Item 01: Walter Lawry Waterhouse diary, 15 January-27 March 1916 - Page 51

[Page 51]

up on the opposite bow. Here again the country was very rugged, & behind the coastline heavy ranges of mountain could be seen. It was our first sight of Africa, & one wondered what the continent had in store for us. At one place the high cliffs gave place to a sandy beach on which a settlement comprising 3 large white buildings in the midst of a native village could be easily made out with the glasses. Numerous stories about the savage nature of the inhabitants of these parts were going round & made me wish I knew something about their history.

We were skirting along the coastline making diagonally across the Gulf of Aden until darkness fell with its usual suddenness. The evening was glorious with a cloudless starry sky & a ¼ moon, the sea being wonderfully calm & a cool pleasant breeze blowing from the N. Very beautiful phosphorescent patches of water added to the beauty of the night, flashes made by the fish darting about the surface showing up some distance from the vessel.

During the afternoon the inter-unit competitions in rifle exercises were carried out, & the final of the tug-of-war won by the artillery. In the evening the commander gave a lantern lecture showing views of the various capitals of our states, & telling yarns about his experiences at sea.

Ship's run was 381 mls.