Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/161

 of all.

Yet these  men  were  all  of  them  brim  full  of  fire,  even those made  most  stupid  by  sea  and  tropical  air. You might see  it  in  their  quick  jerky  movements  when molested ; in  the  firm  step,  the  flashing  eye,  the  com- pressed lip. Each felt  himself  to  be  in  the  path  of duty,  felt  that  he  was  doing  the  fashionable  thing,  the right thing. They were  sacrificially  ordained,  and were elevated  by  the  call ;  they  had  given  up  all  for gold, and  their  thoughts  and  dreams  and  even  their breath of  life,  were  golden.

Steamship life  is  not  so  dull  as  it  is  disgusting  ;  not so much  monotony  as  morbidity. On board  clipper ships, which  carry  few  passengers,  there  is  much  more dullness, but  there  is  less  social  gangrene,  less  morose- ness and  chronic  distemper. There is  a  difference between sameness  and  dullness. Every day  of  a  sea- voyage must  be  necessarily  much  the  same,  every day may  be  even  disagreeable,  but  no  day  need  be necessarily  dull,  and  no  person  need  necessarily  be overcome  of  ennui. There is  much  to  observe,  much to learn. Aside from  books,  every  man  has  a  biogra- phy worthy the  knowledge  of  every  other  man,  could its essence  be  extracted. Some study  Spanish,  some read, some  play  euchre,  whist,  or  solitaire,  chess  or back-gannnon,  some  write  letters  or  keep  a  journal, and not  a  few  flirt. A sea  voyage  is  love's  opportunity ; she whose  temper  can  pass  triumphantly  the  oceanic ordeal is  worthy  Amadis  of  Gaul. Many a  play  at love  has  ended  with  the  voyage  in  marriage. Some of those  who  left  the  fair  one  behind  felt  their  love  to some  extent  evaporate  with  sea  air  and  sea-sickness; others still  studied  the  chronometer  for  the  precise moment which  should  bring  their  angel  to  the  ap- pointed star-gazing. Here and  there  a  newly  married couple may  be  seen  lost  in  each  other,  her  head  upon his shoulder,  his  arm  around  her  waist,  indifferent  to remark  and  oblivious  to  derisive  smiles ;  but  for  one  such pair you  may  see  a  dozen  who  no  less  publicly  display