The Kaga Maru had only just docked in the port and already the derricks were in action, hoisting large wooden crates ashore in heavy nets. Below, men steadied the loads as they descended to the wharf. Others were waiting to ferry the cargo elsewhere. An officious-looking Englishman in a white suit marched up to a stevedore who might have been Chinese or Malay. There was a brief exchange and then the official, satisfied perhaps, crossed the wharf and entered the office building beside a warehouse.
Kaga MaruEmma’s gaze drifted. A tram had stopped at the far end of the wharf, as though awaiting the ship’s passengers. A few gharries and rickshaws had drawn up. In front of all that activity, porters rushed up and down the gangway with luggage. The passengers, who were required to wait on deck
