tly the steward clapped _his_ hands in the same
manner, put on an angry look, and passed on. The incident was somewhat
curious, as it involved a degree of familiarity with the steward
hardly to have been expected. After this we observed a number of queer
performances of the steward, and finally comprehended the situation.
It seemed that he was afflicted with a peculiar mental or nervous
disease, which forced him to imitate everything suddenly presented to
his senses. Thus, when the captain slapped the paddle-box suddenly in
the presence of the steward, the latter instantly gave it a similar
thump; or, if any noise were made suddenly, he seemed compelled
against his will to imitate it instantly, and with remarkable
accuracy. To annoy him, some of the passengers imitated pigs grunting,
or called out absurd names; others clapped their hands and shouted,
jumped, or threw their hats on the deck suddenly, and the poor
steward, suddenly startled, would echo them all precisely, and
sometimes several consecutively. Frequently he would expostulate,
begging people not to startle him, and again would grow furiously
angry, but even in the midst of his passion he would helplessly
imitate some ridiculous shout or motion directed at him by his
pitiless tormenters. Frequently he shut himself up in his pantry,
which was without windows, and locked the door, but even there he
could be heard answering the grunts, shouts, or pounds on the bulkhead
outside. He was a man of middle age, fair physique, rather intelligent
in facial expression, and without the slightest indication in
appearance of his disability. As we descended the bank to go on board
the steamer, some one gave a loud shout and threw his cap on the
ground; looking about for the steward, for the shout was evidently
made for his benefit, we saw him violently throw his cap, with a
shout, into a chicken-coop, into which he was about to put the result
of his foraging expedition among the houses of the stanitza.

[Footnote 2: "Observations upon the Korean Coast, Japanese-Korean
Ports, and Siberia, made during a journey from the Asiatic
Station to the United States, through Siberia to Europe, June 3
to September 8, 1882." Published by the United States Navy
Department, Washington, 1883, pp. 51.]

"We afterward witnessed an incident which illustrated the extent of
his disability. The captain of the steamer, running up to him,
suddenly clapping his hands at the same time