Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 314
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[Page 314]
CHAPTER 9.
The End of the Hunt
The Sydney rejoined her consorts, and all now swept north towards Rio. On the way up we saw for the first time the funk signs on neutral shipping. The era of submarine frightfulness had begun, and the ships of neutral nations had their country's colours painted in huge streaks across their hulls for all to see. In the early days one or two enterprising British skippers painted foreign flags on their ships and so ran the blockade; but this, one hears, was afterwards stopped by the Admiralty. On the morning of April 6th the Sydney entered the harbour of Rio de Janeiro and enabled us to compare the two "most beautifuls in the world". Speaking as a casual tripper one would say that from a shipping point of view Sydney wins: at any rate one did not see rows of wharves right up against the town where ships might unload their cargo. But as a sheet of water Rio harbour is surpassingly beautiful, and the high craggy peaks which surround the town and stretch away into the blue distance form a majestic setting beside which our own low fore-