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[Page 106]
gilt of my shoulder straps took her fancy & she came quite close to examine them. Later, on our way to the boat, she got very tired and I carried her. In two minutes she was fast asleep one little black arm clasped about my neck and one hand thrust trustingly into my breast pocket.
Dinner on the "Gabriel" is an item. Try to imagine me, the only Britisher, in the company of 19 or 20 Germans, most of whom speak only a few words of pidgin English. The meals are served in German fashion and are a distinct improvement on the cockroach-laden biscuits and cheese which formed our staple food on the "Lili".
Sun 20th, Bogim Hfn 8am : "The rain it raineth every day", wrote Shakespeare. Here it raineth every night and stoppeth during the day (usually). One effect of the rainy nights is the remarkable clearness of the atmosphere the following morning. Last Wednesday at Madang was the most perfect morning I have ever known. The air was absolutely still and yet it was no hotter than a bright spring morning in Sydney. Dampier Island showed up plainly and looked only about five miles away. In reality it is about 40. Even with the naked eye one could distinguish the foliage on the mountain side. Rich Island (35 miles to NE) was also plainly visible. This was the first time I had seen this island although when at Dampier it was only 15 miles off.
We have now landed all our passengers except one Father; even the charming Topsy