The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-04-13
a Dance at Sen.

Many years ago was sailing over
the broad ocean on the Fourth OF July
10 please his American passengers, the
captain "a warm hearted Scotch,nan-
dressed the ship with flags from stem to
stern. 1t was a magnificent day-there
was not breath Of wind to lift the semi
| transparent, golden-stained haze in the
atmosphere-ands so the boatswain "piDed
all hands" for a holiday frolic
The passengers "piped" themselves, and
rushed in a body to see the sailors act an
original play, in which, disguised as ell
ephants. donkeys, and other animals they
did inconceivably funny things. Then
| they gave concert II negro -minstrels,
with world OF natural and characteristic
humor. And in what festive, jolly spirits
| ace got, to be sure! One of us-a bright
charming young fellow-invited the whole
ship-passengers, officers, crew, cook, and
powder-monkey-toa ball in the evening,
ending in a supper at his expense, on con-
dtion that we danced to the figures as he
called them out. We were ready at that
moment to promise to dance on our heads
to any thing, and looked on at a distance
with delightful anticipation, while he gave
some mysterious Instructions to an old
salt, which included some writing on his
part and much giggling on the part Of the
tar, who walked off presently, looking as
tickled as little boy with a new knife.
After tea the deck was cleared for ac-
ton. The full moon rode through the
heavens without saddle or bride, as a
''horsy" passenger remarked The cap
tan's .'iiney- -chiseled eye winked serene
ly at the subversion Of law and order" as
an amateur sculptor observed. The little
stumpy sailor who owned a dllapilated
fiddle and was to do the music. brought
out his Cremona, which whined and
squealed to perfection as he tried his hand
at the good old tunes of ''Monie Musk, -"
Life let us Cherish, and The Dashing
White Sergeant" and soon after the dane
ing began.
But the figures! Instead Of "rigbt-and-
left, etc, which figure commences CO.
tillon, our host, taught by the old tar,
yelled out this nautical paraphrase
"Haul upon your starboard tack, and
let the other craft pass, then bear up and
get your head upon the other tack regain
your berth on the port-tack back and fill
with your partner; boXhaul. and wear
round twice against the sun in company
!
atterWard boXhaul, and bring her round
to place" I"
AS we dauced with the sailors, they kept
US ''to our bearings" md we waited, mid
shouts of laughter, for the next figure,
which verybody knows in the vernacular
as forward two"
"Shoot ahead about two tathoms until
you nearly come stem on with the other
craft under way, then make stern board to
YOUR berth side out Tor y bend, first to
starboard, then to port; make sail and
pass the opposite craft. and get your head
round on the other tack; another side out
to starboard and port; then make all sail
to regain your berth wear round, back
and fill, and boXhau! your partner.'
After this came Fright hand across, >
which the old tar translated into "Heave
ahead and pass the adversary yardarm 70
yard-arm," giving the whole figure with
such droll directions that we We're aching
with laughter, ending with. "Regain Your
berth by the best means possible, and let
60 the anchor"
The rest of the cotiIIon, given with
sailing orders, was 50 riotousy funny that
the liz which ended it was according to
every ones whim, although the pharaphra
ses was as good as it could be-commenc-
ing with, wv car round to starboard, pass
ing under your partners bows, and sight
the catheads of all the crafts y and ending
with, ''Boxhaul the whole squadron in
the circular order OF sailing"
II to laugh is to grow fat, our indiyl
tonnage, that jolly Fourth Of july in the
middle Of the ocean, ought to have been
prodigiously increased. The sailors greet
ed every figure with uproarious cheers
and -heave-uh while we laughed
till we could not gasp. L"Aunt Fanny
in Appleton's journal.