J. C. Swan—Notes on a Voyage home from Africa in Winter 177


NOTES ON A VOYAGE HOME FROM AFRICA

IN THE WINTER


By J. C. Swan


I was told by my friends that I should never get my birds home in

the winter, and when on board ship in the Indian Ocean I read in the

News that the maximum temperature in London was 36 degrees on

certain days in November, I began to think my friends might be correct.

However, I could not choose the time of my arrival in England, so on

a broiling hot day, in Dar-es-Salaam, the birds were “ shipped ”. Yes !

“ shipped ” is the correct term, for those who have done it once know

that it is as easy to ship as many tons of Sisal as it is to get on board

a similar number of boxes containing “ Live Birds To the

inexperienced the procedure of shipping a “ cargo ” of birds may be

interesting, so I will describe it. First the “ cargo ” must be measured,

weighed, the freight calculated, and paid, and the freight receipt

produced to the steamship company’s agents at the time the crates

are finally handed over for loading on to the steamer. These duties,

one would imagine, would all be performed at the same office—perhaps

by the same clerk, in the same manner as a parcel is consigned by the

railway, but not so with steamship companies—these separate duties

which comprise the routine of shipping cargo must be performed by

separate companies. Usually there is a landing and shipping company

to do the measuring, etc., etc., and a wharfage company to do the

actual “ shipping ” of the goods. These companies appear invariably

to have their offices at opposite ends of the town, the reason for which

must be either to prevent one department getting in the way of the other

and perhaps, by accident, doing some portion of the work belonging

to one of the other departments, or it may be to impress shippers

in general with the importance of each of these respective departments

and so attempt to justify the charges made. Well, after innumerable

journeys to and fro, with the birds, “ freight ” was paid and the birds

handed over to the wharfage company for “ shipping ” and troubles,

I imagined, were at an end. Later on I realized that they had only

just begun, for when the birds were put aboard the tug to be taken out

to the steamer lying at anchorage in the harbour, and I followed, I was



