The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-07-10
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Lilo On Tho Ocean Wave.

On every steamer ploughing its W y
across the Atlantic there are always several
passengers who never miss single one of
the five meals served each day. In the
interim between breakfast, lunch, dinner,
tea, and supper, they smoke heavy black
clgars-cabanas, we thmk-on the upper
deck: They throw scafaring glances aloft
TOR these folks arc nothing if not nautical :;
they indulge in bets on how many knots an
hour; it Is never twelve o'clock or six
O'Clock with them, but 80 many bells.
!hey even know the binnacle by sight.
At Dight IN the grand saloon, they laugh
ana talk and play cards with a sort of un-
molly glee. ii one Of them chances to pass
your open statc-room door just before
breakfast, you are Immediately conscious
of penetrating aromatic odor in the air.
You vaguely recognize it as the odor of a
morning beverage which you knew III hap
pier days, but do not greatly care tor
now.
we did not make the personal acduaintance
OF any OF these abnormal beings on board
fier Majesty's Cunard steamship "Abys-
slnla," for, though we had been used to the
sea all our lives-had in fact, barely cscaped
being born on live lay deathly sick in the
Dei tn from the time we left Sandy Hook
Light until we sighted tho Irish coast.
Let us hope that in the meanwhile the
reader was happy on deck, and had suf-
fcred no sea change.
~ conversation which we happened to
overhcnr one night in the statc-room adj
Joining ours Is the only detail we can give
OF the voyage across the Atlantic; but it is
a detail not without significance. Indeed
1t presents the whole situation in q nut.
she'll
For the first three days out the sea had
been remarkably smooth, "as smooth as
glass Captain Haines observed. With the
exception of an occasional impromptu
plunge into a.brother passenger, YOU could
pace the deck quite comfortably, provided
you could pace it at all. Out of politcness
to the pleasant weather, the sky-lght of
the main saloon had not been closed
Taking advantage of this circumstance. q
heavy sea broke over the stern-rall one
midnight and deposited about fifty barrels
OF ocean wave in the cabin. The hurried
shutting of feet on deck, and the shrieks
from the Inundated bcrths on the port side,
awakened everybody. Presently l heard
feeble voice uplifted in The state room next
to minc-cvidcntly the voice of a Briton
"Fwedwick-aw-1 say--what's up?"
Nothing at all, my boy. We only
shipped a sea-"
"What beastly idcah !"
''Go to slcep.'
"Aw-ycs-but carn't you know"
Silence. The wind had scnslblv fresh
ened, and the ship began pitching in
most disagreeablc fashion, now and then
giving roll to lceward to show what It
could do in that line. In one of those ca
reerings the pondcrous screw, missing its
grip on the water, quivcred convulslyelv
through all its length, and for an instant
the great iron-platcd hulk seemed to be
seized with death spasm. The sudden
calm which followed, as the bronze fins
were again submerged, was almost op-
prcsslvc.
Once more the feeble voice lifted its
head, so to speak,
"Fwcdwick-aw-I say-are we sink
ing2"
''Sinltng9 No! What blarstcd rubbish"
"Aw~-pm dcvilish sorry"