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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Sir Ross Smith 



AN AUSTRALIAN WARSHIP PATROLLING THE SEAS BETWEEN TIMOR AND PORT DARWIN 



"A faint smoke haze resolved into the smoke-plume of a fighting ship — the Sydney — and 

 we knew that, whatever might befall, we had a friend at hand." It was the Sydney which 

 sank the famous German commerce raider, ISmden (see page 335). 



Passing down to the Sumatran coast, 

 we ran into characteristic doldrum 

 weather — isolated patches of dark thun- 

 der-storm clouds, from which the rain 

 teemed down in heavy, murky columns. 

 Occasional forks of lightning seared 

 the clouds, throwing up into relief their 

 immense, hulk and shedding a flickering 

 gleam over the calm sea. where almost 

 stagnation expanded. Occasionally a 

 light zephyr came out of the east, but 

 almost in the course of a few minutes 



the puff had boxed the compass and died 

 away. 



BUMPING OVER "THE LINE" 



The spectacle of these local storms was 

 extremely uncanny, and by navigating 

 accordingly it was easy to avoid them. 

 On reaching the coast of Sumatra we 

 encountered a light head wind and flying 

 conditions became very bumpy. One im- 

 mense vacuum into which we fell made 

 us hold tisdit and wonder. 



