for Nakamura's perfect frankness and his geniality of manner quickly
conquered my insular aloofness toward the foreigner; and upon boarding
the Channel steamer we at once went below and were busy with our
luncheon almost before the boat had cast off from the pier.

At Calais, Nakamura, who seemed to speak every language under the sun,
took charge of my baggage as well as his own, and by some mysterious
process, probably not altogether unconnected with "backsheesh," managed
to clear the whole through the Customs in about five minutes. Then he
again "squared" the guard and secured our privacy as far as Paris, where
we arrived about five o'clock in the evening. There was a train leaving
for Marseilles at half-past seven, so we took a cab, drove across the
city, and dined at the railway station in comfort before beginning the
long night journey. Then, once more securing a compartment to
ourselves, we settled down for our twelve hours' run to the shore of the
Mediterranean.

I was very much amused at the naivete of some of my companion's remarks.
He asked the most intimate questions in the coolest possible manner,
and if I had not already resolved to be absolutely frank with my new
comrades in arms I should have been somewhat embarrassed to find replies
for some of them. He was greatly surprised to learn that I was not yet
eighteen years of age, and was still growing, for although he appeared
to be not more than twenty-five, he informed me that he was actually
thirty-three, and I was a head taller than he, the fact being that I had
a natural tendency toward bulkiness which my passion for athletics had
further encouraged. He jocularly remarked that he hoped the authorities
would have sense enough to appoint me to a battleship, for he was sure
that in no other quarters would I find room to stand upright.

We reached Marseilles without adventure at eight o'clock on the
following morning, and, after breakfasting at the railway station,
chartered a cab and drove down to the Joliet, where we found our ship,
the _Matsuma Maru_, lying alongside a wharf piled yards high with
crates, bales, and cases of all sorts and sizes waiting to be stowed in
the ship's holds. The skipper was somewhere ashore, it appeared, but we
hunted up the chief officer and introduced ourselves, upon which we
learned that every effort was being made to have the ship ready for sea
by three o'clock that afternoon, but that it would be impossible for her