A pretty little garden is perched above the town at Hong-Kong, and I often sat there and watched the things that went on round me.
There was a little smoking-room in the hotel, upstairs, dedicated to the use of people staying in the hotel, the public smoking, bar, and billiard rooms being below. I usually had this room to myself; but one evening an officer in naval uniform came in, and we remained talking till the place was closed and he had to leave to go up to the Peak where he was living—but a more entertaining man I had not met for long, and we had a charming evening. He told me some interesting things about the operations at Tientsin and elsewhere, and on my complaining that one never saw our flag anywhere almost, even here in our own possession, whilst the flags of other nations were fluttering wherever they could hoist them, and that surely it was a great mistake, he quite agreed with me, and told me that when the allied forces were engaged in operations and hoisting their flags everywhere, even on mud-banks on the river, actually our men had not sufficient flags to hoist where needful. He had, he said, been very severe with the officers on his ship over this.
But the smoking-room brought me other acquaintances who afforded me great amusement. On Sunday evening two small boys came in and sat down at the other side of the table. Said one to the other—
"Have a drink, old chap?"
"Don't mind if I do."
"What will you have—the usual?"
The bell was rung and the waiter loftily ordered to bring "two lemonades"!
But when the lemonades came, alas! they had not between them sufficient money to pay for them! So I asked if they would have a drink with me.
