Still another mode of passing time, was arraying yourself in your best “_togs_” and promenading up and down the gun-deck, admiring the shore scenery from the port-holes, which, in an amphitheatrical bay like Rio—belted about by the most varied and charming scenery of hill, dale, moss, meadow, court, castle, tower, grove, vine, vineyard, aqueduct, palace, square, island, fort—is very much like lounging round a circular cosmorama, and ever and anon lazily peeping through the glasses here and there.

Properties

description

# Still another mode of passing time, was arraying yourself in your best “_togs_” and promenading up and down the gun-deck, admiring the shore scenery from the port-holes, which, in an amphitheatrical bay like Rio—belted about by the most varied and charming scenery of hill, dale, moss, meadow, court, castle, tower, grove, vine, vineyard, aqueduct, palace, square, island, fort—is very much like lounging round a circular cosmorama, and ever and anon lazily peeping through the glasses here and there. ## Overview This is a section from the novel *White-Jacket* by Herman Melville. It describes another way sailors would pass time while in port: dressing up and promenading on the gun-deck, admiring the scenery. This section was extracted on January 30, 2026. ## Context This section is part of [Chapter XLII. KILLING TIME IN A MAN-OF-WAR IN HARBOUR.](arke:01KG8AJS2XNNYG8VJ0DMZ113C3) within the novel *White-Jacket*. The novel is part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The text was extracted from the file [white_jacket.txt](arke:01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY). It follows the section discussing cleaning and polishing bright-work [One other mode of passing time while in port was cleaning and polishing your _bright-work_; for it must be known that, in men-of-war, every sailor has some brass or steel of one kind or other to keep in high order—like housemaids, whose business it is to keep well-polished the knobs on the front door railing and the parlour-grates.](arke:01KG8AKV4ZQ4M6CRV6XD7Q9ZY9) and precedes the section about playing checkers [One other way of killing time while in port is playing checkers](arke:01KG8AKVR1SQTM87WN14JH4SFA). ## Contents The section describes sailors dressing in their best clothes and walking on the gun-deck, enjoying the view of the shore from the portholes, particularly when in a scenic location like Rio. It mentions that this activity was popular among the marines, especially a handsome corporal named Colbrook, who would dress in his regimentals and stroll around. The narrator notes that Colbrook later became a representative in the New Jersey Legislature. The section also mentions that the officers kept the larboard side of the gun-deck clear for their own promenades.

description_generated_at

2026-01-30T20:49:51.249Z

description_model

gemini-2.5-flash-lite

description_title

Still another mode of passing time, was arraying yourself in your best “_togs_” and promenading up and down the gun-deck, admiring the shore scenery from the port-holes, which, in an amphitheatrical bay like Rio—belted about by the most varied and charming scenery of hill, dale, moss, meadow, court, castle, tower, grove, vine, vineyard, aqueduct, palace, square, island, fort—is very much like lounging round a circular cosmorama, and ever and anon lazily peeping through the glasses here and there.

end_line

6607

extracted_at

2026-01-30T20:48:16.646Z

extracted_by

structure-extraction-lambda

source_file

01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY

start_line

6576

text

Still another mode of passing time, was arraying yourself in your best “_togs_” and promenading up and down the gun-deck, admiring the shore scenery from the port-holes, which, in an amphitheatrical bay like Rio—belted about by the most varied and charming scenery of hill, dale, moss, meadow, court, castle, tower, grove, vine, vineyard, aqueduct, palace, square, island, fort—is very much like lounging round a circular cosmorama, and ever and anon lazily peeping through the glasses here and there. Oh! there is something worth living for, even in our man-of-war world; and one glimpse of a bower of grapes, though a cable’s length off, is almost satisfaction for dining off a shank-bone salted down. This promenading was chiefly patronised by the marines, and particularly by Colbrook, a remarkably handsome and very gentlemanly corporal among them. He was a complete lady’s man; with fine black eyes, bright red cheeks, glossy jet whiskers, and a refined organisation of the whole man. He used to array himself in his regimentals, and saunter about like an officer of the Coldstream Guards, strolling down to his club in St. James’s. Every time he passed me, he would heave a sentimental sigh, and hum to himself “_The girl I left behind me_.” This fine corporal afterward became a representative in the Legislature of the State of New Jersey; for I saw his name returned about a year after my return home. But, after all, there was not much room, while in port, for promenading, at least on the gun-deck, for the whole larboard side is kept clear for the benefit of the officers, who appreciate the advantages of having a clear stroll fore and aft; and they well know that the sailors had much better be crowded together on the other side than that the set of their own coat-tails should be impaired by brushing against their tarry trowsers.

title

Still another mode of passing time, was arraying yourself in your best “_togs_” and promenading up and down the gun-deck, admiring the shore scenery from the port-holes, which, in an amphitheatrical bay like Rio—belted about by the most varied and charming scenery of hill, dale, moss, meadow, court, castle, tower, grove, vine, vineyard, aqueduct, palace, square, island, fort—is very much like lounging round a circular cosmorama, and ever and anon lazily peeping through the glasses here and there.