odiment of the Australian back country. Nine cases out of ten,
somehow, the soldier who escorts a prisoner seems to be that bit of pure
Australian, either Western Australia or South Australia, the Warrego or
the Burdskin.

"He is an earnest man, intent on executing his errand with dispatch and
exactitude. 'Can you tell me the way to headquarters?' he asks as he
passes. Then he disappears slowly up the street on the heels of his
silent companion.

"These Australians are just as good fighters in this new warfare as they
were at Gallipoli or in the trenches, perhaps even better. They had
their first encounter with German cavalry the other day, but it was only
a feint at a flank and lasted but a few minutes."

Australia is ambitious, some might even say self-centered, and Germany
undoubtedly made the mistake of considering that Australia was awaiting
a chance to become unfriendly to Great Britain when she started to
fight. But no nation ever made a greater mistake. As soon as the House
of Hohenzollern placed the mother country in a perilous position
Australia was at the command of Great Britain. Notwithstanding the fact
that the Australians are primarily peace-loving, most intent on
attending to their own affairs, the response to the call was immediate
and whole-hearted.

AUSTRALIA'S COMMENDABLE PROMPTNESS.

The Australian centers buzzed with activity, and within two months after
war was declared the Australian fleet, which consisted of five unarmored
cruisers, three torpedo-boat destroyers, and three light gunboats, which
had been built and manned at the expense of the Australians, were in
possession of the German Pacific Islands--Samoa, Marshall, Carolines,
Pelew, Ladrones, New Guinea, New Britain--had broken the wireless system
of the Germans, and had captured eleven of the vessels of Germany. She
also forced twenty-five other ships to intern, and prevented the
destruction of a British ship in Australian waters.

Then came the scouring of the seas by the German ship Emden, and her
trip to Australian waters, with the object of carrying on the work of
destruction which had marked her career in South American waters. She
lay in wait for Australian transports, with the result that the
Australian warship Sydney sent her to the bottom but three months after
war had been declared. Shortly after this the Australian fleet drove von
Spree's squadron from the Pacific directly into the trap set by Admiral
Sturdee at the Fal