Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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•• »-£- chases. Each one made a better bargain than the rest. By this time all hands were seasoned in the art of trade and settled down to sensible bargaining. Tours were made by rickshaw along the Cinnamon scented byways. A stop was necessary at the Buddhist Temple, where boys were waiting to remove the visitors shoes — for a tip — and to offer for sale such things as Sanskrit texts on palm leaf scrolls, and, of course, the gift for the priest. The officers were pleased with the reception at the Galle Face Hotel on the sea walk. The enlisted men took over the Oriental Hotel. At first the Aussies, too, had liberty, but due to their failure to report back to the ship, they received orders to remain aboard. It was their first time off in two or three years, but some of the town had to be kept intact. Shortage of fresh water brought about the securing of the shower water, even though the weather was insufferably hot. Late one night a rainstorm came, and crew, officers, and passengers alike stripped and went on deck to wash down in the rain. Loaded with tea, jewelry, and souvenirs, the ship got under way for Australia. A few days out of port the ship ' s radio intercepted a distress call from a supply ship pursued by enemy subs, headed for our desti-