A HUMANISING AGENCY 217 



been long married then and if I never caused a sensa- 

 tion before or since, I certainly had the satisfaction of 

 creating one when I appeared on deck that bright 

 morning shortly after our first boatload of visitors had 

 arrived. Some of the men eyed me as if I had been a 

 new specimen from the Zoo, but I didn't mind that ; I 

 thoroughly enjoyed my little triumph, and made the best 

 of it. 



" The moral effect of my presence showed itself 

 when some of the skippers shuffled furtively below and 

 washed themselves a luxury unknown to the inhabi- 

 tants of the smacks while out fleeting, their water-supply 

 being only sufficient for drinking and cooking purposes 

 but the most amusing result was this. A skipper 

 came on board who possessed only one eye. He did 

 not expect to find strangers in the hospital ship, and 

 certainly not a lady, and was much taken aback on 

 seeing both. The next day, when he visited us again, 

 my husband and I were considerably exercised in mind 

 as to what had greatly altered his appearance. At last 

 my husband discovered that not only had he washed 

 himself vigorously, but also he had donned a glass eye ! 



"The real purpose of the visits to the Mission 

 boat by the smacksmen was to hold religious meetings. 

 These took place in the crew's cabin, and were much 

 enjoyed and appreciated. Perhaps they would not have 

 come quite up to the idea of an orthodox parson, and 

 assuredly they would not have pleased an average con- 

 gregation. At home we are apt to grumble if we are 

 kept in church a minute over the hour and a half, but 

 these meetings on board the Mission smacks always last 

 two or three hours, and sometimes longer than that. 



