HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 17 



pyjamas. Each one thinking that the joke had been 

 perpetrated on himself alone kept silence, until the skipper 

 let the cat out of the bag by remarking, in a very matter- 

 of-fact tone, that having now fairly left port, he reckoned 

 he would commence sleeping with his clothes on. Next 

 morning, by five o'clock, the anchor was up, but the wind 

 was light and variable, so that it was fairly noon before we 

 could round Cape Blunt, or Red Bluff as it is also called, 

 and get into the Straits of Tsugaru. As soon as this was 

 done we could head southwards, with a strong current in 

 our favour. A spanking breeze was blowing outside, and 

 by two o'clock we were abreast of Cape Yesan. 



While Snow was giving out some tinned meats for 

 dinner, it was proposed that there should be a pudding of 

 some kind not that anyone cared for such a thing, of 

 course, but merely to see how far we could trust in the 

 hitherto untried capabilities of our cook. This worthy 

 individual had a plump, sleek appearance as far as his face 

 was concerned, though its beauty was considerably marred 

 by a most pronounced squint, and his spindle legs, clothed 

 in tight-fitting blue continuations, gave him very much the 

 appearance of a paddibird. After a short, but impressive, 

 speech as to how apple pudding was made in civilised 

 communities, Snow handed him a tin of Canadian apples, 

 covered outside with a gorgeous representation of the red- 

 cheeked fruit within. Assuring us that apple pudding was 

 a thing of nought before his skill, he received with a low 

 bow the materials for the famous delicacy. The whole 

 proceeding reminded us of some chairman of a workhouse 

 committee receiving from a group of admiring tradesmen 

 a testimonial of esteem and regard for one who, while 

 lining his own pockets well, had not denied to them 

 corresponding advantages. The scene was impressive, 

 and, as all subsequently agreed, the best part of the 

 pudding. Whether it was through being our first dinner 

 on board, or because of the haze of uncertainty that 

 surrounded it, the fact remains that more than usual 



C 



