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Ena xxxxxx

did I mention that we are on a permanent course of 45 grains quinine per week.

4 hrs later. Funny co-incidence; I intended to add that this quinine doping is guaranteed to prevent malaria. Only a few minutes ago Col Lennie Byrne from our platoon & another chap went into isolation with this cursed fever. Perhaps it's not so funny after all. Major & two lieutenants have been ill for a few days. This Major of ours deserves more praise than the rest of us put together. Until yesterday no amount of persuasion could induce him to rest. He puts all us young men to shame with his energy. We are still well fed. too well in fact. The army menu doesn't allow for the tropics. At Midday we may eat pork sausages (cooked) tapioco pudding, & bread & butter with jam. Eat a quarter your usual meal and
you feel over-full & heavy. Within a quarter-hour we are out in the blazing sun, & until last week, swinging axes & picks. This afternoon my nigger-cpl came to my guard tent with my lakatoi [boat]. It took 5 days to build but he charged me only 2/-. I'm afraid its too big to mail so I ordered two smaller ones. He told one of my guard what a mero namo heria (Mo! Tabida) I was when