The Cairo bulletin., 1909-07-20
QUEER HerEFs Up yNrUKs.N

Friday OF course Uniucky pvs moro
Ships Now Sail on That Day-chIId
on Board Hrlngs Luck--euyIng q
WInd-shIps That are Believed to
Speak. h ~
Sailors are the most superstitous
people in the world" said an old man
who was discoursing from his seat
upon rusty anchor.
Anything they can't understand"
went on the speaker. they explain by
magic or something supernatural. The
life too makes men superstititious. Let
a young fellow who would poohpooh
the idea of putting OFF anything until
Saturday or next week because Friday
is an unlucky day ship before the
mast, and inside OF six months he'll
be like all the rest, full OF signs and
superstitions about this and that.
Il think that one of the beliefs most
| common among seamen OF all classes"
went on the speaker, sis the idea that
a cat on board ship will cause her to
meet with gales. The old saving is
that a cat carries a gale in her TAIL
and the sailors believe that when a eat
frisks about the deck she is raising a
storm. The belief that you can whistle
up wind is also pretty generally
found among seamen, although those
OF the younger sort do nor believe
these things SO firmly as do most OF
the Older tars. In my younger days
remember boys having their ears
boxed by the captain or the mate who
caught them whistling about their du-
ties
ut is curious how sailors dislike
cat aud how the name is associated
with so many things that are unpleas-
ant to the sailor The cat-o'-nine-tails
Is well known enough, and no sailor
has any love for the gear used in rails
ing the anchor such as the cathead,
the catfall, the cathook aud the cat
back, The pig seems to be only sec
ond to the eat in the bad reputation
it has on board ship, and there are
some other things which are unlucky
TO have on the water. All luck IS
supposed to desert a vessel that car
ries dead body
Il know OF but one thing that is
considered to bring good fortune to
the vessel. and that is a child The
presence Of = child during a voyage
is always thought TO be a good omen.
and 1t is believed that no ship which
aas child on board will sink. On
the other hand women are thought
uulucky. / cannot tell the reason fos
this unless il is that a ship is the least
comfortable place in the world for
woman and the least suitable. Certain
classes Of people fall under the sail
or's taboo. Ministers are sure to
bring misfortune 10 any ship that car
ries them out OF sight of land. although
the presence Of priest is not CON
sidered to be unlucky by Catholic
sailors OF all people whom the sailor
detests the lawyer is looked on with
the greatest dislike. They are partic-
ularly unncky TO have on board.
These are some of the unluckl
things which sailors believe" went on
the man of the sea, relighting his
pipe, but in addition to these things
there are many others in which they
place more or less faith. | have seen
many old tars who believed that Finn,
or LaplaHders had magic powers. The
Firms are a strange, silent people and
have come to have the reputation of
Icing wizards. 1t Is thought that
they can use this power for either
good or bad and they are somewhat
feared by the average sailor. 1t is
sometimes believed that a Finn can
make all the rats leave a ship if he
wishes and that Firms have a great
deal Of control over the winds. They
can raise storm by spells and it is
uuwise 10 anger them. | have heard
old sailors tell Of certain Firms who
we're members Of the same ships COM
pany with themselves in past voyages
who could send messages to absent
friends on shore by gulls which would
light upon the rigging at their call and
repeat to the relatives of the Lapland-
CT the message that he whispered 20
them. They also told Of a Finn who
had bottle OF liquor from which
re could drink several times every
d1y without lowering its contents. II
always remained just so full day after
day and week after week There are
also men OF some other nations who
are thought to have more than ordi-
nary powers.
Some of the older sailors believe
thai d is possible to buy wind as
they call it. and by this is meant get
ting the favor of certain persons who
have control over the elements. There
are not many sailors now alive who
put much faith in this, although have
heard of a Commodore in the British
navy who not over twenty years ago
said that he knew where he could buy
wind If he needed it. This belief is
fast dying out among younger men