Posted by John Lambert on August 12, 2000 at 06:52:39 from dialin-42-4.vancouver.primus.ca:
Can't help thinking that the reaction of the S and A's to the loss
of the Wild Cat in Missee Lee was very unemotional. Titty was the only
one who showed much feeling. Here are six children who have to jump
into their sailing dinghies to save their lives, watch their
beloved yacht burn to the waterline, and sail a day and a night in
heavy weather separated from each other, yet react in far too cool a
manner. They seem to get over the loss very quickly too.
Another thing. The three islands were clearly off the south coast
of China, so the inhabitants must have been speaking Cantonese or an
affiliated dialect, yet some of the words they use are doubtful. Yamen,
for example, does not mean courtyard or compound, as AR implied. It
could mean gateway or police station.