“LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE.”

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 28, 14 October 1893, Page 6

“LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE.”

(By Aurora.) Again and again has the question been asked me : —“ Whatever do you manage to do with your time on board ?” Whilst taking you from Malta to Gibraltar, I can not do better than give a brief outline of

how the greater part of our time was spent. Some of us, for the first week, at anyrate, took an absolute delight in doing nothing. The feeling of perfect rest, and entire freedom from all responsibility was so new an experience that we revelled in it to the full. We just sat on deck and basked in the sunshine, studying furtively our fellow passengersBut “ doing nothing,” delightful though it may be, very soon begins to pall upon one, and the more energetic amongst us began to look around for something wherewith to occupy our “ idle hands.” We formed ourselves into two committees, “ A ladies’ amusement committee,” and “ A gentlemen’s amusement committee,” and then we went at it. The gentlemen had their choice and decided to prepare the programmes for the daytime, so the ladies took in hand the concerts, etc., for the evenings. Needless to say these committees caused immense amusement, though they meant any amount of hard work to those who composed them. The committee folk has not many spare moments on their hands. In hot weather it required all our strength of mind to keep pegging away. The first item on the programme, after things had got into proper working order, was a cricket match played between the gentlemen of the first and second saloons. The Lascars were set to work to cover in the sides of the ship with sail-cloth, and instead of running when a ball was hit, chalk marks were made at certain distances up the deck, and a ball sent beyond any one of these chalk marks counted so many runs. It caused immense amusement, because a swift “ batter ” had very little difficulty in keeping the “fielders ” very actively emplos 7 ed. Our cricket teams not only consisted of gentlemen, but we had the ladies’ teams also, one from the first saloon, and one from the second. “Yours truly ” occupied the honourable position of captain of the second saloon team. We did some right noble work, and scored well in most of our games, our most laughable success being the one in which we beat the gentlemen of our own saloon, cricket-bats, verstis walking-sticks. We had with us a most energetic passenger who was a very strong advocate of the “ Tug of war,” and really some of the “ struggles ” he organised caused more fun than anything else. To see some of the fat old gentlemen pulling with all their might, on a slippery “ sea-saw deck, caused agonies of laughter. I have laughed until I have ached at their rosy faces and grotesque positions. How they could pull as they did in such hot weather vas a marvel. Only the extreme sense of duty which actuates all on board to do all that they can to minister to the enjoyment and pleasure of the rest, could have given them courage to persevere. The “ Sports committee ” did praiseworthy work, many a long afternoon did they shorten by their persistent persevering energy. “ Obstacle races, “ Three-legged races,” “Potato races,” “ Thread-needle races,” and any other race you choose to mention, followed each other in quick succession. A happier, merrier baud of people, you could scarcely imagine, than were on that P. & O. boat bound for England. Then our, concerts took a considerable amount of organising ; sometimes we had too much talent, and sometimes we had not enough ; other times our ingenuity was taxed to the uttermost, to offend none who were willing to take part; and again we were at our wits’ ends to find a suffiicieut number of artists “ well” enough to make the thing “ go.” We had two professionals on board, and any amount of amateur vocalists and pianists. We were fortunate in having with us, Herr Liebe and Madame Liebe, who have made themselves famous in Australian towns by their wonderful violin and violincello playing. _ Then, there was any amount of dancing for those who eared for it. “ Impromptu dances” on deck were indulged in two or three nights every week, and now and then there was a properly organised ball. The “fancy dress

dance ” caused as much fun to those who took part in it as anything, The ingenuity displayed in providing a “ fancy dress ” out of the material at hand, gave employment to many busy fingers, and the whole effect when the eventful night arrived was, to say the least of it, grotesque. It was wonderful to see how smoothly things went, considering the many and peculiar dispositioned people there were to deal with. It was a difficult matter to steer clear of some individual’s “ pet corn,” in fact we did not always succeed in doing it, and then there were ructions in the camp. We had a very efficient band too, and that very often enlivened the proceedings when occasion demanded. It was not a question of “ What shall we do with our time ?” but “ How shall we find time enough ( to do all that we want to ?” Reading and needle-work were at a discount, and life generally was one long holiday,