The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-14

q little rough, but on the whole II was
quite pleasant rs many were good enough
10 tell me. In the evening again a dark
and threatening storm arose dead
ahead" and a pious look invaded some
erstwhile mischievous faces. Bot how
the heavens were serene and the people
pleasantly swearing again.
The 9th and 2Sth were both beautiful
days. Out of the current of air it was
rather too hot, but the busy trades gave
us fine breeze by keeping on the port
side of the ship. From daylight until
3 or 10 O'Clock. on both these days. there
were millions of flying fish 10 be seen
Toward the bow of the ship great ffocks
looking like small pigeons or more like
sparrOws. almost filled the air. The sea
was a bright milky hue; that means the
sky was Of a soft. creamy tint. In the
evening of the 2Sth we lost the trades
and were in a sultry calm.
The 29th was fair. warm and not un-
pleasant. The opposite trade wind struck
us early in the morning. At noon we
were directly under the sun, and we who
had crossed the equator were experiment.
ing with the shadow problem.
These fine warm days brought out some
new and pleasing costumes. The ladies
came out with low shoes and pretty neck
wear. while each gentleman wore a
straw hat and grin" 1t was too warm
to wear an expression. so superfluous
toggery was shed as conforming best to
nature s Wishes
This crossing the equator. crossing
from the northern to the southern hemi-
sphere, from the north to the south Of
the great line, was made the occasion for
an entertainments by the passengers.
The "troup'' was sufficiently large,
though the audience" was something
like the morning service in modern
church-slim. The amusement consisted
chiefly in the reading of paper, the
Warimoo Gazette, edited by Mir.
Payne from Canada. and Il couple Of
British army officers. AS these gentle
men desired to be useful and To appear
SO. and desiring to work off some 'Sur-
plus ability" they began industriousIy
To prepare for the great event fully two
days beforehand. The evening came and
eXpectation-and the ladies-was on tip
toe.
After dinner "a dress affair the paSscn-
gers were invited To assemble in social
half for the show" All responded
and the sea being as smooth as though
made TO order. the crowd was a happy
one. Several persons had contributed to
the occasion" as TO the Gazette. and
some OF the articles were commendable
efforts to appear humorous. But the
most humorous thing about an English
man is an effort TO be funny"
The following is my own contribution
to the Gazette and 1 will not claim that
anybody wrote worse:
I'm rocked in the oceans cradle,
I'm tossed by the boistrous sea.
I'm rudely thrown from my pillow.
I'm Knocked by the powers that be-
But the powers above are smiling.
And the powers of the deep, deep ocean
Reach limitless fathoms down.
gaze on the waste we've traversed-
There's naught but dreams and sea
I gaze with the watchful pilot
There is naught of pleasure for me.
For I've left in dear Columbia
The loved. and though forced to part
hear through the leagues of southland
Words dear, so dear to my heart.
They say with a smiles approval.
Go forth through duty and pain:
But when tanned and tired by toiling,
Come back to these arms again"
The world Is thankless and cruel,
We end but where We begin
We brave the storms of the ocean,
We build, but we enter not in.
: We compass the earth with warnings.
With hopes we adorn the plains,
We rear, i'm our minds, bright visions,
And laden our purse with gains;
But our lOngings die and wither
our hopes are phantOmS of strife;
IT'S thus disappointment ever.
In this CHASTITY dream called life.
But here amid the ocean blue,
With jolly passengers, though few,
We sing the merry hours away
As gallant sailors bid us stay
lis through the skill of such as these
That Old Britannia rules the seas;
Then health to officers and crew.
Long float the good ship 'Warrimoo."
al dranN-tea. Soon we scattered and
were i'm dreamland-in the smoking room
waiting for the joys Of another day.
Saturday, Sept. 80. it was very pleas
ant. For a few hours we were amused
by the flying fish, and then we had to
The day was uneventful. except that the
shadow extended toward the south and
we looked to see the sun at noon.
Sunday came. as usual, Oct. l, and a
pleasant day it was. 1t is the custom
on British ships to hold divine service -
on Sunday, and in the absence Of a
clergyman the skipper wears the
gown. On this occasion the handsome
Capt. Arthur was TO do the ''reconcil-
ing business and bible was needed
A search was made and while it was
found that most of these good Christians
were armed with a cOrkscrew, a bible
was not so easily found. An American
agnostic had one which he claimed TO
carry as n literary curiosity. The
services" were Impressive"
Monday. we'll Monday was not you
know In going west, following the sun,
it is necessary somewhere TO drop or
skip a day in girdling the earth, so It
is more convenient to do this in mid
ocean on the great Pacific, probably, 50
no one else will notice e. So l am out
one Monday. as L shall be out one winter.
Tuesday came, all right, the sea was
rough and bOiSterOus; we were off the
Fills about 100 miles and a storm came
from that point. The rain fell in tor
rents-I think we called it torrents, the
heavens seemed to have simply emptied
the watts. There was little sociability all
day.
Throughout the 4th the weather contin-
ued bad the passengers looked more
pious and ate less. There was little ap-
petite. few at the table and little STYLE
seen at the dinner hour BY evening we
were IS degrees south going on a bee
line southwest.
On the morning of the 5th we passed
Walpole island. 1t seems TO be a bare
rock, say 100 feet high. quite fiat on top
and about two by four miles in size II
appears to be stratified, but appear
ances may deceive. This island is but
about fifty miles from New Caledonia
the French Penal island, which has an
interesting history. On this evening
there was another attempt at an enter
tainment. Mr.. Mckenzie Bowel of the
Canadian cabinet presided and the enter
tainment reminded me Of the remark
that the most cheerful place in America
was a graveyard, so busy was our peo-
pie; for surely an Englishman's humor
consists in the ludicrous effort expended
in it's production.
The 9Th was fine and there was much
guessing" and speculation of the time
of arrival in Sydney. About O'Clock il
was noticed that the vessel moved slowly
and soon it was known that the pumps