UNDER THE WRONG FLAG.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1803, 20 December 1912, Page 7

UNDER THE WRONG FLAG.

INCIDENT OF A VOYAGE. g

ON A GERMAN LINER

(By "Shipmate.") (A few days ago a cable announced that an aged sick Britisher on a German liner was refused admission to Australia by the Customs official because seriously ill, and that he died aboard. The following story tells <.f an incident on another voyage. )

He came aboard at Mel! mrne,— ' an elderly man well into the sixties. |He had sailed across from Auckland by an inter-colonial boat and had come down from Sydney by a coaster to Melbourne. Arriving aboard late he had to take his chance of a cabin and was bunked in a four-berther, with two "dagos" and a low-class Englishman. At meals the old fellow was generally silent. The rough third-class behaviour at the long tables seemed to irritate him. His short answers drew retorts and rude remarks from his neighbours. They made coarse jokes about his fastidious eating and appetite. He couldn't take to the potatoes cooked in their half-washed jackets. He found the Germanmethod of serving up the food unpalatable. The excessive heat in the ill-ventilated 'tween hatch that served for a dining saloon made eating a necessary evil. The old man was ob\ iously unwell. He confided this fact one day to me. Yet he wasjjsonsi tive of any questions as to his health, or of any comments about his appearance.

At Fremantle—the German liner was homeward bound —he was growing obviously weaker. On the voyage across the Australian Bight I had advised him to see the si lip's doctor—he looked so unwell.

"I'll be all right" said the old chap brusquely, and I felt the reply tantamount to a request to mind my own business. However, one thing led to another, and he confided a good deal of infor-

mation about himself. It was a case

similar to many others. For forty years the old' fellow had been working in New Zealand, near Auckland, as a gardener until ill-health had laid him up. A strong desire had seized him to visit the Old Land—to see his only son and other relations down in Kent. His employer had provided him with the passage money.

He had a few pounds saved up, but only a few.

At Fremantle he was too poorly to go ashore. A young fellow cashed a sovereign ashore for him and brought him some fruit and a few delicacies. A day or two afterwards the old fellow come to me looking very ill. "Take my advice and see the doctor," I said. "It won't cost you anything, and he will at least order you more comfortable bedding. "I'll be alright in a day or two,,' replied the game old chap. But nevertheless he took my advice. "He says its tha fault of the digestion" he told me. "Gave me some stuff. Says I'll be alright. And lie toddled unsteadily off. But I had my own idea of the cause of the trouble. It seemed an advanced stage of an organic complaint. That evening he sought me out.

"The doctor ordered me a soft mattress,'" he said, "and the stewards have made the bed up with pillows instead. That's no good to me!" We went off to the chief steward, but a German shrug of the shoulders was all the satisfaction we could get. However, an Englishman, particularly a colonial, usually has a superior feeling among foreigners, and we insited on seeing.the doctor. He came out, from dinner, in smiles and gold lace, but scowled at the old fellow's untimely intrusion. But he gave the necessary instructions. The sick maij got his bed. Two mornings later we missed our elderly acquaintance. We had got to like him because of his gameness and used to look for him.

We sought him in his cabin. We found him dying in the dim berth with wide open eyes, gasping stertoriously for breath, quite unconscious. One of the Italian navvies wlijo shared the cabin came in at the same time.

"How long lias he been like this?' demanded my friend. "Oh, early this mornin'. He kick up too much noise like that! I clear out. No sleep." "Why didn't you tell the steward? The man's dying." "D—good job—no bizness mine or yours.'' "Get out of this you black dago!" growled a third-class Englishman and he shot the Italian out. It is wonderful how a Britisher feels his nationality when one of his race is ill-treated by a foreigner. The old man was near the,end. We called the doctor nd he was carried to the hospital. The doctor, a young German, just out of the college, trembled with excitement.

The Englishmen among us asked him rather pointedly about his lack of attention to the case.

"Eet is stobbage, a growth inside, '' he replied. "Nothing of the sort," said a young Australian. "He told me a day or two ago he had Bright's disease. Fat lot you know about doctorin'. Ya!"

The heat was sweltering. The captain came down and had a look at the small wasted figure, and then moved over and discussed the matter lightly with the group of Englishmen.

We told him his doctor was no good, and turned our backs and looked over the rail. One of the party had just ascertained the old man had been robbed of every penny of the change out of the pound lie had cashed at Fremantle. No doubt one of the Italians had it. It was an insult to the rest of the Englishmen, but nothing could be done. A

week later a little Welshman aboard,

who had a pair of boxing gloves, iuto put thorn ou with him. The ' 'dago' 1 had knocked about Australia a bit. The little chap, only up to his shoulder, was returning home from a colonial mau-o'-war, and he used his lists beautifully. He pasted that Italian till he made him lose his temper, then they pulled oft' the gloves, and in the end the Italia i was pulled like a stuck hog down to his bunk and left there. But tkat was a week after. The old man died early in the evening. We sat up to see a he got a decent burial. The body,.encased in canvas, was

brolight up in m ornmg watch. I was borne aft by u s^J^ rs - A number of passeng*. TS JVjf been aroused and followed fhr> !; fj 1 P ro " cession to the poop deck. A>. , ' ; ) st moment the boatswain called big skipper. The latter looked tho group W6f,. and rang down to the engine rooto the screw ceased to revolveOver the stern the dark awesome bundle swung out slightly. Away behind the ship in the east the first glimmer of red dawn was rising out of the calm sea. A chill little breeze blew in our faces.

A low growled command, and the rope was lowered and then let go. The body swung out and fell into the sea. A dim dark object, it was momentarily seen as it floated out towards the dawn.

"Like a dog!" growled a shipmate with suppressed anger in his voice. '' Not a prayer over it,'' said another.

"That fat hog (indicating the captain) didn't even take his cap off." "Well," said another, "he were only a third-class cove. It's always the way." "Never catch me on a sourkraut liner again—not if I know it," was the last comment I heard as I moved off to go to bed. "You pay cheap, but that isn't all that counts."