The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1916-12-01

esse' wears the Equator the Sea
Nlna's Reign Begins, and For the
lime Being No Passenger Is Toe
High or Mighty to Escape.
~ is TO be expected that the people
smut up in the little republic that Is
bounded by the iron walls of an ocean
liher should seek many ways of divert
ms themselves. Perhaps republic" 10
not altogether happy word to use in
mat connection, because no car Of the
RGssias ever had such autocratic pow
ef over his subjects as the captain Of \
great liner has over the travellers on
us sap. but he uses his power very
sparngly, and If his temporary sinh
Jects behave decently and obey the
uhWritten laws of the sea he lets them
do about rs they please.
IEey exercise their Ingenuity in pro.
Vldlng all sorts of entertainments to
relleve the monotony of the PASSING
days. Switchboard and deck golf rino
Joss and bull board and a concert usu.
ally suffice for the brief journey across
the Atlantic ocean, brit on the more dis
tant voyages to India or Australia or
down the long coast of South America
these mild amusements pail upon the
Foyagers, and they plan something
more elaborate. Tournaments of yar
Gus kinds, races of every sort, lectures
ana plays are the order Of the day.
But the most time honered and ex-
traYagant revelries are sure to take
place when the ship crosses the imar
mary line between the northern ana
southern hemispheres. From time I'm
memorial that has been the day dedi-
Gated to Jokes and quips and pranks Of
all kinds. The captains serious face re.
lakes; the mates and even the quar-
termasters and sailors are evidently
connecting some huge scheme of fun:
no horseplay is outlawed; no practical
jokes are too rough; no exalted person.
age is too dignified to be exempt from
Neptune's trough house"
The most elaborate fun of that sort
that | remember witnessing was on
trip from New York to San Francisco.
The night before the ship was to cross
the line we saw spot of light off the
starboard bow 1t seemed to draw
nearer and nearer, and pretty soon old
Neptune himself. clad in oilskins and
dripping water from his garments and
his long white beard climbed the black
side of our ship and, standing upon the
hurricane dnNl. HAI al
ming throng of passengers, an
nounced that the next day at 2 o'clock
In the afternoon we should cross the
line and that he would welcome us to
his domain with suitable equator cere-
monies" He spoke in thunderous and
somewhat sepulcMal tones. Then he
over the side Of the ship.
The next day at 2 o'clock Neptune
was promptly on hand again. To pre-
pare for his coming the sailors had ar
ranged on the lower deck a great can
vas tub, perhaps twenty feet square,
filled with water to a depth of about
three feet. The tub was surrounded by
rail, and Neptune, seated on a gor-
geous throne, at first commanded thai
the passengers should be initiated into
the mysteries of his domain. He had
come aboard this second time with a
great flourish of trumpets, and he was
followed by long train of fantastic
ally arrayed subjects.
Those subjects ruthlessly seized the
right and left, and Nep-
tune commanded that the men should
be shaved. They were seated on the
edge of the improvised bathtnb, and
the barber appeared, welding lather
pasteboard razor also or huge dimen.
sions.
Covering a victims face with a lib
eral supply of lather the barber raised
on high his tremendous razor. But just
as he was about to apply II to the face
of the unresisting passenger, two of
myrmidons, standing in the
great tub of water, suddenly pullei
the victim over backward and i'm.
mersed him completely A moment later
he emerged, spluttering and coughing,
but making a desperate effort to ap
pear good natured.
If any passenger was particularly
dignifed or dandified If he had shown
any overweening conceit in his own
abilities, Neptune's slaves sought him
out especially, The more spotless the
linen, the more stylish the necktic, the
more fleckless the white flannel suit,
the surer was the owner to have the
starch literally taken out of him.
OF course not all of the $50 passen.
gers could be initiated with these elaD
crate ceremonies. Most of those who
were enjoying the fun to the utmosf
and who were congratulating them
selves that they had gone scot free,
did not notice some sailors In oilskins
climbing the masts directly over Their
heads. The sailors had big hose In
their hands. While the last victim
was being submerged and tie bolster
GUS fun was at its height the heavens
seemed suddnely to open, and out OF
clear tropical sky a tremendous show
err poured down upon the heads of all
the passengers.
I-o,r oocnIe1 th0r0uph shrinking