write to you all about it.
As I thought there is very little in the papers about our big push here, which is of course bigger than any, but perhaps not so important. However the news is so good everywhere nowadays, people must be very cheery at home.
I am trying to shed off those twopenny halfpenny olive wood table napkin rings this week, you will perhaps be able to use them on the table at Christmas time. Still very hot here, but we’ve had some rain. I must go over to Jaffa again & have a bathe, it freshens one up so, & there’s nothing like a change even for one day. Bored stiff with this place and am longing to get away.
I am waiting for No 5 letter now. Wonder if I can run across Jim or Ted in India!
I’ll keep this open & see if any letters come tomorrow.
Good night love to all yr loving son
Richard
