The Cruise of the Calgaric | 04 FIRST INTERLUDE

04 FIRST INTERLUDE

Photo] [M. Crowdy
ENTERING THE KIEL CANAL

Photo] [M. Crowdy
THE LOCK OPENING, KIEL CANAL

Photo] [M. W. Brampton
THE QUAY AT BRUNSBUTTEL

IV
FIRST INTERLUDE
THE NEXT TWO DAYS were spent at sea. At 6 p.m. on Monday, August i4th we arrived at Brunsbüttel, the entrance to the Kid Canal. A German customs officer came on board, and we had a considerable time to wait while the lock was being filled to the higher level. During this wait, an enterprising German on the quay did a brisk trade in eau de Cologne, etc., passing his goods up to the ship in a:net at the end of a long pole and trustfully receiving in exchange any English money that was put in. Soon we entered the Canal itself, and steamed on, enjoying the sight of fields full of corn ready for harvest, and the scent of new-mown hay which came from both banks.
We reached Holtenau, at the eastern end of the Canal, about 3 o'clock in the morning, and had another wait before we emerged into the Baltic Sea.
When we came on deck in the morning, there were many low-lying islands to be seen.
During these two days deck sports were arranged and the competitions started. There was a very large number of entries and not much progress was made, as people spent most of their time trying to find their partners and their opponents. The games played were deck tennis, quoits, shuffleboard, bull board and ping-pong. The competitions were organized by a committee of which Mr. Graham Wallis (District Commissioner in Hertfordshire) was chairman.
There was no lack of other occupations. The two canvas swimming baths on the well-deck were always full, beginning at 6.30 a.m. when Sir Percy, General Burt and Mr. Robbins used to meet there, so as to get away from the women. The bath was very small, and a Scouter was heard to remark as he swam round and round it: "I feel like a bloomin' goldfish!"
Mrs. Janson Potts organized country dancing, and the Scottish contingent was much admired for their really beautiful dancing; singing practices were held, and for the intellectually inclined there were lectures—one by Mrs. Kerr on "Scouts and Guides in Poland"; one by General Burt on "The Baltic States"; and one by Miss Acland on "Sea Birds," with lantern slides made by herself.
General Burt was in 1919 and 1920 head of the Allied Military Mission to the Baltic Countries; the duties of the Mission were to see to the withdrawal of the

Germans from the states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to their own frontier, to help these nations to drive the Bolsheviks out of their territories, and to give them every assistance possible in establishing their independence.
In the performance of these duties, General Burt came to know intimately the generals and statesmen of these several nations and to be immensely interested in their development; it was easy for us to see, wherever he went with us, the esteem and affection in which he was held, and his special knowledge of these countries was a great asset to us.
Miss Acland (District Commissioner in Surrey) is a great bird lover and a wonderful bird photographer. Unlike some people who have great knowledge of a subject and little power of conveying this to other people, Miss Acland can tell a most interesting and amusing story of her experiences and can infuse her enthusiasm into her hearers. She gave another very good lecture later on during the cruise, on the birds she had seen and photographed on a previous journey to Sweden, and her notes on the birds seen during this cruise are given on page 47.
Drawn by
H. E. C. Brickell
THE ROBIN

Photo] [Walshams, Ltd.
THE SHIP'S BATHING POOL

Photo] [M. Crowdy
LIFEBOAT DRILL

Photo] [J.Montagu

DECK GAMES

Photo] [Walshams, Ltd.
TAKING THE AIR