ng. And while she was thus engaged, we of
the wardroom did our modest best to enjoy ourselves, first of all seeing
everything that was worth seeing in and about the city; and afterward
engaging a native pilot to take us in the motor launch to the
Sunderbunds, where, braving malaria, snakes, and all other perils, we
spent a week shooting, the four of us who constituted the party bagging
seven tigers between us, to say nothing of other and less formidable
game.

From Calcutta we sailed for Moulmein, where we remained four days,
getting a hurried glimpse of Burma and the Burmese; then we sailed for
Singapore, at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula. But on the
night of our third day out from Moulmein, while we were bowling merrily
along with a spanking wind abeam, reeling off a good twelve knots by the
log, we struck something which we conjectured to be a piece of
practically submerged wreckage; for when we afterwards came to
investigate the matter, the look-out on the forecastle head vowed by all
his gods that, although he was keenly alert, he had seen nothing. The
incident occurred during the middle watch, while Kennedy was in charge,
consequently I was below and asleep at the time. But I was awakened by
the shock, although it was not very severe. Kennedy rushed aft to the
taffrail to see if he could catch a glimpse of the object, whatever it
might be; but although the night was starlit it was too dark to see very
distinctly, and although he imagined that, as he stood there at gaze, he
saw something break water some eight or ten fathoms astern, he could not
be sure.

He wheeled about, and, running forward to the break of the poop, gave
orders to let fly the royal and topgallant halyards and sheets and to
back the mainyard, also instructing the carpenter to sound the pump
well. For a few moments, while these things were doing, there was some
confusion, what with the watch bustling about the decks, and those below
rushing up on deck to see what had happened--among them being Mrs
Vansittart, who appeared on the poop wrapped in a dressing-gown. But
presently the ship was brought to the wind and hove to, and the
confusion began to subside, especially when the carpenter reported that
the ship was making no water.

Mrs Vansittart, apprehensive that we might have run down some small
native craft, ordered our remaining cutter to be lowered and sent me
away in charge to investigate; but after pulling about for m