The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-27


was yet dark, and washing down the decks. |
Any enormous giant at prodigious hydropathic |
establishment, couscenciously undergoing the
water cure in all its departments, and extremely
particular about cleaning his teeth, would make
those noises. Swash splash, scrub, rub. tooth
brush, bubble, swash, splash, bubble, tooth
brush, splash, splash, bubble. rub. Then the
day would break, and descending from my berth
by q graceful ladder composed OF half opened
drawers beneath it, would reopen my outer
dead light and my inner sliding window CLOSED
by Waterman during the water cure), and
would look out at the long rolling, lead colored
white topped waves over which the dawn. on
cold winter morning, cast level, lonely glance,
ard through which the ship fought her melan
choly way at q terrific rate. And now, lying
down again. awaiting the season for broiled
ham and tea. | would be compelled to listen to
the voice of conscience, the screw.
It might be, in some cases, no more than the
voice OF stomach, but | called it in my fancy by
the higher name. Because IL seemed to me that
we were all of Us, all day long, endeavoring 70
stife the voice. Because IT was under everyb odys
pillow, everybody's plate, everybody's camp
stool. everybody's occupation. Because we pre-
tended not 10 hear it, especially at meal times,
evening whist, and morning conversation on deck;
but it was always among us IN an under moro
tone. not to be drowned in pea soup, not to be
shDfied with cards, not to be Invested with books,
not 10 be knitted into any pattern. not to be
walked away from. Ii was smoked Ia the weed
lest cigar. and drank in the strongest cocktail il
was conveyed on deck at noon with limp ladies.
who lay there in their wrappers until the stars
shone; il waited at table with the stewards; no.
body could put it out with the lights. 1t was con-
sidered (as on shore) i'll bred to acknowledge the
voice Of conscience. IL was not polite TO mention
1t. One squally day an amiable gentleman In
love gave much offense to surrounding circle.
including the object Of his attachment by saying
of it. alter it had goaded him oyertw easy chairs
and q skylight. screw"
Sometimes 1t would appear snbdued. In teet-
IN M W n ChamDaOna
vaded the nose, or when there was '' hot pot'' in
the bill of fare, or when an old dish we had had
regularly every day was described in that official
document by a new name-under such excite
meDts one would almost believe it hushed. The
ceremony of washing plates on deck, performed
after every meal by circle as of ringers OF crock
cry trlple-bob majors for prize, would keep 1t
down. Hauling the reel, taking the sun at noon,
posting the twenty four hours run, altering the
ships time by the meridian, casting the waste food
overheard and attracting the eager gulls that fol-
lowed in our wake; these events would suppress
it for awhile. But the instant any break or pause
took place in any such diversion, the voice would
be a. it again. importuning TO the last extent.
A rewy married young pair, who walked the deck
affectionately some twenty miles per day, would
in the full flush of their exercise, suddenly be-
come stricken by it, and stand trembling, but
otherwise immovable, under its reproaches.
When this terrible monitor was most severe with
MS was when the time approached for our retiring
10 our deDs for the night When the lighted
When the deserted glasses with spoons In them
grew more and more numerous. When waits OF
toasted cheese and trays of sardines fried IN bat
ter Slid apguidly to and fro 10 the table-racks.
When the man who always read had shut up his
book and blown out his candle. When the man
who always talked had ceased from troubling.
When the man who was always incidentally re-
ported as going to have derium tremens. had put
il of till tomorrow. When the man who every
night devoted himself to O midnight smoke on
fVyO in M W
was in bed within ten minutes afterward, was but
tonipg himself up in his third coat for his hardy
vigil. For then, as we fell of one by one, and
Itering our several hutehes, came INTO Pc
culiar atmosphere Of bilge water and Windsor
soap, the Voice would shake rs TO the center.
Woe to us when we sat down on our sofa, watch
| ing the swinging candle forever trying and re-
| trying 10 stand upon his head, or our coat upon
| It's peg initiating us as we appeared in our gym
pastic days by sustaining itself horizontally from
| the wall, in emulation of the lighter and more fa-
| Gle towels Then would the Voice especially
claim us for its prey, and rend Us all to pieces.
Lights out, we ia our berths and the win d
rising, the Voice growing angrier and deeper.
| Under the mattress and under the pillow, under
| the sofa and under the washing-stand, under the
ship and under the sea, seeming 70 arise from the
foundations under the earth with every scoop Of
| the great Atlantic, land o, why scoop so y
| always the Voice. Vain to deny its existence 10
| the night season impossible TO be hard OF hear
| ing; Screw, Screw, Screw. Sometimes It Its
Out of the water, and revolves with whir, ike a
ftrocious firework-except that it never expends
ITSELF but is always ready to 60 off again; some.
times il seems TO be anguish and shivers; some
times II seems TO be terrified by the last plunge,
and has ft which causes 1t TO struggle, culver,
| aud for an instant to stop. And now the ship sets
in rolling, as only chips so fercely sore we'd
through tine and space, day and night, fair
weather and foul, can roll.
| Did she ever take a roll before like that last
Did she ever take roll before like this worse
tIats min Hara Ia fha Qrfft a
nv ear down in the deep on the lee side. Are
u We .yer coming up again together! ! think not
tie partition and / are SO long about it, tha
really do believe we have overdoDe it this time
Heavens, what a scoop What deep scoop
what q hollow scoop, what long scoop! VII
il ever end, and can We bear the heavy mass o
water we have taken on board, and which le
loo Sc all the table furniture 10 the officers mess
ard has beaten open the door at the little passage
| between the purser and me, and Is smashing
about, even there and even here? The purse
shores reassuringly, and, the ships bell striking
hear the cheerful " Ais we'll" OF the watch
nusioally given back the length Of the deck, a
| the lately diving partition, now high in the air
tries (unsofteDed by what we have gone throug
togetkerl 20 force me out of bed and berth.
"AIps well ~ Comforting TO know, thoug
| surely all might be better. Put aside the rollin
ana the rush Of watef, and think Of dartio
through such darkness with such velocity. ThIn
Of any other similar object coming in the opposit
direction.
Whether there may be any attraction in tw
such moving bodies out at sea, which may hel
accident 10 bring them into collision Thoughts
too arise (the Voice never silent all the while, be
marvelousy suggesiive) Of the gulf below; OF tn
strange unfTuiful mountain ranges and deep va
leys over which we are passing of monstrou
fish, midway of the ships suddenly altering he
cOurse on her own account, and with a vii
plunge settling down, and making thatvoyage wit
crew of dead discoveries. Now, too, one II
calls an almost universal tendency on the part G
passengers TO stumble, at some time or other /
the day on the topic of a certain large steame
making This same ron, whilst at sea and Deve
heard Of more. Every body has seemed under
spell, compelling approach to the threshold Of th
grim subject, stoppage, discontinue, and pr'
tense Of never having been near 1t. The boa
| swsin's whistle sounds : A change in the wine
hosrse orders issuing, and the watch very busy
Sails Gene crashing home overhead, ropes (ths
seem all knott ditto every man engaged appear
to have twenty feet, with twenty times th
average amount Of stamping power 10 eacf
Gradually the noise sackens, the hoarse cries di
, away, the boatswsin's whistle softens into II
sCoihiDg and conieuted notes which rather relu
tsutly admit that the job is done for the time, an
| q e Voice sets in again.
Ihus come unintelligible dreams OF up bill an
| down hill, and swinging and swaying, until col
| seriousness reyIves of atmospheTical Windsor sOs