CAPTURE OF SAMOA.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2249, 8 September 1914, Page 6

CAPTURE OF SAMOA.

BY THE NEW ZEALAND ADVANCE PARTY

THE DEMAND TO SURRENDER.

AND HOW IT WAS COMPLIED WITH.

MILITARY GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED.

ANXIOUS TIME ON THE VOYAGE FROM N.Z.

, [By Malcolm Eoss.l

1. The .New Zealand Government of His Britannic Majesty King George Fifth now occupy .for His Majesty all the German terri-' tories situated in the Islands-of the Samoan Group. 2. All inhabitants of the occupied territories are commanded to submit to all such directions as may.bo given by any officer of tho occupying force. _3. Every, inhabitant of the'occupied territories is forbidden to assist or to communicate directly or indirectly with the German Government or the German Forces, or to ' molest or to resist directly" or indirectly the occupying forces or any member thereon 4. All public property of the German Government must be delivered forthwith by those responsible for its safety to tho possession of tho Occupying Force. ' ' 5.. Private property of individuals will only be taken if required for tho purjwses of the Oocupj'iiig Force, and if so taken will be paid for at 'a • reasonable price at the termination of the war- . 6. No. person shall, except with the written permission of an authorised Officer of the Occupying Force, be .out of doors on any night between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., nor change his or her present place of residence nor use any 'boat or canoe. 7. All public meetings are prohibited. 8. No Circular or Newspaper or printed matter of any description shall bo circulated, printed, or issued without the written permission of an Authorised Officer of the Occupying Force. 9. No spirituous or intoxicating liquor shall be manufactured or sold without the written permission of an Authorised Officer of the Occupying Force nor shall liquor be supplied to any Samoan Native. 10. All officials of the German Government who desire to continue to carry out' their-, functions . under the present Military Government, must report thomselveg forthwith to tho Commander of'the Occupying Forco and such as may be retained in their employment will receive the same rate of remuneration as was received by them prior to the occupation. 11. All inhabitants having in their possession any motor-cars, horses, carte, or other means of transport must forthwith report the description of the same to the Provost Marshal of tho Occupying Force. 12. All arms of every description, whether the property of < the. Ger- . man Government or of private persons, must forthwith he delivered at tho office of the Provost • Marshal of the Occupying Force.

: 13. All persons who quietly submit to the Administration of Affairs by the Occupying Force will be protected in their-, occupations, except in the case of 6UOII occupations as may be contrary to the best interests of the Occupying Force. . . 14. All persons who in any manner resist the Occupying Force or attempt by .violence or otherwise to interfere with or overthrow the Militarv Government now established "or His Majesty King George Fifth, or who fail to obey the ahovo written or any subsequent commands of any Officer of the Occupying Force, will'be punished according to the Laws of. War. • Given at Apia this twenty-ninth day of August in.the year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fourteen. ; [Sgd.) ROBERT LOGAN, Colonel, Commanding the Occupying Force

GOD SAVE THE KING,

In the above words on the morning of Sunday, August 30 (Sarnoan time), Colonel Logan, on behalf of the New Zealand Government, took possession of German Samoa for His' Majesty King George the Fifth. As the flag was slowly hoisted to the top of the staff above the offices of the German administration, and fluttered out on the southeast trade wind, to the booming of the guns of tho Psyche, the scene was indeed a memorable one. The troops, on the word of the officer commanding the Expedition, came to the Royal salute, the band played the National Anthem, and three cheers were given for His Majesty. Then followed the. reading of the proclamation in the presence of a largo assemblage of Europeans and Samoans, the officers of tho Expedition, the naval officers, and tho leading ohiefs of Samoa, after which tho troops, with the band of the Fifth Rogiment playing a lively tune, marched back to quarters. -

The Demand to Surrender,

For the first time in the history of the Empire a British Dominion Overseas had sent an invading force across the ocean, and had captured a foreign territory. With the three cruisers from our own waters, the advance Contingent of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force reached New Caledonia in safety—hut not without risk—on the morning of Friday, August 21. There the Expedition was met by the bigger warships of-the Allied Fleets—tbe Australia, the Melbourne, and the Mont--1 calm, under the command of Rear-Ad-miral Sir S. Patey. After coaling, and a delay of twenty-four hours through the Monowai's running aground in the harbour, the whole of the ships assembled at the south-east of the principal island, and left for Samoa via Fiji. The six ships of war and the two transports, steaming in line ahead, across tho waters and between' the islands of the Southern Pacific, made an imposing spectacle, and, eventually, the appearanco of such a formidable and totally unexpected force off tho Island . of tipolu in the early dawn, and, later, off the port of Apia, was n great surprise to the Germans, tho British, and the Samoan natives. The Psyche (Captain Marshall) steamed on ahead, .and, under a flag of truce, entered the inner harbour, which was thoroughly -swept for mines by two of the little steamboats. She promptly landed an officer, with a demand from •the Admiral for the surrender of the Islands within half an hour, he having, an overwhelming force at his disposal. I In the temporary absence of the Govornor from tho town of Apia, this demand was made to his deputy, who intimated that in the absence of the Governor ho could not approve of the surrender, but that no resistance to tho landing of an armed force would be jaadet ,The QoveraWj jyho had jgre -J

nously been apprised of the arrival of tho force, had, we were told, gone to a meeting with some of the High Chiefs. Landing the Troops. The position of affairs having been ascortamed, a signal was made to the troopships, which at once steamed to their allotted anchorages and promptly commenced the disembarkation of the troops. The landing of the advance, party was accomplished with remarkable celerity, under the immediate supervision of the principal transportofficer, Captain ■ Stuart, R.N., and the principal beach officer, , Commander Ward, R.N., tows of as many as five boats in line, each crowded with officers and men fully armed, making direct for the beach, the men jumping out into tho water and dashing on shore to take up various strategic positions as previously arranged on the charts. Every bridge, and road, and entrance to and exit from the town was quickly guarded. Eventually the disembarkation of the wholo force with guns, rifles, ammunition, camp equipment, provisions, and a complete wireless outfit was effected with remarkable dispatch, without the loss of a single iife, and with no greater accident than a broken leg-.

Hauling Down the Flag. In a few minutes-after the landing of the covering party, the German flag, that for fourteen years had flown over these islands, had been; hauled down. The Germans who were present, faultlessly dressed'in the tropic white, doffed their hats or whito helmets, and stood bareheaded as one of our soldiers hauled .it down, and our triumph was almost for the moment forgotten in the presence of so sad an incident. One could not but feel a genuine sorrow for tho small band of/ the rival nation in this' far-away colony in the Southern Seas. But the incident was soon over, and in a little while Colonel Logan with his staff'had installed himself in the offices of the late Government. • Tho. post office, the Customs-house, the telephone exchange, and other public buildings and property were quickly seized, and tho officials of the Government, one after another, were brought before Colonel Logan, and put on parole. Later in the day His Excellency the Governor, Dr. Sclvultz, appeared before Colonel Logan, who greeted him quite cordially and expressed his regret that he had now to assume the position formerly occupied by His Excellency. The Colonel's Orderly Officor, Lieutenant 8011, was then detailed to accompany 1 His Excellency to 'his private' residence at Vailimai(the histono house of the late Robert: Louis Stevenson) to enable him to' get some necessary • private' belongings" preparatory to his being taken on boarcf the troopship Moeraki, instructions being given that he was to be treated as a guest of honour. On the following day the Governor was permitted to come on shore and. pay another visit to his home, after which he was convoyed on board the Monowai, which .was to take him to Fiji. Colonel Logan had got quickly and effectively to work, and in a very brief space of time had established a British Military Government over German Samoa. Sentries were, posted- all over" the town, and about .the public buiMngs and iJio wireless station. The inhabitants were Warned to keep to their houses between sunset and sunrise. The troops, with the remains of the day's ration of biscuits and tinned meat in their haversacks, were billotted in two of the public buildings. Such, in brief outline, is an atfeount of the capture and occupancy of Gorman Samoa by the Now Zealand Expeditionary Force; but the very interesting story of this memorable cruise— or such part of it as can be made public at this juncture—l purpose telling in gieater detail in.the following and subsequent articles. .■■.'''

STORY OF..THE EXPEDITION DEPARTURE FROM WELLINCTON. At dawn on Saturday the swish of the screw told us we, the first section of tho New Zealand Expeditionary Force, were way, and, a-little-later, to the cheers of the crew and such passongers as were astir on the incoming boat from Lyttelton, we steamed out towards the harbour entrance. As we (on Troopship No. 1) steamed out into a calm sea and rounded Palliser, tho view was superb. The jagged teeth of tho harbour mouth stood silhouetted against the sombre grey of the harbour hills. Farther round to the westward Terawhiti loomed darkly against the sky, and far away beyond tho grey waters 'of the straits tho snowy Kaikouras lifted their summits tinted with the pale flush of the oncoming sun, above a band of grey. The scene was peaceful in the extreme! and, looking. out over the rail, one would not have thought that there was Mich a thing as war in the whole wide world. A little later in the day I.heard tho A.Q.M.G., in calling over tho lists, mention "One grindstone for sharpening bayonets I" Meeting With the Escort. We hugged the coast on our northward route. , At 1 p.m. Castle Rock, was abeam, and at 10.4 p.m. we were abreast of Portland Island. By Sunday morning .(at 7.49) we had made East Cape, and Captain M'Lean set a course for a spot in'the ocean—lat. 3G.0 S., long. 178.30 E.—where, at an appointed time, we were to pick up our escort. At 3 p.m. we saw the smoke of ships on the horizon, and, presently, wo could pick out, with tho aid of our glasses, the three cruisers from Now Zealand waters that had recently disappeared into the unknown—the Psycho, the Pyramus, and the Philomel. Hide-and-Soek Across an Ocean. v We had to slow down for tho Mono. | Wai. With her slower Bpced, sho had I dropped behind, until she was hulldown on the horizon. Tho threo cruisers were under easy steam, rolling in a choppy sea, and they Gtarted off in line ahead to lead usacross the seas to another appointed rendezvous. Meanwhile we had'altered tho complexion of our troopship. Men with paint and brushes were clinging like flies at tho top of .her masts and funnel, and others were all over the place, with swabs of cotton-wasto and more paint, tin tliero was not-a-vestige of the trim green and red of a Union liner left. Trooper No. 1 had taken on her dress of grey as if sho had copied tho tint from the trim uniforms of tho nursing sisters that ire had on board. In tho evening, as a splendid sunset was lighting up Ijhq sea, .on our port bow, the Monowai,

camo up to us, and the escort took their stations, the tall-masted Psyche leading, the Pyramus on our starboard bow, and the Philomel on the port bow, with Trooper No 2 following in our wake. Tho great majority or thpso on board felt a little safer now that we had found our escort but the few of us who know that the Scharnliorst and tlio Gneisonau— big armoured cruisers—bad come down from the Ohma Seas into tho Pacific were somewhat ill at easo, howover much we might disguise the fact. Well wo know that with their superior guns and their armour they were more than a matob for our frail cruisers, aud that ono sbot from them, well placed, would send Troopship No. 1 to tho bottom of tho sea. In tho wireless house on the after boat deck there was, day and night, a man with his ear glued to the receiver, listening for any unconsidered German | trifle that he miglit pick up. But tho Germans, like . our own bigger ships fartlier asea, woro now "lying doggo," and sending nothing. We woro all playing a game of hide and seek in the big islanded playground of tho Pacific Ocean. Our 'hope was that the Germans were a little more scared than wo wore, and that they were doing tho hiding while our bigger ships, that wo hoped to meet later on, were doing tho seeking, or that by taking our new course, N. 54 degrees west direct for Noumea, we should give them the slip should tliey bo looking for us on ono of the routes from New Zealand to Samoa. All Lights Extinguished. That evening tho flag . signalled, "Whereabouts of Scharnliorst.and Gneisonau still unknown; troopships to extinguish all lights and proceed with only sliaded lights at bow and stern." Military books and papers woro quickly gathered together, and tho remaining Few minutes of daylight were used for getting into bed, while tho difficult task was sot us of trying to sleep tho round of the clock. "It's a 'ard life," someone remarked, and I, who bad lately been used •to going to bed at any time between midnight and 2 a.m., was especially inclined to agreo with him. One could not even smolco, and, as I lay awake thinking, I stared across the cabin at the open port that looked for all the- world like- a dim grey moon, in the darkness. And as I looked I saw the Pyramus slinking back to see that all our lights were really out, and take up her station for the night farther down the line. Thus we, all five, steamed northward through tho night.

Working the Raw Material, In the early dawn squads were already at work taking running exercise round 'the upper deck, and the thud of their bare feet overhead came at regular intervals as round after round was reeled oil. Then came the morning wash, under the hose, breakfast, and drill. The material was there, tut it-nxr a considerable portion of it—had still to be licked into shape, and officers, and noncommissioned officers had a busy time. Discipline was wanted—discipline, more discipline, and still more discipline. I listened to one of the British Army' instructors putting a squad through its facings with the rifle and the bayonet. "But suppose," said one of the "Tommies," " a man had to surrender." "Suppose 1" replied, the Sergeant-Major, "there is no supposition at alll Any man that is captured is a loss to the Army. We don't want, it. There is no'.such a thing as capture. Either vou give the man a 'pill or the bayonet!" And then to another man who was awkwardly holding his riflo—"Don't 'old it like that.. Get it right into your shoulder, an' not as if 'you'was a lidy 'oldin' a lap dog I" S\ich words of wisdom no doubt sank in.. Down in the saloon, in between the lines of hunks, M'Quarrie was, giving the Battery a lecture. He seemed to be putting the fear of death into them. As I passed up the companion I heard the word "Boots" —a most important subject. "Get your boots in'good order," he was saying. "Unfortunately they aro new, ones; but there's dubbin on board. Get used to them and get them in good order. Any man who cannot keep up must be left behind—and that means death 1"

- The O.C. and Staff. / As the days went past one began to notico a decided change for the better,' both in the discipline and in the fitness of the men. Tho O.C. had been invited on board "The Flag," with a view,,, no doubt.'to discussing a pla-n of campaign, but he--wisely decided that it -would ho better to remain with his men. He was fortunate in having an excellent staff. Captain Eastwood, of the Rifle Brigade : (one of Lord Liverpool's aides), had come as A.D.C.; Lieutenant 8011, M.P., who had held a commission in King Edward's Horse, and who was on board Troopship No. 2, was Orderly Officer. The Chief of the General Staff was Major Pinwill (Imperial General Staff),' a clever, tireless worker; while Captain Wright, of tho Army Service Corps, dealt quietly and effectively with the many strange problems that, from day to day, confront an acting (J.M.G. on a lniTriedly-supplied troopship. Captain Tottenham—late Royal Navy and Reserve of Officers,lmperial Yeomanry—" was Provost Marshal, and Naval Intel ligence Officer; and Lieutenant Hackworth, sth Wellington Regiment, came as Field Cashier. Colonel Logan was fortunate, also, in having in command of the troops on the Moeraki Lieuten-ant-Colonel Fulton, of the Second Ghurkas. When the Boer War broke out, he was onfurlough in New Zealand, and. volunteered for service. . In thatwar he got a bullet and tho D.S.O. Curiously enough he was again on furlough in New Zealand when the present war broke out ; and, again, ho volunteered for service. He had also been in soveral frontier engagements in India, for which ho had received medals. His efforts on the Moeraki were -well seconded by those of Captain Keenan, ship's adjutant, who had been a prisoner in the Jameson Raid, and had taken part, in tho Matabele and other African cam--paigns, including the Boer War. Major Holmes, in charge of the Field Ambulance, was also on the Moeraki, and did excellent work. On the Monowai Lieu-tenant-Colonel Turner was in command, with Captain Head second in command, arid Captain Neill (late Royal Irish Fusiliers) as Ship's Adjutant. I saw practically nothing of the work on the Monowai. Colonel Logan, the Officer Commanding, ,was simply splendid. One cannot i speak too highly of the excellent work he did from beginning to end of the cruise, and of the manner in which he commenced his regime as Military Governor of German Samoa. He impressed eren- the' Germans. On the troopships, Captains M'Lean and Williams wero absolutely tho right men in tho right place. Being on the Moeraki, I naturally saw most of Captain M'Lean. In the face of tho greatest difficulties or tho most depressing" news, his cheery smile infected the whole ship. Tho officers and crew one ■ and all worked day and night under most disadvantageous circumstances in tho interests of Now Zealand and the Empire. It was a pleasure to be associated with such men. 1 There wero onboard the Moeraki 25 officers, 3 nurses, and 674 other ranks, and on the Monowai 28 officers, 31 nurses, and 077 other ranks, giving a total strength of 53 officers, 6 nurses, r.:id 1351 other ranks. The D Battery, N.Z.F.A., had with them two 15-pounders and two sixpounder guns, and tho Fifth Regiment had Maxims. There was a good supply of ammunition. A Democratic Force. We were truly a democratic force. One saw in the ranks men that one might expect to sec in tho officers' mess. All professions and walks of life , seemed to be represented. When wo first met our escort off the East Capo ■ I was talking to Lieut.-Colonel Fulton, when our jnese orderly, same up and (

asked if he could get a message sent off' to the Melbourne. Ho was under the impression that it was the Australian squadron that had met us. "Why do you want a mossage sent?" asked the colonel. "My hrother is tho captain, and I should liko him to know that I am with tho Expedition," was tho reply. Wo did not know then that we were really to meet tho Melbourne; but, later, at Noumea, our mess orderly lunched with his brother on tho Australian cruiser, and then camo back and waited on tho officers' mess! '

Expoditlon Well Equipped. . Though tho Expedition had been dispatched, in a hurry, the equipment seemed to bo fairly complete. It was evident even to a casual observer that we were bound for somo placo whero the landing might not bo an easy one, for on tho upper-fleck thcro was a typical East Coast surf boat, and also a strong motor launch. Later in tho' doy I ran into a thick-set, determined-looking man in khaki ; who was taking a particular interest in theso craft. Ho was a warrant officer—J. Allen, who had been chief engineer of tho Ripple, and hod seen much surf work'in the East Coast bays, where the cargo comes in and the wool goes out through the tumbling breakers of the Pacific Ocean. Ho had lust fitted a new propeller to tho surf boat, which ho told mo had been known to land cargo at the rate of twenty tons an hour. Tho launch was the Union Company's Boojum. On the Mono'vai there was another launch and surf boat, m chargo of Sergeant Taylor, mate of the Kahu. If it was clear that wo wero going to havo an out-of-the-way landing, it was also evident that wo wero bound for some place whero. thcro was neither telegraphic nor. cable' communication, for in tho for'ard well-deck securely lashed there were four groat beams, that could be meant for nothing more nor less than the establishment of a wireless station. Each troopship was complete in itself, both in regard to tho composition of the units and the equip ment, so that if anything happened to one ship tho other could proceed ■without it, or tho ships could make a landing at different points in the one Island or at different Islands. Practically tho only difference was that tho staff, all excfcpt two, were, necessarily, on. Trooper No. 1, and that this ship had a complete wireless outfit which could he erected on tho Island of L'polu in case it became necessary to destroy by .shellfire the powerful German wireless station recently established there, _or in case it had been put out of' action by the Germans themselves. All Monday and Tuesday we steamed on our northward course for New Caledonia—work and drill during tho day, an early tea, and lights out at night; On Wednesday, August 19, ,we : were doing a little under twelve knots in a long roll, that made things just a- little uncomfortable for those.who had not quite got their sea legs. The men were paraded in their short kit,' with blankets neatly folded-, instead -of tunics; It was an experiment, in. view of a landing on the coast, and a-- night bivouac in the jungle.' In this kit they looked a workmanlike lot.

The Montcalm at Last. \ During the day "The Flag" signalled that we should have to call at Fiji, where more volunteers were offering, and we picked up. a wireless'from the French armoured . cruiser Montcalm, asking ."Where are you?" Ther ships did not reply, for wo might still bo in the danger zone of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. A short dialogue between the O.C: and a member of his'staff iust about fitted the situation. "Any signs of the Scharnhorst?" "Not yet, Sir!", "I suppose we should feel very much like.a terrier, with,a bulldog after him?" "Yes,' Sir, except that we could not run as fast as the terrier I". As a matter of fact, we should have been very much at the mercy of the German' cruisers, for, though our escort would undoubtedly have put up a plucky fight, they would, against such ships, almost certainly have been ounk by the superior guns of the enemy. ; All on hoard the cruisers had been having a vory anxious time, and the men were sleeping at their guns with the ammu-' niti'on beside them. . It was, therefore, some comfort to us to know that we should soon he in company of the French armoured cruiser, though even she might have had a hard time under the guns of the German cruisers, We began to understand.' the necessity for the extreme reticence and paiition of the authorities in New Zealand, who held many secrets that they dare not divulge. A layman, when he gets in, close touch with active service in a war such as the world has never bef oro seen, begins to get a glimmering. of things. Giving information to the public is one thing: responsibility is another.

An Operation. During this part of the cruise the medical stafij got their first 'serious job. One of the men in the Third Auckland Regiment was' suffering badly from ap- . pendicitis. Major Holmes improvised . an operating-table in one of the cabins, and the operation was successfully performed. A few days later the patient— a New Zealand representative footballer from, Auckland, who was in fine condition—was on deck. He was a cheerful patient, received every attention from the nursing sisters, and made a auick recovery, so that we were able to take.him on to Samoa, instead of landim; him at Suva, as was originally intended. French Territory In Sight. On Thursday at dawn- we were off the beautiful Isle of Pines, and, in the early morn, our decks were swept bv a tropic shower. . Ahead wo could soon clearly discern tho sea breaking I on tho coral xeef that runs along the' shores of New Caledonia. The Pyra- . mus, with a sharp, graceful- sweep, • now left us and steamed wide on our starboard, entering a passage at the end of the island'and proceeding along in the quieter waters between the reef and tho mainland. In a little while all trace of her, except a trail of dark smoke against the grey of the misty .island, had disappeared. Wo made* for that other gap in the reef where the tall lighthouse, beside a'little island, points the way into the harbour of Noumea. As wo swept round to starboard in line ahead—the Psyche, the Philomel, the Mooraki, and tho Monowai—we saw tho four-funnelled French cruiser Montcalm steaming slowly into harbour, and felt' so, muclv tho happier ■ now that wo were to be under the wing of her . armour and' protecting guns. .The Psycho went in past her,anchorago, and fired a salute, while the two troopers, with tho Philomel, advanced round the island, and, passing through the other entrance, anchored in the inner harbour. . There was still no sign of the Australia—the . modern battle-cruiser which wo had hoped to meet either hero or at Fiji. She, with tho Melboumo, a cruiser of the Bristol type, had been hunting tho high sea's for the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau, and, at ono time, judging from the strength of • their • wireless, got I somewhat near theiUg in tho region of, one of. the northern islands. But it is very much liko looking for a necdloin [ a haystack when one ship is searching I for another across a thousand leagues of islanded ocean. • ' Drill and firing occupied the afternoon, and, towards ovoning, wo left j our anchorage and steamed up to tho i Quay at Noumea.. As wo passed the . Psyche her bluejackets, crowded on tho I after-deck and in the rigging, gavo us \ three rousing British cheers. Our men j replied with enthusiasm, and repoated | the performance as wo passed the Mont- j calm. The Frenchman, of course, can-' not cheer; but tho Montcalm hoisted , tho English (lag and her hand played ( "God Savo tho King." It was a mem- , and au inspiriting scene, and «

one that will live for many a year in the memory of all who took a part in A Welcome From the French. But all tin's was as naught to tha welcome wo wero to receive in Noumea itself. Lying at anchor earlier in tho day wo could see, through our ■ glasses, tho quays thronged with a Great crowd of people, Every man . ' woman, and child in Noumea seemed to bo on tho water-front to welcome nos braves, allies" who were now at war with tho common foo. As the chips camo in to the wharf in fine stylo tho scone that met our gaze was on.llll which colour, animation™ and enthusiasm prevailed to an unusual extent, frenchmen gesticulated and made various more or less successful attompta at shouting "Eep I Eep I Ooray 1" Women v ?.\ od too* 'kerchiefs and greeted us with their most charming suites J aD ! ancsoand Mongolians gafed stolidly X «s. Dark-skinned .not ve men and wnand a"' 8 T SfiSJana snouted a welcome m their own JncfT lho IVicolour andthe Union Jack ffew from many buildings, and fluttered along the quay, which wis »ow one mass of dense&pacbd page in the history of New Caledonii - was being slowly.turned over in the presence- of the AJlied forces. ThS troopships cheered and cheered again, ?h ?T m 0f tll6 "MarseillaTse,''the British National Anthem, the Russian .Anthem, and other patriotic airs came alternately from shore a«d sh p ■ The Noumea Club and many private •niS W , *h, to,m offered tho£• host Pitahty but the officers had work to cto, and it was not advisable to givo • to ou? wT Tle Warsl "P s ™<> ™£ ' mg out in the stream, and a fatiiriia '* ClT ]?d J'' 9 Mo T™- f ™ I'o d'to ! \ with f 'f, h ' fin ° s ¥°- TJl <> Koromiko, wth a full cargo from Westport,- was 2 ] / arl lour a head of USi ghe i «» . ed, for Brisbane, and then went out, a 9 she thought, for Port Moresby, Thursday Island.' But no sooner hadshe dropped her pilot than there came, by •' Morse code, a message telling her to proceed direct to Noumea, and wait there for orders. There we found her. tne Kaitoa, deep laden with coal, cam* m later m tho day. ,Wc had been getting .scraps, of war news on the-way', and wo now heard that the cable hZ tween New. Caledonia and .Bundabera been, cut On shore the story was that it had been "sealed." Which of . the two/stories, if either, was correct it was impossible to say. One; might • have sent news of our expedition from here; but, so far as I was concerned, d , e ? lded te P la )' the game and send nothing Tho news might fall into tha hands of the-enemy, and, so far as our expedition was concerned, give away the whole thing. The weather continued : beautifully fine, and that night the planets Mazed and the southern constellations shone brilliantly in a clear cloudless 6ky, with never a trace'of tropic 4aze. _"'.-■ The Admiral Arrives. Friday, August 21, was an eventful day. Early '.in the forenoon the battle cruiser Australia, broad-beamed and turretted, cleared for action, and with, the long muzzles of her big guns showing plainly, eame in and anchored at she harbour entrance. :In her search for.the Scbarnhorst and Gneisenau she had been eating up her coal,, and one.of-tha New Zealand colliers was soon besido her replenishing her bunkers. Admiral Patey—"a sound man" as everyone 6aid —waß on board. With her came the fast protected cruiser the Melbourne. The appearance of these two ships upon the scene made us happy and confident, . and everyone was now eager to be mov- , ing onward once more toward our destination. The Melbourne camo into the river harbour, anchored, and she, also,.' commenced coaling; Wo were now more than a match ■ for anything the Germans could'send into■ the Pacific. The Australia .alone could keep-the ' •hitherto 'dreaded Scharnkorst and Gneis- ' eriau at bay and sink them. Thß Entente Cordiale. Colonel Logan was anxious to get his men on shoro for a route march, .and the necessary permission having been given by the Governor of the Island, the troops disembarked, and, amid the excitement of- the populace, the lons column, with the band of the Fifth Regiment at its head, marched through the town and its environs. . Along' the footpaths en either side, at the header the column, . marched a strange conglomeration of polj-glot humanity—men, women, and children, white, black, and brown. Theutinost enthusiasm prevail-, ed, and there were many comments' aftout "our brave* allies from New Zea-

land," and calls cf "Vive" l'Entente, Cordiale!" . After a four-mile march the troops re-embarked, and, for the t rest of the day the crowd of Noumeans remained in the vicinity of the ships. Towards evening the numbers increased. There was much fun and good feeling. Stirring patriotio ohoruses and. j the music of a shore band further enlivened the proceedings. The men were j not allowed on shore; but, by medium of their hats tied to long strings, they 1 obtained a means of communication with the barterers of bananas and mangoes [■. and post-cards, all of which were in great demand. I obtained a pass from the ship's adjutant, and, for an hour or so, mingled with the strange cosnio. 1 politan throng. Among the coloured peoples one saw both tho Melanesian an<l Polynesian types, Chinese, Japan- . ese, and Javanese. Tho airy costumes of the native women con«' hasted strangely with the dainty artis-.. tic dresses of the two charming little Japanese ladies, who, with their hapless heads, shaded by pretty parasols, came down and smiled at us bewitchingly, and then, with their male escort, clad in the garb of the Western World, marched sedately back to theii; homes. ' There wore also.in tho-crowd some of tho beachcomber species, like thoc-o memorable types that-'wore on'the beach at Fale'sa. And in and out thniugh the morry throng wandered the typical Frenchman and the typical frenchwoman, v some of tho latter very pretty,'and wearing their smartest costumes, as only a Frenchwoman can wear lier clothes. One charmingly pretty girl, in the very latest, with her hat and osprey at the correct angle, might, have stepped right off the boulevards, or from an afternoon saunter along the • fashionable Buo do la Pais. For'hours this gay kaleidoscope held the eye, and would have held.it still longer had not a sudden tropic downpour sent.the crowd scuffling for shelter, to the accompaniment of laughter, and shrill cries from the young girls,. ivlio, for tho past hour or so, had oeeu busy handing up many addressed post, cards to our., troopers, who were to ; send them back to Noumea from am other port. A Troopship Aground. • Everything seemed now: ready for tie start on the last lap .of our memorable ciuise, but the Monowai ran" her noso into a badly-buoyed sandbank, and ttuck hard and fast. Tho Moeraki steamed on through the harbour entrance and dropped anchor outside. v There we waited all day and all-night / i;i suspense. The Monowai Jiad grounded at high water, and there was littla ' chance ot her getting off until the even, ing tide. Trooper No. 1 meantime engaged her men m drill and shooting, Tho, shooting of ,fiomo left room for much improvement, but the two max« ims did excellent work, quickly finding the range, and sending up spurts of white foam whoro the bullets hit as they traversed quickly across the water. The piano was hauled out on deck in tho evening, aw? our men indulged in their first concert. Up till this time it- had boon nothing but wprk. On Sunday morning our suspense in regard to tho Monowai was ended. Otherwise we should have had to go on without her, taking on board our ship about otto hundred of hor men. 'JVe

now-learned that slio had got off the .bank the previous evening, and, at 9.30 a.m., we were delighted to see the tall masts of tho Psyche moving behind the low island that blocked our view of tho inner harbour, while, V little later, we 3aw tho Monowai poking her uoso round the corner. _ Service at Sea. ■ Wb steamed slowly along the coast ac .. companied .by two of tho cruisers. Service was held in the. morning, and •soon the noises" mado by'tho engines •and the swish of the water against tho ship's side were altogether lost in tho opening hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers,", heartily sung by officers and men grouped on tho upper-deck.- The three nursing'sisters^—the only women on tho ship—in thoir. grey dresses and white cap and aprons mado a picturesque little group in the foreground. It was hot under the awnings, and tho service, in consequence, was shortened somewhat. "We'll stand up to say our prayers," said the young chaplain, and, he thoughtfully : "Any of .you young men who are in the sun can put your hats on." The To Doum was ' read, not chanted. The first verso of the second hymn seemed to have taken on an added meaning amid the strango surroundings, and, in the face of a new "peril of the sea" that, during the first days'.of our oruise, has been often in 'our mind:

"Eternal Father, strong to savo, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd'Bt the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep: Oh, hear us when we ory to Thee j For those in peril on the sea." Tho opening verse of another hymn also emed strangely appropriate: Through the night of doubt and. sorrow • Onward goes the pilgrim band, : Singing songs of expectation, '. Marching to the Promised Land"." The'chaplain took for the text of his remarks the words of St. Paul: "No man liveth for himself." He told us that we must not livo for ourselves, and that a man's life, if : necessary, must bo used for. country or. Empire. ■'. The men on that ship were there as soldiors going,, out to -do' thoir duty for King : and country, and ho urged them all to endeavour 'to improve their lives, and by so doing >to sot an example that would lift their comrades up.- The foulmouthed man, he said, was by his conduct bringing the others down, while the decent ohap was lifting them up. He .urged on them the necessity for discipline" in spiritual, as well as in military matters, and- told thorn that the people of the Islands were going to judge New Zealand by the example of her troops. The service, which was most impressive, concluded with the singing pf "God Save the King." : Tho Assembling of the Fleet. We steamed slowly along that after-noon-between the. reef, and the mainland, and out through the Wodin passage where the deep, mincing scars, umber and red in the grey and green of the steep hillsides, made a strange contrast in colour. -Then out through the Howannah Pass, at tho south-east-ern end of the Island, where, in a long, lazy,• unbroken roll, in'the open sea, wo lay and awaited the pleasure'of Rear-Admiral Sir G.. .E. Patey, K.C.V.0., in command,of tho allied fleets; In.duo course the Australia and the. Melbourne came up with us.' They, in turn, waited for the Montcalm. The whole of the ships, eight in number, were now assembled, and, as thoy moved off in the evening light to take up position in line ahead, the scene ;.was quite entrancing. The Psyche, acting as scout, steamed on eight miles, ahead. Then the Australia took up her- position.: The Melbourne,,;the,Montcalm, the. Philomel,' the- Moefaki, 'the. Monowai, and the Pyramiis, followed in that order. ". The long Jine/swiing out. across the; ocean at eleven, knot's,.; bound" for Fiji,,'on a. course V N. i7I"E. :v .The>..ships of 'war, as they formed' up. in line ahead, made a brave show."-,'

"So way for-this, old Regiment Wofs always fit 'for war; Whose's-barrack-square runs wide 1 and, fair From Sydney to tJuo Nore; ■•'.." Whose sentries stand in every londi Whose gnard-room's out at sea; Bo! whore's tho soldier Regiment Thafs comin- out wi' we?" Ahead, sombre, sea and a wall of grey cloud; astern the setting sun silvering our wake; in the'distance the grey hills of New Caledonia slowly fading away. Tea; lights out; dim outlines of the nearer ships; dark smudges of smoke against the sky; and then the tropic night, coming • swiftly down to wrap' the' ligntless fleet in ;the cloak of utter darkness. .'■'.'■. - (To be oontinuod.) , '■