Chapter 17 Chapter Sixteen

A few hours later, Dr. Saunders settled into the hotel.He sat with the captain and Fred on the verandah of the hotel, drinking schnapps and waiting for lunch. "The East is different!" said the captain, shaking his head. "When I was a boy, in the Holland Hotel, whether it was lunch or dinner, there were bottles of gin on the table, and the guests could drink whatever they wanted. It's completely free, and when you're done, just call the buddy and they'll bring you another bottle right away." "The store will lose money." "It's not strange at all. Almost no one deliberately drinks a few more bottles to take advantage of it. It's human nature. If you treat someone nicely, he will treat you well. I believe in human nature, and always have been. .”

At this time, Eric Christensen came up the steps, saw them sitting there, took off his hat and saluted, and then walked into the hotel. "Let's have a drink together," Fred suggested. "I'd love to, but I have to go take a shower first." Then he went into the hotel. "Oh, what's the matter with you?" said the captain, winking mischievously at Fred. "I thought you didn't like strangers." "Depending on the situation, he seems to be a very good person. Most people nowadays like to meddle in their own business, but he never asks who we are and what we are here for."

"He has natural manners," said the doctor. Then the Dane came back and joined them. "What would you like to drink?" Fred asked. "Just like you." He squeezed his clumsy, fat frame into a chair, and chatted.What he said was neither sweet nor funny, but there was a sincerity in his speech and manner that was very pleasing.Watching him fills you with confidence.Dr. Saunders never made any judgments lightly, he didn't trust his instincts, yet this time, he couldn't ignore Eric's face, which was radiant with health and happiness, it was amazing and pleasing sincerity.Clearly, Fred Black liked the big Dane.Dr. Saunders had never seen Fred talk to someone so easily before.

"I said, let's get to know each other." After a while, he said, "My name is Blake, Fred Blake, this doctor's name is Saunders, and this is Captain Nichols." Eric Christensen stood up and shook hands with them one by one, which inevitably seemed grotesque. "It's been a pleasure getting to know you all," he said. "I wish you could stay longer." "Are you still sailing tomorrow?" asked the doctor. "It's all over. The life raft was found this morning." They walked into the dining room together.The dining room was cool and dimly lit.A little boy was shaking a thin sunflower fan, fanning intermittently a breeze in the air.There was a long table in the dining-room, and across it sat a Dutchman, and beside him his half-breed wife.She was very fat, and wore a loose, light-coloured dress of draped cloth.There was another Dutchman sitting next to him, with dark skin, and local blood should also flow in his body.Eric Christensen greeted them politely, and they greeted Eric accordingly, then looked at the three strangers indifferently.Then the reistafel was served.Their plates are piled high with rice, curry powder, fried eggs, bananas, and a strange concoction that keeps coming to the table.When everything was in place, a small mountain was piled up in front of each of them.Captain Nichols looked at the huge pile of food in front of him, lost his appetite, and felt a deep disgust in his heart.

"I'm going to die after eating this," he said gravely. "Then don't eat it," Fred said. "Where do you get the strength if you don't eat? When I encountered a storm that day, if I hadn't survived, you would not know where you are now. I am not eating for myself, but for you. I never take on unfinished tasks Boy, even my arch-enemy can't say I haven't done my best." The pile of hills in front of the captain got shorter and shorter. Finally, Nichols tenaciously ate all the food on the plate. "God, we haven't had a decent meal like this in weeks," Fred said.

The food was very appetizing to him, and he devoured it with a great appetite, just like a developing boy.They also drank some beer. "If I don't feel bad after this meal, the sun has come out from the west," said the captain. After dinner, they sat on the porch and had a cup of coffee together. "You'd better get some sleep," Eric said, "and I'll come back when it's cooler and show you around. It's a shame you won't be able to stay longer, the view on top of the volcano is beautiful , seas and islands can be seen for miles.” "Why don't we stop for a few days and wait until the doctor is gone?" Fred said.

"Just what I want," said the captain. "It's good luck to be able to rest here after so much hard work at sea, battling the storm. I don't know if a little brandy would do me any good." Can't fix the reistafel you just ate." "Are you in business?" asked the Dane. "We are here to survey pearl oysters," said the captain, "we need to find a new breeding area. This kind of business depends on luck." "Do you have a newspaper here?" asked Blake. "I mean the English paper." "There are no London papers, but there are Australian papers at Frith's."

"Fries? Who's that?" "An Englishman, the postman brings him a bundle of The Sydney Briefs every time." Fred's face was strangely pale, but who knew what had frightened him so much. "Can I see it?" "Of course. I'll bring it tomorrow, or I'll take you now." "When was the first newspaper?" "It was a long time ago. The postman came four days ago."