Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 188
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[Page 188]
Once this was safely towed away the Sydney left as the Captain did not think it worth while to hang up a cruiser indefinitely merely on the off chance of capturing a few elderly Huns. But we had had three miserable days. The Zealandia still remained there and that was the last we saw of her.
The Kentucky asked us where we were going as she apparently had permission to leave as soon as we did, but we gave no information and the Americans thinking we were possibly just going out of sight to watch and to wait, stayed on. They were still waiting for us to return, when we reached Belize British Honduras. Belize was a town which tho' the scanty whites the few English inhabitants were hospitality itself we had hoped never to see again and it was without much enthusiasm that we arrived there on the 22nd November. We had heard that war was threatening between the Republic of Guatemala and Honduras and that the coasts of British Honduras were being used for gun running. When we got there however we were informed by the Governor that everything had settled down and that the Republics after some border disturbance had adjusted their differences. The real reason was that the expected consignment of lethal weapons had not arrived and neither side had the wherewithal for war.
Some of us dined with the Governor the same evening and later there was a large reception to which people of all shades came from buck niggers to light blondes. It is astonishing what top hole food, yes and drinks can be provided at a moments notice in these spots off the map.
In the tropics at any rate most of the private houses had a liquor list which many an