The New York herald., 1879-03-10

feel the throbbng of the vessel beneath US ana know
that at last we are of for India
LIFE ON THE RED sEA-GETTING UP ORIENTAL
COMPILATIONS DARLINGTON BUTTER TO
ON THE RED SEA. Feb. 6. 1879.
Adjusting ones self to life at sea. among the odds
and ends of mankind that you meet on a steamer in
strange far lands is good deal like dealing hand
at whist. How will the cards turn out? Will they
run well or i'll? generally ask myself that question
the first day at sea, look down the table and try
to read the faces of thosewho to be companions
for days and weeks. companions in the closest rela
tion. How will the cards run? That imposing per-
son who talks in strdent key, that
garing lady who recites her high acquaintances
shall we find them kings aud queens when come
to need their true value will they be useless cards
in short suit that it VIII be comfort to throw
aways We are the only Americans of the company
sailing ON the good ship venetia and form
colony of our own. We have pre-empted small
claim just behind the wheel. in the stern of tho
vessel. There is grating about six feet square
foot above the deck. Here you can lounge and look
out at the rumbling that come lcaping after,
look into the deep ultramarne and learn what the
waves have to say. Here, if you come at any hour
of the day. and at good many hours of the night you
will find the membersof our expedition. Mrs. Grant
sits back in a chair wearing wide brimmed
Indian hat swathed in blue silk veil. There is the
sun to fight and our ladies make themselves veiled
prophetesses and shrink from his presence. The
General has fallen into Indian ways enough to
a helmet. which shields the face The helmet is
girded with white silk scarf which falls over the
neck. We all have helmets. which bought in Suez
but only wear them fancy seizes Mr.. Borie
has which cost him eight shillings,
imposing affair, but persuasion has yet induced
him to put it DR.. Kcating wears his SO con-
stantly that impression is abroad that he sleeps
in it, This. fear, arises from envy of the Doctor
who takes of himself aud out of his cabin
every morning neat enough to stroll down Chestnut
street. and not like the rest of abandoned to fan
mel shirts and old clothes and frayed cuffs and
cracked, shiny shoes.
WHAT DO WE DO WITH OURSELVES?
AS 1 was saying. if you came on board tho good
ship venetia you would find the expedition encamped
on the grating. What do do with ourselves? ?
Kill time. cannot sec that we do anything else 1
am writing this in the morning. for instance and
write six bells struck. Well, six bells that
it just eleven O'Clock. All the passengers on
deck walking, reading. chatting. knitting. nursing
children-killing time! The ship goes in a lazy.
lounging motion Mrs. Grant looks out of her cloud
of blue silk. She has brought up the interesting.
never failing question of mails That is the theme
which never dies, for you see there are
boys at home. and IL only boys knew the
interest felt IN their writings what addition it
would be to our postal revenues. Colonel Grant.
curled up in corner. is deep in vanity Fair"
Tho Colonel il assuming fine bronzed mahogany
tint, and it is suggested that he will soon be as
brown Sitting Bull. You it is the a-conque
Ing sun who is having his will upon us. am afraid
the Generals complexion failed him years ago, in
the days, and do not that the sun can touch
him further. But the rest of us begin to look like
meerschaum in various degrees of hue What shall
we be when we reach India?
TIN GENERAL BoRIE
Well, the mail question sinks and the talk drifts
one way and another Did you ever observe how
talk drifts when people are killing time? l am sit
ting on the deck, twisted up with the edge Of the
grating for table. have tried to write in all parts
of the ship-my stateroom, the cabin various cor
ners of the deck could have managed in the state
room but for the fact that the deck overhead
barn yard Of animals--sheep, ducks. chick
ems. turkeys, awaiting the inevitable doom.
lurches there is barn yard chorus Which Is
not conducive to literary composition. So, after all
is around me and the skies are above. and when
weary of writing do my share in the idle chat
ting and help kill time Mr. Borie is just little
homesick. few minutes ago he asked me, seeing a
pen in highland, to write him down donkey" for
seeking at his time of lite to go around the world
But Mr.. Borie, although the Oldest. is in some re-
spects the youngest of the party, and wagers have
been offered that he will shoot the first tiger.
Between Mr. Borie and the General there
to SEQ in world where friendship
is not always what it should be. Il feel homesick
day, when it was uncertain whether our friend had
arrived or not. am quite sure that no influence
could have induced Mr. Borie to venture around the
world but his desire be with General Grant Sea life
agrees with him. He has been talking about his hun
dred in the Navy Department. Secretary of the
Navy. sorry to say that he SPEAKS of that high
place a hole. The General has been teasing the
OK Secretary about the difficulty he found In making
him resign, and remarks that he made good many
democrats in his time by forcing republicans to re-
sign but that somehow Mr.. Boire had not become
q democrat. 1 will not repeat the emphasis with
Va he pfnry vsi the fhaf
under any circumstances. he could bc democrat
And so the talk ripples on-kiling time.
The beardlcss members of the expedition have re-
solved not to trouble their boards until we reach
penalty. This is of the ways in which people
kill time The Doctor looks IL he regrets the
compact, for the truth is that the beardless
begin to look like hair brushes in various processes
OF manufacture and there are several young ladies
on board. and a handsome young man like the
Doctor would rather not have to depend
upon his eyes alone in making his way
into the deck society. We try to read.
/ came on board laden with ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
das. almanacs guide books, old numbers of New
York newspapers. l had laid out for myself plan
of study between Suez and Alden, between Alden and
Bombay. meant. for instance to tell the readers
of the HERALD all about India about tigers and
maharajahs and rupees and pagodas. Somehow
always makes resolutions of this serious kind when
beginning long journeys. am ashamed to say all
my useful books are down In my cabin. Hooked at
them this morning as was dressing in a ruminatory
mood. and thought of readers at home hungering
about india and resolved to begin and cram myself
with knowledge. But looked out the open win
dow and there was the sea. flushed with feathery
tufts of waves fresh cool breeze coming from the
shores of Arabia-so. cool, green. win
some that could not deny its solictings and when
breakfast was over came to our American encamp-
ment and coddled myself around this wooden graf
ing not to write useful facts about India but kill
time.
DARLINGTON BUTTER.
Mr. Bore has hshed up q recent copy OF the Phila-
dclpha Ledger and is reading the financial column,
and wishes, among other things, that he had
Darlington butter. somehow, when talk runs low
the question of mails it is apt To drift into butter
The ship butter is not good, and II is served in
jars, out of which you dig IL with knife. Can you
Imagine any hing more distressing to well ordered,
conservative Philadelphia mind than to have his but
ter put before him in jar and scoopcd out with
knife the useless end of q spoon? lie knows
how much better IL is at homc--the butter
cold. and hard and sweet. moulded into dainty
shapes. decorated with green leaves and you eat