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The Voyage & The Ship

by Tim W. Burke

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At night, the city dock was empty of travelers and oriental immigrants, so I was able to note the activities of the policemen. Dock policemen were sharp-eyed in normal circumstances. But from my vantage point at the top of our luggage, I saw the police stop every young white man for additional scrutiny.

Otherwise Matthew would not have stood out. The scruffy, brown-haired youth struggled along the dock looking like any other American looking to make his mark in the Orient or the Yukon.

He muttered with relief when we saw “S.S. Queensland Beach” on a ship’s hull. The low-slung tramp steamer waited, having unloaded its burden of migrants and freight from the South China Sea. Its crew of Europeans and Islanders were busy using the ship’s cranes to load cargo into its hold. Their destination, and ours, was Hong Kong.