10 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 
before mid-day, when the wind dropped, though the rain 
continued. So we went up and furled all sail, a tedious 
business when the sails are wet and heavy. ‘Then work on 
cargo or coal till 7 p.M., supper, and glad to get to sleep. 
On July 15 (lat. 0° 40’ N., long. 21° 56’ W.) we crossed 
the Line with all pomp and ceremony. At 1.15 p.m. Nep- 
tune in the person of Seaman Evans hailed and stopped 
theship. Hecame on board with his motley company, who 
solemnly paced aft to the break of the poop, where he was 
met by Lieutenant Evans. His wife (Browning), a doctor 
(Paton), barber (Cheetham), two policemen and four bears, 
of whom Atkinson and Oates were two, grouped them- 
selves round him while the barrister (Abbott) read an 
address to the captain, and then the procession moved 
round to the bath, a sail full of water slung in the break of 
the poop on the starboard side. 
Nelson was the first victim. He was examined, then 
overhauled by the doctor, given a pill and a dose, and 
handed over to the barber, who lathered him with a black 
mixture consisting of soot, flour and water, was shaved by 
Cheetham with a great wooden razor, and then the police- 
men tipped him backwards into the bath where the bears 
were waiting. As he was being pushed in he seized the 
barber and took him with him. 
Wright, Lillie, Simpson and Levick followed, with 
about six of the crew. Finally Gran, the Norwegian, was 
caught as an extra—never having been across the Line in 
a British ship. But he threw the pill-distributing doctor 
over his head into the bath, after which he was lathered 
very gingerly, and Cheetham having been in once, refused 
to shave him at all, so they tipped him in and wished they 
had never caught him. 
The procession re-formed, and Neptune presented cer- 
tificates to those who had been initiated. ‘The proceedings 
closed with a sing-song in the evening. 
These sing-songs were of very frequent occurrence. 
The expedition was very fond of singing, though there 
was hardly anybody in it who could sing. The usual cus- 
tom at this time was that every one had to contribute a song 
