A Hissy Fit - a Seafaring Version.
When I was sixteen, back in the 1950’s,I was signed on as an apprentice lad on tramp ships [like the vessel pictured here] sailing out of Cardiff. We would go round the world on voyages up to two years in length. During one trip we loaded a cargo of grain (wheat) in the USA for India. We arrived off the port of Mumbai, although in those days it was known as Bombay and the Gateway to India. We had to drop anchor to wait for a berth. It was [ and still is] a very busy port.
As soon as the port authorities had given us free pratique (declared a healthy ship) out came the bumboats to lie alongside the gangway. Now a bumboat is a small boat or launch that carries all the tradepeople and their goods that want to do business with ship’s crew. There were tailors, barbers, dhobi wallahs (laundry men), ghilly-ghilly men (conjurers, fortune tellers, and magicians), and so on. There was also a Snake Charmer dressed in loincloth, turban, and equipped with the bulbous flute and a fairly large round basket that he said contained a cobra.
The Snake Charmer set himself up on the poop deck just forward of the crew’s accommodation. The sun was very hot and all hands were up on deck. He then asked for a “contribution” for a performance; it was a hard task trying to get the men to part with their rupees as the ship had not yet berthed alongside in the port. He was very persistent and finally got some money into his brass bowl.
He sat on his haunches and took the lid off the basket. There was a snake coiled up, there was not a movement, not a flicker, no sign of life. The seamen all peered into the basket and looked at each other and shrugged not impressed.
The Snake Charmer started to play on his flute – “Tootle – tootle- loo” waving the instrument over the basket. There was no sign of any movement. The crew looked at each and started to mumble just a little.
The Snake Charmer played his strange tune louder– “TOOTLE – TOOTLE –LOO” waving the flute even more vigorously over the basket. Still no sign of movement or life. The crew were now louder in grumbling about the lack of a show.
The Snake Charmer now tooted very loud on his flute. There was still no action and now the crew were saying that they wanted all the rupees back.
The Snake Charmer stopped playing, muttered some sharp words in Hindi, picked up the basket lid, and brought it down with an almighty THWACK !onto the basket. What happened next brings real meaning to expression ‘hissy fit’!
Out of the basket reared the biggest, angriest, hooded cobra with fangs bared and hissing fit to bust. There was one mad scramble, there were sailors up the rigging, on top of the deckhouses, I jumped up on top of a winch. We all had a fright, a real fright.
I seem to remember the Snake Charmer of old Bombay had a small smile as he recovered his cobra into the basket.
As soon as the port authorities had given us free pratique (declared a healthy ship) out came the bumboats to lie alongside the gangway. Now a bumboat is a small boat or launch that carries all the tradepeople and their goods that want to do business with ship’s crew. There were tailors, barbers, dhobi wallahs (laundry men), ghilly-ghilly men (conjurers, fortune tellers, and magicians), and so on. There was also a Snake Charmer dressed in loincloth, turban, and equipped with the bulbous flute and a fairly large round basket that he said contained a cobra.
The Snake Charmer set himself up on the poop deck just forward of the crew’s accommodation. The sun was very hot and all hands were up on deck. He then asked for a “contribution” for a performance; it was a hard task trying to get the men to part with their rupees as the ship had not yet berthed alongside in the port. He was very persistent and finally got some money into his brass bowl.
He sat on his haunches and took the lid off the basket. There was a snake coiled up, there was not a movement, not a flicker, no sign of life. The seamen all peered into the basket and looked at each other and shrugged not impressed.
The Snake Charmer started to play on his flute – “Tootle – tootle- loo” waving the instrument over the basket. There was no sign of any movement. The crew looked at each and started to mumble just a little.
The Snake Charmer played his strange tune louder– “TOOTLE – TOOTLE –LOO” waving the flute even more vigorously over the basket. Still no sign of movement or life. The crew were now louder in grumbling about the lack of a show.
The Snake Charmer now tooted very loud on his flute. There was still no action and now the crew were saying that they wanted all the rupees back.
The Snake Charmer stopped playing, muttered some sharp words in Hindi, picked up the basket lid, and brought it down with an almighty THWACK !onto the basket. What happened next brings real meaning to expression ‘hissy fit’!
Out of the basket reared the biggest, angriest, hooded cobra with fangs bared and hissing fit to bust. There was one mad scramble, there were sailors up the rigging, on top of the deckhouses, I jumped up on top of a winch. We all had a fright, a real fright.
I seem to remember the Snake Charmer of old Bombay had a small smile as he recovered his cobra into the basket.
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