THE ROOSEVELT'S ESCAPE 181 



The sailors amused themselves after the manner of 

 sailors everywhere, playing dominoes, cards and check- 

 ers, boxing and telling stories. They used to play at 

 feats of strength, such as finger-pulling, with the 

 Eskimos. One of the men had an accordion, another 

 a banjo, and as I sat working in my cabin I used often 

 to hear them singing "Annie Rooney," "McGinty," 

 "The Spanish Cavalier," and sometimes "Home, 

 Sweet Home." Nobody seemed to be bored. Percy, who 

 had special charge of the phonograph, often treated 

 the men to a concert, and all through the winter I 

 heard nobody complain of monotony or homesickness. 



