Viewing page 19 of 185

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

                    -15-

road that leads one up the Peak, and gazed out over the great harbors of the world, filled with every type of vessel, from junks and sampans to battleships, freighters and big passenger liners. Both the Empress of Japan and the E. of Asia were in the harbor

We went back to Kowloon for tea, and met Mr. Wm. Kershaw, whom Bill had once met in Africa.  He took us back to HongKong so that I could do a little more shopping, and for about $5 American money I bought a nightie, a pair of embroidered pajamas, and a slip. Beautiful handwork, for so little.

We rambled around town a little, visiting a bird store. Bill asked the price of Java finches, and the man, thinking he wanted to buy one, caught one out of crowded cage, and started to put it in a paper bag for him.  It was twentycents mex - about seven in our money.

At last I had a ride in a ricksha, and also one is a sedan chair, going up one of the steep side streets that consists entirely of steps, and is impassable to automobiles.  The ricksha was smooth easy going, but the chair was rather jiggly.

Mrs. Kershaw joined us for dinner, and afterwards we came back to the boat, and sat around drinking the telling Knock.Knock" stories, which are vying with Little Audrey stories in the East.

February 20 - HongKong

We were up early, and met Mr. Herklots, of the HongKong University for breakfast on board ship.  Then we went over to HongKong, and he took us first to a snake store, which Bill had wanted to see.  There were wire cages out in front, filled with rat snakes and piles of heavy wooden boxes in back of the store.  The proprietor opened one of these, which was swarming with snakes, reached in and grabbed a cobra by the tail.  The snake rose, and spread, and its head was just on a level with the man's eye.  I retreated hastily, but the snake made to apparent effort to bite.

From there we wandered through Cat Street, the thieves' market of HongKong, where all sorts of curios are for sale.  It is said one can pick up very good bargains here, it one knows then to seen them.

Then we stopped in a restaurant, not to eat, but to see the supply of giant salamanders on hand.  In a wooden tub there were several live hansakis, swimming about and waiting to be eaten.

Our morning was a short one, but filled with gasps of amazement.  Only too soon we had to return to the Corfu, and we sailed at noon.

[[underline]] February 24 - Singapore [[/underline]]

We had four glorious days at sea.  the last two were fairly warm, in fact, getting into evening clothes in our cabin, which was always at tropical temperature by night, was something of a struggle.  We had pleasant parties with the Sellers, the purser, the doctor, and the chief engineer, who produces rabbit out of handkerchiefs and does other tricks of magic.

The Corfu docked at Singapore about the o'clock in the morning.

[[end page]]

Transcription Notes:
Little Audrey is a fictional character, considered a variation of the better-known Little Lulu. Hansaki = giant salamander