New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-07

1 V'oi "omou ~eio nauieu up ny ooh'ono'
H. as Ruskin maintains, dirt be an element OF the
picturesque, The Four Friends would have thrilled
him with delight Had there been as much steamer
as dirt, the Great Eastern would have had danger
GUS rival. We walked over dirt, sat on it. and when
descended steep, grimy ladder to inspect what
was cOurteously called the cabin, saw contracted
sly that none but human pigs could for one moment
have endured. Compared with it, the worst steamer
crossing the English Channel III Paradise Inc
captain was thin Spaniard with dark, greasy
complexion. dark greasy hair nails and teeth In
deep mourning. and short, bristling black beard
that made him look like the first murderer III
Macbeth" The crew were miracles OF untidiness
and deformity, the most horrible Of whom-a boy
with one eye and a deep cash in the place OF the
other-perfOrmed the pleasing duties OF steward
with the dizziness of a hippopotamus There Is
nothing like touching the world at all points"
said to my Disguised self, as, enveloped in water
proof curled up on the least dirty bench to DC
found. The rain pelted upon the diapidated avn
ing drawn over the deck, small streams finding their
way down unsuspecting backs and into helpless
carpet-bags There being few seats. men and wo-
men extended themselves upon the damp deck, and.
embracing tin bowls, groaned in chorus as soon as
The Four Friends weighed anchor. Everybody was
sick-everybody but the Blinker; nobody offered
to assist anybody several women shrieked, several
men hOwled, and one or two rolled about In agony.
The few French on board suffered in silence. They
never forgot to be decent. Their ncighbors could
not remember what they appeared never to have
known.
In this pandemonium of dirt the greasy captain wan
dered about talking at the rate of ino"culabe knote
an hour Had his tongue been our motor power, we
should have arrived at Santander before leaving St.
Jean de Luz Unfortunately, it could be put to no
such good use. The captain merely succeeded in
making us little more wretched than we otherwise
should have been. IN do all can for you III do
all can for you p he exclaimed, again and again,
in q superfluity Of Spanish that would have filled
columns. IN do all can for you; but I'm afraid
can do nothing. In all probability we shall be de-
tanned in quarantine /" In the name Of common
sense, why ~ asked, with terror-stricken coun-
tenance. "Well You see, there is cholera in Paris
"But we are not from Paris There is not passen-
ger who is not from the south of France" 1T
doesn't make any difference" continued the volube
captain who went from one to another saving the
air. and diversifying the entertainment by tinging
language at the ghastly-eyed steward-boy, and,
during the flinging drinking native wine that had
a wonderful effect in enriching his vocabulary. From
time to time the Blinker disappeared, returning with
his mouth full, by which knew he had been eating,
in spite of his assurance that he was very ILL., but
had too much self-control to express his emotion.
Finally the Blinker came to me with small news
paper bundle saying he thought if I'd eat little
should feel better Eat what y / asked. why,
the chicken, Of course; the chicken l cooked at
Biarritz."
stale chicken done up in newspaper, that for
two days had been slowed away in the Blinkers
carpet-bag. This was the decacy offered to
deathly sea-sick woman! "Throw that chicken
overboardw gasped wildly. "Bien Madame"
replied the Blinker. Would anything disconcert
that exasperating courieri Overheard went the
Improbable chicken and the sea made one mouth
full of it. Had the Blinker and the Captain gone
after it should have felt better; but no, the
Blinker patronzed the universe with his smiling
dissatisfaction and the captain who was his own
perpetual encore repeated Quarantine variations
And to such an audience. In spite of their bilious
ness they were the right people in the right place
No dirt could astonish them nor wagging tongue
enrape The entire cargo seemed to be attacked by
hydrophobia shirts and Observation-Disclosures hav-
ing tire urnlant form " Sh"ii too grow
rabid ~ asked my inner self with horror here
on the dreadful Bay of Biscay o. that terror OF
mariners about which tenors sing sepulchrally !"
My inner self advised me to be calm and as the sun
came out, when we steamed into the fort of San
sebastiano. lighting up the lofty port Furnishing
the waves. that until then, had been sptefnl,
iealous green it began to dawn upon me that the
world was not entirely composed of chopping seas.
Nobody left the boat at San SebastianO, and sew
eral hydrophobia patients came aboard. This mace
bad worse but, after attaining certain amount OF
misery it matters little how much more is inflicted
There are moral as well as physical gymnastics. The
athlete carries upon his shoulders one two, or three
men with almost equal ease Being able to carry
the first man tells the training of the muscles.
Bearing one mountain of misery denotes the ca
pacitv to endure Pelion piled upon Ossa. The addi-
tional hydIophOba patients retired TO the baggage,
and roasted on the protrudiDg ends of trunks. AT
least they roasted after we sailed. Pnor
TO that we underwent an inflcton Of custom-house
officers Why, no one could TELL as no one went
ashore Perhaps the officers needed little relaxa-
ton. The mere fact of there being no reason for
doing thing appears to be the very best reason-n
Spain-why it should be done at all hazards.
But no filthy steamer no Spaniard, can destroy the
interest of the Spanish coast In solitary beauty
almost as lifeess as when the world began-the
Spanish Pyrenees. massed against the sky. surge
along the coast in lofter grander pillows than any
that the ocean nvOkes Cruel as they are beautiful
they excite fear while extortng admiration, nor
harbors are few and the mariner knows but too well
what dangers lurk at their feet. Playing hide and
seek on their dimpled. many-cOored sides, the sun
makes charming pictures for brilliant colOrst. vet
an artist of sensbty would lose heart, for what is
more chilling than inhosptable beauty "You are
very fine" said. 81 am glad have seen you. but
YOU are treacherous. Even in sunlight you dazzle
without warming and even in good weather would
not be at your mercy. II you dumbly indicate the
character of the people whose northern coast you de-
fend so successfully then shall be az glad to see
the last of them as | am to see the last Of yon."
The last, however was long in coming. Not until
n. A fha haarr lfIh