SAILORS’ SUPERSTITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 20255, 16 August 1929, Page 2

SAILORS’ SUPERSTITIONS

With the passing of the windjammer most of the old square-rigged superstitions have fallen into decay. In those prosaic days a sailor would bo laughed to scorn for refusing to sail on a Friday, or to sign in a ship together with a clergyman, or to join a vessel with a corpse on board (writes a “ Master Mariner ” in the Newcastle ‘ Weekly Chronicle ’). But many an old “ shell ” has deserted his ship and even elected to go to prison rather than do these things, all of which were supposed to be most unlucky. Albatrosses, mollyhawks, boobies, and cape hens were all thought to' embody the spirits of dead seamen. The slayin" of these birds was classed by old sailors as murder, and was thought to be the forerunner of the direst ills.

During my apprenticeship in the *' seventies ” , 1 once knocked down a penguin. It had taken refuge with us, and, like all sea birds, was seasick as soon as it touched the deck. The webbed feet of these birds make excellent tobacco pouches. With much labour I skinned the feet, stuffed them with oakum, and hung them under one of the boats to dry. Next day it came on to blow hard. The feet disappeared, and for some days I could discover nothing about them. Eventually one of the crew—a real hardbitten old salt—coolly admitted having thrown them overboard. They had brought the bad weather, ho said; but now the ship-was rid of them all would be well. His misdirected reverence was real; he was much in earnest. The fact of a shark following a ship was supposed to foretell the death of someone on board. Old sailors credited sharks with prescience in these matters, believing them to be aware days ahead of a prospective meal. I have seen the single black fin sailing along, first on one quarter and then on the other, for more than a week at a time; but I never knew the evil omen to be fulfilled. In a fair wind it was counted,a grave misdemeanour to whistle; if the whistling was persisted in, a: gale would certainly spring up. Frequently, rebuked for this offence, I would be handed a piece of twine and told to “ tie my whistle up ” During a calm one might whistle with impunity. Cats, especially black cats of course, brought good luck. Seamen believed that, they V smelt ” the wind; that their antics foretold the various forces of wind to be_ looked for ; and that their whiskers pointed in the direction from which the wind would come.