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[Page 2]
We were left aboard the "Matunga" until the 14th August, when we arrived at a harbour in Dutch New Guinea, which we afterwards named, "Matunga Harbour".
On arriving at this harbour we were given an hours notice to pack our belongings and get on board the "Wolf". We were examined and sent below in the 'tween decks with the crews of 9 other ships, men of all nationalities, 210 men all told, and I can tell you we were packed together down there. We slept in hammocks three tiers high. Nothing exciting happened until the 16th August. But first I must give you an idea what it was like in the 'tween deck of a German Raider.
The only entrance was a ladder three feet wide, the deck holding, as I have said, 120 prisoners of mixed nationalities, the crews of ships:- S.S. Turritella, English, captured on the 27th February 1917; S.S. Jumna, English, 1st March; S.S. Wordsworth, English, 11th March; Barque Dee, Mauritius, 30th March, the crew all blacks; S.S. Wairuna, New Zealand, 2nd June; Schooner Windslow, American, 16th June; Barque Beluka, American, 9th July; Schooner Enchore, American, 13th July; and then the poor unlucky S.S. Matunga.
We were told by our fellow prisoners that the "Wolf" had intercepted our wireless from Sydney, saying when we were leaving Sydney and what our cargo consisted of. From Brisbane we sent another wireless, saying we would be at Cape Moreton at Monday midday, 30th July. On the 5th August sent another wireless to Rabaul, to say we would be in late on the 6th.
The first wireless the "Wolf" intercepted, she cruised around waiting for us. The next one she still kept cruising but the third was the one that was to blame for our capture. It seems that the "Wolf" was out of our course, and would have missed us only for our wireless on the 5th by this she carried our bearings. That night she sent her seaplane up to