Page:The Wireless Operator with the U.S. Coast Guard.djvu/117

 transported of a sudden to a strange and foreign land. Never had he seen such a queer-looking lot of men as these sailors. There were Chinese, with their yellow, sickly-looking skins and dark crowns and curious-shaped eyes: and Lascars, swarthy and stolid and mysterious looking: and little, black-eyed Japanese, with their straight, coarse black hair and inscrutable faces. And the sounds—the grunts and curious guttural mumblings—that arose among these Oriental sailors were as odd and unintelligible as the men themselves appeared to be. Henry wondered how white men could possibly bring themselves to live with such seemingly uncongenial companions in such an isolated and lonely place as an ocean-going steamer. Much as he thought he would like life at sea, he was certain he would not like it if he had to live under such conditions.

When Henry’s eye caught sight of the wireless antenn&aelig;, he decided at once to visit the wireless man. Following the lead-in wire with his eye, he located the wireless shack, and promptly knocked at the door. He was both surprised and pleased when the door was thrown open and a cheery voice said, in good English, though with a foreign accent: “Good-day, sir. I am glad to see you. Won’t you come in?”

“Thank you,” said Henry. “I will be glad to come in. I am interested in wireless.”