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[Page 17]
It was a stirring sight the way each ship cheered as the Bee sailed slowly pass the Choon. Over 1000 men on each boat cheering wildly & signaling & singing, each picking out ones friend on the other ship. Today I was appointed Sergant & Dispenser for the voyage & there is much heart burning who is to be the other non com to supervise the other work. The sick are paraded twice a day & the doctor calls out to me Mist Tussi or Black [indecipherable] as the case may be & leaves it to me.
Monday 15th our course lay between the great barrier reef & the mainland & is wonderfully picturesque. We pass hundreds of islands with vegetation right to the water's edge all looking bright & green. The sea is beautifully smooth scarcely a ripple & our voyage is truly a pleasure trip so far. At night we go on deck to enjoy the beautiful cool air & are generally rewarded by seeing a beautiful sunset.
16th & 17th The last three days a repetition. At times we are very close to the mainland & pass various Bays & Inlets the names of which we do not know but they look very inviting. At other times we thread our way between innumerable islands Today we loss sight of the Bee.
Thursday 18th, was astonished to find that we had turned round * during the early morning & were on our way back. It appears that the Bee has run on to a reef or sandbank The scenery we passed on our way back when about an hour from Thursday Island