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[Page 29]
looting of two German commissariat stores. Many obtained sums of coin, shells, uniforms, belts, native curios, matches, lager, & many other articles too numerous to mention.
The share of "H" company was very small compared with the others as Major Martin rightly, was adverse to looting.
The inhabitants of the island who live in huts among the coconut plantations or in sheds close to the copra factories are darker & much smaller than those of New Guinea They doubtless work on the cocoanut & banana plantations & a system much akin to slavery appears to be in vogue. The natives appear to be very servile & straight laced, denoting by the way they greeted us that they had been oppressed by their former masters. One showed on his back raw brands.But the Union Jack now replaces the German Eagle at Herbertshohe, & will soon fly in Rabaul. It is surprising to see the number of natives who speak English.
The island as far as we saw it is surprisingly fertile. Coconuts grow with almost alarming profusion, while pineapples, bananas, paw paws & other native fruits are equally well represented.