een the rails, away
on the horizon, I see the well-known constellation, the Southern Cross.
You have often heard of it I expect. It is one of the most famous groups
of stars in the southern hemisphere and as much beloved by southerners
as the Great Bear is by us. As the Great Bear sinks night by night lower
in the north so the Southern Cross rises into sight. It is not a very
brilliant or even cross, but rather straggly, and the stars are not very
large, but it means much--hot skies, blue-black and brilliantly
star-spangled, lines of white surf breaking on silvery sand beneath palm
trees, fire-flies and scented air--I am growing drowsy at last--sleep is
coming.... I must show you the cross another night.

Hullo! it's morning! A Lascar is standing by grinning, with a bucket of
water and a deck-swab; they want to begin holystoning down the decks.
How sleepy I am! And as for you, the night steward, who is still on
duty, lifts you in his arms and carries you into your bunk, where you'll
find yourself when you do wake. It's only five--time for some more hours
yet. Sleeping on deck is rather an overrated amusement I think!

Before getting out of the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean we have to pass
through the Straits of Babel-Mandeb, which means the Gate of Affliction
or Tears, because of the numerous wrecks there have been here. Then we
stop at Aden, where the passengers going on to India change to another
P. & O. steamer, the _Salsette_, which is waiting for them. The _Medina_
goes across to Ceylon and then south to Australia, but the ship
following her next week goes straight to India.

It is lucky for Britain that she owns Aden, for it is the doorway at the
south end of the Red Sea, as the canal is the doorway at the north end.
Of course it is more important to us that the route to the East should
be kept clear than it is to any nation, because in case of difficulties
in India we should have to send troops there at once. It is more by good
luck than good management that just these little corners of the world,
that mean so much, should happen to fall into our possession--Gibraltar,
for instance, the gateway of the Mediterranean. And though the British
Government refused to have any hand in the making of the Suez Canal, yet
afterwards, because the Khedive of Egypt was hard up and willing to sell
his shares, we bought at a reasonable rate and have much influence in
the management of the canal.

Standing beside us, watching t