o replenish his stock of petrol there, knowing very well that
among the smaller islands of the South Pacific the places where petrol
was kept must be very few. He determined, however, if he should fail
to make Port Moresby, to steer straight for Ysabel Island. If it
turned out to be impossible to obtain petrol, he would have to resign
himself to the inevitable, return to Australia on the gunboat that had
been dispatched to relieve the castaways, and endure as
philosophically as he might the consequences of overstepping his
leave.

His course lay across the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria. By
daybreak, if he were able to keep up full speed through the night, he
should have passed the northernmost end of the Yorke Peninsula, and it
might then be possible to take his bearings by the group of islands in
the Torres Straits. On leaving these islands behind him he should soon
come in sight of the mountain chain running from the middle of the
Gulf of Paqua to the south-eastern extremity of New Guinea. He might
expect to sight these mountains from a very great distance, and in
particular, if he could distinguish Mount Astrolabe, the square,
flat-topped mountain lying behind Port Moresby, he would have no
further anxiety about his position.

The engine was working as well as ever, and by keeping over the sea,
Smith was able to avoid any gusts or cross-currents of air that might
be set up by irregularities in the conformation of the land. Taking
turns as usual with Rodier at the wheel, he was able to get a few
hours of sleep; about an hour and a half after daybreak he descried
the strange shape of Mount Astrolabe towering nearly four thousand
feet into the sky, and in less than a quarter of an hour afterwards he
came to the coast, a little to the west, as he judged, of Port
Moresby.

The aspect of the coast was far from inviting. There were long
stretches of mangrove forest lining the shore, from which unpleasant
exhalations arose, affecting his sense of smell even at the height of
a hundred feet. Beyond rose limestone hills, very scantily wooded,
with a plentiful crop of rocks and stones. There was scarcely a patch
of level ground to be seen. He came almost suddenly upon the port,
lying in a hollow of the hills, and for some time looked in vain for a
suitable landing place. The aeroplane, circling over the harbour, was
seen by the sailors on the ships and the people on the quays, and its
appearance brought all work to a stand