On the Wallaby

Steerage Passengers

ds, and throw continuous spray over a wooden jetty; two ocean steamers lie out in the offing, and half a dozen small tugs struggle backwards and forwar

mount of curiosity as to our departure, accompany us on board, and even now I can see the expression on their faces, as they realise to what sort of imprisonment we have voluntarily condemned ourselves. Some people have a special faculty for realising; they could reali

about 3,000 tons register. No doubt she is a serviceable enough craft, but to our minds, accustomed to the trim tautness of our own mail-boats

uarters, situated deep down in the bowels of the forrard hatch. Even in the bright sunshine, it neither looks nor smells like a pleas

iron shelving, which again are divided into six narrow bunks. Thus it will be seen that every cabin is capable of containing twelve occupants, each of whom brings with him, for use in the tropics, a peculiar and distinct, copyrighted odour of his own. In addition to these, a few single cabins are set apart fo

. We conduct our friends, with becoming ceremony, to the gangway, and bid them farewell. It is an impressive moment. Then the lau

istance. Surely, whether one likes or dislikes the place one is leaving, a certain feeling of regret must accompany the last view of it, and with the lessening of that familiar vision

nd her band playing 'Home, sweet Home'. The familiar melody sounds peculiarly sweet across the water, and in return we try to raise a c

a mask of abominable fat; this is followed by some peculiar, parboiled beef, potatoes, and cabbage, the latter being, to our tastes, completely spoiled by the presence of the Fatherland-belove

They are a motley crew, perhaps sixty-five in number, the like of which I've never seen congregat

rofession, from the management of oyster saloons to scientific thieving. Among the number are Pyrenean bear leaders, collectors of birds

wisted in such a manner as to bring into extra prominence every peculiarity of his extraordinary anatomy. His legs, from the knees downwards, are bare to the winds of heaven, and, as finishing touches, his feet are thrust into unlaced Blucher boots, three sizes too large for him. We were present when he arrived on board. On gaining the deck, he said '

hout the voyage to be our favourite camping place, and as we watch the coastline recede from sight, fall to discussing our situation and

ur to boot. They have been friends - so we discover, later - for many years, and certainly they have seen a great number of queer experiences together, in out-of-the-way corners of the globe: diamond-digging in South Africa, gold-mining in Australia, blackbirding among the Islands, before the mast here, there, and everywhere, often quarrelling, sometimes fighting, but for some strange reason never separating. What is taking

wn with tea of a museum-like flavour and description. Being disinclined always to go hungry, it begins to dawn upon us that the sooner we make friends with the cook or his mate, the sooner we shall escape partial st

asy-going temperament, and what is still luckier, able to speak

ering back, powerless to appreciate or return it; there is the grovelling compliment, too abject for return, even if return were needed; and lastly, there is th

y, in the act of lighting his after-dinner

e. 'Gute Nach

nintelligible, but doubt

ully), 'Wie gehts m

intelligible, but no

f not learning the answers

hiver of uncertainty), 'Das W

n). Vy not mit der Anglish language to me you sprechen

didn't think you spoke English like that! You mus

ven I vas a great liddle poy, und mit der sheep (ship)

way you speak it, I should almos

speak it ver goot. You gome mit me, und I to you his - how you call i

admire the photograph of a peculiarly ugly

t is mein liddl

guarded moment). 'Why

ly), 'Bin - a - fore?

mart child, able to learn languages quickly, like his father.' (Gazing at another phot

mein gran-mudder, do

nd so young - wonderful, wonderful! '(Passing to

ormous pride). 'Yah

s character). 'Beautiful! beautiful

e becomes still more expansive, and finally closes the interview with an invitation to breakfast, in his cabin,

noise like thunder. It is unfortunately necessary that the hatches should be kept on, and in consequence the atmosphere between decks could be cut with a hand saw. The women without exception are ill, as also are many of the men. Hear

hat we are spared the more intense closeness and horror of t

bout their qualifications for the former position I may of course be wrong, but of the latter fact there can be no doubt whatsoever. You, gentle reader, have perhaps never experienced the delight of sleeping six in a bed; I therefore advise you, should it ever fall to your lot to have to submit to such indignity, to make sure, once and for all, positively and even with threats of violence, that an Afghan Hadji is not of the number. In the first place

decks to-night. When at length it does arrive, it reveals a fierce and angry sea, whose mountainous waves rise every moment around us, as if preparatory to demolishing our straining and struggling vesse

imless fashion, his poor legs almost refusing to support the weight of his meagre body. In the middle of his peregrinations, for he is unable to keep still, an attack of nausea seizes him, and makes as if it will rend him limb from limb. He reels to a scupper and falls prone. A

any signs of abating. Then seeing that we are gradually becoming accustomed to his terrors - Father Neptune slackens his wrath, and

e after-awning with a Greek, a bogus Italian Count, and a Yankee adventurer; or in transcribing to paper the copious funds of copy, more or less fictional, supplied us

to draw our blankets up to the fo'c's'le head, and cosily en

p, the Afghans appear, and spreading their prayer carpets, and removing their shoes, with faces turn

ste of waters and the gathering night, seem to rub out the harshness of his features, as, stretching his arms to hea

eir silent sentry-go above the black sea, churning into foam, under our forefoot. The Loo

promise to give me an insight into the slums of Port Said I store up in the treasure house of my memory for a not too distant date. Then there is Herr Ollendorf, who spends his days in tropical Northern Australia, catching birds for European dealers, and whose tales of New Guinea and the Pearl F

t's monotonous 'All's well!' or silenced when the moon rises into the cloudless sky with a majesty well suited to the beauty of the evening. Before midnight, howev

ort of call. Lovely weather accompanies us, the sea is like glass, our passengers are peopl

told among his cages in the fore - peak) take possession of us. They fascinate us strangely; and the more we question and cross-question him, the more the idea grows upon us, until we decide that, instead of going o

the time breakfast is finished, we have brought it well abeam, and catamarans and native fishing boats are dodging about on all sides of us. At sun time we are in

uickly granted, and bidding our friends on board 'goodbye,' w

swater and the Earl of Vite Chapelle on the fo'c's'le head,