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00:00The Pearls of the Kali
00:11It was written on the 7th of May, 1903.
00:20It was springtime in New York.
00:23In Central Park, the coconuts were blooming.
00:31The skyscrapers at Times Square were shooting up.
00:35And in Wall Street, the dollars were multiplying in a wonderful way.
00:39Not that there was much to see, because it was dark.
00:44More precisely, half an hour before midnight.
00:47And apart from the fact that the New York spring is pretty cold right now.
00:53Because I was about to leave my beloved hometown for a long time.
01:04My name is Hatch.
01:06Hutchinson Hatch.
01:08Reporter at the Daily New Yorker, the world newspaper of the world city.
01:11And if you're wondering why I'm saying goodbye to Broadway to travel the world.
01:17Then I could tell you a lot about an assignment of my newspaper to cover the old Europe and other curious places.
01:25And to exclusively report on everything interesting.
01:28But the most important reason for my trip was another one.
01:33I wanted to accompany a man who belongs to Hutchinson Hatch like, let's say, Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson.
01:41I mean, of course, my dear friend, Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Augustus Van Dusen.
01:49The great natural scientist and amateur criminologist, who is known as the machine of thought.
02:12You're leaving, Professor?
02:15Yes, my dear Hatch didn't run away from me.
02:18But don't you want to leave your profession and look at the scenery?
02:22The skyline of Manhattan.
02:24I'm quite familiar with it.
02:26The Statue of Liberty.
02:28I know this monumental work of modern sculptor art to my heart's content.
02:32The many people at the pier who say goodbye to us.
02:35Are rather annoying to me to give the truth the honor.
02:38I suggest to avoid this obligatory trouble at such occasions.
02:44If you're looking for me, you'll find me in the cabin.
02:47I'll be working on my manuscript on the basics of the atomic structure theory of the elements.
02:55Typical Van Dusen.
02:57Of course, I stayed on deck and watched as the huge dark blue hull of the Columbia
03:02worked its way out of the East River.
03:06Brooklyn and Staten Island passed and, past Sandy Hook,
03:10steamed out into the great Atlantic.
03:13Full power ahead! Full power ahead!
03:17Full power ahead!
03:27Don't you think that Professor Van Dusen would have left the usual environment,
03:31teaching chair, laboratory, circle of friends, and a soft heart behind him?
03:35But his epochal researches in almost all areas of natural science
03:40had torn at his forces.
03:42Especially the longer contact with the mysterious element radium
03:45was not left without serious consequences.
03:48In addition, the tension of the numerous significant criminal cases
03:53that Van Dusen, to a certain extent, had to solve in his spare time.
03:58In short, the professor was overworked and needed air change.
04:05So it happened that we, Professor Van Dusen and my little team,
04:10were on board the Columbia on the way to Europe to recover.
04:15We could not imagine that our peaceful tour
04:19would turn into an almost uninterrupted series of dangerous adventures
04:23and unheard of crimes.
04:26We had New York almost behind us.
04:29That's where it started.
04:31Here on the Columbia, the story that I called
04:34The Pearls of Kali happened.
04:37You could also call it
04:39Murder on the high seas.
04:45The Pearls of Kali
05:16Cheers!
05:19Your Excellency,
05:21My Lord, My Lady,
05:24Ladies and Gentlemen,
05:26I have the opportunity to use this, our first meal together,
05:30to welcome you on board the Columbia in the name of the transatlantic line.
05:35That our ship has four hulls
05:38and is equipped with all the comfort of modern times,
05:41that my lords have already recognized.
05:43But what you probably do not know yet,
05:46due to its 20,000 brutto register tons
05:49and its maximum speed of 23 knots,
05:53the Columbia is currently the largest and fastest ship on the Atlantic route.
05:58We have the justified hope
06:01to reach our destination, Southampton,
06:04already on May 13th,
06:06after only a six-day journey.
06:09The next day, at lunch,
06:12Captain Harris held the obligatory welcome speech
06:15at the so-called captain's table,
06:18where the crème de la crème was gathered.
06:21People who, through money or rank or reputation,
06:24were out of the crowd of the usual first-class passengers.
06:28From the second or even third class, of course,
06:31not to mention.
06:33So that you know who you are dealing with at this table,
06:35my chief steward will now introduce you to each other.
06:39May I?
06:41His Majesty, the Maharaja of Krishnapur.
06:44An Indian prince, as stated in the book.
06:47Gold-plated turban,
06:49the doyak and schnabel shoes.
06:51Jewels everywhere, wherever you can find them.
06:54An unremarkable smile on his brown face, and so on.
06:58You know the guy.
07:00Lord and Lady Wildermere.
07:02The ambassador of his Great British Majesty,
07:05in Washington, on a vacation home.
07:08To relax from the wild passions of the Americans.
07:11In addition to painting.
07:13He, stiff and stiff,
07:15of a refined boredom.
07:17She, slender like a fir, beautiful like an orchid.
07:20Aristocratic, up to the refined fingertips.
07:23Mr. and Mrs. Oscar M. Doberman.
07:26That's me.
07:28You've probably heard of the famous soap king from Chicago.
07:31A man who had millions of dollars,
07:35and therefore didn't bother to take care of the so-called
07:39more beautiful things in life.
07:41He now wanted to do the same in Europe.
07:44His wife only noticed,
07:47that she had put together her clothes on board,
07:50exactly according to the advice of the little manual,
07:53for ship travelers.
07:55Flannel suit, warm coat,
07:57and firm, if not fashionable, shoes.
08:01By the way, quite in contrast to Lady Wildermere,
08:05who, even with wind and waves,
08:07didn't want to give up on feathers and a Parisian model hat.
08:11Professor Van Dusen.
08:13I don't need to introduce him anymore.
08:15Dr. Miller.
08:17A surgeon from Minneapolis,
08:19who should have a certain reputation in the Middle West.
08:21I didn't know him,
08:23and didn't pay much attention to him either.
08:25That was, as she later found out, a mistake.
08:29And Mr. Hedge.
08:31Surely you are surprised,
08:33that a simple New York journalist
08:35at the captain's table of Columbia
08:37is allowed to take a seat.
08:39No reason to get excited.
08:4151% of the transatlantic line
08:43belong to my old man, Gott Schützen.
08:46That explains everything.
08:48Please allow me, gentlemen,
08:50to withdraw now.
08:52The captain's seat is, as you know, on the bridge.
08:54And this is especially true now,
08:56because the course of Columbia
08:58leads through a notorious iceberg area.
08:59Is there a risk, captain?
09:01Not in the least, milord.
09:03Columbia is unsinkable.
09:05Before I leave you,
09:07I have an announcement.
09:09For tomorrow evening, May 9th,
09:11I invite you and the other first-class passengers
09:13to a mask ball in the Palm Garden.
09:16This celebration will,
09:18as I hope,
09:20by the friendly weather
09:22and the luxury surrounding it,
09:24still beautify a pleasant stay on board.
09:26As for the sale of the costumes,
09:27please contact the customs.
09:29And now,
09:31excuse me.
09:33Would you like anything else, milord?
09:35Champagne!
09:37We want to have fun.
09:39And we did have fun
09:41on this day and the next.
09:43The weather stayed nice,
09:45the wind held back,
09:47no one became seasick,
09:49except, of course,
09:51the third-class passengers
09:53at bow and stern,
09:55where it always shakes.
09:57Occasionally,
09:59to avoid getting rusty,
10:01I played a game of shuffleboard
10:03or a round of poker in the smoking room.
10:05And only very rarely
10:07did I read a few lines
10:09for the Deli New Yorker.
10:11Quite differently,
10:13Professor Van Dusen.
10:15He sat in his cabin,
10:17talked about the atomic structure theory
10:19of the elements
10:21and remained unsociable.
10:23Of course, I knew what he was missing.
10:25An interesting case,
10:27and the professor
10:29should be helped very soon.