Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-08-17
Life on a Racing Yacht.

passenger on the DauntIess thus de-
scrlbes part Of his experience on his
memorable trip, in Wilkes Spirit OF the
Times:
We almost daily saw vessels, and must
have passed in view OF at least twenty or
twenty-five in all. This inclined US to be-
lieve that we were in fact, as we had ex-
pected to be, on the weather side, though,
az the event has proved, without founda-
ton. We exchanged colors with most of
them. We only used our rockets and blue
lights, however, once-on the fourth day
out. The effect of the light upon the sails
and water was extremely striking, and was,
IN fact, one of the ''enects' of the voyage.
The waves were illuminated, as If by some
strange magic, with curiously unnatural
sheen; the mainsail grew almost spectral,
and the silhouettes of the sailors and the
outlines of the spars stood out IN bold re-
lief against the black, black night that
closed i'll on every side of US.
Our life aboard was extremely quiet; we
were SO out of spirits at our bad fortune,
that we felt it to be very ''up-hill" work to
appear passably cheerful. But it should
be clearly understood that we did not al
low ourselves to become utterly miserable.
Recreation took almost purely literary
form. Reclined in the cabin, we calmly
smoked and sought distraction in cargo
of novels. To this improving pass the
liberality of a New York alderman largely
contributed, as he had sent aboard a COM
plete cheap edition of Dickens novels, SO
ethereally fimsy in their manufacture that
we felt 1t to be almost moral duty to re-
duce it to state of premature dilapidation
Sleeping also became very popular and
fashionable pastlme, ana occasionally
cocktails were ruled to be in order.
Then for music. We had now and then
the popping or champagne cork, or
the sullen swish of the water through the
lea scuppers, or such choice gems of cur
rent melody as ''Snorleygoster, and "Jem
cracked corn and I don't care" varied
with distorted renderings of the more
crazy naorcealtG of LA Belle Helene" and
x"Genevive de Brahant." Two of our par
| ty, too, we're incessently engaged in a
backgammon tournament, in which blind
luck was pitted against skill, the latter by
no means getting the best of it. So it can
easily be seen that we managed to point
the hours as they fed slowly by with lead
en- feet, with an occasional laugh. But
this is q matter of course. It is absurd to
| suppose that Americans returning home
can be rendered hopele8sly unhappy even
! by the widest and most ill-natured capric-
! es of Roreas.
! How A CAMEL Goes THROUGH THE EYE
OF NEEDLE. passage from the New
Testament, cit is easier for camel" etc.,
has perplexed many good men who have
read it literally. In oriental cities there
are in the large gates small and very low
apertures, called metaphorically needles
eyes, just as we talk of windows on ship
board as ''buls' eyes" These entrances
are too narrow for camel to pass through
them IN the ordinary manner, or even il
loaded. When loaded camel has to pass
through one of these entrances it kneels
down, its load is removed, and then il
shufaes through on its knees. "Yester
day" writes Lady Duff Gordon from Cairo
''Isaw camel go through the eye of 6
needle, that is, the low arched door of al
inclosure. He must kneel and bow his
head to creep through; and thus the rich
man must humble himself"
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