4 THE CALL OF THE RED GODS 



Deck sports filled up another day. An extremely 

 unpleasant young woman with a horse-laugh carried 

 all before her, and once we saw three birds and a 

 seal ! Otherwise we relied on our fellow passengers, 

 never unentertaining, for amusement. 



There were a number of Scots-Canadians on 

 board ; one old couple in particular took my eye. 

 He, silent, white-bearded, with a grave twinkle ; 

 the Scot showing unmistakably : she, silver-haired, 

 rosy-cheeked, with the comfortable walk of a 

 farmer's wife. Both were clad in their best blacks. 

 The snows of many winters were upon them, yet 

 they retained something of the charm of youth. 

 She had a trick of slipping her hand within the 

 bend of his arm, of looking aslant at his face, in 

 a manner which stirred my heart and set me 

 wondering at the days when she was a girl and he, 

 his shrunken frame sturdy and pulsing to the blood 

 of youth, came courting up the glen. 



Then there was Horace. He came right through 

 to Japan with us, so we had ample opportunities of 

 studying his eccentricities. His real name was — not 

 Horace, but nothing suited him so well. Some- 

 thing of a mystery, he might have owned to any 

 age less than thirty-five. Tallish, with fair hair 

 and rather nice eyes, his looks were marred by a 

 mouth several sizes too large. However, this he 

 economised talking through his front teeth, em- 

 ploying triple expansion at meal times. His 

 metallic voice was of a peculiarly penetrating 

 quality. From Quebec to Vancouver it roused 

 me from my early morning dreams ; it was the last 

 sound I heard at night mingling with the " clang 

 clang " of the engine bell. 



