Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/263

Rh this sort to interest one. The captain came to me one day half amused, half annoyed. “Just look here,” he said, “here is something for you and your British pride. You know there are all those Indian coolies on deck, and that they have a flock of live sheep with them, which they kill and cook for themselves in accordance with their caste. They sent a deputation to me asking that I should give orders that they were to have the use of the deck cooking galley before any one else. I asked why they should; the others had as much right as they had; but they answered in quite a surprised way that of course they must have it because they were British subjects! The best of it is,” he went on, with a laugh, “that on inquiry I found the others—the Chinese, Malays, and all those—seemed to think it quite natural it should be so!”

“And what did you do?” I asked.

“Oh,” he said, with a grimace and a shrug of his shoulders, “I said in that case they must have it. You British think you are superior to the rest of mankind and must have everything.”

“And you encourage us to think so,” I answered; “you give way at once.”

“It will not always be so,” he said, with a nod.

Nor will it be. Already the signs are visible that we do not know how to take strong opposition or rivalry, but get sulky under it.

Hearing my name called all over the ship one day, I rushed on deck to find every one pointing at the sea.

“Your island! your island!” they cried. And there, all by itself out on the sea; was the daintiest, dearest, cheekiest little mite of an island you could imagine! They all burst out laughing as they saw the wonder and admiration