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though thoy had beon through n year's cam
paign and had just received a furlough. Wo
viewed all the bustle and Btir with the ut
most complacence, not thinking, that iu four
months time, our turn would come to bo de
posited, all loaded with parcels, on that
same dock. We laughed at the crowd then,
but found, to our sorrow, that ho laughs
longest who laughs last.
The commotion on the dock was equalled
by that on board ship. Everybody was
hurrying about, and each person had some
task to perform. The stewards rushed back
and forth, some with obstinate passengers in
tow, who refused to go in the right direction
and who persisted in getting lost in the
labyrinth of state-rooms on the lower decks.
The deck hands seemed to be the only ones
who were not in a hurry. They were clean
ing the wood and brass work and kept on
steadily, as though the ship "sailed" every
day. But the busiest men wore those on
gaged in provisioning the ship. Meat was
being lowered through one hatchway at the
the rate of six boeves a minute; at another
place, largo b.oxes of bacon were disappear
ing in the hold at a tremendous rate. Fif
teen hundred people can eat a good deal in
six days, oven if thoy are seasick part of the
time. It was particularly interesting to
watch the men hoisting fifteen and twenty
boxes of cheese on board at a time, in great
cord nets. Little did we think at the time
how good that same cheese would look on
the table and how hard it would bo to eat it,
in just two days.
Wo boarded the steamer at about eight
o'clock in the evening. The work of load
ing continued all night, furnishing topics for
our dreams. The rattling of chains and the
shouting of the men stopped only occasion
ally. In the lull the late comers could be
he?,rd muttering to themselves or expostulat
ing with a steward.
"But my state-room is on the main deck,"
one would say.
"Two decks below, sir," replies the
steward.
"How do you make that out ? Why, that
would make tho main dock on the water lino I"
"Can't help that, sir," was tho answer.
" It is on the water lino."
And the man wont down grumbling to his
little bunk on tho main deck, which he had
engaged porhaps three months in advance,
thinking all the time of tho superior accomo
dations he would have because of his prud
onco and foresight.
Tho morning of sailing day came at last.
At seven sharp, tho ropes were loosened
amid the shouting of orders and the waving
of handkerchiefs. No one without a ticket
had been allowed on board, so all fond
farewells had been given before boarding
the ship. The dock was lined with people,
however, who kept their friends in sight till
the last moment. The first cabin passengers
said au revoir with a graceful wave of their
gloved hands. The second cabin passengers
wavod hats, gloves, handkerchiefs and even
ege-glasses, and said good-bye. Those in
the steerage on tho lower deck, for once,
had the advantage because they were on a
level with the pier. They could talk with
their friends till the boat got clear.
In all this excitement, the Nebraska trav
elers took no part. They had no one near
to drop a salt tear over their departure, so
they felt rather mournful because others did.
As tho boat backed slowly away from the
dock and turned her prow to tho east, they
simply sat on mooring pins and pondered.
Few vain regrets escaped them on leaving
their native land, for, just when regrets
would have been appropriate, while the boat
passed Liberty statute, everybody was or
dered below to show thoir tickets. When
we emerged again, tho boat was well out of
the harbor.
The routine ship life commenced at once.
No one in the party had less than three
remedies for sea sickness, but when the time
approached to use them, no one thought
of them. Those who had been told to diet,
ate square meals with the others who had no
fears. But it was true that the ladies on
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