r I
bethought fondly, no matter how little a man may weigh by the
steelyards, or how much a Arvilly may make light on him, if Love is
enthroned in his person he towers up bigger than the hull universe.
And so, filled with joy radiatin' from the presence of the best
beloved, and under the cloudless sunshine of that glorious day, I set
out on my Trip Abroad. Yes, I wuz once more embarked on that great
watery world that lays all round us and the continents, and we can't
help ourselves.

And the days follered one another along in Injin file, trampin'
silently and stiddily on, no matter where we be or what we do. So we
sailed on and on, the ship dashin' along at I don't know how many
knots an hour. Probably the knots would be enough if straightened out
to make a hull hank of yarn, and mebby more. Part of the time the
waves dashin' high. Mebby the Pacific waves are a little less
tumultous and high sweepin' than the Atlantic, a little more pacific
as it were, but they sway out dretful long, and dash up dretful high,
bearin' us along with 'em every time, up and down, down and up, and
part of the time our furniture and our stomachs would foller 'em and
sway, too, and act. The wind would soar along, chasin' after us, but
never quite ketchin' us; sometimes abaft, sometimes in the fo'castle,
whatever that may be.

And under uz wuz the great silent graveyard, the solemn, green aisles,
still and quiet, and no knowin' how soon we should be there, too,
surrounded by the riches of that lost world of them that go down in
ships, but not doin' us any good. Only a board or two and some paint
between us and destruction (but then I don't know as we are seperated
any time very fur from danger, earthquakes, tornados and such). And
good land! I would tell myself and Josiah, for that matter I've known
wimmen to fall right out of their chairs and break themselves all up
more or less, and fall often back steps and suller stairs and such.
But 'tennyrate I felt real riz up as I looked off on the heavin'
billers, and Faith sez to me, "Why should I fear since I sailed with
God." The seas, I am journeying, I told myself with Duty on one side
of me and on the other side Josiah, and the sun of Love over all. I
got along without any seasickness to speak of, but my pardner suffered
ontold agonies--or no, they wuzn't ontold, he told 'em all to me--yes,
indeed!

Tommy "wonnered" what made the big vessel sail on so fast, and what
made so much water, where