The Days of a Man 



D914 



National 

 character- 

 istics 



A water- 

 spout 



These went in at first without forethought, taking 

 things as they came, according to their habit; their 

 opponents prepared themselves very carefully as to 

 shoes and especially as to the position of each man in 

 the line and so won the first round easily. The 

 British then took pains to make themselves ready and 

 as easily won in the end. Anderson thought this 

 incident might be internationally prophetic. 



Perhaps it was! 



One night on the Indian Ocean, about midway be- 

 tween Ceylon and Aden, we ran into a waterspout 

 accompanied by a violent wind blowing one way in 

 the fore part of the ship and in the opposite direction 

 aft, meanwhile deluging the decks with water. This 

 event I recorded in the following lines of doggerel: 



Three times round went our gallant, gallant ship, 

 Three times round went she; 



If it hadn't up and stopped, 



We would all have up and dropped 

 From the top to the bottom of the sea. 



At Suez the passengers all deserted the boat in 

 order to spend two days at Cairo and rejoin it at Port 

 Said. Of this very interesting detour into a much- 

 traveled region I need say but little. But I well re- 

 member the unfriendly gaze of a big camel on the 

 banks of the Nile, who thought that I was proposing 

 At the to ride him ! I recollect, too, the unctuous glibness of 

 Pyramids ^ dignified Egyptian who thoughtfully guided my 

 burro past the Pyramids and bade me pause before 

 the Sphinx while we had our pictures taken — the 

 Spliinx, the burro, himself, and myself. Concerning 

 the historic city of Cairo, replete with interest, noth- 

 ing new remains to be said. The fertile Delta, now 



n 570 : 



