completely ignored the
beautifully cleaned deck and stanchions, the glistening whitewash, and
all the other aids to appearances, well known to sailors, and put on
specially for the occasion! Yes, he actually took not the slightest
notice of these, but, instead, poked his head into all the holes and
corners where he was likely to find sundry and various small gear, such
as dirty towels, "duff" bags, ditty bags, and so forth. The result might
have been anticipated. He turned out so much that, before he had gone a
third of the way around the lower deck, he gave the captain orders to
make a personal inspection first, and then report to him; and as
everyone knows, when once Captain Cleveland gets into that canvas suit
of his, he is--in naval phrase--"a dead rivet."

One night, as we lay here ready for sea, a man-of-war was observed
entering the harbour, and as soon as the flashing lights were brought to
bear, and her number made, she proved to be the "Charybdis," last from
Yokohama. She informed us that, subsequent to her leaving that port,
cholera had broken out amongst her crew, one man having died of it on
the passage, whilst a second was down with the disease, though he was
now in a fair way towards recovery. She was at once ordered into
quarantine, and to hoist the "yellow jack" at the fore. Young Prince
Arisugawa was also on board, taking passage to join our ship as naval
cadet; however, he was not permitted to come to us until he had been
overhauled by the doctors on shore, and his clothes fumigated.
Immediately he had left her the "Charybdis" was ordered to sea; the
bracing sea air of a more northern clime being about the most effective
medicine for her crew.

August 9.--To-day Prince Arisugawa came on board, and in due course was
consigned to the tender mercies of the young English gentlemen in the
gunroom; his future messmates--and shall I be wrong if I say
_tormentors_? At the same time a most acceptable gift to the ship's
company, consisting of eight bullocks, was brought alongside; the
present, I believe, of the Emperor, whose health we _ate_ next day.

Steam was already up when the prince embarked, and there was nothing
further to detain us except the weather. That, indeed, was very
threatening, and not to be ignored. Terrific peals of thunder and
blinding lightning, accompanied by such heavy and persisted showers of
rain that it was a mystery how the soil could withstand such an
inundation, delayed our sail