[Illustration:  The pet Manis.]

Tuesday, March 20th.—­At 5.30, when we were called, the Doctor came and announced that he had something very important to communicate to us.  This proved to be that one of our men was suffering from small-pox, and not from rheumatic fever, as had been supposed.  My first thought was that Muriel had been with the Doctor to see him yesterday evening; my next, that many men had been sleeping in the same part of the vessel with him; my third, that for his greater comfort he had been each day in our part of the ship; and my fourth, what was to be done now?  After a short consultation, Tom decided to alter our course for Malacca, where we arrived at half-past nine; the Doctor at once went on shore in a native prahu to make the best arrangements he could under the circumstances.  He was fortunate enough to find Dr. Simon, nephew of the celebrated surgeon of the same name, installed as head physician at the civil hospital here.  He came off at once with the hospital boat, and, having visited the invalid, declared his illness to be a very mild case of small-pox.  He had brought off some lymph with him, and recommended us all to be re-vaccinated.  He had also brought sundry disinfectants, and gave instructions about fumigating and disinfecting the yacht.  All the men were called upon the quarter-deck, and addressed by Tom, and we were surprised to find what a large proportion of them objected to the operation of vaccination.  At last, however, the prejudices of all of them, except two, were overcome.  One of the latter had promised his grandfather that he never would be vaccinated under any circumstances, while another would consent to be inoculated, but would not be vaccinated.  We had consulted our own medical man before leaving England, and knew that for ourselves the operation was not necessary, but we nevertheless underwent it pour encourager les autres.  While the Doctor was on shore we had been surrounded by boats bringing monkeys, birds, ratan and Malacca canes, fruit, rice, &c., to sell, and as I did not care to go ashore, thinking there might be some bother about quarantine, we made bargains over the side of the yacht with the traders, the result being that seven monkeys, about fifty birds of sorts, and innumerable bundles of canes, were added to the stock on board.  In the meantime Dr. Simon had removed our invalid to the hospital.

Malacca looks exceedingly pretty from the sea.  It is a regular Malay village, consisting of huts, built on piles close to the water, overshadowed by cocoa palms and other forms of tropical vegetation.  Mount Ofia rises in the distance behind; there are many green islands, too, in the harbour.  By one o’clock we were again under way, and once more en route for Penang.

[Illustration:  MALACCA]