The Coconino sun., 1925-04-10
THE COCONINO SUM-


going to be long because she notes
| someone looking comfortable where
she amt. Immediately she is over
there seeing if she can't crowd into
the place long enough to get things
all het up. Then she's off again for
the upper deck, seeking to see whom
she can disturb and annoy If you are
looking over the rail, she is curious to
see what you are looking at and looms
Hup alongside with an air of one who
is being abused because you don't i'm
mediately move over or explain to
her what the wild waves are saying.
If a few gather together she must
part the crowd to get through to
some place she is going, hoping she
can find it before she gets back to
some other place she had not prev
iously thought of going to until she
heard some one else mention it.
Beautiful character, and so consider
ate of herself.
Then we have rather a select So
ciety Of canned voyagers, who seem
to so love the world that not one dis
comfort visited upon another through
their individual efforts is too high a /
price to pay that they may enjoy
themselves. That the limelight shall
not be shifted from their gold teeth
seems their sole ambition in life. They
speak of their own affairs earnestly
and with great freedom While they
may not know what their wants are, |
they must have them complied with
first, even though the boat has to be
stopped.
Another topic of great interest
among us monied folks, is the price
of exchange just before reaching a 4
new port. Manila was the only place
where there was straight two for one
given for the American dollar. In
China and Japan the exchange rate
varied. In Japan a ven was worth /
from SO to al cents. At Shanghai
they traded on the Mexican basis and /
dobe dollars were the medium of ex-
change on a basis of So cents, but
fluctuated according to the current /
price of silver bullion. In Hongkong
and Shanghai money was no good /
They had variety of Hongkong
money, though often you got an old
Mexican dollar mixed in. The ex-
change price here was about the same
as at Shanghai, though they treated
eachsother as foreign countries. Cam
ton money was the same as used In
Hongkong.
1t may appear, dear reader, that I've
crouch about some old thing. Not
SO; I'm just trying to explain few
of the inside personal details of an
average boat-load on a world cruise.
They don't know where they are GO
ing and don't care damn so long as I
we are on our way and away from
where we once was.
Ho, hum! We have crossed the
equator! You know what that is. It's
the place on the earth, figureatively
speaking, where a fat mans belt
should fit. Everyone who has studied
geography will remember that the
earth, not being on the square, has
two centers-one outside and one IN 4
side; that it is 25,000 miles around 1
and about 5000 miles down through
the entrails of the place. Our position
is just about where dyspepsia hits a
feller.
There has been lot of discussion
as to the Southern Cross" always
looked for just before the equator is
reached | don't know whether any
of this outfit saw the Southern Cross
or not, but many have complained
about the "double cross" that they
have felt. Oh, well, some one is bound
to crab about something.
did not see the Southern Gross"
which is composed Of four stars plug
ged into the heavens in the shape of
a cross quite ways apart. One was
supposed to have seen it at about /
midnight Saturday, February Z, be-
fore crossing the equator. 1t is the /
lowest and smallest of several that I
have been doing business in this sec
ton for several hundred years. There |
has been much discussion and many /
disagreements for years past as to
which one of the several is the true +
cross, but | have never had any set
opinion and can readily see how this /
hot climate would make most any I
one cross. If | find out anything I
more definite about these crosses / |
will Immediately make note Of it /
in my logbook. |
However, things seemed to be about T
the same until Saturday morning I
when some hideous varmint said he /
had come aboard to announce that he /
was chief ballyhooer for Old Man /
Neptune, who was due on board that
afternoon to square up accounts with I
delinquents and others. Promptly at
/ o'clock all choice seats, the boat
deck and all the machinery was COW
cred with the village populace await
ing the prompt appearance at 3
o'clock Of Old Neptune and his court /
retinue, who and which arrived very I
promptly at 3:20 p. m.
A bum band with motley gang I
came up from some old place and I
paraded around to the kangaroo court {
office, located over big tank of sea
water on B deck aft.
1t was all supposed to be real; that I
Old Neptune, his gang of executioners I
and mermaids did come up out of the I
sea here at the equator to hold court,
but | learned afterward that Old /
Neptune was old Bill Patterson dis
guised in a hay stack of hemp hair /
and Al McFadden with bale of
whiskers and hair like Marguerite had /
only not braided. They had bunch T
of ragged buns with them, queen /
and several beautiful maidens sup
posed to be mermaids, but they were