[Page 20, line 1] Madura a ship named after the District and town in Madras, now Chennai, India, or after the Island to the east of Java near Surabaya.
[Page 20, lines 1 & 2] Bay of Bengal The sea between the east coast of India and Burma.
[Page 20, line 6] chota hazri Hindustani – ‘little breakfast’. In India in those days, usually taken in bed. [ORG].
[Page 21, lines 16 & 17] running up the Red Sea heading in a NW direction towards Egypt and the Suez Canal.
[Page 22, line 15] Mary Magdalene Mary of Magdala, said to be a repentant prostitute, although this is nowhere stated in the New Testament. Her history is uncertain, but she became the Patron Saint of Penitents. See also KJ 308, pp.9-19, for an article by R.C. Ayers on “The Gardener” (Debits and Credits) which explores a later use of Mary Magdalene by Kipling.
[Page 22, line 16 & 17] quartermaster a ship’s officer whose duties included overseeing the stowing of freight.
[Page 22, line 21] awning a canvas canopy spread over the deck for protection from the sun. (The Oxford Companion to Ships & the Sea, ed. Peter Kemp.)
[Page 22, line 23] flail an agricultural implement used for threshing, i.e. separating the edible grain from the husk. Usually made from two pieces of wood with a flexible joint, the flail is swung vigorously to achieve its purpose.
[Page 22, line 25] typhoon basically the same as a tropical cyclone or hurricane. In meteorology, these are defined as having surface winds greater than 64 knots or 73.6 miles per hour.
[Page 24, line 16] Venice the city in Italy best known for its canals.
[Page 24, line 17] Malayan tapir Tapirs are related to horses and rhinoceroses. The Malayan is the largest of four species, weighing up to 800 lbs., and has distinctive colouration of a broad white band around the back half of its body whilst the remainder is black.
[Page 24, line 19] Guzl thyar hai Hindustani for ‘the bath is ready’. One edition of this collection does not give the Hindustani, but these four English words instead). [ORG]
[D.P.]
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