I recall, it was about a British guy in in Singapore-he offended some local witch doctor who puts a curse on him-supposedly, if he sails west of Aden, he will die. On the ship, he starts feeling ill-so he contacts a guy who tries to “transfer” the curse to a chicken-the trick doesn’t work, and the guy dies.
that is all I remember.
Is it P & O from The Casuarina Tree? That’s the first hit when you search for Somerset Maugham (note the spelling) and curse, and it appears to hit many of the points you remember.
I don’t know the story but I’ve been wondering why in photos Somerset Maugham always looks like he was holding a mock funeral for his sense of humor when suddenly Rodney Dangerfield interrupts.
Kind of a stretch, but really, how else would you describe that face?
