44
mutton. The coal shovel is much more in evidence now than the "lee fore brace," and things being what they are the Lascar stands to score where the work is as we describe it, for, in distinct contrast to his European brother, he will sit patiently, day after day, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, with the chipping hammer until the task is completed. Not so content at this harassing work is the European, for your true, good old A.B. of twenty-five years past hated, positively hated, all he was capable of, all work of that kind. His present day brother appears to have the infection of it, and acts accordingly. The port rules for the River Hooghly certainly favour the employment of Lascars, for quite lately—in the last few years—the authorities have enacted against European seamen being exposed to the sun during certain hours of the day, except double awnings be provided to shelter him from the sun's rays. No sane persons will object to this as being more than right or proper; but even that, whether intended or not, has given a fillip to the employment of the Indian seaman, for the work has to go on, either in port or at sea. If the European is protected, the Indian is ever ready to take on the employment, with thanks to seamen's missions. Even the West Indian negro, who sometimes figures largely in the socalled European crews, would have the lawful sunshade as his right! In regard to these climatic conditions, Lord Brassey has lately given utterance to the remark "that English firemen stuck manfully to their work, but they suffered all the same!" Just so, and this is one of the principal factors that decide in favour of the Lascar crew. At sea the watches are arranged in the ordinary way of four hours for each watch in the stokehold and engine-room, followed by eight off. During the worst passages down the Red Sea, in July, August and September, the heat is most oppressive, even on deck under double awnings. In the stokehold the fireman does not have a very happy time. Should any one or the other cave in through sheer physical exhaustion the work is not upset or the watches disarranged. They harmonise more freely than Europeans at similar work, and shift round to help each other in keeping things going when any one falls out. This is due entirely to the more complete control the serang has over the men, of which he is the recognised head and leader.
Alan Oscar, in School and Sea Days (page 251), gives a little pen picture of these conditions, which we reproduce here for the benefit of those who have not the book to refer to. He says:
