his age was 17 years. He gave his name
and address as Herbert Hamilton, of Midland Junction, and, when brought
before the C.O., manfully expressed his desire to serve in the army. By
means of the wireless telegraph his parents were communicated with and
their consent to his enlistment obtained. As the Battalion was already
at full strength, Hamilton was taken on the roll of the Queensland
infantry. For a time the Brigadier took him under his personal care, but
after Gallipoli he joined his unit and did good service with it
throughout the remainder of the war. The balance of the stowaways were
men from Blackboy Camp. One or two had been discharged from service
there and merely wanted to "get away." They were given work in the ship.
The others were anxious to serve and, after examination, were also taken
on by the 26th Battalion. In addition to stowaways four men had been
taken on board who belonged to the 27th Battalion and had failed to
re-embark on the departure of the "Geelong" from Fremantle.

After the first few days the routine of the ship went very smoothly.
Eight N.C.Os., appointed Troop Deck Sergeants, were responsible for the
cleanliness and order of their respective quarters. Satisfactory results
were thus obtained. Competition in regard to the best kept mess was
keen. Utensils were polished like silver and arranged in designs that
often displayed much originality on the part of the mess orderlies. "A"
Company gained especial credit in this respect.

Discipline remained good, the only offences being minor ones. The food
provided was, now and then, a cause for complaint. In the first place
the scale laid down by the Imperial authorities was inadequate to
satisfy the appetites of a meat-eating race like the Australians.
Secondly, the method of cooking showed lack of knowledge on the part of
the ship's staff and was not economical. Add to these two factors the
want of experience on the part of the mess orderlies in equally dividing
up the food supplied them--then the occurrence of the complaints can be
easily understood.

The living quarters in the ship were well ventilated--additional
draughts of air being ensured by the free use of wind-sails and chutes.
This, and the regular exercise daily, together with the anticipation of
the life and work ahead, kept all ranks in good health and spirits.
Measles and influenza appeared a few days after the commencement of the
voyage and claimed 40 or 50 victims, but no ser