I was born at No - The MAN & Other Families

24In December of this year (1892) I got my long wished for orders to go to Rangoon. I wasallowed two or three weeks to get my outfit and say goodbye to my family, so of course Ispent the time at Southsea.My passage was booked in the Henderson liner "Amarapora” sailing from Liverpool on24th December. I travelled first up to Glasgow to say goodbye to the Taylors. It sohappened that the night of my arrival in Glasgow was the night of the annual CaledonianBall, one of the principal social events in Glasgow. They had taken a ticket for me and Iwent with the girls to the ball in the Queen's Rooms. Many of the men were in kilts and itwas a pretty sight to watch the highland reels which formed a large part of theprogramme.Next day I took train for Liverpool wherearrived in the evening. I went down to thedocks and found the “Amarapora" was notsailing until midnight so I went for a strollthe town. It was Christmas Eve and a coldrainy night. I went into St. George's Hallwhere on the beautiful organ ChristmasCarols were being played and felt veryhomesick and miserable.I then returned to the docks and wentaboard and to bed in my cabin. I woke upthe middle of the night and was very seasick.The "Amarapora" was a miserablelittle ship. I forget her tonnage but I don'tthink it could have been more than 5,000.IininWe ran into a violent storm in the Bay ofBiscay and tossed about like a cork. Forthree days and nights I was desperatelysea-sick and could eat nothing. When wegot opposite the coast of Portugal theweather moderated and was quite calm inthe Mediterranean until we neared PortSaid when we had another bit of a storm.The voyage had been uneventful so far. The only passengers were Colonel Seaton of theForest department at Maulmain. He was a very religious man and used to hold prayermeetingsevery evening in the saloon. Being the only pianist on board I played the musicof the hymns. Then there was a Mr. Boyd of Finlay Fleming & Co., teak merchants,Maulmain, a young fellow called Pembroke, going out for the first time like myself toa firm in Rangoon. A Mrs. White, wife of a European storekeeper. She had a baby ofabout six months old. Mrs. White was a very bad sailor and when she was sick and had torush downstairs she used to hand the baby over to the nearest passenger; so when it was