Excerpt from The Mikado's Empire, Vol. 2 of 2: Book II. Personal Experiences, Observations, and Studies in Japan, 1870-1874; Book III. Supplementary Chapters, Including History to the Beginning of 1912 The meeting of steamers in mid-ocean is, strange to say, a matter of dislike to a certain class of persons, who, in spite Of all preventive pre cautions, keep up their existence. One or two stowaways are found on nearly every steamer that leaves the shores of either continent. They sneak on board the big ship while in port, and are driven from their lair, when at sea, by hunger. When first discovered, the inquisi tor of the ship - the purser - uses all his skill to extort the full passage money. If not forthcoming, the stowaway is consigned to purga tory - i. E., the fire-room, and compelled to pass coal and feed the fires. This process refines his feelings so far that the dross is produced, if on the victim's person. If he refuses to do duty, his fare being still unpaid, he is put in irons, but, by passing through purgatory of the furnace-room, he is saved from further punishment, and reaches the paradise of firm land, yet so as by fire. All these incidents and accidents of sea-life cease to have any im portance after the oracle at the head of the table, Captain J. H. F ree man, has announced that we shall sight Cape King at day-break to morrow. We try to sleep well during our last night on the water; but sleep, so Often won and long embraced thus far, becomes fickle and flies our eyelids. With joyful wakefulness, our thoughts are busy with the morrow, until at last, in the wee morning hours, our eyelids are sealed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.