Page:Travel letters from New Zealand, Australia and Africa (1913).djvu/142

 —This morning we went with the Blaneys to inspect the "Prince Waldemar," the little ship on which they will sail next Saturday for the Philippine Islands and China. Except that it is small, we were delighted with it. The servants are Japanese, and the sailors of a brown race with which we are not familiar. The Blaneys have a stateroom with two windows; it is so large that the chief steward of the "Maunganui" would have crowded at least six into it. Never travel on a popular ship, or fall in love with a beautiful woman who has many admirers. The servants of the "Prince Waldemar" were as grateful for a little attention as an old maid. The boat is said to have excellent management, but it is only half as big as the "Sonoma," and the "Sonoma" is a pony. The "Prince Waldemar" is a 2,700-ton boat; the "Anchises," on which we sail for South Africa, is 12,000 tons. Any ship under 17,000 tons is a crime. There are no real ships in Australian waters; if a real ship should visit Sydney, people would come from New Zealand, and travel four and six in a room, to look at it. A ship of 12,000 tons is referred to as a "Leviathan of the Deep" in the papers here. The "Baltic," on which I crossed the Atlantic not very long ago, is a 38,000-ton ship; and, when the weather is rough, it is none too large. The Hamburg-American company is building a ship almost twice as large as the "Baltic." Near the "Prince Waldemar" lay the "Ventura," sister ship of the "Sonoma," and which sails for San Francisco next Saturday. We went on board, and it was like a visit home, as it is exactly like the "Sonoma" in every detail. We showed our "Sonoma" pictures,