374 
IN AFRICA 
he is the virtual head of the island. His authority is 
absolute and he has come to be called the King of 
Christmas Island. His every-day name is that, of 
his distinguished uncle, Sir John, but his Sunday 
name is “King.” 
For a day or two we motored around Singapore 
and it was worth seeing to note how the tourists 
stared when I casually said, “Well, King, let’s have 
The Call of the East 
a bamboo.” In a day or two he was going to meet 
his wife, who was just coming from England with 
a little three-months-old crown prince whom he had 
not yet seen. Then, together, the royal family was 
going back to Christmas Island on one of the king’s 
ships. 
The China coast is distinguished for its excellent 
United States consular officials. And it hasn’t been 
so for many years. Our representative in Singa- 
