Sep. 26. Darling Father. We reach Port Said on the 28th so I'll begin to write to you. It has been a very comfortable journey, Captain Henderson kindness itself (perhaps you might thank Lord Inchcape?) the weather beautiful, the ship excellent. And Marie is proving an admirable traveller. It was a little rough the first day we got out of the Channel and she spent the day in bed, since when she has never looked behind her. And she loves it, thinks a sea journey "adorable" and wonders why everyone who can doesn't do this all the time. For my part I've never been so well dressed on a ship, for she digs into the boxes and produces a fresh costume daily. She sits at the Purser's table - she is in my cabin all the second class accomodation being taken for troops - and behaves with great distinction. I shall ask the Purser to see her into George Lloyd's hands at Bombay. The General - I think I told you there was a general at the Captain's table - turns out to be Kenyon, brother of Sir Frederic. He is going to India as Director General of Ordnance - a pleasant, well read man. An Indian princeling, a charming little American couple, a Kut [Kut, Al (Kut al Imara)] prisoner, odds and ends of officers, besides those of the two battalions, and a number of Indian civilians, mostly with wives attached, make up the party. I talk a good deal to the Indian Civilians, being myself almost one of their service. It's very curious to be part of the official East. I always used to wonder what it must be like to be coming out on a ship of this kind and not to be an outsider. Now I know what it's like and I find it quite amusing, not having had too much of it. I have an excellent Bridge every evening - much too good for me really - with 3 of my semi-colleagues. We play from 8 to 11 which passes the time.
We saw Tangier [Tanger] and I thought of the nice Xmas you and I spent there, and we skirted the Algerian coast for 2 days and caught sight of Malta yesterday in the dusk. Otherwise, except for a quite wonderful sea there has been nothing to look at. Among other matters I've been thinking of the things I've left behind, one or two of which, I'm sorry to say, I must ask you to post to me. Most important are a number of official publications about tribes, then quartos printed in India, 4 of them I think, which you'll find lying in a pile on the bottom shelf of the bookcase in my London sitting room. How I came to forget them I can't think. In the same pile are various typewritten (and I think one M.S.) memoranda about tribes and Baghdad affairs which I should like also. Secondly, on the open shelf of the big wardrobe in my London dressing room there is a small parcel containing 3 bits of Yezd velvet. Marie says she left them there and I want them for my sitting room in Baghdad. Thirdly at Rounton in my book room there's a small square carpet, very old, folded up and laid by the fireplace - not the two saddle bags which are with it. I think I have denuded myself of carpets too much and I meant to take that one back with me. Will you please have it wrapped in canvas and posted. And lastly, Mary didn't send back to London with me a green silk jumper. It's in the cupboard in my bedroom at Rounton. May I please have it. I'm being extremely tiresome.

And Father you need not bother about my overdraught at the bank. I shall find about a couple of thousand rupees due to me at Baghdad and with my salary this will carry me over the next 6 months or more, so that I shall not draw a cheque on London and all my income will go into the bank. The India Office said I ought not to have paid for my ticket and I asked them to refund the money to you. Will you please pay it into the bank for me.

It's so delicately warm this morning. One can sit on the boat deck in a muslin gown and feel neither hot nor cold. I sit up here because no one else does, except a friend of mine, namens Crump, who is Resident at Patiala and quite intelligent and interesting. He is one of the Bridge four, very very good. The other two are both in Behar and Orissa, Mr Sifton, a big loosely built man and a sound Bridge player, and Mr Morshead, a little anxious person who plays a nervous game, mostly loses and preserves a perfect affability. The Indian princeling is a Rajput, not much of a person, though I understand that when the boys of the Royal Irish invited him to dine in order to have some fun out of him, the fun was the other way round, and I wasn't sorry. He is a bit of a philosopher and dreadfully afraid of the Nationalist party, which he thinks, I should say rightly, will be a far more irksome master to native princes than the British Raj. In spite of their faulty discrimination in the matter of fun, the officers of the two battalions are as nice as possible, the younger ones enchanting, I don't care much for the Colonels who are much too shy to make good acquaintances. The Rifles are going to Persia via Baghdad and the Fusiliers to Baghdad. Marie has one or two friends among the non-commissioned officers I need not say. Also their Catholic Padre converses in laborious French with her.

Now you know all about this ship - no, not nearly all, for I might tell you the life and times of the Captain, the Purser, and several others. But I won't. They are interesting to hear but not interesting enough to write.

Sep. 29. [29 September 1919] We reached Port Said at 5 p.m. yesterday - a quick voyage. The Embarkation officer brought me a letter from Sir Gilbert Clayton saying he was in Cairo and would I come there. I telegraphed saying I was arriving at 11 and asking him to get me a room somewhere, and then caught the 6.10 train. He met me at the station and took me to Shepheard's where we sat and talked for a little. I shall be a few days here in order to get the hang of things - no one can give it me better than General Clayton who is now Minister for the Interior, and besides, the most delightfully intelligent person. I'm going with him to Alexandria tomorrow to see Sir Milne Cheetham, who is in charge, and the Arab Bureau people. Allenby charged me to arrange a good system for the interchange of intelligence, a matter I have much at heart. So that's what I'm about. It is delicious to be warm again, temp. something over 80° this morning. But my hat! (or rather my ankles!) the mosquitoes in the train last night! I'm so glad to have left that ship. Another 11 days of it would have been very tedious. Marie, on the other hand, loves every minute so we're both well suited.
Please will Mother order the enclosed list of books for me from Bain or whomsoever.

Dearest, I'm glad to be plunged into Arab politics again and almost to think I'm a person. My dear love to Mother and Maurice. I was grateful to Mother for seeing me off, however tediously long it was for her. I hope she wasn't tired. Your very affectionate daughter Gertrude

[Note on back of envelope] I've just read about the rly strike.