ACROSS THE EQUATOR WITH THE AMERICAN NAVY 



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© Publishers' Photo Service 



THE MUNICIPAL MARKET IN PANAMA CITY 



The "Ditty Box Guide Book," which was given to every member of the fleet before landing 

 at Panama, gives this version of the origin of the nickname "spiggoty," applied by Americans 

 to the natives of Panama : "When the Americans first arrived on the Isthmus the cab-drivers 

 would shout, 'Me speak it, the English.' This soon changed to 'spickety,' and then to 

 'spiggoty.' Thenceforth the Panamanians were, 'spiggoties.' " 



be taken to that statement. No doubt 

 the most unhappy man was the green- 

 horn who permitted himself to be fright- 

 ened by the heartless old tars, who told 

 of Neptune's severity. 



"How is your heart ?" they would rum- 

 ble to the young man from the prairie 

 town, who had never even heard of Nep- 

 tune before he went to sea. Horny 

 hands would feel the frightened flutter- 

 ings of the victim's breast. 



"You may get through," the amateur 

 diagnosticians would say. "I dunno. 

 It's pretty weak. Hey, Tom. C'me here 

 and feel this guy's heart !" 



THE GREATEST LEVEE NEPTUNE EVER HEED 



This was certainly the greatest levee 

 that Neptune ever held since he began 

 his practice of climbing over the bows 

 of ships as they cross the Equator. Not 

 less than 25,000 men appeared before his 



courts on the sixty-odd ships. The total 

 was probably greater, for it was esti- 

 mated that not more than 5 per cent of 

 the 31,000 men on the combined fleets 

 had ever crossed the Line before. 



On the night of January 23 the Herald 

 came aboard. Up to this moment the 

 promised ceremony had seemed distant 

 and humorous. Now it took on an air 

 of dignity. One felt that this fine old 

 tradition of the sea would be upheld in 

 a proper spirit. The ships had been 

 jogging placidly along, when from our 

 foretop came a frightened hail : 



"Light ho! Light on the starboard 

 bo-ow.'' 



At first the men who rushed to the 

 rail thought the light was from one of 

 the life-rings equipped with lamps, for 

 use when men go overboard on dark- 

 nights. Rut it was seen to be a flare set 

 adrift in a tub from whatever ship was 



