ACROSS THE INLAND SEA
August 6th.—After coffee, we drove to the pier where a steam-launch,
with an officer and ten sailors sent by the “Mandchour,” carried us off
to the ship. We were received by the commander and all the officers in
full dress assembled upon the quarter-deck. One hundred and sixty sailors
were ranged along the deck, on which stood fourteen cannons. After the
commander had presented all his officers to my husband, we were shown
to our cabins. A tent made of flags belonging to different nations was
set up aft in which we were to have dinner, but the weather changing
suddenly, a black cloud appeared on the horizon, and soon a violent storm
burst out. The sailors put on their water-proofs and began to execute
all kind of manœuvres with the masts and riggings. We left Kobe only at
two o’clock of the morning. Just at the starting there had been a rather
bad moment. Suddenly there was a shrill whistle followed by a tremendous
crash. Mercy on me! What can it be? There was a moment of panic, and
everybody rushed on deck. It appeared to be the steersman who did not
make out the desperate shouts of the commander of the ship giving him
the signal to back, and so he continued to advance, knocking against a
Japanese cruiser, on which they had already began to beat the alarm.
It was a nice beginning for the voyage! Happily our boat had not been
seriously injured, and after the slight damage was repaired, we entered
the Inland Sea.
August 7th.—I occupy with Mrs. Serebriakoff the commander’s cabin. Early
in the morning the officer on service had to come in to consult the
chronometer. After breakfast we took a look over the ship. The commander
ordered the sailors to show us how they hung their hammocks, for the
night. During that operation a big dog, belonging to the crew, who had an
aversion to the officers of the ship, cunningly contrived to bite their
legs. On the lower deck we saw a group of runaway convicts who were being
transported back to Siberia to the Island of Saghalien. They belonged
to the Asiatic tribe of “Kurds” (fire worshippers). They were chained
together two and two, and guarded by two sentinels. The “Kurds” seemed to
be taking their imprisonment with amazing apathy. The presence on the
boat of these evil-looking men, with dark, ferocious faces, will not give
me a calm night.
August 8th.—After tea I mounted on deck and stretched myself in a
rocking-chair. At midday the officer on duty came to report to my husband
the distance we had run since yesterday. We dined on deck under the
tent with the commander and two officers who had been invited to the
commander’s table. It was a custom on board for a certain number of
officers each night to be invited to dinner. Towards nine o’clock a bell
called to evening prayers, after which we went to bed.
August 9th.—At ten o’clock in the morning on the centre-deck, before the
image of St. Nicholas, the patron of the mariners, the sailors gathered
for prayers, and sang hymns in chorus. After lunch a sailor photographed
our group surrounded by all the ship’s officers, after which the officers
invited me to take part in a game consisting in throwing rope-rings on to
ciphers drawn in chalk on the deck’s floor, I proved very clumsy, making
my first ring fly overboard.