PRACTICAL JOKES AT SEA.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12766, 7 February 1910, Page 4

PRACTICAL JOKES AT SEA.

— '** One favourite joke (says a nautical man) is a member of the crow will come up quickly to a new hand on deck and tell him he has to go below and ask the engineer on watch for the key of the foglocker to take to the officer on the bridge. The engineer, if he is iv the humour, will at once point to a huge spanner weaghmg about sizty or seventy pounds, and tell him that is the key. Then the fun commences. It will take Greenhand .about an hour's hard work to struggle up the steep engine-room ladder, ana from there to the bridge Aud then to be told by the officer to take it back again as he does not want it now. This may happen two or three times before Greenhand finds out now he has been fooled. , . . When Greenhand joins the ship tor the first time he will generally nnd a bunk in the forecastle, close to a port hole on the ship's side, for this reason, that an old hand will always avoid this bunk, in case; the glass should be stove in if the ship is P]nne»ng heavily, which is very uncomfortable on a cold nigh^-to be washed out of your bunk, perhaps, when you are in the laud of dreams. When the ship reaches warmer climes and the sea is quite; smooth ports are all unscrewed and left open. This affords more fun for the practical jokers. After dark they will wait till Greenhand is sound asleep; then one will proceed up on deck and by lowering a rope over the ship's side, in front of the sleeper s port hole it will be seized by another ! man who by reaching across the • nconscious dreamer, will pull enough rope- in and make it fast to the corner of the bedclothes. Then the signal is given to tha man on deck to haul away, which he does very quickly at first, till the clothes are half way through the port, then he pulls slowly, knowing by this time Greenhand will be awake, therefore letting him sea where his bedclothes are going to. The man on deck will pull them up quickly, run and hide near the scuttle, at the samo time folding up the clothes and unfastening the rope. He has not long to wait, for up rushes Greenhand to look over the rail to_see where his clothes have gone. Now comes the concealed man's chance ; unseen, he slips quickly down to the disturbed man's bunk and puts the clothes back again, and then jumps, into his own bunk.. All m the forecastle are supposed to be asleep, but are watching the fun. Down comes Greenhaud, but picture his surprise when he finds his bedclothes back again neatly folded. He never for one minute thinks of a trick being played 6n him, but is certain there is something uncanny at work. Therefore ne has a great tale to tell his messmates in the morning about it. They only laugh at him, and tell him he has been dreaming. This has . been known to go on for a long time before Greenhand has found out the cause of it. Perhaps he has been so scared that ne has had to bo told the secret.