New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-03-30
A Voyage with Hawthorne.

IIawthorne's love for the sea amounted to
passionate worship and while / 1.-THE worst
sailor probably on this planet) was longing,
spite Of the good company on board, to reach
land as soon as possible, Hawthorne was
constantly saying in his quiet, earnest way,
81 should like to sail on and on forever.
and never touch the shore again" He liked
to stand alone in the bows of the ship and see
the sun 60 down, and he was never tired of
walking the deck at midnight. l used to watch
his dark, solitary figure under the stars, pacing
up and down some unfrequented part of the
vessel, musing and half melancholy. Some
times he would lie down beside me and COM
miserate my unquiet condition. Seasckness
he declared, he could not understand, and was
constantly recommending most extraordinary
dishes and drinks, all made cut of the artists
bran.' which he said were sovereign remedies
for nautical lines. / remember to this day
some of the preparations which, in his revelry
of fancy. he would advise me to take, farrago
of good things, almost rivaling "Oberon's
Feast spread out so daintly in Herrick's
"Hesperides.' He thought, at first, if l could
bear few roc's eggs beaten up by mermaid
on a dolphin's back, l might be benefited
He decided that Cruel made from sheaf of
Robin Hoods arrows would be strength
ening. When suffering pain, s. a right guide
willie-waught," or a stiff cup of hemlock of
tue OoCTaItS UTanu. DelOTe retiring, ne COLI
sidered very good. He said he had heard recon-
mended dose of salts distilled from the tears
of NiObe, but he didn't approve that remedy.
lie observed that he had high opinion of
hearty food, such as pOtted owl, with Minerva
sauce, airy tongues of sirens stewed ibis, livers
of Roman capitol geese, the wings of Ph1-
nix, not too much done, love-lorn nightiugales
cooked briskly over Aladdins Lamp, chicken
pies made of fowls raised by Mrs. Carey, Nau-
titus chowder and the like. Fruit, by all
means, should always be taken by AN uneasy
victim at sea, especially Atlanta pippins and
purple grapes raised by Bacchus & Co. Exam
lining my garments one day as lay on deck.
he thought was not warmly enou ID clad, and
he recommended, before took another voyage,
that | should fit myself out i'll Liverpool with
good warm shirt from the shop of Nessus &
Co., in Bold street, where could also find
stout seven-league boots to keep out the damp.
He knew another show, he said, where l cou Id
buy raven-dOwn stockings, and sable clouds
with silver lining, most warm and conforta
BILE for sea-vOyage.
His own appetite was excellent, and day
after day he used to come on deck after dinner
and describe to me what he had eaten. OF
course his accounts were always exaggerations,
for my amusement. / remember one night he
gave me running catalogue of what food he
had partaken during the day, and the sum total
was cOnvulsing from its absxrdity. Among
the viands he had consumed, | remember be
stated there were Several yards of steak" and
a whole warrenful of Welsh rabbits" The
divine spirit of Ilumor" was upon him during
many of those days at sea, and he revealed in it
like careless chld.--Jdmes r. Fields IN the
Atlantic Monthly for Aprfl.