The Nineteenth Centxny 157 



By the time Old Nep finished, the young chap had lost some of his bold 

 swagger and began to think there might be more ia it than he thought. It 

 could be seen that he was getting nervous. 



Old Neptune: What is your name? 



Gkeen Hand: Joseph Blake. 



Old Neptune: Hereafter, while on board this ship, you will be called Joe, 

 and to which may be added, "The Lady Killer," on state occasions. I have one 

 more question to ask, and a Uttle advice to give before we make a clean-shaved 

 sailor of you. The advice is this: Never to eat brown bread when you can get 

 white, unless you like it best. Never kiss the servant maid if you can the 

 mistress, tuiless the mistress is not so pretty. Did you ever kiss a Negro girl? 

 Answer loud I 



Green Hand: Noooooo-oh-oh-ooo . . . 



He seemed quite mad at the last question, and tried to answer loud, as 

 ordered, by opening his mouth to its fuU extent; but before the "no" could 

 well get out between his teeth, the tar brush covered thickly was rammed 

 halfway down his throat. Gagging, spitting and struggling, he almost cleared 

 himself of the boys who held him. His face was covered with a vile decoc- 

 tion composed of coal tar, slush and softsoap, and scraped with a piece 

 of iron hoop, he groaning at the rough edges. During this time he had been 

 asked by Nep time if he could svsdm. When he said he could, he was 

 told, "On that perhaps your Ufe wiU depend before you get done with this 

 ceremony." 



A bucket of water in the hands of one of the men, when the shaving was 

 finished, was dashed full in his face, his heels were elevated and he went 

 rolling doviTi the incline, striking the water. He struck out like a man to swim, 

 yelling for a rope, as the boys sung out a "Man overboard!" 



Of course two or three strokes brought him to the tub's side, where he tore 

 the bandage from his eyes and crawled out on deck. The wild look he gave 

 Neptune, the tub of water, and the men shrieking with laughter, only made 

 the mirth greater. He soon got over his fright, though, and was just as eager 

 for the next one to show up as any. 



The custom of having Neptime on board when crossing the Line is fast 

 going out of date. No doubt, in some instances green hands were roughly 

 used; but in no instance could they have been so dangerously made to suffer 

 as in the old-time initiation of keel-hauling, as it was called, which has caused 

 the loss of lives. 



The manner of keel-hauling a victim the first time he crossed the Line was 

 to take him out on the martingale guys — ropes leading from the bows, one 

 off each side, to a spar hanging up and down, one end of the same being fast 

 to the underside of the bowsprit nearly at its end. 



A rope was made fast to his feet and another one made fast to his body, 

 under his arms. The one to his feet was led aft outside the raü, clear of every- 



