ABSTRACT
It seemed provident ia l when my cousin, A r t h u r Price, told me he could arrange a round the wor ld tr ip on a cargo boat ca l l ing at A u s t r a l i a and staying there about nine weeks, for the cut rate of £90 . I f I had k n o w n quite what it wou ld involve I might not have been so eager to go. A r t h u r , who was a distant connection, had been marr ied to U r s u l a , daughter of my cousin Fanny Bere. She had died some years before and A r t h u r , who had been severely wounded i n the head i n the Firs t W o r l d W a r , had now been advised by his doctor to take a voyage round the wor ld because he had not been at a l l wel l . T h o u g h I had known A r t h u r a l l my life I had never known h i m wel l , and only thought he wanted the sort o f complete rest afforded by a long sea voyage. I d i d not know that the shrapnel i n his head had progressively pressed on his bra in and that a long sea voyage without a doctor on board was not the correct treatment. However , he obviously had some doubts about his health as he insisted on pay ing the passage of an A u s t r a l i a n nursing sister to look after h i m , but she was far too young for this k i n d o f thing and, again, d i d not know what she was i n for.
