Rollo on the Atlantic

versa

ter the officer had gone another man came by, one of the passengers, as Rollo supposed, who proved to be more communicative.

d to tell you much about

; "but how did you know

, Jennie, and your beautiful little kitten. But I will explain the meaning of the

did not know that there wa

d require attendance; and then sometimes there are cases of sickness among the passengers. I have got qui

sea in a very different manner from that which is customary on land. In

ee why not,

midday, earlier. When the ship is going west, she goes away from the sun, and then it becomes noon later. Thus noon has to be fixed every day anew, and a clock going regularly all the time would be continually getting wrong.

gimbals?"

ch mounted on pivots in such a manner that any thing hung within the inner rin

d Rollo, "

every half hour, proves that they are at their posts and attending to their duties. So that, even if a machin

f very little use at sea, the time is so continually changing from day to day. The sailors, therefore, and nearly all on board, depend wholly on the bells; and it is necessary, accordingly, that they should be s

in

twelve,"

n again, imitating the sound

lock," s

Ding!" said

st one o

ing! Di

o'c

g! Ding-d

past

Ding-ding!

hr

ing-ding! Din

past t

g-ding! Ding-di

o'cl

ght bells again, which makes it eight o'clock. The next eight bells is twelve o'clock at night, and the next is at four o'clock in the morning, and the next at eigh

ollo, "now I

rgeon. "It is a curious fact, that almost every thing import

hat?" ask

w watch, that is, a new set of men that have been asleep since midnight, take their places. Then the next eight bells, which is twelve, is luncheon time. At this time, too, the captain finds out from the sun whereabouts we are on the ocean, and also determines the ship's

ished to know very much what it meant, and I

did not go and ask h

asked

hinks they will get to the end of the voyage; or, if the wind is ahead, they ask him when he thinks it will change, and all such foolish questions; as if the captain or any body else could tell when the wind would change. Sailors have all sorts of queer answers to give to these questions, to quiz the passengers who ask them, and amuse themselves. For

the captain, a short time since, when

e captain say?"

Boreas and Neptune, and some of those fellows, for

yage, and he does not like to be teased with foolish inquiries on the subject. There is no end to the foolishness of the questions which landsmen ask when the

e sailor tell hi

ise. So the passenger got up early the next morning and took his seat on the deck, watching every where for w

f laughed at

in that part of the ocean, and whether they are usually seen from the ships that pass along; and if so, how frequently, in ordinary cases, the sight of them may be expected. All this, rightly unde

hat that was. The farmer's boys would tell him it was a sheep. The sailor would ask what it was for. The boys would say they kept sheep to shear them and get the wool. Then presently the sailor would see a cow, and would ask if that was a kind of sheep. The farmer's boys would say no; it was a cow. Then the sailor wou

g at these imaginary quest

ask quite such fooli

landsmen betray, whenever they begin to ask questions on board, seems to the sailors extremely ridiculous and absurd. So they often make fun of the passengers who ask them, and put all sorts of jokes upon them. For instance, a passenger on board a packet ship once asked a sailor what time they would heave the log. 'The log,' said the sailor, 'they always h

d Jennie

the things they tell you. Perhaps it will be the truth they will tell you, and perhaps they will be only making fun of you. You may ask me, however, any thing you like. I will a

our home?"

hat is dinner time. I shall see you again by and by. There's one thing more, though, that I must tell you before I go; and that is, that you had bet

ed, saying that passengers were not a

g the sailors, or climb up upon t

t?" ask

rd. What should you think," continued the surgeon, "if some one who had come to make a visit at your house were to go up s

it was very stra

rigging, which are the domains of the seamen. It is true, that sometimes a passenger may go into these places without impropriety, as, for example, when he has some business there, or when he is specially invited; just as there may be circumstances which would render it proper fo

go climbing up the

an, and when he had got half way up to the main top, and began to be afraid to proceed, the sailors ran

ollo. "And w

er a landsman came up into the rigging, for him to pay for his footing by a treat to th

NGER ON T

ve it to them,

at he could get the dollar out of his pocket. So they untied one of his hands, and he gav

call the capta

me he would have looked the other way, and would have pretended not to see what was going on; but he would really have be

to climb up the shrouds, and he secretly determined that he would be very careful, not only while he was on board the steamer,

y, leaving Rollo and Jan

t I had asked him what he

"you must not a

questions. He said that I might ask

n you must ask him the

go down into our state room and find

rst alone. I want to see if I cannot

hich led from the promenade deck, with a smile upon her countenance, which seemed to say, "You see I am right so far," and then, descending the steps,-holding on carefully all the time

irst, Jennie said that she did not wish to go. She did not wish for any dinner. In fact, Rollo perceived, in looking at

ia, "always is, to go to th

of the passage ways, first to one side and then to the other, to support themselves, on account of the rolling of the ship, for there now began to be considerable motio

e placed, in the centre, from the space along the sides where the plates, and knives, and forks, and tumblers of the several guests were laid. This arrangement served, in some measure, to keep every thing in its place; but notwithstanding this, there was a good deal of sliding and jingling among the glasses whenever an unusual sea came rolling along. In one case, a tumbler, which

u had better be careful, and n

llo. "It won't do any harm. I would as lie

h," replied Jennie; "but I would not as l

a good deal of time, as there were many courses, all served with great regularity. First, there was soup; then fish of various kinds; then all sorts of roasted meats, such as beef, mutton, chickens, and ducks, with a great variety of vegetables. Then came puddings, pies, jellies, ice creams, and preserves; and, final