The Iola register., 1891-07-24

Il beeins to rain, as It does about nine
o'clock, the day is dismal enough.
Rain seems very uncalled for ana
superfluous thing in mid-ocean any
way. When there is nothing in sight
but water, whatever is the use of
more water?
FOURTH DAY.
"How long have you followed the
sea:u I asked this morning OF the
young English boy who waits on our
table.
"Four years, Sir.
"Apd do you like it better or worse,
the longer you are on it?"
Oh, 1 am .f,tI up of 1t, Sir"
"How long have you followed the
sea?n I asked later i'm the day OF a
grizzled tar who had the map OF the
world stamped all over his storm-beat-
en- face.
"Since was ten years old, Sir"
"And do you like it better or worse,
the longer you are on it?''
az hate the sea, Sir. We all hate 1t.
A sailors life is a dogs life, and his
death comes early and bard. Haven't
I seen my own mates hearty and
strong one minute, swept from the
d eek the next, and out of the reach of
any mans help? What do we get for
it all? Four pound ten (S22.5O a
month, Sir! 1t lasts till we ship
again!"
And now I am wondering who it
was that yearned for "a Life on the
Ocean Wave" and whether the men
who write the jolly sea songs were ev-
er really on the sea, or had the least
idea what they were talking about.
~
FIFTH DAY.
1t was dreadfully hot and stuffy In
the little state room down stairs last
night, and it was delightfully."- cool and
breezy up on deck, so it was four
o'clock this morning before I went to
bed. There was delightful breeze,
when I reached the deck four hours
later, a clear sky and quiet sea,
gle aiming like molten silver In the
sun, deeply, darkly, BEAUTIFULLY blue"
i'm the shadow, a breakfast that actual
ly tasted good and life, even "On the
ocean wave," doesn't seem so much of
burden after all.
~
SIXTH DAY.
This is a lazy, lazy life. There is
breakfast at 8, lunch at 1890, dinner
at $50, lunch again at 8:S0,-and lunch
OH deck at any other time for those
W no want it. Between meals We sit
on deck i'm chairs, wrapped In rugs
and ulsters,-for 1t is cold all the time,
writing letters or diaries, reading
talking, playing checkers and cards
looking out aimlessly over "the lii
seas unquiet way" DOING, dreaming
Sometimes sail appears, and every
body looks at it as if it were the first
and would be the last. TwoOr three
times some accommodating porpoises
have sported by the ships side, afford
ling agreeable diversion. Every even-
ling we are amused an hour or &c
watching the rough, fantastic horse
play of the sailors in the steerage
Sometimes there is languid game o.
shuffie-board, and occasionally Some
of the more giddy ones, light of head
and of foot, essay dance, to the las
lcivious wheezing of broken-winded
ACCORDION, conjured up by shilling
from the steerage depths. There art
a good many singers OH board and the
saloon piano is sounding most of the
time, and i'm the evening there arr
songs and songs. And finally, those
who have "head" enough to stant
the dizzy swing, go forward to th'
bow and lean over the rail and watcl
the phosphorescence sparkling ant
cleaning in the spray that is dashed
} from the ships prow,-a roaring, rush
ing cataract of liquid fire, incompara
BILE with anything else on the eartl
or In the waters under the earth, ant
lindescribably beautiful.
| And so our days and nights ar
lspent as a tale that is told.
i ~
SEVENTH DAY.
/ interviewed the purser to-day ant
this is what he told me: The steam
ship "City of Chester" is $50 feet long
42 feet beam, tonnage 4,7So. Its cargt
is made up for the most part of cottol
I. and grain. 1t carries this trip 16S frs
, cabin passengers, 80 second cabin, ant
SO steerage, besides a crew of 142. Th'
leverage speed of the vessel is Is knot
per hour.
Since the general health has beel
recovered we do not lack for entertain
, ment. The exuberance Of spirit.
found vent this evening i'm minstre
show conducted by half dozen of th'
gentlemen who presented themselve:
as a burnt (cork) offering for th'
} amusement of the company. Some o
the "gags" were a little old, but they
were discharged upon an indulgen
!. audience. And the singing was ex
ceedingly good.