Feb’y 1st 1898.
Our position at noon today was Lat. N. 13.8 – Long. E. 46.47, run 112 from Aden.
Tuesday evening 6:12 local time home 3:14, on board the P&O SS “Ballaarat”, Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean).
The “Victoria” arrived at Aden last night at 7 o’clock. The day passed very quietly & uneventful (posted letters before 5 which were to be landed at Aden). It was quite dark when the anchor was let go. The bay was quite a picture, many vessels at anchor, man’o’war also. The town was also attractive by the many coloured lights. A while before we anchored, we could with the glass clearly discern the rocky nature of the shores, & awfully rugged they were, but after sundown it so soon became dark, & I was sorry not getting a better view of Aden. No passengers were permitted to land. The “Ballaarat” was at anchor within 15 minutes’ reach & she was beautifully illuminated, quite a picture, & on our right a Russian man’o’war also well lighted, & the numerous small boats & steam launches plying to & fro made [1:90] the bay very beautiful. Very soon, lighters were along side, delivering cargo & receiving ditto, also baggage, & a steam tender to take Bombay pass’ers & cabin baggage off to “Ballaarat”. This took place about 8:30 just after dinner. The gold & silver bullion to which you referred having seen in the London paper was all transhipped here. The silver was all in small ingots & I think 1,400 of them. They handled it & into strong buckets, & into lighters, then towed away to the “Ballaarat”. The gold I did not see. I expect it would be in cases, & the mail bags, 800, was a big sight. How the natives went at it, no time lost, dark tawny-skinned fellows & some with grand physic [sic]. It being dark, I didn’t have the opportunity of seeing the diving boys, tho’ they were about in numbers & shouting up for “sixpences”.
The parting from the “Victoria” was a lively time, hurrahas [sic] & greetings & “Auld Lang Syne” every now & again, with individuals signalled out for special mention: “Scotty”, “Dundee” & so on, brought much fun & laughter from all. It was a great confusion too, but it has always [1:91] been a time of confusion when embarking & (there’s the bell 6:30, ½ hour’s warning for dinner, no bugle on this boat & I havn’t heard of any band) disembarking, & so many shore characters come on board. Every person feels it most essential to look after his baggage & see it passed either ashore or into boats and tenders. I had no trouble beyond watching none went astray, & the getting on board again when all is hoisted on deck or passed up a gangway, they are just jumbled all on deck & sorted after, & carried to the berths by stewards. There was no prospect of rest for hours, but I retired about 11, but the heat, & noise of winches, prevented even rest & until after 2 there was no quiet, & at 3:15 the engines started & off we went on our passage to Bombay The “Victoria” had got away about 12 o’clock.[1]
This is a very fine comfortable ship, old fashioned compared to the Victoria & much smaller, but in many respects nicer, & I’ve got a good cabin, a 4 berth one, all to myself: 115/8. The one I was booked for, 144, tho’ on the spar deck[2] [1:92] wasn’t in a nice position, and Mr. E. who came over in the tender with us to see the officers & pursers (he came home in her), very soon got the purser to change my berth without me knowing anything about it, & as there are many empty berths, it was no inconvenience to concede the favour, but to me a great advantage. I feel so very roomy & every spot as clean as possible, linen & towels white to a degree, & a smart obliging steward in very early this morning asking if I would have a cup of coffee or tea or anything I would fancy – no: I would wait breakfast.
There is no band, but the 5th Officer, who sits next me at the table, tells me some of the stewards are good musicians & the barman equal to a Moore & Burges[3], & amongst themselves they have high jinks. The ship had been 10 days at Aden, 5 of which was quarantine, being from Bombay, & they had entertained themselves. Everything goes on here exactly as on the “Victoria”. We are only 14 firsts & 20 odd 2nds, so we have lots of scope & a beautiful promenade, spar deck, brightly lighted tonight with 6 electric lamps, [1:93] & awnings over all. I’ve enjoyed this day best of all, so delightful is the ocean & air, & not one object have we sighted this day, every where simply a circle of horizon. Tonight is very, very lovely. A gentle breeze, moon bright, & stars all out, the plough & pole star still clearly in view. I see the letter business is a big one here. Every bag of the 800 is turned out, sorted, rebagged. There are about 20 post office men who do nothing else but travel between Aden & Bombay, to & fro, letter sorting. It affords me great interest to now & again watch them. They’ve no connection with the ship beyond the post business. The principals smart gentlemanly fellows. We feel quite a homely family so few of us. The Capt. presides & has his own dark boy at his back. All the officers meal with the passengers as was the case in Victoria. The Doctor is a fine looking young man but “got no work to do”. By the way, Jules Verne’s Tour of the World in 80 Days,[4] Mr. Sinclair gave it me, well how strange: my visavis[5] at table is the Commissioner of Bombay Police, Mr. Vincent. He & I are great friends, [1:94] & page 40[6] has a reference to the very man, where Fix the detective makes application for a warrant of arrest for Fogg.[7] I read it when he hadn’t read the book, & he was really amused & surprised. He has held the position many years & has been home on furlough. You will see I’ve nearly finished this first book, so I shall have to cut my writing down. I had no chance of ascertaining whether the “Andorinha” had arrived, as I expected I should have had at Aden. I had a letter delivered to me on the Victoria, just before I left her, from Mr. Gordon, who is to come onboard at Bombay, & has secured my room at the Apollo, & offering to aid me in seeing all of interest while in Bombay.
[1] “End of no 3.1” inserted in different ink.
[2] The light upper deck of a vessel
[3] Famous minstrels, active from 1865 to 1900 at St. James Hall, Picadilly
[4] Published 1873. Also known as “Around the World in 80 Days.”
[5] Literally “Face-to-face”. The person across the table.
[6] Pg. 40, “Fix had gone on shore shortly after Mr. Fogg, and his first destination was the headquarters of the Bombay police. He made himself known as a London detective, told his business at Bombay, and the position of affairs relative to the supposed robber, and nervously asked if a warrant had arrived from London. It had not reached the office; indeed, there had not yet been time for it to arrive. Fix was sorely disappointed, and tried to obtain an order of arrest from the director of the Bombay police. This the director refused, as the matter concerned the London office, which alone could legally deliver the warrant.”
[7] Phileas Fogg