Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 6.djvu/351

 i2s.vi.jux E i2,i92o.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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from the forecastle to the poop as if they had been flies. The men have a wretched time of it, always wet, always dressed entirely in waterproof. The cooks are even worse off, for their kitchens are washed out by every spray, and how they manage to produce such breakfasts and dinners is to me wonderful. I was on deck nearly all day though the gale is still unabated and the waves enormous. Their effect in dwarfing the apparent size of the ship is strange. In the Mersey she looked very large while here she strikes one as quite inadequate to contend with such waves as she is every moment encountering. However, things are so far improving that we have made 176 miles to-day.

Friday, October 4 [3]. A very unpleasant night, the wind having headed us, the sensation is changed from the heavy roll we have had so long, and the ship seems now to be jumping an infinite series of ocean turnpike gates. The Captain describes the weather in his log as "strong winds with heavy squalls," but acknowledges that in an average passage they would not expect more than one day of such weather as we have had ever since we started. Towards the afternoon the wind became a little less unfavourable, and by night we were able to get up some sail which helped a little to steady the ship. A formal excuse from the cooks that in consequence of the continued bad weather they cannot supply our table as well as usual. It is however, excellent. On deck all day and played whist in the evening. Some of our passengers, I find, have never appeared at all, and the old hands who cross three or four times a year say a week of such weather is most unusual. As I write this at 11 p.m it is blowing as hard as ever. Strange to say one has no feeling of insecurity, and never while watching the waves, has the smallest doubt that much as they may seem to menace her, the ship will ride safely over them. I try to think that I ought to feel apprehensive especially to-day when we are about 1,000 miles distant' from any land, and no boat could live a minute, but can't manage it. Plenty of good Yankee stories, but the effect all depends on the telling of them, and the queer accent thrown on particular words in each sentence.

Saturday, October 5 [4]. A most wonderful and welcome change. The wind fell in the course of night and this morning we had a small sea with only a ground swell to remind us of the gale. The effect was almost humiliating, for not only did many new faces appear which we had not seen since Liverpool, but even our party at the Captain's table who had held out, but had much ado to preserve a decent serenity, went off now into overflowing joviality. We had endless champagne instead of our ordinary iced brandy and water and after supper bowls of punch super- seded whist, and songs recitations and choruses lasted till long past midnight. Hitherto it was very seldom we could keep up beyond 9 o'clock. We have an actor on board going out to perform a " starring engagement " who gave us the Water- loo scene out of Childe Harold, some Germans sang Lieder and choruses, but at last some Southerners began with Nigger ditties which oddly enough they evidently consider to be their national airs. The best was " Dandy Jim from Caroline " and " Poor Uncle Ned." ^ The latter

was sung at Webster's funeral as a dirge. The words are :

Hang up his rake, hang up his hoe-O Hang up his fiddle, hang up his bow-O He's gone where all good niggers go,

Poor Uncle Ned !

This was admirably done, the Germans of' course joining the choruses. We had also an. old Yankee song of the war time.

Broad is the way that leads to Chippewa Many are they that walk therein.

and going on in an impossible rhythm to abuse the Britishers.

Altogether it was a pleasant day, and the relief ' from spray and wet enabled the crew and stewards to get the ship in a less miserable state and to surpass themselves in the way of cookery. The- stewardess, a neat cheerful Scotswoman always looking smart and clean, has crossed the Atlantic- 180 times ! What a treasure our steward would be to a great nobleman ! A Yankee swore this morning with curious oaths that he (the steward)- could not git on no how in less than four places at once. Certainly I never saw such a waiter. Ban 246 miles.

Sunday. A large party at breakfast and a fair attendance at. Church where a Free Kirk Minister officiated, but things not promising.. It came on to blow about 4 a.m. from S.W. and now at noon both wind and sea are rapidly rising and all waterproofs are again in requisition. Bets at breakfast as to whether certain of the ladies will show at dinner. Most of them did but few staid it out and we had a dull evening with a heavy sea, the ship as she burns out her coal at the rate of two tons an hour rolling more every day.

Monday, October 6. A very unpleasant might succeeded by an equally unpleasant morning. My cabin all in a sop from the seas shipped during the night filtering down through the deck. We are now on the Banks of Newfoundland, and have a great deal of sea with thick weather and. heavy rain. After breakfast a Spiritualist gave us a lecture describing his intercourse with departed spirits with whom he says he is as familiar after death as during life. They had described to him their sensations after death, their mode of life, &c., but he was rather stuck up by being asked whether they ate and drank, and if so- whether it was spiritual beef and mutton. He gave us two documents written he said by un- educated people who were media at the dictation of spirits, which were certainly very strange compositions, and told most wonderful stories of the substantial appearance which these spirits sometimes assumed. -A Judge Edmonds, of N.Y. is the great high priest of the belief which, our friend (a very intelligent man) says has more than a million proselytes in the States. There is at least this much to be said for it that it is a very comfortable faith, the spirits however bad progressively improving through seven separate- existences until they become perfect. After this, whist till dinner and after dinner until with supper came singing which lasted till past midnight.

Tuesday, 1th. We passed Cape Race this- morning and though we can't see the land, are so far protected by it that the sea is smooth and the sun shining for the first time since we sailed..