The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-01-20
A PECULIAR CUSTOM.
HOW PASSENGERS ARE SOMETIMES
TREATED ON BOARD A SHIP.
Experience OF Cambridge Undergradu.
ate on His Way to the Cape in
Trading Vessel" Gross
ing the Line
iCor. Pail Mall Gazette.l

iCor Pail Mall Gazette.I
One of the Oldest customs of the sea lately
came under my notice, and in such way
| as l am not likely to forget As usual
after our q o'clock tea, we we're seated in
the saloon enjoying our game at cribbage,
| when blast from the foghorn, fit TO awaken
the dead, put an end to our cards. Hur-
riedIy we made for the deck, where a sight
never to be forgotten met our eyes The
evening was dark and cloudy, the moon en-
tirely hidden, but the deck was brilliantly
Illuminated with blue lights. From the
forecastle was issuing a procession that
battles description. First walked Father
Neptune himself, leading on his arm his
young and beautiful wife, Amplitude. Nep-
tune dressed in long, white flowing
robes-that is, nightshirt; 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 a inter Of such tremendous size as to
drive any bishop wild with envy; in his
hand he bore his trident His wife's dress
was evidently on the plan of beauty I'M
adorned" for some red paint, a small red
fag and a pair of red bathing drawers con-
stituted her costume. Her flaxen hair in
curly masses reached her knees.
THE HERO OF THE EVENING.
Following this august couple walked the
hero of the evening-the barber. Dressed
all in te, wearing a hat the shape of a
dice-box, nalf white half black, with curly
white hair and whiskers, he was sublime;
but the sublime changed into the awful
when one perceived that he carried in his
hands instruments of torture rivaling in
their latent cruelty even those of the In
QUESTION Imagine standing and gazing
upon a bucket of flour and water mixed to
about the thickness of liquid glue, of which
you know you will receive large share
ON your head Recover, il you can, from
that sight, and look again. In his other
hand lie holds a razor Of such magnitude
that it would not be ill amiss for telling
trees, and think that soon that edge Of
rough, rusty iron will be blowing its me
andering course over your innocent jaws.
Following this torturer came two police
men, armed with cudgels and dark lanterns
Behind them crowded the crew In spite Of
the awful solemnity of the scene, one could
not but admire the dark, cloudy sky, the sea
a blaze of phosphorescence, the Pickering,
summer lightning, the grouping of the act
ors. Hating 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 bin baptoised my
sons, l ham ere to see them done So" Evil
IDENTIFY Neptune's intercourse with British
sailors has been to the disadvantage of his
aloquenoe
a VICTIM UNDER TORTURE
The sailors, at the finish of Neptune's
speech, checred loudly, while from their
midst stepped the two brawny policemen,
one of whom WAS nigger from Demerara,
aud seized upon T. Meanwhile the torturer
was not idle. He had seated himself upon
low stool, with his bucket before him. in
his left hand brush like a housemaid's
broom, while with his right he was sharpen
ing his razor on the companion ladder rail
ings- Alas for poor 7. He stood smiling
before his executioner, who, evidently
thinking the occasion far too solemn to smile
at, put an end TO his innocent merriment by
inserting much he possibly could of
his mixture into his mouth While he was
engaged in choking and splitting out what
he could Of the connection, his head was
being covered to such an extent as to render
his features quite indistinguishablc
Then that awful razor came into use, its
broad, rusty edge scraping away the dough
like pillow in a clay soil But how difficult
it is to AXE the dough out Of ones eyes and
mouth with n razor-blade three feet long,
one can not imagine till one has tried, His
satanic majesty, l mean the barber, having
scraped Off as much as pleased his fancy,
the two policemen came to the fore again,
armed with buckets Of cold water, which,
utterly regardless of what part of the
victims body received the water, they threw
in quick succession over him
A NOVEL EXPERIENCE.
l was the next victim, and went through
with the same terrible routine; but Mt last
it was all over. andLI issued from the cold
water cure quite ready to see the fun in
treating the others to their dose 1t was
novel experience, and one not likely to be
forgotten Then followed the others who
had not crossed the line, some half-dozen of
them, but two were missing. The police
were soon after them, but it was an hour
before the first was found, lying under
meath the boilers in about the temperature
Of the place 1 had wished the barber in
when I was being shaved All this he en-
dured rather than face his shaving, or, l
should say, shaving his face. He was
quickly dragged upon the scene, and paid
the penalty Of his fear by receiving q
double dose. Soon after this the other, a
boy, was found concealed in a sail in the
rigging; he. too, got what he deserved for
trying to escape justice.
After all were baptized, we had some
song and dances, the barber being espe-
cially good at the latter, and giving us some
excellent clog-dances and breakdowns Poor
Neptune had terrible trouble with his wife,
who. suddenly discovering herself among a
lot of sailors, became ''skittish'-naturally
what woman would rot. The songs and
dancing finished. grog handed all round
and with three cheers for us from the crew,
we retired to our cabins 10 put on dry
clothes. and to tear out handfulS OF hair in
cl;aeav oring to rid our hair of dough- And
so we crossed the line