Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-12-05
A PECULIAR CUSTOM.
A Ludicrous Practice in which Ma,

A Ludicrous Practice in Which Many
ocean Travellers are Compelled to
Take Part.
A Cambridge undergraduate, now on his
way to the cape in trading vessel, sends
the following interesting communication to
the Pail Mall Gazette: One of the oldest
customs Of the sea lately came under my no.
tlce, and in such way as l am not likely
to forget. As usual after cur O'Clock tea.
we were seated in the saloon enjoying our
game at cribbage, when blast frem the
fog-horn, fit to awaken the dead, put an end
to our cards. Hurriedly we made for the
deck, where sight never to be forgotten
met our eyes. The evening was dark
ana cloudy' the moon entirely
hidden, but the deck was brilliantly illumin-
atsd with blue lights. From the forecasts
was issuing procession that battles descriu-
ton. First walked Father Neptune himself.
leaning on his arm his young and beautiful
wife, Amphitrite. Neptune was dressed in
long, white flowing robes--that is, q night
shirt; around his head waved his gray locks.
blowing before the wind in every direction:
his beard reached below his waist: ON his
head he wore q inter of such tremendous
size "a TO drive any bishop wild with envy;
In his hand ne bore his trident His wife's
dress was evidently on the plan of ''beauty
uR0dorned," for some red paint, q small red
flag, and pair of red bathing drawers
constituted her costume. Her daxeu
hair in curly masses reached her
knees. Following this august coup]e walked
the hero of the eVening-the barber Dressed
ali In white, wearing a hat the shape Of q
dlee-box, half white, half black, with curly
white hair and wnlskers, he was sublime;
but the sublime changed to the awful when
one perceived that he carried in his hands
instruments or torture rivaling in their latens
cruelty even those of tbs Inquisit;on. Inn
agine standing and gazing upon q bucket of
Hour and water mixed TO about the thickness
OF liquid glue, Oh which you know you will
receive large shars-on your head Re-
cover, II you can, from that ght and look
again. In bis other hand he holds q razor az
such magnitude that it would not be i'll amiss
Tor telling trees, and think that soon that
edge OF rough, rusty iron will be blowing its
msaaderIng course ever your innocent Jaws.
Following the tortursr came two police
men armed with cudgels and dark lanterns
Behind them crowded the crew. In spite Of
the awful solemaity of the scene one could
not but admire the dark, cloudy sky the sea
blaze of phosphorescence. the Pickering
summer lightning, the grouping of the act
ors. HaltIng before the after deck Nep-
tune, in a LOUD voice, with such calm disre-
gard as to where he put his HIS as would
make any classical author turn in his grave,
gave utterance: Earring that some of the
crew of this ship is such as they ave not
yet crossed the loine, and biz. baptoized NV
sons, ham ERE to see them dons So Ev-
identity Neptune's intercourse with the Brit
ism sailors has been to the disadvantage of
his elequeHce. The sailors, at the finish
of Neptuns's speech, cheered loudly,
VI lille from their midst stepped the
two brawny policemen, one of
whom was a niger from Demerara, and
seized upon I. Meanwhile the torturer was
not idle. He had seated himself upon a low
stool, with his bucket before him, in his left
hand brush like a housemaid's broom,
ut14Ia rIrt. hi rio he
razor on the companion-,adder rallings.
Alas for poor I. He stood smiling before !
his executioDer, who, evidently thinking the
occasion far too solemn to smile at, put an
end to his innocent merriment by inserting
as much as he possibly could of his mixture
into bis mouth. While he was engaged in
choking oad splitting out what he could of
the concoctlon, his head was being csvsrsd
to such an extent as 10 render his features
quite undergraduates. Thea that awful
razsr came into use, its broad, rusty edge
scrapiug away the dough like pillow in clay
soil. But how difficult 1t is to take the dough
out OF ons's eyes and mouth with a razor
blade three faeG long, one can not imagine
till one has triedl His satanic majesty, I
mean the barber, having scraped off as
much as pleased his fancy, the two police
men cams TO the fore again, armed with
buckets of cold water, which, utterly re-
CARELESS of what part of the victims body
received the water, they threw in quick sue
/ was the next victim, and went through
the same terrlbleA routine, but at last 1t was
ali over, and | Issued from the cold-water
cure quite ready to see the fun in treating
the others to their dose. 1t was novel ex-
perience, and one not likely to be forgotten.
Then followed the others who had not cross
ed the line, some half dozen of them but
two were missing. The police were soon
after taen, but it was an hour before
the first was found, lying underneath
the boilers in about the temperature
of the place | had wished the barber in
when / was being shaved. All this he en-
dursd rather than face his shaving, or. / |
should say, shaving his face. He was quick
~ dragged upon the scene. and pald the |
penalty OF, his fear by receiving a double |
dose, Sooh after this the other, a boy, was |
found concealed in sail in the rigging; he, |
too, got what he deserved for trying to |
escape justice. After all were baptized, we /
had some songs and dances, the barber being |
coed In the latter and giving US /
some excellent clog-dances and break |
downs. Poor Neptune had terrible trouble |
with his wife, VINO, suddenly discovering |
herself among a lot Of sailors, became /
'sklttish" --naturally, what woman would |
uoti Tbs songs and dancing finished, grog |
handed all round, and with three cheers for |
rs froM the crew, we retired to our cabins |
to put on dry clothes and to tear out hand /
fuls of hair in endeavoring to rid our heads /
Of doaGh. And 80 We creased the line