QUARANTINE. 395 



The Liibockcr's American wife, the 'only woman on 

 hoard, had in the mean time had many a dispute with 

 her husband, whom she shamefully tormented ; yet he 

 bore it all with inconceivable patience. She struck 

 him, bit him, hid his things, or threw them overboard, 

 abused him, and in short, behaved in a manner that would 

 have exposed her to the roughest treatment from many 

 others ; but her good man bore it all with a " What 

 can I do?" This was his answer to the advice of every- 

 body on board, all wishing that she should meet the re- 

 ward of her infamous conduct ; but it was always, "What 

 can I do ? I cannot strike her." His better half hap- 

 pened to hear the word strike (schlagen), and although 

 she did not understand German, she knew what that 

 meant ; so springing on him like a fury, and holding 

 her fist in his face, she told him in unmistakable terms 

 that if he once attempted to raise his hand to her, she 

 would plunge a knife between his ribs, and scratch out 

 his eyes. She was a little frightened by one of the 

 party telling her that if she did not treat her husband 

 better, lie had the right in Germany of selling her to 

 anybody who would buy her a statement which I con- 

 firmed: this startled her; but if she had had any reflec- 

 tion, she must easily have known that no one would buy 

 such a termagant. 



She behaved better during the time we were in 

 quarantine, perhaps feeling that she was alone among 

 foreigners, and would be quite helpless without her 

 husband. 



Ten days passed away, and we onlv saw the boat 

 when -lie brought the letter- or provisions ; at length 

 one of the party wrote a request to the principal 



