ch everybody who could help entertain in the least was pressed into
service. A thrilling account of his own experiences during the Sepoy
mutiny in India and his adventures during the celebrated siege of
Lucknow, told by Gen. Strange, proved most interesting. Later on at the
bow of the ship the whole party assembled and whiled the time away with
song and story until Capt. Morse came himself to inform us that we had
crossed the line and were now safe on the Southern Seas. I did not see
the line nor did I even feel the bottom of the steamer scrape it as she
went over, but it may be that owing to the darkness and the music I
noticed neither of these things.

Early in the morning of December 2d it began blowing hard and by the
time the noon hour had arrived the steamer was rolling about like a
bass-wood log in a mountain torrent. There were some familiar faces
missing from the tables at meal time that day and the stewards who
waited upon those whose stomachs were still in eating order worked under
difficulties, it being always a question of where they would bring up
when they entered the cabin door. All that day:

It was rough, mighty rough,
But the boys they stood by,
And they ran on a bluff
On the grub on the sly,

while the sick ones that lay in their staterooms were hoping and praying
they'd die.

That night there was no comfort to be had on deck, which was wet and
slippery, so a mock trial was held in the cabin that afforded
considerable amusement, General Strange acting as the presiding judge
and Sir James Willoughby as the prisoner at the bar. Charges had been
preferred to the effect that Sir James was not a peer of the realm as he
had represented himself, and that he was carrying concealed weapons in
violation of the ship's law. John Ward acted as counsel for the
defendant, Col. House as prosecuting attorney, and Jimmy Forgarty as
court crier. The witnesses were all sworn not to tell the truth, and
anything but the truth, and as a result there were such whoppers told as
would have made the original Annanias turn green with envy. Thanks to
the eloquence of John Ward, however, Sir James was acquitted with all
honor, but that trial was one of the most amusing incidents of the
voyage.

The spell of heavy weather lasted but a few hours, after which time the
wind died away, the waves calmed down and the sun shone as brilliantly
as ever. On the night of December 30th and while the weather still left
much