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don't leave the ship again without telling us where you can be 

 called up. The Durban Radio Station asks if you will please 

 telephone them as soon as you can. They say it's very urgent'; 

 and he reeled off a list of others who had sought us, some of 

 whom were still aboard and whom I left to my wife while I went 

 to the telephone. 



The Radio Office had received a cable from the Comores 

 addressed to me in Grahamstown, which had been duly sent on. 

 Knowing the situation, however, they had kept a copy, and if I 

 wished they would read it to me as they felt it was of great 

 urgency. I asked for it and they read as follows : 



Charter plane immediately authorities trying claim specimen but 

 willing let you have it if in person stop paid fisherman reward to 

 strengthen position stop inspected five kilo formalin no refrigerator 

 stop specimen different yours no front dorsal or tail remnant but 

 definite identification Hunt. 



I thanked the Radio Officer for his extremely thoughtful action 

 in telling me of this cable,* as indeed it was, and it is typical of the 



* Apart from its importance, this cable had an interesting career, which it is 

 worth a diversion to relate. Being Christmas time (Christmas time !), the 

 University offices in Grahamstown were closed and the staffs of all categories 

 were away. An exception was J. Beek, the University electrician, a valued 

 consultant and friend of our Department. He was working at home that day 

 when the telephone called and he found himself speaking to Port Elizabeth. 

 Someone asked him if he would take a radiogram for Professor Smith as they 

 could not track him in Grahamstown. 'H'm,' thought Beek, 'a nice present from 

 somebody for the Professor.' He knew I was far away and did some quick 

 thinking. He replied, 'Yes certainly, send it up and I can keep it in my workshop 

 until he comes.' 'No, no,' said the voice, 'this is a cable, not a machine'; and 

 then asked him to write it down, which he did. He could see at once that it was 

 important, but had no idea where we were. So he set out to find out, and 

 telephoned a member of our staff. No reply. He then had his own taste of 

 Christmas holidays, something like my own, for though he tried the number of 

 every single member of the University staff who had a telephone, it was a 

 complete blank, every one was away. Beek does not give in easily. He had no 

 idea where my Secretary lived ; as it happened, it would not have helped him 

 even if he had, for she was away at the sea. He remembered having seen her 

 take part in some play and she had been associated with a doctor's wife, whom 

 he promptly telephoned, found her in, and told her about the cable. It fortu- 

 nately happened that she had seen a press report that we were in Durban and 

 knew we were on the Dunnottar Castle. So back went Beek, and eventually 

 persuaded the Post Office authorities to relay that cable back to us at Durban. 

 Good for Beek ! 



