her visit to
Japan, and that was the unfortunate fact that Monroe developed typhoid
on the very day of the party's return to Yokohama, and had to be left
behind in hospital. She would most willingly have prolonged her stay
until the patient's recovery; but Harper, our doctor, intervened,
pointing out that, since our next cruise was to be among the Pacific
Islands, it would be most inadvisable for a person newly recovered from
typhoid to accompany us, as a relapse would almost certainly follow; and
that the better plan would be to arrange for Monroe's return home direct
by mail boat via 'Frisco. This was accordingly done, Mrs Vansittart
making every arrangement for the care and comfort of the patient during
his sojourn in Yokohama, and his journey to New York in all ease and
comfort afterward, before giving the word for our departure.

We hove our anchor out of the mud of Yokohama harbour at ten o'clock on
a certain lovely September morning, which, as Mrs Vansittart informed
me incidentally, happened to be the anniversary of the yacht's departure
from New York. Starting our engine, we proceeded down Yedo Bay, through
Uraga Strait, and so to sea, passing Cape Mela about eight bells in the
afternoon watch. Then, to a fine spanking westerly breeze, we set all
plain sail and headed south for the Ladrones.

I arrive now at a point where, for a space of over two months, I find no
entry in my diary of any incident worthy of special mention; this period
may therefore be dismissed with the simple remark that it was spent in
visiting several of the most interesting islands in the Pacific
archipelago.

We sailed from Taputeuea, in the Gilbert Group, in the middle of
November, and for more than a week we headed west, making good headway
on the whole, although there were times when we were detained by
vexatious calms, to counterbalance which we "carried on" when the wind
favoured us and we had a clear sea ahead.

Such happened to be the case on a certain day in the first week of
December. We had a slashing easterly breeze behind us, and fine clear
weather; and the chart told us that there were no lurking dangers in our
path; we therefore gave the yacht the whole flight of studding sails on
both sides, and laid ourselves out to make up a little of our lost time.
And we were doing so in handsome style, too, for the ship reeled off
her fourteen knots hour after hour until the end of the afternoon watch,
when the wind suddenly h