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[Page 656]

to the now impatient voyagers.

Unfortunately although numbers of men had gone ashore at Capetown with the full intention among other purchases, to secure books maps & atlases which with the knowledge of the speed of the Ship & the course steered obtained from the Compass in the after wheelhouse (containing the emergency hand steering gear) a close estimate could be formed as to the date of arrival, not one was obtained & the men had to fall back on wisdom of the "old sailors" amongst the Company, for it was surprising, probably from design but not with malice aforethought, the ignorance displayed, of distances by the working crew of the Ship itself & also by sailors whose vessels had been torpedoed, returning home.

On the day during which "Old Aussie" was due to "Rise out of the hazy mist of Ocean" & appear in all its sunlit glory nearly every Australian aboard was out of bed long before daylight & upon the very first dim outline of the Coast merging into view, the whole of the Company assembled, broke out into a long ringing cheer, & scarcely a man left his place on deck for hours.

Laughing jovial faces were the "orders of the day".

Just as the Ayrshire was about to enter Fremantle Harbour a Japanese man of war was seen making a departure, alone, which caused surprise but later it was learned that Japanese War vessels had been assisting to patrol portion of the Australian Coast line.

Slowly going into the Harbour the Ayrshire berthed alongside the wharf about four oclock in the afternoon amidst vociferous cheers from people on ships & wharves & counter cheers from those on board.

It needed very little to raise a cheer from the steamer.

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