SINGAPORE
October 25th.—At dawn we approached Singapore. We put up at the Hôtel
d’Europe. After tiffin, we visited the cisterns which supply the
inhabitants with potable water. There are no wells in Singapore, the
natives must be satisfied with the water produced by the rains, which
is gathered and kept in large ponds. On our way we met natives driving
in chariots drawn by small bisons, who have not the lazy drag of their
western brethren, but trot briskly as horses. The aborigines, clad with
a band of stuff round their thighs, held burning torches in their hands,
and beat the tom-tom with all their might to chase away the spirits of
darkness, because evil spirits, according to their belief, shun daylight.
October 26th.—We spent the whole afternoon on the veranda bargaining with
natives who carried trays of precious stones. One has to be very careful
with these vendors, who frequently sell worthless stones for precious
ones. Sergy bought me a beautiful moonstone necklace.
Before dinner, Sergy called upon the Governor-General of Singapore, who
had governed the Fiji Islands for a long time.
October 27th.—At 8 o’clock in the evening we took our passage on the
_Océanien_, a steamer bound to Marseilles. If the temperature permitted,
I would jump for joy at the thought that it was our boat to Europe.
It was night when we left the port. Amongst the passengers we have on
board the wife of the Japanese Ambassador in London, who was going to
join her husband. She was accompanied by her sister and a lady companion,
with whom she practised English and took lessons in geography on deck.
Both Japanese ladies are dressed in the latest Parisian fashion, and it
is only their small turned-up eyes and high-boned cheeks, which betray
their nationality.
October 28th.—The children of a native couple bound to the Isles de la
Réunion, romp in the corridor making a terrible row. They are awfully
ill-bred and boil over with perversity, and pass their time in fighting
and playing tricks and putting their tongues out to their “ayah” (nurse),
an old negress wearing a yellow kerchief on her head, the ends of which
passed through her large straw hat. She endeavoured to teach the naughty
brats better manners, but it was all in vain; they continued to behave
shockingly. I was sorely tempted to give them a sound shaking when they
shrieked when taken to bed at night.
October 29th, 30th, 31st.—All these days there was no land in view,
nothing but the endless blue of the sky and the endless waters of the
Indian Ocean.
November 1st.—The sea is quite smooth and still our ship rocks very
unpleasantly. We are approaching the verdant island of Ceylon, the most
marvellous meridional point of India. The air is so pure that we perceive
the Peak of Adam, at thirty miles off from Ceylon, the legendary site of
Adam’s burial ground.