Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 6).djvu/209

"Were you ever drowned?"

"When you go to sea, don't your friends at home miss you dreadfully?"

And a few others, which I leave to the imagination of inquisitive people.

The Prince of Wales boarding the "Teutonic."
From a Photograph.

Our voyage from first to last was so delightful that, if I interpret the feelings of others by my own, every passenger on board was sorry when it came to an end. The only approach to a contretemps during the entire trip occurred one evening in mid-Atlantic, in the heat of the auction sale in the smoking-room to which I have previously alluded. The proceedings on this occasion were partially interrupted by a somewhat hilarious young gentleman, who donned a false nose and proceeded to treat the company to a song, not having been invited to contribute to the general entertainment by any vocal effort whatever.

Mr. Ismay.
From a Photograph.

After several amicable attempts had been fruitlessly made to calm the musical ardour of this callow youth, he was, as a last resort, incontinently ejected from the room, accompanied by a chorus of threats of future punishment, deferred only for a brief period, until the serious labours of the pool committee should be completed. In fact, later in the evening a sort of drumhead court-martial was held on deck, the speedy result of which was a verdict of guilty and a sentence by which the members of the court