CHAPTER I 
OUTWARD BOUND 
After the strenuous lfe of the preceding days it was an im- 
mense relief to find ourselves on shipboard with the prospect of 
a restful voyage of two weeks, involving one of the most de- 
lightful cruises imaginable, including visits to many of the 
beautiful islands of the Lesser Antilles, and with nothing to do 
but enjoy ourselves. 
The ‘‘Guiana’’ is the largest and most modern of the Quebec 
Company’s ships in the West Indian service, and we had been 
assigned quite comfortable quarters on board. The dingy war 
gray of the vessel was not particularly inspiriting, to be sure; 
but we had anticipated that and were not greatly depressed 
thereby. There was no leave-taking, as no one was allowed on 
the pier except passengers and Customs and Quebec Company 
officials. Not even bouquets or any other packages or messages 
could be delivered to prospective passengers after they went 
aboard the steamer. The great war brooded over everything. 
No one was travelling for pleasure, and but few women and 
children were on board. All field-glasses and cameras were 
placed in charge of the purser, to be delivered after we were 
out of sight of land. 
The afternoon was sunny and the passage down the harbor 
along the water-front of the world’s largest city was one 
of the most interesting of our experiences. Nearly all of the 
trans-Atlantic vessels were armed and painted a war gray or else 
camouflaged. The noble water-front of New York is always 
imposing, and the Statute of Liberty is one of the most majes- 
tic of all human art productions. We saw the steamer ‘‘St. 
Paul,’’ which had overturned at her pier under mysterious 
circumstances the day before. 
After we left the pilot and passed out of the bay, the wind 
freshened and it became decidedly chilly, although not rough 
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