The Start. 89 



tourists. I could hear a whole company of them 

 besieging my cabin door while I was dressing, declaring 

 " they must shake hands with the doctor ! "* One of them 



m 



actually peeped in through the ventilator at me, my 

 secretary told me afterwards. A nice sight she must 

 have seen, the lovely creature ! Report says she drew 

 her head back very quickly. Indeed, at every place 

 where we put in we were looked on somewhat as wild 

 animals in a menagerie. For they peeped uncere- 

 moniously at us in our berths as if we had been bears 

 and lions in a den, and we could hear them loudly 

 disputing among themselves as to who was who, and 

 whether those nearest and dearest to us whose portraits 

 hung on the walls could be called pretty or not. When 

 I had finished my toilette I opened the door cautiously, 

 made a rush through the gaping company. " There he 

 is, there he is ! "t they called to each other as they 

 tumbled up the steps after me. It was no use, I was on 

 the quay and in the carriage long before they had reached 

 the deck. 



At 8 o'clock there was a great banquet, many fine 

 speeches, good fare and excellent wine, pretty ladies, 

 music, and dancing till far into the night. 



Next morning at 1 1 o'clock it was Sunday in 

 bright sunshiny weather, we stood northwards over 



English in the original. f Ibid. 



.fiLjW\ 



