s a school, and, seeing a crowd of natives at the
door, I joined the throng to see what was going on inside. It proved to
be the singing hour, and about fifty little Chinese boys, from six to
ten years of age, all in neat khaki uniforms, were singing at the tops
of their voices, led by a very active Chinese man. The little fellows
seemed to enjoy the singing thoroughly, and, after hearing several
songs, all in Chinese, of course, to strange and unusual tunes, I was
surprised to recognize one of the tunes--it was "John Brown's body
lies amoulding in the grave" though what the words were I was unable to
tell since, like the other songs, they were in Chinese.

[Illustration: BORNEAN BOAT AT JESSELTON.]

At Labuan the last of our cabin passengers came aboard, two Englishmen,
one a mining engineer, the other a government man. Since no more stops
were to be made in Borneo, the Sandakan headed in a southwest direction
straight for Singapore, and in exactly three days we entered that busy
harbor and dropped anchor among the more than two dozen other ocean
liners from all parts of the world.

[Illustration: MAIN STREET AT LABUAN.]

[Illustration: POST OFFICE AND RECREATION GROUND AT LABUAN.]

Singapore is one of the busiest seaports in the world and the hundreds
of vessels of all sizes and types against the background of handsome
white and cream-colored buildings make a very interesting and impressive
sight.

[Illustration: CHINESE TEMPLE AT LABUAN.]

Thus ended a most interesting voyage of nine days, through a region
seldom visited by any but a few Englishmen who are interested in some
way in the development of that, as yet, little developed part of the
world. Although it is a trip that is easily arranged by visitors to the
Philippines it is one that is seldom taken by the tourist.

V. SINGAPORE, THE MELTING POT OF THE EAST.

In Singapore, it is said, can be seen more races of men than at any
other one spot in the world, so that it has been well named "The Melting
Pot of the East." It is also sometimes spoken of as "The Gateway of the
East," since all vessels bound for ports in the Far East call there.

[Illustration: HONGKONG BANK AND PUBLIC SQUARE.]

It is said, perhaps without sufficient historical evidence, that the
town was first settled by Malays in 1360 A. D.; but as a port of any
importance its history begins in 1819 when it was ceded by Jahore to
Great Britain through the instrumentality of Sir Stam