Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SKETCHES ABROAD. Steamship "cuba," June 8, 186-. ERE we are at sea, on board the good ship Cuba, weather fine, and the sea, unlike many of our passengers, in a lively condition, the white caps dancing about in a jolly manner. Our fellow voyagers exhibit a variety of expression; some, expectant of that awful moment when the inner man rebels against the constant rising and falling of the deck, have thrown themselves down upon it, and are forcing a feeble smile to convince you that they are " quite comfortable." Some, pale and limp, are recliningwith their heads on the shoulders of sympathizing friends, while others stagger to the guards, over which they hang in a collapsed condition, and many who are " never sick," walk the deck with determined stride, confident and cheerful. One poor, old gentleman, an invalid, lies outstretched in his sea-chair, wrapped in a large plaid shawl, with his felt hat tied under his chin leaving his nose alone visible, a forlorn picture of patient suffering. The captain, majestic and reserved, is seen upon the bridge with the glass at his eye, scanning a distant sail, while the boatswain pipes his shrill call to the hands to " Lay aft." By the smoke-stack is gathered a group of gentlemen warming their backs and puffing the fragrant weed. Suddenly the ship rolls, and one individual with red whiskers and an excess of nose, who has been reading a newspaper, turns over unexpectedly upon his back, slides quite across the deck, — stool and all, — accompanied by two ladies. The bell rings for dinner, and all who can, dive instantly into the cabin to attend to the most important business of the day. Five times during the twenty-four hours, do we go through this interesting process, ending at night with the delectable composition known as "Welsh- rare-bit,...