TV hen the Kaiser is at Sen.

Otago Witness, Issue 2083, 25 January 1894, Page 49

TV hen the Kaiser is at Sen.

It is said that the German Emperor, when on a pleasure trip in his yacht, lays aside the dignity of the war lord and goes in for having a good time with all the zest of a boy. He treats his associates as equals, and takes a personal interest in all the members of his crew.

The other day, as a visitor happened to overhear, he passed a sailor scrubbing the deck, and said to him :

"Well, my son" (his common form of address to members of the crew), " what are you doing there?"

The man replied that he was cleaning. "How many hours' service did you have yesterday ? " asked the Kaiser. " From noon till 4 in the morning," replied the sailor.

" Well, my son, you had better go and lie down," said the Kaiser. " The decks will get dirty again in any case." On the way to-Cowes not long back the yacht stopped off a wild spot of shore where there were many seagulls,- and the Emperor and several friends rowed ashore. The Kaiser took off shoes, stockings, rolled up the Imperial trousers, and paddled about in the water in apparent great delight. He skipped flat stones over the water until there was quite a panic among the hovering seagulls. The Kaiser always tastes the food of the men at dinner, and if beans are served to them he always has a plate reserved for himself, as he is very fond of them. On Sundays he has Divine service with the crew, when he reads the Bible and prays with them, afterwards giving a short sermon from a book that he possesses for the purpose.