Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-07-17
EVENING STAR.
OUR cATERER,s Am.
By A BLUE JACKET.

| .-t :. By A BLUE JACKET.
| "Well, / don't know said little Herrick
the senior midshipman of our mess, CT have
eaten every mortal thing that crawls, faies, OF
swims, from turtle to a lizard, and from q
hippopotamus to q perriwinkle.
"P'raps you have, F" said our Carterer, inter.
rupting him >
| .'Ay; and what's MORE" he continued,
I'm uncommon curious in my palate, for, as
young Skllton, the clerk knows once cooked
old Nipcheese's brace of gold a sh over q crock
OF burning rum, and broiled his two canaries
IN the same way, just to crafty my spite, and
my appetite at the same time; but I m blowed
II ever heard Of fellow stuffng himself out
with stewed cockatoos, and monkey broth be-
FORE
| P'raps you didn't" doggedly replied our
Carterer; but tell ye we lived upon 'em for
more than month for all that
"Where go
| Where?" echoed the Carterer; "why, on
the coast OF Borneo, to be sure, when was in
the Dolphin, surveying
"Oh, ah! likely joke. Come, come, you re
not going to cram US like that, can tell We !;
so mind now, for We been on that coast as
well as you. So just tell US what's your pri-
yate pinion about the shrimps, there, eh
Ihat will soon tell me whether you re spinning
yarn, or working to windward of truth, I" re.
joined young Herrick, triumphantly; (" for
II -
borneo shrlmps, as you must know if you have
been there. -
my private opinion about the shrimps on
that coast, !" replied the Caterer, coolly, suck
| ing his woodville, - that they are the finest in
the world; and to enjoy 'em to perfection a
! man ought to have a throat a mile long, and
| every inch of it palate.''
"All right said Herrick, "but how big
| are they! Come to particulars, if you please
How big? Why, every full grown shrimp
| Is foot long if he is an inch"
"Gammon my eye oh, oh :" shouted
every REFER in the berth, at Caterers re-
| mark.
Silence, gentlemen, if you please" said
Herriek, the q Caterer right Now, I'm con-
ylnced he has spoken the truth they are a
foot long"
I" foot long! shrimp foot long ="
| screamed the whole mess in one voice
"A foot long replied the senior mildly,
y vouch for that. Talk about shrimps, there's
nothing like 'em anywhere; and they do mea-
sure foot from the end of the tail to the tip of
the nose"
'raps they are Holsters -
Ono, real shrimps, without claws; and
can tell ye, If you ever 60 TO Borneo, and fall
In with any of them, you II think the lite bits
OF husky things you get in England no betttr r
than boiled earwigs.'
"Capital .-hah hah hah - laughed the
merry young uOgS.
But come said Herrick, NOW I'm con-
vinced you have been sticking to the truth
60 on with your yarn
What about-about the cockatoo and mon
key sOup?"
"No, no; We admit that No; tell US about
that odd dish You once had in Germany"
| "Oh, ah, replied the Caterer, throwing his
| head and his thoughts back a. the same tine
and taking severe suck at his - woOdville, "
he went on. " You all remember, that Just
alter we made that splendid run home from
| the Guinea coast, and | went to- visit some of
| my cousins German on the Rhine. Well, one
| day, Il taken an uncommon long stroll, and
| lost my way and as I was located in a quiet
wilderness of place, covered with sand furze
| bnshes, where town was q rarity, and the ht-
| tie bits OF rugged villages are slowed away in
ravines and gorges, like as if they were play
| ing ut hide and seek, you might suppose that
getting dinner under such circumstances
wasn't done IN q minute. AT last happened
| to spy the top of village steeple sticking out
| OF a ravine, and l was soon alongside the con-
| gregation of mud and timber huts in Germany
pass for houses. You may be sure that, as
sweltered down the village, all but withered
| by the oppressive power of the sun, / looked
| for butchers; but not a carcase was to be
seen, and 1t appeared to me, from the sleepy
look OF the place, that there was nothing to be
had to eat but hot stones and dust However,
at last saw door of hovel open, in which
the commerce of the village was carried on,
| and found that could be supplied with ali
sorts of coffee, nails suasages, tape, chocolate,
and, OF course, tobacco, sour wine, oils, and
| other rancid commodities, adapted to German
appetites, but nothing else. However the
people directed me TO the only hotel in the
place and in few minutes after was seated
in Zum Brannen Hirsch."
What's that?'' said the Mentor, or as he
0f
"Oh! it's the name of a gasthaus, or small
tavern, and means the Brown Stag"
And did You get anything to eat-eh? %
Wait a bit, said the Caterer, % and I'll
introduce you to dainty dish, L promise ye."
"Guten morgen, " said the burgomaster who
was landlord of the hotel.
Guten morgen," said /, brisking up at the
sight of the plump, ruddy face, which was
overHowing with the milk and honey of
thousand pleasing associations. Pm as hun
cry as wolf: y
$50, )" exclaimed the burgomaster
L did not like his so,' continued our Cat
erer; " it had a shutting, evasive sound and
beef-eh ~ L demanded
negative answer.
ANY mutton %
"NO; he had no mutton
"Any veal ?" said 1, testify, on finding my
hopes of a dinner vanished
NO, repiled the landlord, with provoking
gravity, "my last bit of veal was eaten to-day
But have dish worth all the beef, veal, or
mutton in the universe" And the burgomas-
ter went through regular pantomine of de-
light, smacking his lips, and looking as happy
as possible
"What in the name of Mrs. Glass can it be
made Of"
"D Der Igel, said mine host, in a low, con-
6dential whisper, looking quite oily as he
knOwinpiv wipkad his evo
" Der Igel ?" muttered ponderingly.
And the burgomaster solemnly mLttered
Der Igel, in reply. While L was consider
ing whether his delicacy was fish, flesh, fowl,
or red herring, he guessed was an English
man. and attempted to describe the animal
"but," said the caterer, "I could make
neither head nor tail to it,
"Well, my lads, " he continued, syou know
can digest a tenpenny nail on pinch but L