''They hauled him into the steerage and forced him upon deck where one of the hell hounds asked if he had rather take a leap like a brave fellow or to be tossed over like a sneaking rascal.
You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food -- always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm.
And then we played hide-and-seek with the blind man. As he came up the port side we slipped past on the starboard; and from the poop we watched him turn and start aft on our track.
For the first few days of the trip, passengers felt like they were on vacation. They spent their time strolling around the deck, playing cards and enjoying the ship's fine food and other luxuries.
On the forecastle was mounted the latest model breech-loading cannon, very heavy of barrel and narrow of bore, a weapon that would figure in the Universal Exhibition of 1867.