[Page 25]
[At the top of this and following pages of this letter is the word "Girls". Not transcribed.]
at any time since we have been on board. Yet the sea is not rough. Many of the nurses are sea sick again. We expect to pass the Cocos islands on Sunday and to be in Colombo on the 25th inst.
9 p.m. – While I write Dr. Grey is performing at the piano, going over songs of various kinds, only two nurses are in the room besides the writer and the pianist. Good night.
16-12-14 The vasty waste of waters called the Indian Ocean lies around, our ship the only moving thing that is upon it, a gentle breez slightly disturbs its surface and an unseen swell rolls our home from side to side, the inhabitants the while grouped on various shaped easy chairs read, sew, chat, listen as the fleeting moment made pleasant in its temperature by the morning air, there be of them some more energetic that play games upon the deck space such a hockey, billiards, the former being the most popular with both men & women.
The notice board indicated 294 miles onward progress for 24 hours, 12.1 knots per hour, 1119 miles to Cocos, and two thousand odd to Colombo. The site sight of the islands is looked forward to in anticipation of seeing piled upon one of them the Emden. The ship's Captain said that our course should bring the ship within five miles of Cocos, but he did not know the name of the island upon which the German boat was wrecked.
17-12-14. Look in the Medical Gazett of Australia that is the local journal, when it is delivered weekly to see if there be articles from the expeditionary force. I have put some notes on paper, & it may be that they will be considered worth publishing, and sent them to the editor of the gazette. Please put each issue away in proper sequence and mark the pages where there may be contributions from me. I left two articles with Dr. Macdonald of Lidcombe