ATLANTIC READINGS,
Number 6
A PORT SAID MISCELLANY
I
There has come upon us, suddenly, one of those inexplicablelulls which make the experienced seafarer in theMediterranean recall bygone voyages out East. It is as ifthe ship had run abruptly into some sultry and airlesschamber of the ocean, a chamber whose cobalt roof hasshut down tight, and through which not a breath is moving.The smoke from the funnel, of a sulphurous bronze color,even while our trail yet lies somnolent in a long smear onthe horizon, now goes straight to the zenith. The ironbulwarks are as hot as hand can bear, as the westering sunglows full upon the beam. Under the awnings the troopslie gasping on their rubber sheets, enduring silently anduncomprehendingly, like dumb animals.
Far ahead, the escort crosses and recrosses our course.Still farther ahead, a keen eye can detect a slight frayingof the taut blue line of the horizon. Signals break fromthe escort and are answered from our bridge. I turn to asergeant who is shambling to and fro by the machine-roomdoor, and inform him that Port Said is in sight, andthat he will be in harbor in an hour or so.
And then, just as suddenly as we entered, the door ofthat heated chamber of the sea opens and we pass outinto a warm humid wind. The wind and the news wakeeverybody. The soldiers, who have encamped on ourafter-deck during the voyage, suddenly display a feverishactivity. Rations are packed, rifles are cleaned, and I amin the full tide of popular favor because I permit oil-reservoirs2to be replenished in the machine-room andfurnish those priceless fragments of old emery cloth whichgive such a delectable and silvery gloss to the bolts. Later,I am so popular that I could almost stand for Parliament,for I tell the sergeant that each man can fill his waterbottlewith iced water. Which they proceed to do at once,so that said water gets red-hot before the moment ofdisembarkation!
But take a look at these men on our after-deck while weare coming up to Port Said. You have never seen thembefore and you will not see them again, for they are boundfor Bagdad and beyond. They are very representative,for they are of all ages, races, and regiments. They aregoing to join unit