Sight-seeing in South America . crossing the Arctic Circle they were entering sucha dangerous ocean that they should invoke the protectionof the sea king. Accordingly, they presented those whohad never before crossed the circle with elaborate cere-monies and some horse play to the Court of , in good old Viking style, Neptunes health wasdrunk in big bumpers. When the Scandinavian and Hanseatic sailors ventureddown across the equator, they brought with them theirArctic Circle customs. They deemed that the crossingof the equator was worth commemorating, for the equa-tor marks a great
Sight-seeing in South America . crossing the Arctic Circle they were entering sucha dangerous ocean that they should invoke the protectionof the sea king. Accordingly, they presented those whohad never before crossed the circle with elaborate cere-monies and some horse play to the Court of , in good old Viking style, Neptunes health wasdrunk in big bumpers. When the Scandinavian and Hanseatic sailors ventureddown across the equator, they brought with them theirArctic Circle customs. They deemed that the crossingof the equator was worth commemorating, for the equa-tor marks a great dividing line both in the heavens andon earth. Here the sun comes up and goes down atright angles with the horizon. Here day and night are Pernauihnco 33 always equal, and there is no dawn or twilight, but onlylight or darkness. Here, too, the seasons change, andon our ship, winter passed to summer. Here, also, thereare new heavens, for the brilliant northern stars and con-stelktions give ]:)lace to less imposing southern /;// \v,iiitn,\ t; I- llu- Ivinalui- (.crL-niDiiii The (ireat l)i])per and the Xorlh Star (lisai)i)earrd be-neath the northern horizon, and the Southern Cross, tlieFalse Cross, and Cano])us donnn;Ue the heavens. The night before we reacheil the euator, amid abursting of bombs and a ])rofusion of red lights, a sailor 34 Sight-Sceiiig in South America garbed as Neptunes herald, climbed up over the side ofthe ship, as if from out of the sea, and proclaimed thaton the next afternoon Neptune would confer the ritesof baptism and a sea-name upon all who had nevercrossed the equator. On deck, for the ceremonies, alarge throne was erected and in front of it, for a font,a big canvas swimming pool was put up. At the appointed hour, old Neptune, with a shagg}^ seamoss beard and accompanied by a court of grotesquelydressed retainers, appeared, and preceded by a maskedband, marched around the deck and upon the the candidates were called before him and wen
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidsightseeingi, bookyear1912
