The usual routine was early to bed and carly to rise and each night, after our frst evening, we slept on deck. "Dinner through, between 9.30 and 10 pam. everyone had to prepare his own camp bed and select his "parking" space. In the morning we had to pack up and take our bedding into the cabins. After a cold shower, taken on deck, breakfast was served at about 7 am. consisting of ham and eggs. coffee and fruit. Meals were not elaborate: affairs, but they were wholesome and plentiful. Unfortunately, T was tinder a. special diet, a fact often overlooked by the cook to the amusement of my companions.
At 8 am, the following day, with the exception of our skipper who had to remain on board to overhaul, cone of his auxiliaries, we went ashore for a swim and a hike over the sandy hills. The island is bare and hat little or practically no vegetation.
returned to the ship at 1 pan. badly sunburned, and. this was. responsible for an abnormal use of) cocoanut oil. Tt was quite an amusing sight with each one of us apply-Ing all to the other's back, looking very much like boiled lobsters.
We weighed anchor at 330 pin. and motored into @ small harbour southwest of Stenhouse Island, a distance of 5! miles, where we dropped. anchor for the night. Landing at small fishing village in order to explore the country, we found nothing of special interest, The weather was exceptionally cool and we had to don our coats.
"Vive fa France"
On our return to the ship we went over the regular routine—a rubber of bridge, an appetizer or two, dinner and bed.
On July 14, we awoke at an early hour cheering "Viva la France." The weather was ideal and we dressed honour of our National
O'clock, all standing at attention. and a salute of 21 guns was fired (large firecrackers). At 9 am, the party went ashore while 1 remained board to give a chance for my sunburn to heal. Upon their return we red two "Red Top" and all drank Jo France" and to my birthday as well, T having been fortunate enough' to have been born on that same glorious day, though I must refrain from mentioning the year in which that event took place.
Immediately after timn, at about 2 pam, we weighed anchor and sailed from "Stenhouse to Tsuchang. Island, 15% miles away, where last year we discovered a very fine beach which would have made many a. Shanghalander open their eyes in wonderment at the discovery of such a fine sandy: beach within such easy distance—less than 80 miles ina direct line. We reached Tsuchang at 6.08 pam, and immediately boarded our small motor boat to go ashore.
We remained at this anchorage for the whole of the next day and paid two more visits to the beach where we enjoyed a good swim. The second visit was, unfortunately, cut short by a thunderstorm, the first rain since we left Shanghai, and we welcomed the event of a good shower of rain-water:
The July 16 found us anchored at 1.08 pam, in Changtau harbour which We reached by rounding Tsuchang. slond from the East, We had sailed about 29. miles under excellent weather conditions and were very hungry and anxious to sit at our midday meal which, on this occasion, Proved to be a source of annoyance to me, as I was forgotten by the cook again who falled this time to Dake my usual meal of two potatoes jand boiled cabbage. I was furious of so much on account of the wrong menu as for the fact that I had been ignored in spite of my being the biggest noise-maker on board.
Approaching Typhoon, Changtau has nothing attractive beyond being a good shelter in bad weather, with plenty of deep wat here we stayed for two days as we were uncertain of the direction in which typhoon was heading.
Our next destination was Sinkla men, a fishing port, situated at the southeast corner of' Chusan Islands, a distance of 23 miles which reached at pin, on the 18th, hav Ing had to anchor for som: the entrance of Changlau owing to presence of a den which rendered navigation danger= ous. We had, however, _suffcient time to call at Pootoo on the way.
'At Sinklamen, we were joined, a1 arranged, by the missing member of the party. We missed him before hho jonied' us but the situations was reversed afterwards, On the {ole Towing day five of our party hired small junk and sailed back to Pootoo for lunch while the remainder had lunch with Monseigneur De-favre, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ningpo at the Mission House. We returned the compliment by' inviting him to dinner that night. The following morning, Monday, the 20th, was spent in marketing," although very little was procurable except fish, pork and some fruit and vegetables.
At 135 pan. we weighed anchor and started on the second leg of four cruise and over ground une explored by us before. We sailed straight into Nimrod Sound and anchored in Merusa Creek, a distance of about 45 miles, arriving at 7.45 pam. Tt was already dark and the skipper had almost to. guess his way: in addition to the sails used the motor a part of the way. The weather was fine and the scenery extremely beautiful, greatly resembling the Inland Sea of Japa At the "anchorage we found the Customs preventive steam launch Kiaots!, commanded by Mr. Norman, who very obligingly gave us the Tatest information on the typhoon which had already been announced while we were at Sinkiamen,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.