Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/262

212 overboard the following night. The captain was greatly taken with the Chinese widow; I had proposed that we should come to her aid financially, but on speaking to her it was found that she had plenty of money, that she thoroughly understood all her dead husband's affairs, had all his papers, knew all about banking, and in vestments, and so on—in fact was a most capable little business woman and most sensible about everything. Once she had had pointed out to her the danger of keeping her husband's body on board in such heat on a crowded ship she acted most reasonably; but when the doctor appeared and wanted to dissect the body—so like a doctor, always trying to get a knife in somewhere—she would have none of it, and had our sympathy in that. She afterwards seemed to feel a cheerful composure at finding herself a rich and attractive widow, and no doubt as to husbands, pictured how in China she would “plenty more.”

None of our passengers—the fever-stricken ones from New Guinea—were very lively, in fact were just the opposite; but we had Captain Jorgensen, who was going home to buy a new trading ship for himself, and Dr. Dunckler, of the yacht Eberhardt—both interesting men and full of information. I missed King Peter and Professor Biro, though the latter was so wrapped up in his scientific work that we did not see much of him. I remember somewhere a little bird came on board when we were far out at sea and was captured. We all cried out for the Professor to come and tell us what it was, but when he came he grabbed it and rushed away to kill and skin it at once, we all streaming after him in loud plaint, as that was not what we had intended at all.

There are always little incidents on a ship of get