164 ISLES OF SUMMER. 



York, den for all der mutton in jS'assau." Though much in- 

 terested in, he was glad to escape from New York, and affirmed 

 that he did not get the deafening din of its horrible noises out 

 of his head for more than two weeks after he left that city. 



For two or three hours after we landed, we were busy at times 

 wiping the crystals of salt out of our eyes, which were occasioned 

 by the waves outside of Xassau light endeavoring to take posses- 

 sion of our boat. As we recall this rather foolhardy sail, it brings 

 to mind the anecdote of the newly-converted negro who was per- 

 suaded to be baptized by immersion in the ocean, and having 

 accidently slipped from the grasp of the officiating clergyman 

 while his woolly head was under water, declared, so soon as he 

 could get the sea out of his eyes and mouth — ''Some gemman 

 kum nare losing a good nigger by dis yere cussed foolishness." 



Man is a gregarious animal, and Avhen circumstances bring to- 

 gether a large number of persons who are mostly strangers to 

 each other, they soon feel the influence of some subtle social law, 

 and form into groups. The foolish walk in company over the 

 paths of folly in search of pleasure. Here music binds together 

 with her tuneful strings and harmonious cords, those whose 

 hearts are attuned to melody. There, S2)arkling wit, and amus- 

 ing story, and clever anecdote, flash and scintillate from the 

 crystalizing centers of another hapi^y group. The staid, sedate, 

 practical, matter-of-fact people, in their little corner, meditate 

 and moralize upon the solid and substantial things of life, and 

 mourn over the fast and foolish ways and the constantly increas- 

 ing extravagance of the present degenerate age. Some are soli- 

 tary, and got all the light and heat they seem to need by burning 

 oil in their own little lamps. 



We cannot explain how it happened, but at Nassau we gener- 

 ally found ourselves surrounded by congenial people. We fre- 

 quently speculated tipon what we had lost by not having known 



