es of all the group.

George, our captain, was a strange fellow, about seventeen years of
age: he might just as well have been forty. Pale, with small grey eyes
and a suspicious look, a long hooked nose, and narrow, yet hanging
lips, he walked with bent back and crooked knees, always bare-footed,
in blue dungaree trousers, green shirt and an old weather-beaten
hat. He hardly ever spoke; when he did, it was very suddenly, very
fast and very low, so that no one could understand him except his
boys, who evidently knew instinctively what he meant. The natives
are very clever in these matters. He was brave, an excellent sailor
for his age, and he knew the channels and all the anchorages. His
boat may have been 6 or 7 metres long and 3 metres wide; she was
cutter-rigged, and was probably very suitable for a trip of a few
days, but quite insufficient for a cruise of several weeks, such as
we were planning. The deck was full of cases of provisions, so that
only a little space was clear for us at the stern. The cabin was
about 2 metres long, 1 1/2 metre wide, and 1 1/2 metre high, and
was crammed with stuff--tinned meats, cloths, guns, trading goods,
etc. One person could wriggle in it, crawling on hands and knees,
but two had to wind round each other in impossible positions, and
it was quite unthinkable that both should spend the night below. But
with the happy carelessness and impatience of a long-delayed start,
we did not think of the hardships of the future, and in fair weather,
when the stay on deck in the brisk breeze was extremely pleasant,
as on that first morning, existence on board seemed very bearable;
but when it rained, and it rained very often and very hard, it was
exceptionally disagreeable.

Mr. George took no interest in such details. Although he could have
improved matters without much trouble, he was too lazy to take the
trouble. The sun- and rain-sail was fixed so low that one could not
stand upright, and anyone who has experienced this for some time
knows how irritating it is. For food George did not seem to care at
all. Not only did he lack the sense of taste, but he seemed to have
an unhuman stomach, for he ate everything, at any time, and in any
condition; raw or cooked, digestible or not, he swallowed it silently
and greedily, and thought it quite unnecessary when I wanted the boys
to cook some rice for me, or to wash a plate. The tea was generally
made with brackish water which was perfectly sickening