Life — August 5, 1886 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Shi kE -.. THE “ARK.” BY NOAH. Advertisement. The original manuscript of this journal was found in a cave on Mount Ararat, and although we have not been able , to have the writer's signature identified, the work bears every evidence of authenticity. Spec ial attention is called to the illustrations, which are all sketched from nature or taken Srom photographs by our special artist. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION, June 20th, 2348 B. C. At last we are ready to start, and all the family and the menagerie are on board. I have determined to keep a “Jog” during the cruise. Mrs. Noah says that one log won't be enough because we may have cold weather, but it 's too much trouble to explain to her that Iam merely going to jot down any incidents of interest that may happen to us, with the idea that if the trip culminates successfully it might be worth while to arrange my notes for publication. To begin with, it will not be at all out of order (that ’s where it differs from most type-writers) to explain why we are starting on this cruise, and to give a description of our party. ‘The weather reports predict a very heavy rainfall, since there is a “storm centre” moving up the coast, and as the roof of our house leaks and Mrs. Noah is greatly troubled with the rheumatiz, I deemed it best to put the 4ré in commission, stock her with three months’ provisions, and avoid the wet weather on shore. To prevent all discussion in the future I will mention right here that the 4ré is a centre- board cutter, belongs to the N. Y. Y. C. has neither club-topsails nor a spinnaker, =~ and, according to the model deposited in the club-rooms, looks more like a meeting- house afloat or the Fire Island Hotel ina fog than anything else. Mrs, Noah and I are very uncomfortable in the port state- room on the main deck. Ham and his wife are next tous. Mr. and Mrs. Shem have one of the quarter rooms further aft; while as Japheth brought his banjo we have put him on the hurricane deck, away forward. For full two weeks we have done nothing but load on the animals; however, they are hy eA ff ‘THE PELICAN SWALLOWS THE MONKEY'S TAIL, now all aboard and apparently very peace- able. When the hippopotamus arrived at the upper end of the gang-plank he was so notice- ably out of breath that Japheth made some remarks about his ‘loud pants” and said he was the worst dressed quadruped in the collec- tion. Isaw at once that unless punning was nipped in the bud, some one would probably be rash enough to remark that the elephant had brought his trunk or that the rooster and the fox had only a comb and a brush between them. I therefore called the family together without delay, and announced that any one who committed so grave a misdemeanor would have to stay outside and tread water for forty days unless he could borrow a life- preserver. Only one other unpleasant incident has occurred. Yesterday one of the pelicans swal- lowed a monkey’s tail, mistaking it for an eel. Early this morning, while the pelican was sleeping with its beak open, the monkey slipped a small hedgehog into its pouch, so that to-day the pelican has a very sore throat and quacks hoarsely. I am afraid we shall have a good deal of trouble with those mon- keys before we get done with them. The hatches are all battened down, and as the inside of the 4ré is frescoed with tar, it is pitch dark, Shem has just looked out of the forward sky-light and dropped one of the nautical instruments down the companion ladder—from the noise I should say that the barometer was falling rapidly. It’s beginning to rain like a streak and I believe the old flood is here at last. The water commences to rise around us, but, as Shem remarks, “ We're all snug—so let her sizzle !” CHAPTER Il. A ‘*NOR'EASTER.” i T has been storming steadily for a week, and the Ark, al- though an excel- lent sea boat, has rolled terribly. A good many of the pens and box- tallshave broken down and the animals are becoming rather troublesome. The other day an ostrich got loose, wandered into the pantry and ate up half a dozen butter plates, and last night when Mrs, Ham retired she found one of PLEASURE AT THE CHANGE OF TEMPERATURE. comicbooks.com