Litchfield enquirer., 1869-04-15

bOaatful Of the sentiments We united Ill
 protesting, or of protesting them with 9 more discordant defiance of time and
 tune. ,p s..;s., ..ss.s;s... ra f...3..,.- =.
 fresh remembrance of these things made
 me laugh heartily. alone in the dead water 'gurgling waste of the night, what time
 was wedged into my berth by a wooden bar, or Imust have rolled out of it, sswhat rerrand was | then upon. and to what Abys-
 sinian point had public events then march
 ed? No matter as to me. Aud as to them, If the wonderful popular rage for play
 thing (utterly confounding in it's inscruta-
 able nnreason) had not then lighted on $ young savage boy, and a poor old screw of a horse, and hauled tho first of by the hair
 of his princely head to inspect British
 volunteers, and hauled the second of by
 the hair of his equine tail to the Crystal
 Palace, why so much tue, better for us all outside of Bedlam!' .sI f-s..s.sa 9..a s,--. es
 So, sticking to. the ship, I was at the trouble of asking myself would l like to
 show the grog distribution in l" the fiddle" at noon, to tho Grand United Amalgama- ted Total Abstinence Society. Yes, think should I think 1t would do them good to smell the rum, under the circumstances. Over the grog. mixed in bucket, presides the. .boatswain g mate, small tin can in hand. Enter the crew, the guilty consumers. the grown up brood of Giant Despair. in con
 l tradistinction to the Band of youthful an- gel Hope Some in boots, some in leggins, some in tarpaulin oyeralls. some in frocks, l some in pea-coats, very few Tn jackets, most with sou -wester hats, all with some
 thing rough and rugged round the throat all, dripping salt water where they stand;
 all pelted by weather. besmeared with grease, and blackenedg by the sooty rig ging. s.s .z4~ .s' a # zgl s1 Each mans knife in it's sheath in his l girdle, loosened for dinner. As the first
 man, with a knowingly kindled eye, watch
 es the filling of the poisoned chaiice truly
 but very small tin mug. to be prosaic),
 and tossing back his head, losses the con
 tents into himself, and passes the, empty chalice, and passes on, SO the second man, l with an anticipatory wipe of his mouth or
 sleeve or neck-kerchief, bides his turn,
 and drinks and hands, and passes on. In l whom, and in each, as his turn approach
 es, beams 8 knowingly. kindled eye, a 1 brighter temper, and a suddenly awakened l tendency to be joeose with some shipmate. l Nor do even observe that the man in
 charge of the ships lamps, who in right of | U ed chalices, seems thereby vastly degra- l into himself, one after the other, much as
 absorbent establishment in which he had
 no personal interest. But vastly comfort ed note them all to be, on deck present.
 ly, even to the circulation of redder
 blood in their cold bluet knuckles; and l when I look up at them lying out in the yards, and holding on for life among the
 beating sails, cannot for nsy life see the justice of visiting on them-or on me-ths drunken crimes of any number of crimi-
 nals srraigned at the heavlest of Assizes.
 .Abetting myself in my idle humor,
 closed my eyes and recalled life on board ] of one of those mail packets. as I lay. part
 of that day, in the Bay of New York O!
 The regular life began-mine always did.
 for never got to sleep afterwards-with I the rigging of the pump while it was yet 1 dark, and washing down of the decks. Any
 enormous giant at 8 prodigious hydro pathio establishment, conscientiously un- dergoing the Water Cure in all its depart
 ments, and extremely particular about
 cleaning his teeth, would make these nois-
 es. Swash. splash, scrub. rub, toothbrush. splash, splash, bubble, rub. Then the day
 would break, and, descending from my berth by 9 graceful ladder composed of 1 half opened drawers beneath it, would
 reopen my dead-light and my inner sliding window (eiossd by watchman during, the
 Water Cure), and would look out ct the long rolling. lead-colored, white topped I waves, over which the dawn, on cold win
 ter morning, cast ia level, lonely glance,
 and through which the ship fought ;, her melancholy way at terrific rate. And
 now. lying down again. awaiting the sea
 son for broiled ham and tea, would be
 compelled to listen to the voice of con-
 science--the Screw. e...... ..gf
 | It might be, in some cases, no more than
 the voice of Stomach, but I called it in my
 fancy by the higher name. o Because 1t seemed to me that we were all of us, ali 1 day long, endeayoring to stide the Voice. Because it was under every body's pillow, everybody's plate, zi every body camp
 stool, everybody's book, every body'ss oc-: equation. Because, we pretended not to
 hear it, especially It meal times, evening
 whist, and morning conversation On deck; ];
 bat it was always among us in an under monotone, not to be drowned in pea-soup.
 not to be shuffled with cards, not to be di- 1 vertsd by books, mot to be Knitted into l tanylpattern, not to bs walked ssway from
 It was smoked in the weediest cigar, and drunk in the strongest cock tail; it was conveyed on deck at noon with limp la- dies. who lay there in their wrappers un-
 til the stars shone; it waited at table with the stewards; nobody could pnt it out with the lights. It was considered (as on shore} ll-bred to Iacknowledgs the voice of Con science It was not polite to mention it. One squally day an atniable gentleman in love gave much offence 10 8 esurrounding circle. including the object of his attach msnt, by saying of it, after it had goaded him over two easy chairs and . sky-hght,, 1 < Screwr'' sdi i0 IaS'aSaa n9 5assts5g s1l3 5, Sometimes it would appear subdued. In. fieeting moments, when bubbles of cham pagne pervaded the nose, or when there was hot pot" in the bill of fare, or when an old dish we had regularly every day was
 described in that official document by . new name under .such settlements, one
 would almost believe it hushed. The cer- emony of washing plates on deck, per formed after esary meal bya . circle as of ringers of crockery triple-bob majors for la prize, would keep it down. Hauling the reel, taking the sun at noon, posting the tRenty-four al1oafs' run, altering the shipsa time by. the meridian, casting the