All were talking and laughing, and an immense amount of
gesticulation seems to emphasize and supplement speech. We steamed
through the reef in the brief red twilight, over the golden tropic
sea, keeping on the leeward side of the islands. Before it was
quite dark the sleeping arrangements were made, and the deck and
skylights were covered with mats and mattresses on which 170 natives
sat, slept, or smoked,--a motley, parti-coloured mass of humanity,
in the midst of which I recognized Bishop Willis in the usual
episcopal dress, lying on a mattress among the others, a prey to
discomfort and weariness! What would his episcopal brethren at home
think of such a hardship?
There is a yellow-skinned, soft-voiced, fascinating Goa or Malay
steward on board, who with infinite goodwill attends to the comfort
of everybody. I was surprised when he asked me if I would like a
mattress on the skylight, or a berth below, and in unhesitating
ignorance replied severely, "Oh, below, of course, please," thinking
of a ladies' cabin, but when I went down to supper, my eyes were
enlightened.
The Kilauea is a screw boat of 400 tons, most unprepossessing in
appearance, slow, but sure, and capable of bearing an infinite
amount of battering.
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