during
Hosea's pleasure. When we anchored, a fleet of boats sprang up around
us, the chances of any individual one, of course, for the privilege of
supplying us with a bum-boatman being smallish. Not long afterwards,
the ship was swarming with miscellaneous merchants, and merchandise.
Bananas, monkeys, canaries, cigarettes, cigars, photographs (chiefly
improper), wicker chairs, matches, field glasses, parakeets and other
useful articles were pressed upon every one aboard who could possibly be
tackled. Some of the canaries were heard whistling loud and long, and yet
Kelly found that the bird which he bought, a seeming musician, was mute.

No cabin was left unguarded. It was pointed out that one gentleman offered
plain proof of knavery; on his right foot he wore an English boot, on
the left a tennis shoe. They were all tarred with the same brush: "Worse
than Port Said." I do not think they found much opportunity to enhance
the reputation at our expense.

A tug, the _Gando_, immediately re-named the _Can-do_, brought out our
lighters of coal. At that signal, an interesting enterprise moved nearer
to us. When bags are being slung over from hold to hold, a good deal
of coal is dropped into the water; and so the enterprise consisted in
a small barge, with the men, and material, for sending down divers to
rescue the estrays. The diver was a huge fellow, curiously wearing a
red tam-o'-shanter. He of course went down in a diving suit to survey
the ocean; when he thrust his muzzle out of the water again, up would
come at the same time his two bushel baskets; and as these were almost
full of coal, presumably that department of salvage had its rewards.

After much criticized anxiety about winches and blocks and guys, our
stevedore gangs began their work at good speed. I was again dressed up
in a borrowed boiler suit for the duties of tallyman. The weather became
burning hot. The coal-dust flew round in copious whirlpool. After an hour
I was full of discomfort, and not to be distinguished from any of the
coal heavers. Work continued in such hearty fashion that I gathered that
it was piece work. The foreman was another giant, with such a belly on him
that whenever he gesticulated--that was often--stamping his foot and
brandishing his hands, that belly really and truly quaked. His voice
was not a success. He would have roared like thunder, but only a feeble
croaking left his snapping jaws.

By six our bunker coals had been put aboa