NOTES ON TRAVEL 271 



and friends with the same interests, so that there was a 

 constant tendency to talk " shop," and that, however 

 interesting, was not relaxation. This time there was 

 no one on the boat of specially scientific tastes and very 

 few people they had known before. 



There were, however, Lady Ramsay's old friend, Mrs. 

 John Tennant, and her husband, and Sir Henry Craik, 

 also an old friend, and his travelling companion, Canon 

 Perkin, of Westminster. The six had a table together 

 and made a little party by themselves. The very fact 

 that their interests were all so diverse made the time 

 pass most pleasantly, as well as more restfully than on 

 any previous voyage. The only incident of special 

 note was a stoppage in fog off the coast of New- 

 foundland. The Tunisian had made almost a record 

 run, but a wireless message reached it that icebergs were 

 ahead and had struck another ship, and as the fog was 

 very dense there was nothing for it but to wait till it 

 cleared. Two days passed with no sound but the fog- 

 horn, and even the sea not visible from the upper deck, 

 so dense was the fog. The ship might have been 

 imbedded in cotton wool, and there seemed to be no 

 reason why the fog should ever lift. One of these days 

 was devoted to the usual sports, and a joker among the 

 young passengers put up a notice, " Athletic Sports will 

 be held every Thursday till further notice." However, 

 on the Friday morning there was a welcome sound of 

 revolving screws, and on the morning of the 19th the 

 party reached Montreal and went their several ways. 



