However we were not allowed to land at Fremantle and only stayed there long enough to enable the ship to receive final orders and then put to sea again with the head of the ship towards Colombo.
From thence onward, the voyage was rather monotonous and we just carried out the dull routine set down, which however, was not very strenuous and was only the means of giving us something to do to fill in the time. We rose at 6 a.m., stowed our hammocks in their racks, and then had breakfast at 7.15 a.m. after which we performed our physical exercises on our respective parade decks until 9.15. Then we rested until 10 o’clock when we were again fallen in for the training in musketry and other subjects until dinner which was at 12 o’clock.
After dinner we drilled again from 2 p.m. until 3.30 p.m. and were then free until tea time at 5.30 p.m. The time between 6 p.m. and bed time at 9 p.m. was generally occupied in card playing, boxing, listening to the phonograph and so on. Occasionally a boxing tournament was organised and was carried out on the rear hatch in the midst of the assembled troops who squeezed themselves into every conceivable vantage point so as to obtain a view of the bouts. Concerts and lectures were frequent during the voyage; there was never any lack of talent or music as we were fortunate in having a first class band on board as well as any amount of volunteers for songs, recitations, mimicry etc. whilst we also had the use of a piano placed on board by the Y.M.C.A. to which association is due the credit of getting up and organising most of the entertainments we had during the trip.
On the whole, the food on the “Orsova” was both good and plentiful and only on rare occasions was there any cause for complaint. Breakfast consisted of rolled oats or oatmeal with stew and tea to follow; for dinner, we were given soup, meat and vegetables and a pudding of some kind. For tea, we had fish or tripe and bread, butter and jam while tea was supplied with every meal; there was always a plentiful supply of good white bread and good cheese. If we had a complaint to make we made it to the orderly officer of the day who generally was able to rectify any shortage or other complaint so that for the “sinews of war” we were fairly well supplied. Every day as we proceeded northwards across the Indian Ocean the weather became hotter and hotter until on March 30th we crossed the equator, which event passed without any ceremony worth registering. At this time the weather being so hot, the parades were cut out and most of our time during-the day was spent in lying half naked in the shade of the awnings which had been spread on the top decks, or in bathing in the big salt water baths in the bathrooms. When not engaged in these occupations, we passed the time in card playing or in watching the flying fish or porpoises as they disported themselves in the water and so the days passed until we were within four days sail of Colombo.