black people all of whom after the manner of hack drivers at railway stations were clamoring for our favor they were not all drivers however mingling with the drivers were merchants with jewelry, ostrich plumes and boas to sell, runners for hotels, beggars, cripples and guides this conglomeration besought us to listen to every individual one of them until a native policeman in the queen's farm came forward and pushed the black fellows back with his hands sometimes hastening their retreat with his boot a large board occupied a prominent position on the pier on it was marked the prices that should be paid drivers, boatmen and like people it was indeed a praise worthy thoughtfulness that caused the erection of that board for it prevented tourists being robbed I looked at it and thought that even in that land there was more precaution taken to protect helpless and ignorant strangers in this city where the usual custom of night hack men is to demand exorbitant prices and if they are not forthcoming to pull off their coats and fight for it first on the side of this bleak bare mountain is a majestic white building reached by a fine road cut in the stone that forms the mountain it is a clubhouse erected for the benefit of the English soldiers who are stationed on this barren spot in the harbour lay an English man of war and near a point where the land was most beautiful numbers of white tents were pitched for soldiers from the highest peak of the black rocky mountain probably 1700 feet above sea level floated the English flag as I traveled on and realized more than ever before how the English have stolen almost all if not all desirable seaports I felt an increased respect for the level headedness of the English government and I ceased to marvel at the pride with which Englishmen view their flag floating in so many different climbs so many different nationalities near the pier were shops run by Parsies a hotel, post office and telegraph office are located in the same place the town of Odden is five miles distant we hired a carriage and started at a good pace on a wide smooth road that took us along the beach for a way passing low rows of houses where we saw many miserable dirty looking natives past a large graveyard liberally filled which looked like that stony point, bleak, black and bare the graves often being shaped by cobblestones the roads at Odden are a marvel of beauty they are wide and as smooth as hardwood and as they twist and wind in pleasing curves up the mountain they are made secure by a high smooth wall against mishap otherwise their steepness might result in giving tourists a serious roll down a rough mountain side just before we began to ascend we saw a black man at his devotions he was kneeling in the center of a little square formed by rocks his face was turned heavenward and he was oblivious to all except the power before which he was laying bare his inmost soul with a fervor and devotion that commanded respect even from those who thought of him as a heathen I inferred that he was a sun worshiper from the way in which he constantly had his face turned upward except when he bent forward to kiss the ground on which he knelt on the road we saw black people in the tribes a number of women I noticed who walked proudly along their brown bare feet stepping lightly on the smooth road they had long purple black hair which was always adorned with a long stiff feather dyed of a brilliant red green purple and like striking shades there were no other ornament than the colored feather which lent them an air of pride when seen beside the much bejeweled people of that quaint town many of the women were lavishly dressed in jewelry they did not wear much else it is true but in a place as hot as Aden jewelry must be as much as anyone would care to wear to me the side of these perfect bronze like women with a graceful drapery of thin silk wound about the waist falling to the knees and a corner taken up and back and brought across the bust was most bewitching on their bare perfectly molded arms were heavy bracelets around the wrist and muscle most times joined by chains bracelets were also worn about the ankles and their fingers and toes were laden with rings sometimes large rings were suspended from the nose and the ears were almost always outlined with hoop rings that reached from the inmost edge of the lobe to the top of the ear joining the head so closely were these rings placed at a distance the ear had the appearance of being rimmed in gold a more pleasing style of nose ornament was a large gold ornament set in the nostril and fastened there as screw rings in the chest and in the ear still if that nose ornamentation was more pleasing than the other the ear ornament that accompanied it was disgusting the lobe of the ear was split from the ear and pulled down to such length that it usually rested on the shoulder the enormous loop of flesh was partially filled with large gold knobs at the top of the hill we came to a beautiful majestic stone double gate the entrance to the English fort and also spanning the road that leads to the town both were pacing to and fro but we drove past them without stopping or being stopped through a strange narrow cut in the mountain that towered at the sides a hundred feet above the roadbed both these narrow perpendicular sides are strongly fortified it needs but one glance at Aden which is itself a natural fort to strengthen the assertion that Aden is the strongest gate to India the moment we emerged from the cut which besides being so narrow that two carriages pass with great difficulty is made on a dangerous steep grade we got a few of the white town of Aden nestling in the very heart of what seems to be an extinct volcano we were driven rapidly down the road catching glimpses of godly attired mountain policemen water carriers from the bay with their well filled goat skins flung across their backs camels loaded with cut stone and black people of every description when we drove into the town which is composed of low adobe houses our carriage was surrounded with beggars we got out and walked through an unpaved street looking at the dirty uninviting shops and the dirty uninviting people in and about them very often we were urged to buy but more frequently the natives stared at us with quiet curiosity in the heart of the town we found the camel market but beyond a number of camels standing lying and kneeling about the site was nothing extraordinary nearby was a goat market but business seemed dull in both places without buying anything we started to return to the ship little naked children ran after us for miles touching their foreheads humbly and crying for money they all knew enough English to be able to ask us for charity when we reached the pier we found our driver had forgotten all the English he knew when we started out he wanted one price for the carriage and we wanted to pay another it resulted in our appealing to a native policeman who took the right change from us handed it to the driver and gave him in addition a lusty kick for his dishonesty our limited time prevented are going to see the water tanks which are some miles distant from Odden when we returned to the ship we found Jews there selling ostrich eggs and plumes shells fruits spears of swordfish and such things in the water on one side of the boat were numbers of men Somali boys they called them who are giving an exhibition of wonderful beauty and swimming they would actually sit in the water looking like bronze statues as the sun rested on their wet black skin they sat in a row and turning their faces up towards the deck would yell methodically one after the other down the entire line oh yo ho it sounded very like a chorus of bullfrogs and was very amusing after finishing the strange music they would give us a duet half crying persuasively in a sing song style have a dive have a dive the other half meanwhile would put their hands before their widely open mouths yelling through their rapidly moving fingers with such energy that we gladly threw over silver to see them dive in and stop the din the moment the silver flashed over the water all the bronze figures would disappear like flying fish and looking down we would see a few ripples on the surface of the blue water nothing more after a time that seemed dangerously long to us they would bob up through the water again we could see them coming they finally appeared on the surface and one among the number would have the silver between his teeth which would be most liberally displayed in a broad smile of satisfaction some of these divers were children not more than eight years old and they ranged from that up to any age many of them had had their hair bleached as they were completely naked accepting a small cloth twisted about the loins they found it necessary to make a purse out of their cheeks which they did with as much ease as a cow she would throw away grass to chew at her leisure I have often envied a cow this splendid gift one way so much time eating especially when traveling and I could not help picturing the comfort it would be sometimes to dispose of our food wholesale and consume it at our leisure afterwards I am certain there would be fewer dyspeptics then no animal water born in bread could frisk more gracefully in the water than do these Somali boys they swim about using the legs alone with the arms alone on their backs or sides and in most cases with their faces under water they never get out of the way of a boat they merely sink and come up in the same spot when the boat passes the bay at Aden is filled with sharks but they never touch these black men so they tell me and the safety with which they spend their lives in the water proves the truth of the assertion they claim that a shark will not attack a black man and after I caught the odor of the grease of these men anoint their bodies I did not blame the sharks after a seven hour stay at Aden we left for Colombo Bing followed a long ways out from the land by the divers one little boy went out with us on the ship and when he left this he merely took a plunge from the upper deck into the sea and went happily back towards Aden on his side waving a farewell to us with his free hand the passengers endeavored to make the time pass pleasantly between Aden and Colombo the women had some tableau vivant one evening and they were really very fine in one they wished to represent the different countries they asked me to represent America but I refused and then they asked me to tell them what the American flag looked like they wanted to represent one as nearly as possible and to rise it to drape the young woman who was to represent America another evening we had a lantern slide exhibition that was very enjoyable the loyalty of the English to their queen on all occasions and at all times had won my admiration so born and bred a staunch American with the belief that a man is what he makes of himself not what he was born still I could not help admiring the undying respect the English have for their royal family during the lantern slide exhibition the queen's picture was thrown on the white sheet and evoked warmer applause than anything else that evening we never had an evening's amusement that did not end by everybody rising to their feet God saved the queen I could not help but think how devoted that woman for she is only a woman after all should be to the interests of such faithful subjects with that thought came to me a ashamed feeling that there I was a freeborn American girl the native of the grandest country on earth forced to be silent because I could not in honesty speak proudly of the rulers of my land unless I went back to those two kings of manhood George Washington Abraham Lincoln End of Chapter 8 This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Around the World in 72 Days by Nellie Bly Read by Mary Reagan Chapter 9 Delayed Five Days About nine o'clock in the morning we anchored in the bay at Colombo, Salon The island with its abundance of green trees was very restful and pleasing to our eyes after the spell of heat we had passed through on the ocean coming from Odden Preparations had been made by the passengers before we anchored to go ashore and as we came slowly into the small harbor where a number of vessels were lying we all stood impatiently on deck waiting for the first opportunity to desert the ship with all our impatience we could not fail to be impressed with the beauties of Colombo and the view from the deck of our incoming steamer as we moved in among the beautiful ships laying at anchor we could see the green island dotted with low arcaded buildings which looked in the glare of the sun like marble palaces in the rear of us was the blue blue sea jumping up into little hills that formed into snowdrifts which softly sank into the blue again forming the background to the town was a high mountain which they told us was known as Adams Peak the beach with a forest of tropical trees looked as if it started in a point away out in the sea curving around until near the harbor it formed into a blunt point the line of which was carried out to sea by a magnificent breakwater surmounted by a lighthouse then the land curved back again to a point where stood a signal station and on beyond a wide road ran along the water's edge until it was lost at the base of a high green eminence that stood well out over the sea crowned with a castle-like building glistening in the sunlight little boats filled with black men we could see coming out towards us from the shore but my eyes were fastened on a strangely shaped object resting on the surface of the water in the bay it seemed a living feathered thing of so strange a shape that I watched it with feelings akin to horror what horrible feathered monster could that lovely island produce, I wondered noticing with dismay that the ship was heading for it just as we were upon it there was a flutter of wings and a cloud of birds flew across and settled down upon the breakwater where some fishermen, their feet overhanging the stony sides were watching their lines I looked back at what had raised so much consternation in my mind and saw now that it was relieved of a feathered mass of birds a harmless red boy accompanied by a friend I was the first to step ashore some passengers who started in advance of us took a steam launch my escort said that he would give me a novel experience and also show me a small boat that travelled faster than a steam launch the gentleman who had offered to be my escort during our jaunt on land was a traveller of vast experience he has averaged a yearly tour of the world for several years and knows the eastern countries as he knows his home still when I saw the boat in which he intended to take me ashore I rather doubted his judgment but I said nothing the boat was a rudely constructed thing the boat proper was probably five feet in length and two feet in width across the top narrowing down to the keel so that it was not wide enough to allow one's feet to rest side by side in the bottom there were two seats in the middle of the boat facing one another they are shaded by a bit of coffee sack to be removed to give room for passengers to get in the two men sit at either end of this peculiar boat and with one paddle each the paddle is a straight pole with a board the shape and size of a cheese-box head tied to the end of it and with both these paddles on the same side they row us ashore the boat is balanced by a log the length of the boat and fastened out by two curved poles probably three feet from the boat these boats are called by tourists outriggers that are called by the people of Ceylon catamarans with but slight exertion the men sent the boat cutting through the water and in a few moments we had distanced the steam launch and had accommodations engaged at the hotel before the launch had landed its passengers it is said at Colombo that catamarans are used by the native fishermen who go out to sea in them and that they are so seaworthy and so secure against capsizing that no case of an accident to a catamaran has ever been reported a nearer view of the hotel the grand oriental did not tend to lessen its attractiveness in fact it increased it it was a fine large hotel with tiled arcades corridors airy and comfortable furnished with easy chairs and small marble top tables which stood close enough to the broad armrests for one to sip the cooling lime squashes or the exquisite native tea or eat of the delicious fruit while resting in an attitude of ease and laziness I found no place away from America where smoking was prohibited and in this lovely promenade the men smoked, consumed gallons of whiskey and soda and perused the newspapers while the women read their novels or bargained with the pretty little copper-colored women who came to sell dainty handmade lace or with the clever high-turban merchants who would snap open little velvet boxes and expose to the admiring gaze the most bewildering gems there were deeply dark emeralds fire-lit diamonds exquisite pearls rubies like pure drops of blood lucky cat's eye with its moving line and all set in such beautiful shapes that even the men who would begin by saying I have been sold before by some of your kind would end by laying down their cigars and papers and examining the glittering ornaments that tempt all alike no woman who lands at Colombo ever leaves until she adds several rings to her jewel box and these rings are so well known that at the moment a traveler sees one no difference in what part of the globe he says to the wearer inquiringly been to Colombo, eh? for the first time since leaving America I saw American money it is very popular in Colombo and commands a high price as jewelry it goes for nothing as money for the payment from my bills I was told it would be taken at 60% discount the Colombo diamond merchants are very glad to get American $20 gold pieces and pay a high premium on them the only use they make of the money is to put a ring through it and hang it on their watch chains for ornaments the wealth of the merchant can be estimated by his watch chain, they tell me the richer the merchant the more American gold dangles from his chain I saw some men with 20 pieces on one chain most of the jewelry bought and sold in Colombo is sold in the corridor of the Grand Oriental Hotel merchants bring their wares with them and tourists find it pleasanter than visiting the shops leading off from this corridor pleasant in its coolness interesting in its peculiarities is the dining hall matching the other parts of the hotel with its picturesque statelyness the small tables are daintily set with the native flowers of Colombo rich in color exquisite in form but void of perfume from the ceiling were suspended embroidered punkas that invention of the east which brings comfort during the hottest part of the day the punkas are long strips of cloth fastened to bamboo poles that are suspended within a short distance of the tables they are kept in motion by a rope pulley worked by a man or boy they send a lazy cooling air through the building contributing much to the ease and comfort of the guest punkas are also used on all the ships that travel in the east very good food was served at the hotel which was all the more palatable to the passengers from the Victoria after the trials they had had for the past fortnight in eating the same kind of food under daily different names single ease waiters were employed and they were not only an improvement on the English stewards to whose carelessness and impunence we have been forced to submit but they were very interesting to the westerner they managed to speak English very well and understood everything that was said to them they are not unpleasing people being small of stature and fine of feature some of them having very attractive clean cut faces, light bronze and color they wore white linen apron like shirts and white jackets noiselessly they move over the smooth tile floor in their bare brown feet their straight black hair is worn long and tacky knot at the back of the head on the crown of the head instead of circling it from ear to ear is always set a tortoise shell comb like those worn by American school children it was some time before I could tell a single ease man from a single ease woman it is not difficult to distinguish the different sexes after one knows that the single ease men wear the comb which is a distinct feature of their dress as is men's trousers in America single ease women would not think of donning this little comb any more than a sensitive American woman would think of wearing men's apparel I did not hear the term waiter or garçon after leaving America after leaving the English ships I did not hear the word steward but instead in the hotels and ships of the east all the servants were called boy we can call steward, waiter, garçon until we are weary without any result but the moment we whisper boy a pleasant black fellow says yes sir at our side and is ready to do our bidding at Tiffin I had some real curry the famous native dish of India I had been unable to eat it on the Victoria but those who knew said it was a most delicious dish when prepared rightly and so I tested it on shore first a divided dish containing shrimps and boiled rice was placed before me I put two spoonfuls of rice on my plate there was also chicken and beef for the meat part of the curry I took shrimps only then was handed me a much divided plate containing different preserved fruits chetta and other things hot with pepper as instructed I partook of three of this variety and put it on top of what had been placed first on my plate last came little dried pieces of stuff that we heard before we saw is odor was so loud and unmistakable they called it Bombay duck it is nothing more or less than a small fish which is split open and after having been thoroughly dried is used with the curry one can learn to eat it after all this is on the plate it is thoroughly mixed making a mess very unsightly but very palatable as I found I became so given to curry that I only stopped eating it when I found after a hearty meal curry threatened to give me palpitation of the heart the story is told concerning the Bombay duck that is very amusing the Shah of Persia was notified that some high official in India intended to send him a lot of very fine Bombay duck the Shah was very much pleased in anticipation of their arrival had some expensive ponds built to put the Bombay ducks in imagine his consternation when he received those ill smelling dried fish after Tiffin we drove to Mount Lavenia we went along the smoothest most perfectly made roads I ever saw they seemed to be made of red asphalt and I was afterwards told that they are constructed by convicts many of these roads were picturesque bowers the overreaching branches of the trees that lined the wayside forming an arch of foliage above our heads giving us charming telescopic views of people and conveyances along the road that touch of the natives and glimpses of the dwellers with the attention with the people we passed on the road Mount Lavenia we found to be the place we had noticed on entering the harbor it is a fine hotel situated on an eminence overlooking the sea and is a favorite resort during the hot seasons it is surrounded by a smooth green lawn and faces the blue sea whence it gets a refreshing breeze all the year through after dinner everybody at the Grand Oriental Hotel went out for a drive the women and many of the men going bareheaded driving through the town down the wide streets has beautiful homes set well back in tropical gardens to the gal phase drive that runs along the beach just out of reach of the waves that break on the sandy banks with a more musical roar than I ever heard water produced before the road lies very close to the water's edge and by the soft rays of the moon its red surface was turned to silver the deep blue of the sea was black and the foamy breakers were snow drifts in the soft pure light we would see silent couples strolling along arm and arm apparently so near the breakers that I felt apprehensive lest one stronger than the others should catch them unawares and wash them out to that unknown land where we all travel to rest lounging on the benches that face the sea were occasional soldiers in the queen's uniform whom I looked at anxiously unable to tell whether their attitude of weariness was a rest from labor or hungry homesickness one night I saw a native standing waist deep fishing in the roaring breakers they tell me that many of the fish bite more freely after night but I thought how easily the fisherman might be washed away and no one would be the wiser until his absence was noticed by his friends where the gal phase drive merges into another road stands the gal phase hotel surrounded by a forest of palm trees lounging on long bottomed easy chairs on the stone floor and stone pillar veranda one can see through the forest of tall palms where the ocean kisses the sandy beach and while listening to the music of the wave the deep mellow roar can drift drift out on dreams that bring what life has failed to give soothing pictures of the imagination that blot out for a moment the stern disappointment of reality or when the dreams fade away one can drown the sigh with the cooling lime squash which the noiseless, barefooted living bronze has placed on the white armrest at the same time lazily watching the generic shaws come silently through the gas lit gate the naked black runners coming to a sudden stop letting the shafts drop so the passengers can step out lazily I sat there one sweet dusky night only half hearing my escorts words that came to me mingled with the sound of the ocean the couple stood close together face bending over a face upturned hand clasped in hand and held closely against a manly heart standing two dark figures beneath an arch of the veranda outlined against the gate lamp I felt a little sympathy for them as wrapped in that delusion that makes life heaven or hell that forms the foundation for every novel play or story they stood until a noisy new arrival awakened her from blissful oblivion and she rushed scarcely waiting for him to kiss the hand he held away into the darkness I sighed again and taking another sip of my lime squash turned to answer my companion early next morning I was awakened by a singly's waiter placing coffee and toast on a small table which he drew up close to my curtained bed after which he went out I knew from the dim light that crept in through the open glass door which led to the balcony early and I soon went off to sleep I was awakened shortly by a rattling of the dishes on the table and opening my eyes I saw standing on the table quietly enjoying my toast a crow I was not then used to having toast and tea before arising as is the custom in salon so I let the crow satisfy his appetite and literally take his departure without a protest I arose earlier than was my habit because I had a desire to see while I had the opportunity after a cool refreshing bath I dressed hastily and went down below I found almost all of my friends up some having already started out to enjoy the early morning I regretted my generosity to the crow when I learned that breakfast was never served until nine o'clock and as everybody endeavored to have the benefit of the cool sweet morning toast and tea was very sustaining in a light wagon we again drove down the galface road past a lake in which men, women, children oxes, horses, buffalo and dogs were sporting it was a strange sight off on a little green island we saw the laundry folk at work eating, sowsing and ringing the clothes which they afterwards spread upon the grass their eye almost all of the roads through which we drove were perfect with their picturesque curves and often bordered and arched with magnificent trees many of which were burdened with beautiful brilliant blossoms everybody seemed to be out the white people were driving riding, riding bicycles or walking the breakwater which is a good half mile in length is a favorite promenade for the citizens of Colombo morning and evening gaily dressed people can be seen walking back and forth between the lighthouse and the shore when the stormy season comes the sea dashes hold forty feet above this promenade which must be cleansed of a green slime after the storms are over we traveled with safety the Prince of Wales laid the first stone on this beautiful breakwater in 1875 and ten years later it was finished it is considered one of the finest in existence Colombo reminded me of Newport, Rhode Island possibly in my eyes at least Colombo is more beautiful the homes may not be as expensive but they are more artistic and picturesque the roads are wide and perfect the sea is grand and while unlike in its tropical aspect still there is something about Colombo that recalls Newport after breakfast which usually leaves nothing to be desired guests rest in the corridor of the hotel the men who have business matters to attend to look after them and return to the hotel not later than eleven about the hour of noon everybody takes a rest and after luncheon they take a nap while they sleep the hottest part of the day passes and at four they are again ready for a drive or a walk from which they return after sunset in time to dress for dinner after dinner there are pleasant little rides in gen rickshaws or visits to the native theaters I went one night to a Parsi theater at the entrance were groups of people some of whom were selling fruits and some were gen rickshaw men waiting to haul the people home after the performance the actors rose on the ground the house was quite well filled with native men women and children who were deeply interested in the performance which had begun before we reached there the actors were all men my escort had told me women never think of going on the stage in that country the stage was not unlike any other stage and the scenery painted by native artists was quite as good as is usually seen on the left of the stage close to the wing was a man on a raised platform beating a tom-tom a tom-tom was undoubtedly the mother to the drum it is made on the same principle but instead of being round it is inclined to be long in shape the player uses his hands instead of drumsticks and when one becomes accustomed to it I do not think the sound of the tom-tom can be called unmusical the musician who presided over the tom-tom this night was dressed in a thin white material and he wore a very large turban on his head his copper-colored face was long and earnest and he beat the tom-tom with a will that was simply amazing when one was informed that he had been constantly engaged at it since nine in the morning if his hands did not tire his legs did several times I saw him move as if to find ease by shifting his squatting position and every time I saw his bare feet turn up in full view of the audience I felt an irresistible desire to laugh on the right directly opposite to the tom-tom player was a man whose duty it was to play a strange looking organ he only used one hand the left for playing and with the right he held a book which he steadily perused throughout the entire performance reading and playing mechanically without once looking at the actors the actors were amusing at least the story of the opera was not unlike those in other countries the basis or plot of the play was a tale of love and tragedy a tall young man with his face painted a death-like white sang shrilly through his very high arched nose to another young man dressed in the costume of a native woman the latter was the lady and the heroine of the play and he sang sharply through his nose like his or her lover all the actors sang through their noses and the thinner their voices and the more nasal sound they employed the more the audience applauded the heroine of the play was a maid servant employed by a very wealthy tea-planter who was the father of the lover who sang through his nose the lover, like all lovers, urged the girl to be his in songs that were issued through his nose for fifteen minutes at a time he, the heroine, would endeavor to look shy all through this insufferably long song of nasal sound and then she would take up the same refrain and to the same tune sing back at him for the same length and after his own style while he would hang his head and listen their gestures were very few and they usually stood in one spot on the stage sometimes they would embrace but only to fall apart and sing at each other again the play goes on a bold bad robber whose chalk-whitened face has a most Jewish cast sees the maid servant she repels his advances and goes into her master's house then the robber puts a cross on the house and vows that he will return with his men to kill the inhabitants for the heroine in her simplicity confesses to the truth of his supposition that she loves another and that other is her master's son so the villain swears that he will return kill the people of the house and not only carry off the wealth but the maid servant as well after the robber departs the heroine comes out and spies the cross upon her house with a crafty look upon her face she picks up the chalk which the robber had dropped and marks all the other houses in the street in just the same way so that when the robber returns he is foiled in his bold bad game for he cannot tell which house holds his charmer and her wealthy lover and master he is a patient robber and lies in wait until the lovers come forth to coup on the street while they are busy making love through their noses the man plays the organ with energy the turbaned musician beats the tom-toms as if his life depended upon it and the bold bad robber clutches at his stomach, twists his face into the most agonized expressions and otherwise shows his agony to the audience when they go into the house he is about to follow when the master appears and as he is going in the robber approaches and saying that he is a wealthy tea merchant begs to be permitted to rest at his house that night the master most cordially consents just as the heroine appears and she, having heard the conversation tells her master not to allow the man to stay the master becomes very angry at her boldness and promises her a liberal punishment to take effect later in the day the merchant begs to be permitted to have his cases of tea placed within the garden walls of his host that the tea may be safe through the night of course the host consents and the next scene shows the chests of tea in the garden and the bold robber puts out the light at the door and goes into the house to buy at his time even that the heroine dreams and like other heroines selects the cool sweet night in the garden to dream in she is surprised to find the garden in darkness and lays her finger to the side of her nose when she sees the lamp is not burning as she skips about smelling the artificial flowers the lid of the tea chest is raised slightly and a man sings something through his nose she starts back in surprise but instead of screaming she answers the inquiry in nasal tones and she learns that the chests are not filled with tea but with men who belong to the robber for whom they mistook her when the man closes the lid again to wait the bidding to come forth the man carefully locks all the cases and then calls upon a man's servant who helps her, the heroine to carry these cases containing the men into a house in which they are securely locked the next scene shows a room in which people are gathered and making merry they are all sitting on the floor and among them is the chief robber the heroine and other maid servants are brought in to give a dagger dance they have bracelets of bells around their wrists and ankles amazing the heroine and another servant dance while battling with each other with their knives occasionally they break apart and encircle the room and the heroine makes motions as if she intended to give the guest a playful thrust she sees the robber slyly poison her master's wine and so she dances around the robber's way and sticks her dagger in his heart and goes on with her dance the guests laugh until they see they fall dead they see then the thrust was not playful but real and the girl is caught and the master says she shall die then she screeches out the story of the men and the tea cases and tells about the poisoned wine and the guests applaud her brave act and she is told to ask for any favor she wishes she asks for her master's son she gets him to the music of the tom-tom and the organ and I suppose she lives happily ever afterwards I rode home from the theater in a bullock-hackery it was a very small, springless cart on two wheels with the front seat for the driver and on the back seat with our backs to the driver and our feet hanging over we drove to the hotel the bullock is a strange, modest looking little animal with a hump on its back and crooked horns on its head I feared that it could not carry us all but it traveled at a very good pace the sound of grunting that concerned me very much until I found it was the driver and not the bullock that was responsible for the noise with grunts he urged the bullock to greater speed the drive along tree-roofed roads was very quiet and lovely the moonlight fell beautiful and soft over the land and nothing disturbed the stillness except the sound of the sea and an occasional soldier we met staggering along towards the barracks at one place we saw a mosque with low, dim lamps hanging about we went in and found the priests lying on the stone floor some at the very foot of the altar we talked with them in whispers and then returned to the cart which soon carried us back to the hotel just as we turned a corner to go to the hotel an officer rushed up and catching hold of a wheel tried to stop the hackery we were all under arrest the candles in one of the lamps had burned out and we were arrested for driving with a dark side my companion made it right with a policeman and we went to the hotel instead of the jail among the natives that haunt the hotel are the snake charmers they are almost naked fellows sometimes with ragged jackets on and sometimes turbans on their heads but more often the head is bare they execute a number of tricks in a very skillful manner the most wonderful of these tricks to me was that of growing a tree they would show a seed then they would place the seed on the ground cover it with a handful of earth and cover this little mound with a handkerchief which they first passed around to be examined that we might be positive there was nothing wrong with it over this they would chant and after a time the handkerchief is taken off and then up through the ground is a green sprout we look at it incredulously while the man says tree no good, tree too small and covering it up again he renews his chanting once more he lifts the handkerchief and we see the sprout is larger but it still does not please the trickster for he repeats tree no good, tree too small and covers it up again this is repeated until he has a tree from three to five feet in height he pulls it up, shows us the seed and roots although these men always asked us to see the snake dance we always saw every other trick but the one that had caught us one morning when a man urged me to see the snake dance I said that I would but that I would pay to see the snake dance and for nothing else, quite unwillingly the men lifted the lid of the basket and the cobra crawled slowly out curling itself up on the ground the charmer began to play on a little fife meanwhile waving a red cloth which attracted the cobra's attention it rose up steadily darting angrily at the red cloth and rose higher at every motion until it seemed to stand on the tip end of its tail then it saw the charmer and it darted for him but he cunningly caught it by the head and with such a grip that I saw the blood gush from the snake's mouth he worked for some time still firmly holding the snake by the head before he could get it into the basket the reptile meanwhile lashing the ground furiously with its tail when at last it was covered from sight I drew a long breath and the charmer said to me sadly cobra no dance cobra too young cobra too fresh I thought quite right the cobra was too fresh at Colombo I saw the Jen Ricksha for the first time the Jen Ricksha is a small two-wheeled wagon much in shape like a sulky except that it has a top which can be raised in rainy weather it has long shafts joined at the end with the crossbar the Jen Ricksha men are black and wear little else than a sash when the sun is hot they wear large hats that look like enormous mushrooms but most of the time these hats are hanging to the back of the Ricksha there are stands at different places for these men as well as carriage stands while waiting for patrons the Ricksha's rest on the shafts and they sit in the bottom their feet on the ground besides dressing in a sash these men dress in an oil or grease and when the day is hot and they run one wishes they wore more clothing and less oil the grease has an original odor that is entirely its own one day I was going out in a Ricksha and an acquaintance was going with me the man put his foot on the shaft when I got in and as he raised it I saw my friend step into her Ricksha she sat down and instantly went out the other way the man did not have his foot on the shaft and she overbalanced I had a shamed feeling about going around the town drawn by a man but after I had gone a short way I decided it was a great improvement on modern means of travel it was so comforting to have a horse that was able to take care of itself when we went into the shops it was so agreeable not to have the worry of fearing that horses were not blanketed and when we made them run we did not have to fear we might urge them into a damaging speed it is a great relief to have a horse whose tongue can protest I have spoken about the perfect roads in Ceylon I found the roads in the same state of perfection in almost all the eastern ports at which I stopped I could not decide to my own satisfaction whether the smoothness of the road was due to the entire and blessed absence of the New York street commissioners I visited at the temples in Colombo finding little of interest and always having to pay liberally for the privilege of looking about one day I went to the Buddhist college and while there I met the famous high priest of Ceylon he was sitting on a veranda that surrounded his low bungalow riding on a table placed before him his gown consisted of a straight piece of old gold silk definitely around the body and over the waist the silk had fallen to his waist but after he greeted us he pulled it up around his shoulders he was a copper colored old fellow with gray hair that was shaved very close to the head he spoke English quite well and among other things told me he received hundreds of letters from the United States every year and that they found more converts to the Buddhist religion in America than in any other land the two newspapers in Colombo are in charge of two young Englishmen who are very clever they are very kind to strangers and I am indebted to them for a great deal of pleasure during my stay in Ceylon the hotel manager is a German of high birth he is untiring in his efforts to make his guests comfortable his wife is a very pretty petite little woman with a beautiful voice through her kindness I learned of a tailor in Ceylon who makes gowns that for style and fit are not excelled I had seen gowns from Morth that could not equal them and this man charges for making a gown five rupees five rupees are about two dollars and a half he will make a gown in two days the praises of Canday had been sung to me so one morning at seven o'clock I started for Canday with the Spanish representative who was going to Peking and a jolly Irish lad who was bound for Hong Kong both of whom had traveled with me from Brindisi we drove to the station we passed with people through the gate to the train English cars and ones that leave everything to be desired are used on this line we got into a compartment where there was but one seat which luckily for us happened to be facing the way we traveled our tickets were taken at the station and then the doors were locked and the train started before the start we had entered our names in a book which a guard brought to us with the information that we could have breakfast on the train if so desired early for breakfast at the hotel we were only too glad to get an opportunity to eat at eight o'clock the train stopped and the guard unlocked our door telling us to go front to the dining car it seemed strange to be compelled to get out of a train instead of walking through it in order to get to the other end of it the dining car was fitted up with stationery tables which almost spanned the car leaving a small space for people to walk along there were more people than could be accommodated but as the train had started they were obliged to stand several persons had told me that the breakfast served on this train was considered remarkably good I thought on seeing the bill of fare they had prepared a feast for a chicken hawk first there was fish dressed in vinegar and onions followed by chicken soup chicken aspic grilled chicken fried a chicken boiled chicken fried chicken after we had finished our breakfast we were compelled to remain where we were until the train arrived at some station then the dining car was unlocked and we returned to the other car again being locked in until the end of the journey the road to Kandy is spoken of as being very beautiful it winds up the mountainside and is rather pretty but nothing wonderful in that respect it is a tropical land but the foliage and the flowers are very ordinary about the prettiest things to be seen are the rice beds they are built in terraces and when one looks down into the deep valley seeing terrace after terrace of the softest lightest green one is forced to cry how beautiful arriving at Kandy at last we hired a carriage and went to see the lake the public library and the temples in one old temple surrounded by a moat we saw several altars of little consequence and a bit of ivory which they told us was the tooth of Buddha Kandy is pretty but far from what it is claimed to be they said it was cool but we found it so hot that we thought with regret of Colombo discussed it with all we found worth seeing we drove to Parathenia to see the great botanical garden it well repaid us for the visit that evening we returned to Colombo I was tired and hungry and the extreme heat had given me a sick headache on the way down the Spanish gentleman endeavored to keep our falling spirits up but every word he said only helped to increase my bad temper much to the amusement of the Irish boy he was very polite and kind the Spaniard I mean but he had an unhappy way of flatly contradicting one that to say the least was very exasperating it was to me but it only made the Irish boy laugh when we were going down the mountainside the Spaniard got up and standing put his head through the open window in the door to get a view of the country we are going over with positive conviction turning around to us I was leaning up in a corner trying to sleep and the Irish boy with his feet raised against the end of our compartment was trying to do the same we won't go over I managed to say while the Irish boy smiled yes we will the Spaniard shouted back make your prayers the Irish boy screamed with laughter and I forgot my sickness as I held my sides and laughed it was a little thing this is often little things that raise the loudest laughs after that all I needed to say to upset the dignity of the Irish boy was make your prayers I went to bed that night too ill to eat my dinner the next morning I had intended to go to the pearl market but felt unequal to it and when my acquaintances returned and told me that at the very end of the sale a man bought some leftover oysters for one rupee and found in them five hundred dollars I felt sorry I had not gone although there was great danger of getting cholera one day I heard a man ask another if he knew the meaning of the word the first replied the word meant draw man power and the second said with innocent surprise I thought it was pole man car I heard a passenger who came ashore from an Australian boat ask Andrew, a clever native who stands at the hotel door and one of those carts to take a ride Andrew did not know just what the man wanted as there were many different kinds of cart about I don't recall the name of them the passenger said in a hesitating manner but I believe you call them Jim Jams he got a generic shot end of chapter nine this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Around the World in 72 Days by Nellie Bligh Chapter 10 In the Pirate Seas One night after I had been five days in Colombo the blackboard in the hotel board the information that the oriental would sail for China the following morning at eight o'clock I was called at five o'clock and some time afterwards left for the ship the Spanish minister as we called the Spaniard wanted me to go to some of the shops with him until he should buy some jewelry but I was so nervous and anxious to be on my way that I could not wait a moment longer than was necessary to reach the boat that was to carry me to China when farewells had been said and I was on the oriental I found my patience had given way under the long delay the ship seemed to be deserted when I went on deck with the exception of a handsome elderly man accompanied by a young blonde man in a natty white linen suit who slowly promenaded the deck while watching out to sea while they talked I was trying to untie my steamer chair so as to have some place to sit when the elderly man came up and politely offered to assist me When will we sail? I asked shortly As soon as the Nepal comes in the man replied she was to have been here at daybreak and decided yet waiting for the Nepal has given us this five days delay she's a slow old boat May she go to the bottom of the bay when she does get in I said savagely the old tub I think at an outrage to be kept waiting five days for a tub like that Colombo is a pleasant place to stay the elderly man said with a twinkle in his eye it may be if staying there does not mean more than life to one but afford me the most intense delight to see the Nepal go to the bottom of the sea evidently my ill humor surprised them and their surprise amused me for I thought how little anyone could realize what this delay meant to me and the mental picture of a forlorn little self creeping back to New York ten days behind time with a shamed look on her face and afraid to hear her name spoken made me laugh outright they gazed at me in astonishment while I laughed them moderately in an enviable position my better nature surged up with the laugh and I was able to say once again everything happens for the best there is the Nepal I said pointing out a line of smoke just visible above the horizon they doubted it but a few moments proved that I was correct I am very ill-natured I said glancing from the kindly blue eyes of the elderly man to the laughing blue eyes of the younger man but I could not help it I played for five days I was called at five o'clock because they said the ship was to sail at eight and here it is nine o'clock and there's no sign of the ship sailing and I am simply famished as they laughed at my woes the gong sounded for breakfast and they took me down the Irish lad with his sparkling eyes and jolly laugh was there as was a young Englishman who had also traveled on the ship Victoria to Colombo I knew him by sight and I did not dare to speak to him there were no women on board I was the only woman that morning and a right jolly breakfast we had the captain a most handsome man and as polite and as courteous as he was good-looking sat at the head of the table officers that any ship might boast of were gathered about him handsome, good-natured, intelligent polite they were every single one of them I found the elderly man I had been talking to was the chief engineer and the young man was the ship's doctor the dining hall was very artistic and pleasant and the food was good the ship, although much smaller than the Victoria, was very much better in every way the cabins were more comfortable the ship was better ventilated the food was vastly superior the officers were polite and good-natured the captain was a gentleman in looks and manners and everything was just as agreeable as it could be for several days I let things go on and said nothing about myself nor did I give them the letter which the London agent had kindly sent it had brought me no attention or courtesy on the Victoria and I decided to take my chances on the Oriental when I saw that uniform kindness and politeness was the rule on this ship I then gave them the letter and though the captain was pleased to receive it still it could not have made his treatment of me any kinder than it was at first it was well onto one o'clock before the passengers were transferred from the Nepal to the Oriental in the meantime the ship was amply peopled with merchants from the shore who were selling jewels and lace how they did cheat the passengers they would ask and sometimes get fabulous prices for things and when the ship was ready to sail they offered to sell at any price they were quite saucy chaps too I heard a vendor reply to a man at a small price for some so-called precious stones I am not charging you for looking at these in fact they grew so impudent and bold that I am surprised that the steamship lines do not issue orders prohibiting their presence on board at one o'clock we sailed the first day and the two days following were passed lazily on deck I found it a great relief to be again on the sweet blue sea out of sight of land and free from the tussle and worry tussle for life which we are hourly even forced to gaze upon on land although the east is in a very great measure free from the dreadful crowding for life still one is bound to see signs of it even among the most indolent of people only on the bounding blue the grand great sea is one rocked into a peaceful rest at noon of day at dusk of night feeling that one is drifting or knowing or caring about full mortals striving for life true the sailors do this and that but it has an air far from that of elbowing each other for a living to the lazy passengers it seems that they merely hoist a sail or pull it down that they may drift dream sleep talk live for happiness and not for gain the fourth day out was Sunday the afternoon was spent on deck looking at the most beautiful green islands which we slowly passed sometimes we would lazily conjecture as to whether they were inhabited or not the next day we anchored at Penang or Prince of Wales Island one of the straits settlements as the ship had such a long delay at Colombo it was said that we would have but six hours to spend on shore with an acquaintance as an escort I made my preparations and was ready to go land the moment we anchored we went ashore in a sandpan an oddly shaped flatboat with the oars or rather paddles fastened near the stern the melee oarsman rode hand over hand standing upright in the stern his back turned towards us as well as the way we were going frequently he turned his head to see if the way was clear plying his oars industriously all the while once landed he chased us to the end of the pier demanding more money although we had paid him thirty cents just twenty cents over and above the legal fare hiring a carriage we drove to where a waterfall comes bounding down the side of a naturally verdant mountain which had been transformed half way up into a pleasing tropical garden the picturesque waterfall is nothing marvelous it only made me wonder from whence it procured its water supply but after walking until I was much heated and finding myself apparently just as far from the fountain I concluded the waterfall's secret was not worth the fatigue it would cost on the way to the town we visited a hindu temple scarcely had we entered when a number of half clad barefooted priests rushed frantically upon us demanding that we remove our shoes the temple being built open its curved roof and rafters had long been utilized by birds and pigeons as a bedroom doubtless ages had passed over the stone floor but I could swear nothing else had so I refused emphatically and unconditionally to unboot myself I saw enough of their idols to satisfy me one was a black god in a gay dress the other was a shapeless black stone hung with garlands of flowers the filthy stone at its base being buried beneath a perfusion of rich blossoms English has spoken less in Penang than any port I visited a native photographer when I questioned him about it said the melees are proud miss they have a language of their own and they are too proud to speak any other photographer knew how to use his English to advantage he showed me cabinet-sized proofs for which he asked one dollar each one dollar I exclaimed in astonishment that is very high for a proof if miss thinks it is too much she does not need to buy she is the best judge of how much she can afford to spend he replied with cool impudence why are they so expensive I asked nothing daunted by his impertinence I presume because Penang was so far from England he rejoined carelessly I was told afterwards that a passenger from the oriental pulba photographers long thin black nose for his impudence and I was pleased to hear it a Chinese joss house the first I had seen was very interesting the pink and white roof curved like a canoe was ornamented with animals at the dragon tribe with their mouths open and their tails in the air the straggling worshipers could be plainly seen from the streets and made sides of the temple Chinese lanterns and gilt ornaments made gay the dark interior little josses with usual rations of rice, roast pig and smoldering joss sticks dispersing a strangely sweet perfume were no more interesting than a dark corner in which the superstitious were trying their luck a larger crowd of desky people then were about the altars in fact the only devout tea was a wax-haired Chinese woman with a slid-eyed brown babe tied on her back bowing meekly and lowly before a painted bejangled joss some priests with shaven heads and old gold silk ornaments who were in a summer house in the garden saw us when we were looking at the goldfish ponds one came forth and taking me by the hand gracefully led me to where they were gathered they indicated their wish that we would sit with them and drink tea with them milkless and sugarless from childlike china cups which they refilled so often that I had reasons for feeling thankful the cups were so likened to delicious dishes we were unable to exchange words but we smiled liberal smiles at one another Mexican silver is used almost exclusively in Penang American silver will be accepted at the same value but American gold is refused and paper money is looked on with contempt the Chinese Chinrich Shaman and Penang compared with those in Colombo are like overfed pet horses beside racers in the trim they were the plumpest Chinamen such round fat legs and arms when we started back to the ship the bay was very rough huge waves angrily tossed our small boat about in a way that blotted the red from my escort's cheeks and caused him to hang his head in a care for nothing way over the boat's side I could not help likening the sea to a caquette so indifferent and heedless is it to the strange emotions it raises in the breast of man there was a reckless spring that landed us on a ship's ladder the rolling of the coal barge helping to increase the swell which had threatened to engulf us hardly had we reached deck when the barge was ordered to cut loose even as this was being done the ship hoisted anchor and started on its way almost immediately there was a great commotion on board about fifty ragged black men rushed frantically on deck to find that while depositing their last sacks of coal the barge and companions had cast off and were rapidly nearing the shore then followed dire chattering ringing of hands, pulling of locks and crying after the receding barge all to no avail the tide was coming in a very strong tide it was too and despite the efforts of those on it the barge was steadily swept inland the captain appeased the Cooley Spheres by stating they should go off in the pilot's boat we all gathered to see the sight in a funny one it was the tug being lashed to the ship they first tried to take the men off without slowing down but after one man got a dangerous plunge bath and the sea threatened to bury the tug then the ship was forced to slow down some Cooley slid down a cable the comrades grabbing and pulling them wet and frightened fight onto the tug others went down the ladder which lacked five feet of touching the pilot boat those already on board would clutch the hanging man's bare legs he meanwhile clinging despairingly to the ladder fearing to loosen his grasp and only doing so when the ship's officers would threaten to knock him off the pilot, a native, was the last to go down then the cable was cast off and we sailed away seeing the tug so overloaded that the men were afraid to move even to bail it out swept back by the tide towards the place where we had last seen the land I had a cabin down below at first and I found little rest owing to the close proximity of a nurse and two children whose wise parents selected a cabin on the other side of the ship they could rest in peace after I had been awakened several mornings at daybreak by the squabbling of the children I cherished a grudge against the parents the mother made some show of being a beauty she had a fine nose everybody confessed that and she had reduced her husband to such a state of servitude and subjection that she needed no maids I have always confessed that I like to sleep in the morning as well as I like to stay up at night and to have my sleep disturbed makes me as ill-natured as a bad dinner makes a man the fond father of these children had a habit of coming over early in the morning to see his cherubs before he went to his bath I know this from hearing him tell them so he would open their cabin door and in the loudest, coldest most unsympathetic voice in the world would thoroughly arouse me from my slumbers by screaming good morning how is papa's family this morning a confused conglomeration of voices sounded in reply then he would shout what does baby say to mama say what does baby say to mama mama baby would at length shout back in a course a natural baby voice what does baby say to papa tell me baby what does baby say to papa papa would answer back the shrill trouble what does the moo moo cow say my treasure tell papa what the moo moo cow says to this the baby would make no reply and again he would shout what does the moo moo cow say dolly tell papa what the moo moo cow says if it had been once or twice even I might have endured it with civilized forbearance but after it had been repeated the very same identical word every morning for six long weary mornings my temper gave way and when he said tell papa what the moo moo cow says I shouted frantically for heaven's sake baby tell papa what the moo moo cow says and let me go to sleep a heavy silence a silence that was heavy with indignation a surprise followed and I went off to sleep to dream of being chased down a muddy hill by babies sitting astride cows with crumpled horns and straight horns and no horns at all all singing in a melodious cow-like voice moo moo moo the fond parents did not speak to me after that they gazed on me in disdain and when the woman got seasick I persuaded an acquaintance of hers to go in and see her one day the fond mother would not allow the ship doctor to see her although her husband had to relate her ills to the doctor and in that way get him to prescribe for them I knew there was something she wished to keep secret the woman, true to my counsel knocked on the door hearing no voice and thinking it lost in the roar of the ocean opened the door the fond mother looked up saw and screaming buried her face in the pillows she was toothless and hairless Maryton did not wait to see if she had a cork limb I felt repentant afterwards and went to a deck cabin where I soon forgot the moo moo cow and the fond parents but the woman's fame as a beauty was irrevocably ruined on the ship it was so damply warm in the Straits of Malacca that for the first time during my trip I confessed myself uncomfortably hot it was sultry and foggy and so damp that everything rusted even the keys in one's pockets and the mirrors were so sweaty that they ceased to reflect the second day out from Penang we passed beautiful green islands there were many stories told about the Straits being once infested with pirates and I regretted to hear that they had ceased to exist I so longed for some new experience we expected to reach Singapore that night I was anxious that we should for the sooner we got in the sooner we should leave and every hour lost meant so much to me the pilot came on at six o'clock I waited tremblingly for his verdict a wave of despair swept over me when I heard that we should anchor outside until morning because it was too dangerous to try and make the port after dark and this was the result of slowing down to leave off the Coolies at Penang the mail contract made a compulsory for the ship to stay in port 24 hours and while we might have been consuming our stay and so helping me on in my race against time I was wasting precious hours lying outside the gates of hope as it were merely because some black men had been too slow those few hours might mean time loss of my ship at Hong Kong they might mean days to my record what agony of suspense and impatience I suffered that night when I came on deck the next morning the ship lay alongside the wharf and naked Chinese Coolies carrying two by two baskets of coal suspended between them on the pole we're constantly traversing the gang plank between the ship and shore while in little boats about were peddlers with silks photographs, fruits, laces and monkeys to sell the doctor, a young Welshman and I hired a Gary a light wagon with lattice windows and comfortable seating room for four with the driver's seat on the same level outside they are drawn by a pretty spotted melee pony whose speed is marvelous compared with its diminutive size and whose endurance is of such quality that the law confines their working hours to a certain limit driving along a road as smooth as the ballroom floor shaded by large trees made picturesque by native houses built on pins in marshy land on either side which tended to dampen our surprise at the great number of graveyards and the generous way in which they were filled we drove to the town the graves were odd being round mounds with walls shaped like horseshoes a flat stone where the mound ends and the wall begins bears the inscriptions done in colored letters there are no sidewalks in Singapore and blue and white in the painting of the houses largely predominate over the other colors families seem to occupy the second story the lower being generally devoted to business purposes through lattice windows we got occasional glimpses of peeping Chinese women and gay gowns, Chinese babies bundled in shapeless wadded garments while down below through widely open fronts we could see the people pursuing their trades barbering is the principal trade a chair, a comb, a basin, and a knife are all the tools a man needs to open shop and he finds as many patrons if he sets up shop in the open street as he would under a shelter sitting doubled over Chinaman have their head shaven back almost to the crown when a spot about the size of a tiny saucer is left to bear the crop of hair which forms the pigtail when braided and finished with a silk tassel the Chinaman's hair is done for the next fortnight the people here as at other forts where I stopped constantly chew beetle nut and when they laugh one would suppose they had been drinking blood the beetle nut stains their teeth and mouthfuls blood red many of the natives also fancy tinting their fingernails with it nothing is patronized more than the rickshaws in Singapore and while they are to be had for ten cents an hour it is no unusual sight to see four persons piled in one gin rickshaw and drawn by one man we visited a most interesting museum and saw along the suburban roads the beautiful bungalows of the European citizens people and dog carts and wheelmen on bicycles crowded the splendid drives we found the monkey cage of course there was beside a number of small monkeys one enormous orangutan it was as large as a man and was covered with long red hair while seeming to be very clever he had a way of gazing off in the distance with wide and seeing eyes meanwhile pulling his long red hair up over his head in an aimless insane way that was very fetching the doctor wanted to give him a nut but fear to put his hand through the bars the grading was too small for the old fellow to get his hand through but he did not intend to be cheated of his rights so he merely stuck his lips through the gratings until they extended fully four inches I burst into laughter at the comical sight I had heard of mouths but that beat anything I ever saw and I laughed until the old fellow actually smiled in sympathy he got the nut the doctor offered him a cigar he did not take it but touched it with the back of his hand afterwards smelling his hand and then subsided into that dreamy state aimlessly pulling his hair up over the back of his head at the cable office in the second story of the building I found the agents conversant with the English language they would accept American silver at par but they did not care to handle our other money the bank and post office are open places on the ground floor with about as much comfort and style as is found in ordinary wharf warehouses Chinese and English are employed in both places we had dinner at the Hotel de la Rèp a long low white building set back in a wide green lawn with a beautiful best planade faced by the sea fronting upon it upon the veranda were long white tables where a fine dinner was served by Chinaman on our return from the governor's house I heard a strange weird din as of many instruments and dire confusion and discord very like and sound to a political procession the night after the presidential election that's a funeral my melee driver announced indeed if that is the way you have funerals here I'll see one I said so he pulled the Gary to one side where we waited eagerly for the funeral that was heralded by a blast of trumpets first came a number of Chinaman with black and white satin flags which being flourished energetically resulted in clearing the road of vehicles and pedestrians they were followed by musicians on melee ponies blowing fives striking symbols beating tom-toms hammering dongs and pounding long pieces of iron with all their might and main men followed carrying on long poles roast pigs and Chinese lanterns great and small while in their rear came banner-bearers the men on foot wore white trousers and sandals with blue top-dress while the pall-bearers were black garments bound with blue braid there were probably forty pall-bearers the casket which rested on long poles suspended on the shoulders of the men was hidden beneath a white-spotted scarlet cloth with decorations of Chinese lanterns or inflated bladders on arches above it the mourners followed in a long string of garries they were dressed in white satin from head to toe and were the happiest-looking people at the funeral we watched until the den died away in the distance when we returned to town as delighted as if we had seen a circus parade I would not have missed that for anything Dr. Brown said to me you could not I replied laughingly I know they got it up for our special benefit and so laughing and justing about what to us had had no suggestion of death we drove back to see the temples none of us were allowed to pass beneath the gates of the Muhammadan temple so we went on to a Hindu temple it was a low stone building enclosed by a high wall at the gateway leading to it were a super-fluority of beggars large and small, lame and blind who asked for alms touching their foreheads respectfully the temple was closed but some priests rushed forth to warn us not to step on the sacred old dirty stone passage leading to it with our shoes on its filth would have made it sacred to me with my shoes off my comrades were told that removing their shoes would give them admission but I should be denied that privilege because I was a woman why? I demanded curious to know why my sex in a heathen land should exclude me from a temple as in America it confines me to the side entrances of hotels and other strange and incomodious things no senora, no mother the priest said with a positive shake of the head I'm not a mother I cried so indignantly that my companions burst into laughter which I joined after a while but my denials had no effect on the priest he would not allow me to enter in some sheds which lined the inner part of the high wall we saw a number of fantastically shaped carts of heavy build probably they were juggernauts nearby we saw through the bars a wooden image of a woman her shape was neither fairy-like nor girlish her features were fiendish in expression and from her mouth fell a long string of beads as the mother of a poor man's family she would have been a great success instead of one pair of arms she had four one pair was employed in holding a stiff wooden baby before her and the other three pairs were taking care of themselves much like the legs of a crab they showed us a white wooden horse mounted on wheels images of most horrible devils in short we saw so many images of such horrible shapes that it would be impossible to recall them all I remember one head that I was very much interested in and the limited English of the priest failed to satisfy my curiosity as to who what and for what purpose the thing was invented it was only a head but it must have been fully twelve feet high and wide in proportion it was a fiery scarlet and the eyes were tightly closed on the lawn fastened to a slight pin was a white cow the only presentable cow I saw during my trip I noticed the doctor gave her wide range in keeping his eye on her as she playfully tossed her head be careful he said nervously to me I believe that's the sacred white cow she looks old enough and tough enough to make her sacred in the eye of a butcher I replied if she is the sacred cow I continued despite my levity and went for us they would consider their duty to let the old beast kill an infidel that pin does not look very strong so to quiet the fears of the doctor we left the old cow and the gods behind the people in Singapore have ranks as have people in other lands there they do not wait for one neighbor to tell another or for the newspapers to inform the public as to their standing but every man woman and child carries his mark in grey powder on the forehead so that all the world may look and read and know his cast we stopped at the driver's humble home on our way to the ship and I saw there on the ground floor his pretty little melee wife dressed in one wrapping of linen and several little brown naked babies the wife had a large gold ring in her nose rings on her toes and several around the room of her ears and gold ornaments on her ankles at the door of their house was a monkey I did resist the temptation to buy a boy at Port Said and also smothered the desire to buy a singly's girl at Colombo but when I saw the monkey my willpower melted and I began straight away to bargain for it I got it will the monkey bite? I asked the driver and he took it by the throat holding it up for me to admire as he replied monkey no bite but he could not under the circumstances End of Chapter 10 This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Around the World in 72 Days by Nellie Bly Chapter 11 Against the Monsoon That evening we sailed for Hong Kong the next day the sea was rough and headwinds made the run slower than we had hoped for Towards noon almost all the passengers disappeared the roughness increased and the cook enjoyed a holiday there was some chaffing among the passengers who remained on deck During dinner the chief officer began to relate the woes of people he had seen suffering from the dire disease that threatened now to even overpower the captain I listened for quite a while merely because I could not help hearing and if there was anything the chief could do well it was relating anecdotes at last one made me get up and run it was so vivid and the moment the doctor who said opposite saw me go he got up and followed I managed to overcome my faintness without really being sick but the doctor gave way entirely I went back to dinner to find the cause of our misery had disappeared when I saw him later his face was pale and he confessed contritely that his realistic joke had made even him seasick during the roughness that followed the doctor would always say to me pleadingly don't make a stop for if you do I will have to follow the terrible swell of the sea during the monsoon was the most beautiful thing I ever saw I would sit breathless on deck watching the bow of the ship standing upright on a wave then dash headlong down as if intending to carry us to the bottom some of the men made no secret of being seasick and were stretched out in their chairs on deck where they might hope to catch the first breath of air although there was a dreadful swell still the atmosphere was heavy and close sometimes I felt as if I would smother one man who had been quite attentive to me became seasick I was relieved when I heard it still I felt very cruel when I would see his pale face and hear him plead for sympathy as heartless as it was I could not sympathize with a seasick man there was an effort on the part of the others to tease the poor fellow when I sat down on deck they would carefully take away all the chairs accepting those occupied by themselves but it mattered little to the seasick man he would quietly curl up on his rugs at my feet and there lie in all his misery gazing at me you would not think that I am enjoying a vacation but I am he said plaintively to me one day you don't know how nice I can look he said pathetically at another time if you would only stay over at Hong Kong for a week you would see how pretty I can look indeed such a phenomenon might induce me to remain there six weeks I said coldly at last someone told him I was engaged to the chief officer who did not approve of my talking to other men thinking this would make him cease following me about but it only served to increase his devotion finding me alone on deck one stormy evening he sat down at my feet and holding to the arms of my chair began to talk in a wild way do you think life is worth living he asked yes life is very sweet the thought of death is the only thing that causes me unhappiness I answered truthfully you cannot understand it or you would feel different I could take you in my arms and jump overboard and before they would know it we would be at rest he said passionately you can't tell it might not be rest I began and he broken hotly I know I know I can show you I will prove it to you death by drowning is a peaceful slumber a quiet drifting away is it I said with a pretense of eagerness I feared to get up for I felt the first move might result in my burial beneath the angry sea you know tell me about it explain it to me I guessed a feeling of coldness creeping over me but I was alone with what for the time was a madman just as he began to speak I saw the chief officer come on deck and slowly advance towards me I dared not call I dared not smile as he should notice I feared that chief would go away but no he saw me and with the desire to tease the man who had been so devoted he came up on tiptoe then clapping the poor fellow on the back he said what a very pretty love scene come I shouted breaking away before the startled man could understand the chief still in a spirit of fun took my hand and we rushed down below I told him and the captain what had occurred and the captain wanted to put the man in irons but I begged that he be left free I was careful afterwards not to spend one moment alone and unprotected on deck the Parsi's traveling first class were compelled to go below when a heavy swell was on we welcome the storm on that account if on no other because they had a peculiar habit of dropping off their slippers when they sat down as they wore no hose this habit was annoying the doctor seriously affirmed that every time he sat down anywhere a Parsi was sure to squat alongside drop his shoes and turn his bare brown feet up to be gazed upon the monkey proved a good seaman one day when I visited it I found the young men had been toasting its health it was holding his aching head when I went in and evidently thinking I was the cause of the swelling it sprang at me making me seek safety in flight the hurricane deck was a great resort for lovers so chief officer Sleiman told me and evidently he knew for he talked a great deal about two American girls who had traveled to Egypt I believe on the Thames when he was first officer of it he had lost their address but his heart was true for he had lost a Filipina to one and though he did not know her habitation he brought the Filipina he visited in a bank in London where at a weight some farther knowledge of the fair young Americans whereabouts lovers were not plentiful on the Oriental there were so few passengers the Spanish minister had an eye for beauty and a heart for romance though he led a most quiet life on shipboard and was the very essence of gallantry I was very much in love with the woman once traveling on the same ship with me was a woman a beautiful woman well indeed I watched her she watched me and my eyes told her I admired her and her eyes said back to me that they were pleased that it should be so two men were traveling with her one day I awkwardly knocked against her in the corridor and I said I beg your pardon miss to which she answered lowly and sadly I beg your pardon mrs when she came to dinner that night her eyes were red from weeping I caught her glance it spoke so sadly to me her lips trembling like a grieved child she started in to drink a great deal of wine but one look for me made her push the glass away her husband for she was married was a very brutal fellow and my love for the beautiful woman almost made me forget my family and hers and my longing to claim her as my heart's companion they left us at the first port I stood on deck as they came up to go ashore her husband and his comrade went down the steps starting to follow she saw me and stopped her eyes said to me as plain as speech say but one word and I am yours and although my feelings made me spring towards her I paused before touching her and my aching eyes said go be a good woman she went slowly down into the boat rising to her feet as it moved off she held out her arms to me a great despairing cry fell back in the boat insensible I never saw her since I never knew her name but I know as well as I know you are there that beautiful woman loved me and you I said inquiringly I with a slight shrug of the shoulders accompanied by a little cold laugh which was not unpleasant to hear it somehow reminded me of the sound of tripping water on a hot day oh she was a beautiful lady very very beautiful most beautiful indeed but seniorita I have a son older than you and I am devoted to my family impatiently I turned to an Englishman who was sitting on the other side why do Englishmen always say dear me I lazily asked dear me do they I can't say don't you know well I can it's because they think so wonderfully much of themselves I said with a laugh dear me really was all he said in reply you are so jolly clever now can you tell me why Eve did not take the measles he asked after a time gosh she Adam Adam I said in a bowery tone I say now you are jolly clever but can you tell me why Cain did not take them now I cannot dwell because he wasn't able now don't dwell but move on and tell me what chestnuts are I said teasingly oh come now I'm here I say really you Americans have such jolly queer language dear me I can't tell I thought you could you have such a jolly supply of them don't you know dear me he exclaimed as he rushed down below to brace on a whiskey and soda it is a wonderful amount of whiskey and soda Englishmen consume they drink it at all times and places there was an Englishman on the Oriental who drank whiskey and soda all the day half a dozen different wines at dinner and then complained as he invariably staggered away from the table that the wine list had no variety talk about cranks one woman told the chief officer one day that she wanted a cabin just over the ship screw so she could see that the ship was going she got it and she was the worst seasick woman I ever saw another passenger complained because the births had spring mattresses one night during the monsoon the sea washed over the ship in a frightful manner I found my cabin filled with water which however did not touch my birth escape to the lower deck was impossible as I could not tell the deck from the angry pitching sea as I crawled back into my bunk a feeling of awe crept over me and with it a conscious feeling of satisfaction I thought it very possible that I had spoken my last word to any mortal that the ship would doubtless sink and with it all I thought if the ship did go down no one would be able to tell whether I could have gone around the world in 75 days or not the thought was very comforting at that time for I felt then I might not get around in 100 days I could have worried myself over my impending faith I had been a great believer in letting unchangeable affairs go their way if the ship does go down I thought there is time enough to worry when it's going all the worry in the world cannot change it one way or the other and if the ship does not go down I only waste so much time so I went to sleep and slumbered soundly until the breakfast hour the ship was making its way laboriously through a very frisky sea when I looked out but the deck was drained even if it was not dry when I went out the jolly Irish lad for whom I had a great fondness was stretched out languidly in a willow chair with a bottle of champagne on one arm rest and a glass on the other every little motion of the ship made him vow that when he reached Hong Kong he would stay there until he returned to England over land you should have seen McCabbon made last night he said with a laugh when I sat down beside him the man he spoke of a very clever Englishman was the man who posed as a woman hater and naturally we enjoyed any joke at his expense find in our cabin filled with water he got out of bed put on a life preserver and bailed out the cabin with a cigarette box I laughed until my sides ached at the mental picture presented to me of the little chunky Englishman in an enormous life preserver bailing out his cabin with a tiny cigarette box even the box of the deadly cigarette seems to have its Christian mission to perform while I was wiping away the tears brought there by the strength of my laughter the Englishman came up and hearing what amused us said while I was bailing out the cabin the boy as we fondly called him clung to the upper berth all the time groaning and praying he was certain the ship would sink and I could not persuade him to get out of the top berth to help bail he would do nothing but groan and pray the boy answered with a laugh I did not want to sleep the rest of the night in wet pajamas which caused the woman hater to flee later in the day the rolling was frightful I was sitting on deck when all at once the ship went down on one side like a wagon in a deep rut I was thrown in my chair clear across the deck a young man endeavored to come to my assistance just as the ship went the other way in a still deeper sea rut it flung me back again and only by catching hold of an iron bar did I save my neck at least for in another moment I would have been dashed into the dining hall on the deck below as I caught the bar I saw the man who had rushed to my assistance turned upside down and land on his face I began to laugh his position was so ludicrous when I saw he made no move to get up I ran to his side still convulsed with laughter I found his nose was bleeding profusely but I was such an idiot that the sight of blood only served to make the scene to me more ridiculous helping him to a chair I called the doctor and from laughing could hardly tell him what I wanted man's nose was broken and the doctor said he would be scarred for life even the others laughed when I described the accident and though I felt a great pity for the poor fellow hurt as he was in my behalf still an irresistible impulse to laugh would sweep over me every time I endeavored to express my appreciation of his attempt to assist me our passengers were rather queer I always enjoyed the queerness of people one day when speaking about the boat I said everything is such an improvement on the Victoria the food is good the passengers are refined the officers are polite and the ship is comfortable and pleasant when I finished my complimentary remarks about the ship a little bride who had been the source of interest to us looked up and said yes everything is very nice but the life preservers are not quite comfortable to sleep in shocked amazement spread over the countenances of all the passengers and then in one grand shout that dining room resounded with laughter the bride said that ever since they left home on their bridal tour they had been sleeping in the life preservers they thought that was the thing to do on board a ship but I never knew how queer our passengers were until we reached Hong Kong which we did two days ahead of time although we had the monsoon against us when we landed a man sued the company for getting him in ahead of time he said he bought his tickets to cover a certain length of time and if the company got him in before it expired they were responsible for his expenses and they had to pay his hotel bill the captain asked a minister who was on board to read the service one Sunday he did so and when he reached Hong Kong he put in a bill for two pounds he said he was enjoying a vacation and did not propose to work during that time unless he was paid for it the company paid but warned the officers not to let ministers read the service thereafter until they knew their price the evening of December 22nd we all sat on deck in a dark corner the men were singing and telling stories the only other woman who was able to be up and I were the interested and appreciative audience we all felt such an eagerness for morning and yet the eagerness was mingled with much that was sad knowing that early in the day Hong Kong and while it would bring us new scenes and new acquaintances it would take us from old friends end of chapter 11 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Around the World in 72 Days by Nellie Bly Chapter 12 British China we first saw the city of Hong Kong in the early morning gleaming white were the castle like homes on the tall mountain side we fired a cannon as we entered the bay the captain saying that this was the custom of mail ships a beautiful bay was this magnificent basin walled on every side by high mountains once within this natural fortified harbor we could discern in different directions only small outlets between the mountains but so small indeed they appeared that one could hardly believe a ship would find space large enough for passage in fact these outlets are said to be dangerously narrow the most vigilant care being necessary until the ship is safely beyond on the ocean blue mirror like was the bay in the bright sun dotted with strange craft from many countries heavy iron clads snow boats mall steamers Portuguese lorcas Chinese junks and sandpans even as we looked a Chinese ship winded its way slowly out to sea its queer broad stern hoisted high out of the water and the enormous eye gracing as bow were to us most interesting a graceful thing I thought but I heard an officer call it most ungraceful and unshapely Hong Kong is strangely picturesque it is the terrorist city the terrorist is being formed by the castle like arcaded buildings perched tear after tear up the mountains of urgent side the regularity with which the houses are built in rows made me wildly fancy them a gigantic staircase each stair made in imitation of castles the doctor another gentleman and I left the boat and walking to the pier's end selected sedan chairs in which we were carried to the town the carriers were as urgent as our Hackman around railway stations in America there is a knack of getting into a chair properly it is placed upon the ground the carrier tilts the shafts down and the patron steps inside back towards the chair and goes into it backward once seated the carriers hoist the chair to their shoulders and start off with a monotonous trot which gives the chair a motion not unlike that of a pacing saddle horse along the shore passing warehouses of many kinds and tall balcony buildings filled with hundreds of Chinese families on the flat house plan the balconies would have a pleasing appearance to the houses had the inhabitants not seem to be enjoying a washing jubilee using the balconies for clothes lines garments were stretched on poles after the manner of hanging coats so they will not wrinkle and those poles were fastened to the balconies until it looked as if every family in the street had placed their old clothing on exhibition the town seemed in a state of untidiness the road was dirty the mobs of natives we met were filthy the houses were dirty the numberless boats lying along the wharf which invariably were crowded with dirty people were dirty our carriers were dirty fellows their untidy pigtails twisted around their half-shaven heads they trotted steadily ahead snorting at the crowds of natives we met to clear the way snorts or grunts would cause a scattering of natives more frightened than a tie-walker would be at their tooting of an engine's whistle turning off the shore road our carriers started up one of the roads which wind about from tier to tier up the mountain my only wish and desire was to get as speedily as possible to the office of the Oriental and Occidental Steamship Company to learn the earliest possible time I could leave for Japan to continue my race against time around the world this marked off my 39th day only 39 days since leaving New York and I was in China I was leaving particularly elated because the Good Ship Oriental not only made up the five days I had lost in Colombo but reached Hong Kong two days before I was due according to my schedule and that with the northeast monsoon against her it was the Oriental's maiden trip to China and from Colombo to Hong Kong she had broken all previous records I went to the O&O office feeling very much elated over my good fortune with never a doubt but that it would continue will you tell me the date of the first sailing for Japan I asked a man in the office in one moment he said and going into an inner office he brought out a man who looked at me inquiringly and when I repeated my question said what is your name Nellie Bly I said in some surprise come in he said nervously we followed him in and after we receded he said you are going to be beaten what? I think not I have made up my delay I said still surprised wondering if the Pacific had sunk since my departure from New York or if all the ships on that line had been destroyed you are going to lose it he said with an air of conviction lose it? I don't understand what do you mean? I demanded beginning to think he was mad aren't you having a race around the world? he asked as if he thought I was not Nellie Bly yes quite right I am running a race with time I replied time I don't think that's her name her her I repeated thinking poor fellow he is quite unbalanced and wondering if I dared wink at the doctor the advisability of our making a good escape yes the other woman she is going to win she left here three days ago I stared at him I turned to the doctor I wondered if I was awake I concluded that man was quite mad so I forced myself to laugh in an unconcerned manner but was only able to say stupidly the other woman yes he continued briskly did you not know she left out to beat your time and she's going to do it she left here three days ago you probably met somewhere near the streets of Malacca she says she has authority to pay any amount to get ships to leave in advance of their time her editor offered one or two thousand dollars to the O&O if they would have the oceanically San Francisco two days ahead of time they would not do it but they did do their best to get her here in time to catch the English mail for Ceylon if they had not arrived long before they were due they would have missed that boat and so have been delayed ten days but she caught the boat and left three days ago and you will be delayed here five days that is rather hard isn't it I said quietly forcing a smile that was on the lips but came from nowhere near the heart I'm astonished you did not know anything about it he said she led us to suppose it was an arranged race I do not believe my editor arranged your race without advising me I said stately have you no cables or messages for me from New York nothing was his reply probably they do not know about her I said more cheerfully yes they do she worked for the same newspaper you do until the day she started I do not understand it I said quietly too proud to show my ignorance on a subject of vital importance to my own well-doing you say I cannot leave here for five days no and I do not think you can get to New York in eighty days she intends to do it in seventy she has led us to steamship officials at every point requesting them to do all they can to get her on have you any letters only one from the agent of the P&O requesting the captain said their boats be good to me because I'm traveling alone that's all I said with a little smile well it's too bad but I think you have lost it there is no chance for you you will lose five days here and five in Yokohama and you are sure to have a slow trip across at this season just then a young man with the softest black eyes and the clear pale complexion came into the office the agent Mr. Harmon introduced him to me as Mr. Furman the purser of the oceanic the ship on which I would eventually travel to Japan and America the young man took my hand in a firm strong clasp and his soft black eyes gave me such a look of sympathy that it only needed his kind tone to cheer me into a happier state I went down to the Oriental to meet you Mr. Harmon thought it was better we want to take good care of you now that you are in our charge but unfortunately I missed you I returned to the hotel and as they knew nothing about you there I came here fearing that you were lost I have found kind friends everywhere I said with a slight motion towards the doctor who was speechless over the ill luck that had befallen me I am sorry to have been so much trouble to you troubled you are with your own people now he said kindly you must not mind about the possibility of someone getting around the world in less time than you may do it you have had the worst connections it is possible to make and everybody knows the idea originated with you and that others are merely trying to steal the work of your brain well whether you get in before or later people will give you the credit of having originated the idea I promised my editor that I would go around the world in 75 days and if I can accomplish that I shall be satisfied I stiffly explained I am not racing with anyone I would not race if someone else wants to do the trip in less time that is their concern if they take it upon themselves to race against me it is their look out that they succeed I am not racing I promise to do the trip in 75 days and I will do it although had I been permitted to make the trip when I first proposed it over a year ago I should then have done it in 60 days we returned to the hotel where a room had been secured for me after arranging the transfer of my luggage and the monkey from the oriental to the oceanic I met a number of people after Tiffin who were interested in my trip and were ready and anxious to do anything they could to contribute to my pleasure during my enforced stay having but the one dress I refused to attend any dinners or receptions that were proposed in my honour during the afternoon the wife of a prominent Hong Kong gentleman waited upon me to place herself in her home at my disposal she was anxious that I should make her home mine during my stay but I told her I could not think of accepting her kindness because I would wish to be out most of the time and could not make my hours conform to the hours of the house I feel free to go, come and stay as I pleased despite her pleadings I assured her I was not on the pleasure bent but business and I considered it my duty to refrain from social pleasures devoting myself to things that lay more in the line of work I had dinner on the oriental as I bade the captain and his officers farewell remembering their kindness to me I had a wild desire to cling to them knowing that with the morning light the oriental would sail and I would be once again alone in strange lands with strange people that evening the purser of the oceanic another acquaintance and I were carried in chairs up a winding road arched with green trees on which the leaves hung motionless and still in the silent night our lazy voices as occasionally we spoke softly to each other and the steady monotonous slap slap slap of the bare feet of our carriers made the only break in the slumbering stillness all earth seems to have gone to rest silently we went along now getting by dim gas lamps at garden gates glimpses of comfortable homes and all their eastern splendor and then for a moment emerging from beneath the overlapping arch of verdant trees we would get a faint glimmer of the quivering stars and the cloudless heavens the ascent was made at last we were above the city lying dark and quiet but no nearer the glorious starlit sky a little rush through a wide gate in a high wall a sudden blindness in a road banked and roofed by foliage a quick lowering to the ground at the foot of wide steps that led to an open door through which a welcoming light shed its soft warm rays upon us and we had reached our journey's end inside where a cordial welcome awaited us was a bright wood fire before which I longed to curl up on a rug and be left alone to dream dream but there were friends instead of dreams and realities in the shape of a splendid dinner a table graced with the perfusion of tropical blossoms a man handsomer than an ideal hero at its head a fine menu guests, handsome, witty, and just enough a number to suit my ideas for the items of what made up an ideal evening it is said people do not grow old in Hong Kong their youthful looks bear ample testimony to this statement I asked the reason why and they said it is because they are compelled to invent amusements themselves and by inventing they find not time to grow blasé but youth and happiness the theater in Hong Kong knows few professional troops but the amateur actors in the English colony leave little to be desired in the way of splendid entertainments the very best people in town take part and I believe they all furnish their own stage costumes the regiment stationed there turn out very credible actors in the persons of the young officers I went one night to see Ali Baba in the theater in the theater it was a new version of the old story filled with local hits arranged for the club by a military captain the music was by the bandmaster of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders the beautiful and artistic scenery was designed and executed by two army men as were the limelight effects spectators came to the theater in their chairs instead of carriages inside the scene was bewitching a rustling of soft gowns the odor of flowers the fluttering of fans the sounds of soft happy whispering a maze of lovely women in evening gowns mingling with handsome men in the regulation evening dress what could be prettier if American women would only ape the English in going bonnetless to the theaters we would forgive their little aping in other respects and call it even upon the arrival of the governor the band played God Save the Queen during which the audience stood happily they made it short the play was pleasantly presented the actors feeling their roles most creditably especially the one taking the part of Allie Sloper afterwards the sight of handsomely dressed women stepping into their chairs the daintily colored Chinese lanterns hanging for an aft marking the course the carriers took in the darkness was very oriental and affective it is a luxury to have a carriage of course but there is something even more luxurious than the thought of owning a chair and carriers a fine chair with silver mounted poles and silk hangings can be bought I should judge for little more than twenty dollars some women keep four and eight carriers they are so cheap that one can afford to retain a number every member of a well established household in Hong Kong has his or her own private chair many men prefer a coverless willow chair with a swinging step while many women have chairs that close entirely so they can be carried along the street secure against the gaze of the public convenient pockets umbrella stands and places for parcels are found in all well appointed chairs at every port I touched I found so many bachelors men of position means and good appearance that I naturally began to wonder why women do not flock that way it was all very well some years ago to say go west young man but I would say girls go east there are bachelors enough and to spare and a most happy time do these bachelors have in the east they are handsome jolly and good nature they have their own fine homes with no one but the servants to look after them think of it and let me whisper girls go east the second day after my arrival captain Smith of the oceanic called upon me I expected to see a hard-faced old man so when I went into the drawing room and a youthful good-looking man with the softest blue eyes that seemed to have caught the tinge of the ocean's blue on a bright day smiled down at me I imagine I must have looked very stupid indeed I looked at the smooth youthful face with this light brown mustache and I felt inclined to laugh at the long iron gray beard my imagination had put upon the captain of the oceanic I caught a laughing gleam of the bluest of blue eyes and I thought of imaginary stern ones and had to smother another insane desire to laugh I looked at the tall slender shapely body and recalled the imaginary short legs holding upright a wiser conference under an ample westskirt and I laughed audibly you were so different to what I imagined you would be I said afterwards when we talked over our first meeting and I could not believe you were the right girl you were so unlike what I had been led to believe he said with a laugh in a burst of confidence I was told you were an old maid it was dreadful temper such horrible things were said about you that I was hoping you would miss our ship I said if you did come I suppose you would expect to sit at my table but I would arrange so you should be placed elsewhere the captain took me out to see happy valley that day before we separated in gen rickshaws we rode by the parade in cricket grounds where some lively games were played the city hall and the solid unornamented barracks on the kind roads out to where the mountains make a nest of one level green space this level has been converted to a race course the judges stand was an ordinary commonplace race course stand but the stands erected by and for private families were built of palms and were more pleasing because they were out of the usual during the month of february races are held here annually they last three days they have a race course they race with native mongolian ponies having no horses and the racing is pronounced most exciting and interesting happy valley lines the hillside there are congregating the graveyards all the different sex and nationalities in hong kong the fire worshipers lie in ground joining the presbyterians the episcopalians the methodists and the catholics and the mohammedans are just as close by this should consent to place their dead together in this lovely tropical valley is enough to give it the name of happy valley if its beauty did not do as much in my estimation it rivals in beauty the public gardens and visitors use it as a park one wanders along the walks looking at the beautiful shrubs and flowers never heeding that they are on the valley of death so thoroughly is it robbed of all that is horrible about graveyards we rode back to town through the crowded districts and the natives huddled together in all their filth it is said that over 100,000 people live within a certain district in hong kong not exceeding one half square mile and they furthermore positively affirm that 1600 people live in the space of an acre this is a sample of the manner in which the Chinese huddled together it reminded me of a crowd of ants on a lump of sugar an effort is being made in Hong Kong to compel owners to build differently the huddling and packing impossible for the filth that goes with it invariably breeds disease queen's road is interesting to all visitors in it is the Hong Kong club where the bachelors are to be found the post office and greater than all the Chinese shops the shops are not large but the walls are lined with black wood cabinets and one feels a little thrill of pleasure at the sight of the gold the silver ivory carvings exquisite fans painted scrolls in the odor of lovely sandalwood boxes coming faintly to the visitor creates a feeling of greed one wants them all everything the Chinese merchants cordially show their goods or follow as one strolls around never urging one to buy but cunningly bringing to the front the most beautiful and expensive part of their stock chin chin which means good day, goodbye good night, how are you everything one may take from it is the greeting of China men they all speak Mongolian English called pidjin or pidjin in English it is impossible to make them understand pure English consequently Europeans even housekeepers use pidjin English when addressing the servants the servants are men with the exception of the nurses and possibly the cooks to the uninitiated it sounds absurd to hear men and women addressing servants and merchants in the same idiotic language with which fond parents really cuddle their offspring but even more laughable is it to hear men swear in pidjin English at an unkind or unruly servant picture a man with an expression of frenzied rage upon his countenance saying go to helly savvy pidjin or pidjin is applied to everything one will hear people say have got pidjin which means they have business to look after or if a China man is requested to do some work which he thinks is the duty of another he will say no belonging boy pidjin while strolling about the Chinese localities seeing shops more worthy of a visit becoming more truly Chinese I came upon an eating house from which a conglomeration of strange odors strolled out and down the road built around a table in the middle of the room was a circular bench the diners perched on this bench like chickens on the fence not letting their feet touch the floor or hangover nor hunkering down nor squatting cross-legged like a tailor but sitting down with their knees drawn up until knees and chin met they held large bowls against their chins pushing the rice energetically with their chopsticks into their mouths cup after cup of tea is consumed not only at meals but at all hours during the day the cup is quite small and saucerless and the tea is always drank minus sugar and cream professional writers found in nooks and recesses of prominent thoroughfares are interesting personalities besides writing letters for people they tell fortunes and their patrons never go away without having their fates foretold I noticed when paying for articles merchants invariably weigh the money it is also customary for merchants to put their private stamp upon silver dollars as an assurance of its legality and worth much silver is beaten into strange shapes by this queer practice that at first I was afraid to accept it as change I saw a marriage procession long a large band of musicians who succeeded in making themselves heard were followed by coolies carrying curious looking objects in blue and guilt which I was told represent mythical and historical scenes a number of very elegant Chinese lanterns and gorgeous looking banners were also carried along I was told that in such processions they carry roast pig to the temples of the josses but it is afterwards very sensibly carried off by the participants it would be a hopeless thing for a man to go to Hong Kong in search of employment the banking and shipping houses controlled by Europeans certainly employ numbers of men but they are brought from England under three and five years contracts when a vacancy occurs from a death or a transfer the business house immediately consults its representatives in London where another man signs an agreement and comes out to Hong Kong to work one day I went up to Victoria peak named in honor of the queen it is said to be 1800 feet high the highest point on the island an elevated tramway is built from the town to Victoria gap 1100 feet above the sea it was opened in 1887 before that time people were carried up in sedans the first year after its completion 148,344 passengers were carried up the mountainside the fare is 30 cents up and 15 cents down in summer months Hong Kong is so hot that those who are in a position to do so seek the mountaintop where a breeze lives all the year round level places for buildings are obtained by blasting and every brick stone and bit of household furniture is carried by coolies from the town up to the height of 1600 feet at the gap we secured sedan shares and we were carried to the hotel Craigiburn which is managed by a colored man the hotel oriental style is very liberally patronized by the citizens of Hong Kong as well as visitors after the proprietor had shown us over the hotel and given us a dinner that could not be surpassed we were carried to Victoria peak it required three men to a share ascending the peak at the umbrella seat merely a bench with a peaked roof everybody stops long enough to allow the coolies to rest then we continue on our way passing sightseers and nurses with children while they stop again and we travel on foot to the signal station the view is superb the bay and a breastwork of mountains lies calm and serene dotted with hundreds of ships that seem like tiny toys the palatial white houses come halfway up the mountainside beginning at the edge of the glassy bay every house we notice has a tennis court blasted out of the mountainside they say that night after night the view from the peak is unsurpassed one seems to be suspended between two heavens every one of the several thousand boats and sandpans carries a light after dark this with the lights on the roads and in the houses seems to be a sky more filled with stars than the one above early one morning a gentleman who is the proud possessor of a team of ponies the finest in Hong Kong called at the hotel to take me for a drive in a low easy fate and behind the spirited ponies that seem like play in their smallness but giants in their strength we whirled along through the town and were soon on the road edging the bay we had a good view of the beautiful dry dock on the other side which is constructed entirely of granite and is said to be of such size it can take the largest vessels afloat I thought there were other things more interesting so I refused to go over to it during our drive we visited two quaint and dirty temples one was a plain little affair with a gaudy altar one steps leading to it were filled with beggars of all sizes, shapes, diseases and conditions of filth they were so repulsive that instead of appealing to one's sympathy they only succeeded in arousing one's disgust at another temple nearby a public laundry where the washer stood in a shallow stream slapping the clothes on flat stones was a quaint temple huge cave-like in the side of an enormous rock a salvage of rock formed the altar and to that humble but picturesque temple Chinese women flocked to pray for sons to be born unto them that they may have someone to support them in their old age after seeing everything of interest in Hong Kong I decided to go to a real Simon Pure Chinese city I knew we were trying to keep the Chinaman out of America so I decided to see all of them I could while in their land pay them a farewell visit as it were so on Christmas Eve in Canton End of Chapter 12 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Around the world in 72 days by Nellie Bly Chapter 13 Christmas in Canton The O&O agent escorted me to the Powan on which I was to travel to Canton He gave me in charge of Captain Grogan, the Powan's commander an American who has lived for years in China a very bashful man he was but a most kindly, pleasant one I never saw a fatter man or a man so comically fattened a wild inclination to laugh crept over me every time I caught a glimpse of his roly-poly body his round red face embedded as it were in the fat of his shoulders and breast the thoughts of how sensitive I am concerning remarks about my personal appearance in a measure subdued my impulse to laugh I have always said to critics who mercilessly write about the shape of my chin or the cut of my nose or the size of my mouth and such personal attributes that can no more be changed than death can be escaped criticize the style of my hat or my gown I can change them but spare my nose it was born on me remembering this and how nonsensical it is to blame or criticize people for what they are powerless to change I pocketed my merriment letting a kindly feeling of sympathy take its place soon after we left night descended I went on deck where everything was buried in darkness softly and steadily the boat swam on the only sound and the most refreshing and restful sound in the world the tapping of the water to sit on a quiet deck to have a starlit sky the only light above or about to hear the water kissing the prow of the ship is to me paradise they can talk of the companionship of men the splendor of the sun the softness of moonlight the beauty of music but give me a willow chair on a quiet deck the world with its worries and noise and prejudices lost in distance the glare of the sun the cold light of the moon blotted out by the dense blackness of night let me rest rocked gently by the rolling sea in a nest of velvety darkness my only light the soft twinkling of the myriad of stars in the quiet sky above my music the round of the kissing waters cooling the brain and easing the pulse my companionship dreaming my own dreams give me that and I have happiness in its perfection but away with dreams this is a work of day world and I am racing time around it after dinner when the boat anchored waiting for the tide which was to carry us safely over the bar I went below to see the Chinese passengers they were gambling smoking opium drinking eating reading and talking all huddled together on one deck which was in one large room not divided into cabins they carry their own beds a bit of matting and their own food little else than rice and tea before daybreak we anchored at Canton the tournament went ashore the moment we landed but the other passengers remained for breakfast while we were having breakfast the guide whom the captain had secured for us came on board and quietly supervised the luncheon we were to take with us a very clever fellow was that guide Acom the first thing he said to us was a merry Christmas and as it had even slipped our minds I know we all appreciated the polite thoughtfulness of our Chinese guide Acom told me later that he had been educated in an American mission located in Canton but he assured me with great earnestness that English was all he learned he would have none he was a Christian religion Acom's son was also educated in an American mission and, like his father has put his learning to good account besides being paid as guide Acom collects a percentage from merchants for all the goods bought by tourists of course the tourists pay higher prices than they would otherwise and Acom sees they visit no shops where he has not paid his little fee Acom is more comely in features than most Mongolians are shapely in his eyes less slit-like than those of most of his race he had on his feet beaded black shoes with white soles his navy blue trousers or tights more properly speaking were tight around the ankle and fitted very tight over most of the leg over this he wore a blue stiffly starched shirt-shaped garment which reached his heels while over this he wore a short padded and quilted silk jacket somewhat similar to a smoking jacket and a cold black queue finished with a tassel of black silk touched his heels and on the spot where his queue began rested a round black turban Acom had chairs ready for us his chair was a neat arrangement in black black silk hangings tassels fringe and black wood poles finished with brass knobs once in it he closed it and was hidden from the gaze of the public our plain willow chairs had ordinary covers which to my mind rather interfered with sightseeing we had three coulis to each chair those with us were barefooted with tasseled pigtail and navy blue shirts and trousers much the worse for wear in both cleanliness and quality Acom's coulis were white linen garments gaily trimmed with broad bands of red cloth looking very much like a circus clown's costume Acom led the way our coulis following for a time I was only conscious I used mass of black faces and long pigtails though shortly I became accustomed to it and was able to distinguish different objects along the crowded thoroughfare could note the different stands and the curious looks of the people we were carried along dark and dirty narrow ways in and about fish stands when odors drifted filling me with disgust until we crossed a bridge which spanned a dark and sluggish stream this little island guarded at every entrance to the Chamine or sandy face the land set aside for the habitation of Europeans an unchangeable law prohibits celestials from crossing into this sacred precinct because of the hatred they cherish for Europeans Chamine is green and picturesque with handsome houses of oriental design and grand shade trees and wide velvety green roads broken only by a single path made by the bare feet of the chair carriers here, for the first time since leaving New York I saw the stars and stripes it was floating over the gateway to the American consulate it is a strange fact that the further one goes from home the more loyal one becomes I felt I was a long ways off from my own dear land it was Christmas day and I had seen many different flags since I last gazed upon our own the moment I saw it floating there a soft lazy breeze I took off my cap and said that is the most beautiful flag in the world and I am ready to whip anyone who says it isn't no one said a word everybody was afraid I saw an Englishman in the party glanced furtively towards the Union Jack which was floating over the English consulate but in a hesitating manner as if he feared to let me see Council Seymour received our little party a cheery welcome he was anxious that we should partake of his hospitality but we assured him our limited time only gave us a moment to pay our respects and then we must be off again Mr. Seymour was an editor before he went to China with his wife and only daughter to be a consul since then he has conceived a hobby for embroideries and carved ivories which he is able to ride to the top of his bent encantons when tourists go there or he can guide them to bargains Mr. Seymour is a most pleasant agreeable man and a general favorite it is to be hoped that he will long have residence in Shamien where he reflects credit upon the American consulate what a different picture Canton presents to Shamien they say there are millions of people in Canton the streets many of which are roughly paved with stone seem little over a yard in width the shops with their gaily colored and handsomely carved signs are all open as if the whole end facing the street had been blown out in the rear of every shop is an altar gay in color and often expensive in adornment as we were carried along the roads we could see not only the usually rich in enticing wares but the sellers and buyers every shop has a bookkeeper's desk near the entrance the bookkeepers all wear tortoise shell rimmed glasses of an enormous size which lend them a look of tremendous wisdom I was inclined to think the glasses were a mark of office for I never saw a man employed in clerical work without them I was warned not to be surprised if the China men should stone me while I was in Canton I was told that Chinese women usually spat in the faces of female tourists when the opportunity offered however I had no trouble the Chinese are not pleasant appearing people they usually look as if life had given them nothing but trouble but as we were carried along the men in the stores would rush out to look at me they did not take any interest in the men with me but gazed at me as if I was something new they showed no sign of animosity but the few women I met looked as curiously at me and less kindly the thing that seemed to interest the people most about me were my gloves sometimes they would make bold enough to touch them and they would always gaze upon them with looks of wonder the streets are so narrow that I thought at first I was being carried through the aisles of some great market it is impossible to see the sky owing to the signs and other decorations and the compactness of the buildings and with the open shops just like stands in a market except they are not even cut off from the passing crowd by a counter the delusion is a very natural one when Acom told me that I was not in a market house but in the streets my astonishment knew no limit sometimes our little train would meet another train of chairs and then we would stop for a moment and there would be a great yelling