through the Red Sea with the wall
of waters on each side of them," observed the lady. "In any other
country we must have been crushed to death."

When I was on board one of the steam-boats, an American asked one of the
ladies to what she would like to be helped. She replied, to some
turkey, which was within reach, and off of which a passenger had just
cut the wing and transferred it to his own plate. The American who had
received the lady's wishes, immediately pounced with his fork upon the
wing of the turkey and carried it off to the young lady's plate; the
only explanation given, "a _lady, Sir_!" was immediately admitted as
sufficient.

The authority of the captain of a steam-boat is never disputed; if it
were, the offender would be landed on the beach. I was on board of a
steam-boat when, at tea time, a young man sat down with his hat on.

"_You_ are in the company of ladies, sir," observed the captain very
civilly, "and I must request you to take your hat off."

"Are you the captain of the boat?" observed the young man, in a sulky
tone.

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Well, then, I suppose I must," growled the passenger, as he obeyed.

But if the stewards, who are men of colour, were to attempt to enforce
the order, they would meet with such a rebuff as I have myself heard
given.

"If it's the captain's orders, let the captain come and give them. I'm
not going to obey a _Nigger_ like you."

Perhaps it is owing to this deference to the sex that you will observe
that the Americans almost invariably put on their best clothes when they
travel; such is the case whatever may be the cause; and the ladies in
America, travelling or not, are always well, if not expensively dressed.
They don't all swap bonnets as the two young ladies did in the
stage-coach in Vermont.

But, notwithstanding the decorum so well preserved as I have mentioned,
there are some annoyances to be met with from gregarious travelling.
One is, that occasionally a family of interesting young citizens who are
suffering from the whooping-cough, small-pox, or any other complaint,
are brought on board, in consequence of the medical gentlemen having
recommended change of air. Of course the other children, or even
adults, may take the infection, but they are not refused admittance upon
such trifling grounds; the profits of the steam boat must not be
interfered with.

Of all travelling, I think that by railroad the most intriguing,
especially in Americ