The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-20

uVe white residents. She is returning
from a visit to her people in England.
If she finds any comfort in smoking,
don't object; If I were In her place, I
would not only smoke but chew and
swear. Her husband Is a tea planter.
The weather is superb today. The
voyage on the "SonaH" has been more
eEdurable than any other I have ever
undertaken The members Of the crew
suit me: I do not eat lunch, and two
servants appeared the first day I missed
to ask if I did not want something in
my room.
I have said the passengers are unin-
teresting. They are at least no more
undressing than am; that is thing
We cannot help.
During the religious services this
morning, I could not find the place in
the book, not being familiar with the
service, as was the tall, fat lady from
India. So I invented responses. The
captain would read something, and the
passengers would respond. In the clam
or of the responses by the passengers
they didn't notice what I was saying.
which was something like this: 30, Lord,
If I have any friends make me worthy
of them;' or 20, Lord, if you will get
me back home safely, I will remain
there" I think that the princess, who
stood at my side. was a good deal sur
prised at the interest I was taking in
the service; she didn't know 1 was in
went along; a reverent service, but one
that fitted my need more than the one
in the book.
When go to bed at night, the last
thing I hear is the gentle rumble of
the ponderOus machinery; gentle, be-
cause my room is on the upper deck.
When I awaken in the morning, the
first thing I hear is the same thing, for
the engines never stop, from port to
"a an
deck and on the water. If a man Is in
clined to be Industrious, nine weeks at
sea VIII ruin him.
I have confessed how little we all
amount to. And how we invent excuses
for ourselves! In India, years ago, there
was band of men known as The
Strangers: their profession was robbing
and numbering travellers by strangula-
ton A chief of the band invented a
religion, the chief tenet of which was
that robbing and numbering travellers
by means of strangulatiOn was the
greatest of the virtues.
The body of the quartermaster who
died at sea was buried at four o'clock
this afternoon. The body was sewn up
in a sack, and placed on a plank in
gangway, about midships on the star
board side. The captain read the burial
service of the Church of England and
ter. feet foremost. The ship was stop
ped for few moments, and rolled bzi-
ly on the waves. All the passengers
gathered along the starbOard rail, and
bell forward was tolled dismally. The
body was heavily Weighted and shot
downward like a stone. Then a bell
rang below, and the engines were start
ed again.
The man had wife and three chill
den in England The passengers raised
$25. The captain says the quartermas-
ter was a particularly good man; saw
Ing, industrious and capable. There are
plenty Of good men, although men are
abused literally. The quartermaster
devoted all his earnings to his familG.
and was patient and kind. Yet he died
far from home, in the narrow quarters
of a ship, and was dumped overheard.
Tuesday, January 8.
had my first sight of India at two
o'clock this morning. The engines of
the ship stopped, to take on a pilot,
and this awakened me. Looking out
of the portfolio in my room I found
we were at the mouth of the Hoogly
river, and, in the moonlight, I could
see land. The Hoogly river is one Of
the mouths of the Ganges; Calcutta.
ninety miles away, up the river.
At daylight. we we're in the river,
I
on both sides; it was very much like
a trip up the Missouri river in a
steamship except that the Hoogly is
wider than the Missouri At times,
we ran within two hundred feet Of
shore. and could see natives, and
humpbacked cattle.
( At ten o'clock, we anchored; the
ship must wait for a favorable tide
/ The HOogley river is very difficult to
ar,fT
4 ~. It's sand bars shift, as they do in
/ the Missouri river. A ship anchored
( near US had been waiting four days. I
organized an insurrecuOn, and pro-
posed that we land and proceed to
I Calcutta by railroad. Sixteen of the
/ passengers joined me- and we began
/ packing out effects. The steward pro-
vided an early lunch, and at 1870 in
the afternoon, we started for shore. in
a big sail boat manned by natives. As
we drifted away we sang, For He's a
Jolly Good Fellow" for the benefit Of
the captain, who had been extremely
kind. All of the sixteen passengers
IN the sail boat had been passengers
ON the "Simla": four of them had
/ been passengers on the Siberia. so
that we We're well acquainted. AS we
left the ship, the officers put the flag
at half mast and waved their adieus
until we disappeared in q creek, and
+ landed at d little village, near a rail
] way station. w ndQ a tremendous
amount Of baggage and landing and
getting it TO the railway station, was
about the funniest thing I have ever
seen. Coolies from the town poured
down to the landing. and selling the
baggage ran off with it, to the station.
After the baggage was all loaded, we
settled with the coolies. None of them
could talk English. and here is where
the comedy came in. Coolies who
hadn't done anything. Joined in the
excitement and bothered the passen-
gers. Mrs. Williamson. with whom
we have Travelled continuously since
/ leaving San Francisco, has twenty