[Illustration: The midnight catastrophe.]
Upon arrival at Singapore my first indulgence was in a good all-night's sleep in bed, which one learns to appreciate after days and nights on deck.
On one of the few occasions during this passage, when I had an opportunity to catch a nap on the cabin sofa at night, I was greatly alarmed by being aroused from dreams of shipwreck, by water pouring over me from a jug upset by the swinging open of a locker door. Anything that happens to "the old man" is considered important on shipboard, and this was deemed worthy of illustration.
At Singapore we discharged the rest of our cargo and loaded a quantity of tin, gambier and gutta percha. We remained twenty-three days here, most of the time being spent in waiting for the merchants at Penang to purchase cargo, as the vessel's appearance at that port while they were buying would have made the native traders put up their prices. So we hid away at Singapore, and a very pleasant hiding place it was.
The first novelty that greeted our arrival was an assemblage of canoes and boats. From the former small boys dived for coin, thrown from the vessel, catching them before they descended far below the surface of the water. From the latter were offered us fruit, birds, monkeys, shells and corals, the last named being especially beautiful. A whole boat load of these at "a hard bargain" was secured for seventy-five cents. The appearance of the town is very picturesque, luxuriant foliage appearing amidst the collections of white houses, and hills rise in the rear covered with nutmeg and fruit trees, while near by the fertile jungle dips its abundant growth into the sea. Many pleasant hours were passed on shore; the fascinating hospitalities of luxurious homes were enjoyed; a picnic in the midst of the jungle nine miles from the city afforded a splendid view of tropical scenery; and a drive to a cocoanut plantation of five hundred acres showed how European enterprise is economizing the fertile products of the East. One evening especially remains prominent in agreeable recollection, when I dined with an old Boston friend. The table was spread on the rear verandah where the trees waved close to us, and the air was full of delicious odors and the singing of insects, their differing notes seeming like tunes. Truly life in Singapore is fascinating.