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[Page 28]
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craft and ducked her head into the coamers thrashed up by the SE. Trade with a will. Time after time we were drenched with spray which flew right over the roof of the coachhouse into the cockpit. Luckily we had brought our oilskins. The launch was owned by Mr Cawley and there were his wife and two other ladies and a number of children onboard. The helmsman was a native. The Papuans make excellent sailors and handle boats of all description remarkably well. After a lively trip of about 45 minutes we arrived at Port Moresby, and Mr Cawley kindly took us to the Papua Club where we spent a pleasant hour waiting for the manager of the British New Guinea Co from whom we intended to secure a few necessary articles. The club occupies a commanding position on the eastern side of the port and from the wide verandahs exquisite views are obtained of the harbour and surrounding hills. The whole district is hilly and the fronts of the houses, which almost invariably face the water, are built up on high piers. Wide verandahs, canvas blinds, with everything open to the cool breeze ensures a pleasant relaxation after the day's work. After completing our business at the store we went to Ryan's Hotel for dinner. This is situated in the highest part of the town and offers very good accomodation. The dining room is lofty, fitted with electric light and fans, and delightfully cool. The waiters are natives, in most cases naked to the waist, the loins being covered with a gaudily coloured sarong. We here had an excellent meal at a moderate cost, after which we enjoyed a quiet smoke on the wide verandah, and eventually returned to the ship thoroughly satisfied with our outing. Although there were many natives in the town during the afternoon they had all practically disappeared by the time