andage
on his eyes, any one in the rank is at liberty to step out and go up to
him and slap his cheek, and dart off to his place in the rank before the
blindfold touches him; if he does, the touched one has to don the
bandage, and the other pulls his bandage off and takes a place in the
rank. When the slap is delivered, the slapper darts back to his place in
the rank with all possible speed, and the slapped one darts after the
other like greased lightning, and touches the wrong man perhaps, and
pulls the bandage off, only to have to put on again, while the
passengers roar with delight; the little tub is not forgotten in this
game; and then the climax comes when we think the blindfold has had
enough of it, and when a burly stoker steps out to deliver his slap, the
rank closes up tightly, and on rushing back to his place with the
blindfold at his heels, and the wild exertions of the man to squeeze
himself into the rank before he is touched and the joy of the blindfold
who has just touched his man, creates loud cheers and laughter, and the
burly man has to don the bandage and take his stand in front. Before
arriving at St. Thomas, there is a general clean up, bilges pumped out,
engines cleaned, boiler fronts and lagging polished; the passengers are
preparing for another voyage to some of the islands further west, as
Trinidad, St. Vincent, Barbadoes, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, etc.
On entering the harbour guns are fired in our honour, and we return the
compliment by firing our six-pounder from the forecastle, the Colonial
steamer comes alongside our ship, when there are cheers and waving of
handkerchiefs and handshaking; the bumboats come alongside also and many
people, and board our ship, offering us a great variety of things for
sale; women galavanting over every part soliciting the officers'
washing, etc., etc. Our engines receive a thorough overhaul, boilers are
cleaned, cabins and stairways painted, and all bright metal cleaned and
repolished; our coals are delivered on board by a swarm of men, women
and youths, of both sexes, carrying them in small wicker baskets on
their heads, and stepping on a scale or counter on their way to the
ship, the process occupying about three days for about 800 tons of Welsh
coal. At last the time has come for starting for home; all visitors are
ordered off the ship: moorings are cast off, and a man at the voice-pipe
speaks to the engineers down below, and the great paddle-wheels rev