A DAY AT SEA.

Manawatu Herald, 26 March 1889, Page 2

A DAY AT SEA.

It was breezy and pleasant, but the sea was still very rough. On» could not promenade without risking; his neck; at one moment the bowsprit was taking a deadly aim at the sun in mid-heaven, and at the next it was trying to harpoon a shark at bottom of the ocean. What a weird sensation it is to feel the stern of a ship sinking swiftly from under you, ! and see the bow climbing high away I among the clouds ! One's safest I course that day was to clasp a railing and hang on ; walking was too precaii us a pastime. By some happy fortune I was not seasick. That was a thing to be proud of. I had not always escaped before. If there is one thing in the world tha will make a man peculiarly and insufferably b elf -conceited, it is to have his stomach behave itself the first day at sea, when nearly j all his comrades are sea-sick. Soon a venerable fossil, shawled to the chin, and bandaged like a mummy, appear-d at the door of the after deck house, and the next lurch of the ship shot him into my arms. — " Good morning, sir. It is a fine day." He put his hand on his stomach, andwqaid, "Oh my!" and fell over the bctt>p of a skylightPresently another old gentleman was projected from the same door with great violence. I said — •'Calm yourself, sir; there is no hurry. It is a fine day sir." He also put his hand on his stomach and said, "Oh my!" and reeled away, In a little while another veteran was discharged abruptly from the same door, c: awing at the air for a saving support. I said — "Good morning, sir. It is a fine day for pleasuring. You were about to say — ' " Oh my I" I thought so. I anticipated Mm, anyhow. I stayed there, and was bombarded with old gentlemen for ian hour perhaps ; and all I got out of any of them was " Oh my !" I went away then, in a thoughtful mood. I said " This is a good plea* sure excursion. I like it. The patBeugers are not gamx'ous, but still they are sociab c. t like those old people ; but somehow they all seem to have the "Oh my" rather bad." 1 knew what was the matter with them. They were sea-sick. The Innocents Absoad.