ling towards him. When crossing
the line the usual ceremonies were gone through, the captain not
considering it necessary to forbid them. Neptune, with his wife and
Tritons, came on board, accompanied by the barber and doctor--the
characters who invariably take part in the drama. The arrangements had
been made under the superintendence of the first mate, who had selected
the seamen he chiefly favoured.

A sail triced up was filled with water to serve as a bath. The barber
carried a piece of rusty hoop instead of a razor, and a pot of grease
for lather, while the doctor, with a huge pill box and a knife, which he
called his lancet, stood by to prescribe the treatment each patient was
to receive. When Neptune and Amphitrite had taken their places, those
who had not crossed the line were summoned to appear before them, and
were interrogated as to their birth-place and parentage, how long they
had been at sea, and the voyages they had made. Those who could not
give proof that they were freemen of the ocean were instantly seized,
and after being shaved in order to get the hay seeds from their hair,
were doused in the bath to wash the dust off their feet. No one had a
chance of escape, for, if he attempted to fly and hide himself, he was
chased and brought back by the Tritons. Owen and Nat Midge were among
the chief sufferers. The barber covered their faces and heads with
lather, and when they attempted to cry out dabbed the brush into their
mouths; then he applied the iron hoop, and scraped away, pretending to
shave off their hair, while the doctor felt their pulses, declaring that
they must be bled and blistered, and take a dozen of his pills.
Fortunately, before he could administer his remedies the Tritons carried
them off to plunge them in the bath. After undergoing this disagreeable
process for some time till they were almost drowned, they with
difficulty scrambled out, and made their way below. The first mate
stood by grinning as he saw the youngsters undergoing this ordeal. Owen
made no resistance, nor did he cry out; but as soon as possible he got
away to his berth, to cleanse himself from the filth with which he had
been covered. Some of the other lads and young men resisted lustily,
and suffered in consequence far more even than had either Owen or Nat.
The crew having amused themselves for some time, the captain ordered the
mate to pipe to quarters. The bath was emptied, Neptune and his gang
speedily d