and every
body with impotent fury in the intervals between his retching fits; to see the pale despairing women strewed about the cabin, on carpet, chairs and sofas, attended by the stewardess with her gruel bowls, and fizzing powders, and lemons, and toast and tea; to hear all day the groans and moans and gurgling laments in every quarter, to have the night made hideous by the loud alarms of bowel-wrenchinss and belchinos that might awaken the seven sleepers; and then to see the tables deserted and the quandary of those who try to determine which is least difhcult, to keep in bed, to dress, or to eat — all this is very amusing to those happy souls who pet and plume themselves because they are not subject to such horrible sensations, or compelled to assist at such unpleasing scenes.
This rocking sensation has something strange in it; it affects different persons so differently. Some it drives well-nigh mad, with sensations akin to those of the novice in gambling who loses his last half-dollar at monte, giving its victim, if not death, resignation to it ; others it sends off into peaceful and long con- tinued sleep bestowing rest and contentment ; others not only are not sea-sick but are made hilarious by it. These latter, as they pass from room to room and see the wan, woe-begotten faces of the vomiters, become extremely satisfied with themselves. " Oh ! no, I am never sick," says Jenkins, "I like it, it agrees with me; I really enjoy it, my appetite is never better than when it is a little breezy ; only one other beside the captain and myself at the table ; roast du"k, tough as ox-hide " — and so he rattled his nauseous boasts to the infinite disgust of prostrate listeners.
And as in the sensitive breast there is usually a sense of weakness and shame attending this evil, so it is held by a certain class a cardinal virtue to escape it. Noth- ing so inspires a man with a good opinion of himself and his internal belono-ino-s as to be able to smoke and whistle and carry an undaunted front when the heads of his comrades are horizontally inclined, and their
