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[Page 25]
1914.
secret documents on board written in German. There being no further object in remaining at Simpsonhafen we left to make a reconnaisance of the Solomon Islands, in the hope that we should find the enemy there.
Aug 13.
The following day we searched the Solomons, especially Bouganville which is German, & finding nothing, we left again for New Guinia to coal. During the previous night we had intercepted a wireless message from New Britain to the German cruisers, announcing that we had been to Simpsonhafen that day, so now we knew our German enemies knew our whereabouts, but it was difficult for us to find out where they were, amongst all the thousands of Pacific islands. Our next object was to make for Port Moresby in British New Guinea, where coal & oil fuel were waiting for us. Our supply of fuel was running rather low, & this would seriously hamper our radius of action if we suddenly met the enemy.
Aug. 16.
We arrived at Port Moresby on a Sunday morning, and at once we comenced taking in 1300 tons of coal & 400 tons of oil fuel. This took all day. Port Moresby is a small place with a population of about 1000 whites & 2000 Papuans. The natives live in huts erected on poles. They are very picturesque fellows & they wear their hair in a great mass which goes straight up from their heads. There is a wireless station here. The harbour is almost entirely closed by