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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



the second excursion, our work began to 

 bring results, and more and more reports 

 came in of submarines damaged or lost 

 in that vicinity, although the British 

 policy of secrecy about submarine losses 

 concealed the definite numbers. 



The actual losses will probably never 

 be fully known ; but, according to report, 

 the Germans admit the loss of 23 subma- 

 rines there, and the British Admiralty 

 staff have been quoted as holding that 

 the surrender of the German fleet and the 

 final armistice' were caused largely by the 

 failure of the submarine warfare, this 

 failure being admitted as soon as the 

 mine, barrage was found to be effective. 



Too much cannot be said of the fine 

 spirit of the personnel. Their work was 

 arduous and opportunities for diversion 

 limited, but they made the most of both 

 and backed their work with their money, 

 of the Fourth Liberty Loan staking $5 on 

 each mine in our mine fields. With the 

 mines crowding their quarters so much 

 of the time, the men's living conditions 

 were very uncomfortable, but their base- 



ball league, track athletics, and boat-rac- 

 ing kept them fit and keen, and their re- 

 lations in the towns were most agreeable. 

 As a visiting naval officer wrote, "The 

 whole Mine Force is short on criticism 

 and complaints, but long on work and re- 

 sults, and the Navy should be intensely 

 proud of them." 



How was it possible to navigate safely 

 so many times through infested waters 

 and close to mine fields, to steam so many 

 miles together so steadily, to outdo the 

 telephone in speed of signaling, and to 

 handle and plant 56,000 mines, sometimes 

 continuing through fog or darkness — all 

 without accident? 



Logical and thorough preparation, 

 painstaking foresight, admirable cooper- 

 ation, and able leadership undoubtedly 

 paved the way; but these alone would 

 not have made an achievement so clean. 

 Something more was needed, and that 

 something included two things : first, and 

 all the time, unquenchable optimism, and 

 next, it had been brought home to every 

 individual that his work could be done 

 by only one man in the world ! 



SARAWAK: THE LAND OF THE WHITE 



RAJAHS 



By Harrison W. Smith 



With Photographs by the Author 



WITH the recent death of Sir 

 Charles Brooke, G. C. M.G, 

 the second of the white rajahs 

 of Sarawak, there came to an end one of 

 the most useful and unusual careers 

 among the many that have done credit to 

 British rule in the Far East. For nearly 

 49 years he governed, as absolute sover- 

 eign, a mixed population of Chinese, 

 Malays, and numerous pagan tribes scat- 

 tered through the villages and dense jun- 

 gles of an extensive territory on the 

 northwest coast of Borneo. 



Constant solicitude for the welfare of 

 his people won the sympathy and devo- 

 tion which enabled this white man, sup- 

 ported by an insignificant army and po- 



lice, to establish the peaceful occupations 

 of civilization in place of barbarous 

 tyranny and oppression. 



Although Sarawak has been visited by 

 a number of celebrated explorers and the 

 general features of the country and its 

 inhabitants are well known, there still 

 remain vast areas of virgin jungle to in- 

 vite the amateur naturalist, who can 

 hardly fail to add some new specimens 

 to the collections of those who have pre- 

 ceded him. 



BIRDS, BLASTS, AND BUTTERFLTES PRO- 

 TECTED IN SARAWAK 



Here are found the argus pheasant, the 

 leaf butterfly, and that most beautiful 



