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My Hong Kong Adventure Walter Ashe |
| In 1937, while serving in the U.S. Navy, I was a crewmember of
the gunboat USS ASHEVILLE. We sailed the whole 2000-mi1e length of the
China coast to protect American lives and property and found very
interesting experiences in many of the ports that we visited. One port we
enjoyed and visited quite often was Hong Kong. I spent many liberties
browsing around the shops and areas that have many exciting things to
recall as I unfold my memory bank to disclose some of the events. One day I was browsing in the Thieves Market in Victoria, which is the city on the
island of better known Hong Kong. It was a street filled with outdoor Stands and shops like
our "flee markets." I was looking for an opium pipe to take home as a souvenir. In the
process of looking, in one of the shops that sold such things, I had made my needs verbally
to the shopkeeper. He had pointed to several examples of what I was looking for and then
left to wait on another customer while I continued trying to decide on what type of opium
pipe I would want. I finally made a purchase of a small pipe about two feet long and was It was an authentic shop from all appearances. We passed men sawing and planning lumber and entered a black cotton drape-covered doorway that surely did not indicate any secret operations therein. We proceeded down a dimly lit hallway. I felt a sense of danger at this point, my enthusiasm for adventure dropping gradually, but I kept going. At the end of the hallway I was led through another same draped doorway. Immediately, the sweet odor of opium filled my senses. Several bunks lined the walls and there were men stretched out thereon puffing ardently on the long opium pipes, lost in a drug filled dream world. My guide notified the proprietor of my desire to smoke. I could not make out his feature too clearly as the room was only lit by a small table lamp against the wall between the rows of bunks. He appeared somewhat eager to satisfy my needs and his thin black mustache hung down alongside his mouth seemed to rise as he showed yellow stained teeth in what appeared as a form of greeting. He quickly left the room and quickly returned with an opium pipe all filled and ready for use. At this point my spirit of adventure came to an abrupt end. I felt in great danger as I remembered the hatchet slaying I used to read about that happened in the San Francisco Chinatown. I knew that I had to get out of this place and in a hurry .In my desperation, and maybe a little panicky, I quickly went into an act. I suddenly, with feigned great excitement, looked at my watch. "Oh! my " I spoke to the proprietor, "I'm late for an appointment," I cried out in
haste. "Hold the pipe and I'll be right back." And without another word I dashed down the
hallway and out into the street. I ran all the way to the Queens Theater, where I found
refuge. I sat there for a long time, not aware what was on the screen, until I felt free to
venture outside and headed in the opposite direction. You can be sure it was enough
adventure for one day and I headed back to the dock where I could take a boat back to the
protection of the ship. Maybe it was just plain Irish luck or my guardian angel that saved
my from what could have been, I thought, a disastrous situation. I often wondered what
the reaction was by the opium dealer to my quick departure. Maybe they had a good laugh
at the crazy American sailor, but opium was illegal in Hong Kong, so they might have
been concerned that the police would be informed. I'll never know, but I do still have my
souvenir, the opium pipe from China. |