himself when his voice caught on the center occasionally and gave him the

lockjaw.

There were those among the unregenerated who attributed the unceasing

head-winds to our distressing choir-music. There were those who said

openly that it was taking chances enough to have such ghastly music going

on, even when it was at its best; and that to exaggerate the crime by

letting George help was simply flying in the face of Providence. These

said that the choir would keep up their lacerating attempts at melody

until they would bring down a storm some day that would sink the ship.

There were even grumblers at the prayers. The executive officer said the

pilgrims had no charity:

There they are, down there every night at eight bells, praying for fair

winds--when they know as well as I do that this is the only ship going

east this time of the year, but there's a thousand coming west--what's a

fair wind for us is a head wind to them--the Almighty's blowing a fair

wind for a thousand vessels, and this tribe wants him to turn it clear

around so as to accommodate one--and she a steamship at that! It ain't

good sense, it ain't good reason, it ain't good Christianity, it ain't

common human charity. Avast with such nonsense!"

The Innocents Abroad