BIRD ISLAND AND SAINT CROIX 183 



ing, the same cannot be said of the sea as viewed from 

 the town. Here is the real life of the place. The 

 crowded jetties, with their trains passing up and down 

 carrying merchandise, the clumsy-looking lighters bring- 

 ing cargo from the ships, and being loaded and unloaded 

 by means of large cranes that stand along either side 

 of the jetties, together with the Malays wearing their 

 brightly-coloured turbans, all go to make up a brilliant 

 picture of commercial life. Then there is the se 

 through which all this turmoil and busy life has to be 

 carried on. The south-east wind is the prevailing wind 

 at Port Elizabeth, and you may see it pull the water 

 up in a surprisingly short space of time, making things 

 uncomfortable for the various ships lying at anchor. 



Here there is no crowd of shipping, there is plenty 

 of room for all, and each vessel gives its neighbour a 

 wide berth. The big liners get the swell first, a mile 

 or so out, standing steady as a rock ; then the smaller 

 steamboats, " tramps," and one or two quaint-looking 

 sailing ships ; these soon grow uneasy under the rising 

 swell and rock from side to side to an alarming degree^ 

 while nearest the shore, on a line with the end of the 

 jetties, are moored rows of empty lighters, which heave 

 clumsily over the rollers, punching each other in the 

 ribs if perchance they should be fastened too closely 

 together. But the connecting life of the whole picture 

 is the admirable service of tugs, without which little 

 work could be carried on. It would be hard to find 

 better tugs anywhere, or better men at the helm. 

 Thoroughly up to date and serviceable, they yet 

 looked extremely picturesque as they scurried along 

 in almost any sort of weather, dragging behind them 



