News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-09-07

ing but ordinary seameD, and not SO
well off, for captains look upon us as
owners perquisites, and as in the road
and troublesome. They profess to
teach you navigation, but during the
ten months my voyage out and home
lasted I never had quadrant in my
hand, and if my father makes me stick
to the sea, then all the navigation I'll
know I shall have to learn ashore. No,
no; you needn't think I'm merely
grumbling. I'm just giving you the
living truth. I'm not going to tell you
all about my voyage. I only spoke
about that top-sail job in the Channel
to let you see what youngsters, fresh
from school and comfortable homes and
good mothers to look after their wants,
have to expect when they go to sea.
"I'll tell you what our routine was,
and if you like you may talk to some
other midshipman or premium appren-
tice-for there's no difference in the
treatment they get, though they are
called by different names-and see if his
yarn don't tally with mine. I was in
the chief mates watch-the port watch,
it's called. Well, suppose we have the
middle watch in at four o'clock we're
turned out and come on deck. It's still
dark, and there's nothing to be done, if
the winds steady and the ship is holding
her course. But soon after the sun
rises the pumps are rugged, and the
watch turns to and washes the decks
down. If it's fine warm weather pull
off my boots if not, keep them on
sea-boots, of course. The midshipmen
have to scrub the poop down they lay
hold of the brushes, and the third mate
swills the water along. That was our
way; but, of course, customs are diff
ferent in different ships. We scrub
under the hencoops, scrub the gratings
abaft the wheel, clean the patchwork,
and when that house-mald's job is over
we swab and coil down and make the
poop fit for the passengers to enjoy
themselves upon. By the time all this
is done, the brasswork cleaned, and SO
forth, it's past seven bells, and we go
below to breakfast. I've already de-
scribed our cabin, but you could never
understand it without seeing a drawing
of it. / once killed twenty-eight cock
reaches in my bunk in twelve minutes !; |
you bet didn't, and see if you don't
lose. 1t wasn't only that our cabin was
dark and numbered up with table and
hunks, and our 'stores'-which I've al
ready described-stowed away in cor
ner alongside dresser full of plates
and dishes; we had heap of emigrants
in the tween decks and what with the
women squabbling, and the children
squalling, and the men growing, the
row all da long was like an Irish riot.
I say nothing of the different smells of
the food and the wasbing-tubs. Well,
we'd go below to breakfast; but what
was there to eat? Biscuit, with bit
If yesterdays pork or beef-but seldom
hat, for, bad as the food was, We
were never so well supplied
With salt meat but that we weren't
lways ready to eat each others allow
nce-and some black liquor called tea,
nth mass of short yellow sticks float.
top of it. When used to look at that
pod how my conscience would prick !
ne for having turned up my nose at the j.,
inners on my fathers table, saying, as
used to, to my mother, Mutton again
its always mutton 7 Or, Apple tartl !
Why don't you give us plum-pudding !
or changer I'd have put up with
mutton and applicant every day at sea
or months at a stretch could I've got
EN-. After breakfast the starboard watch
would go deck, and we of the port
watch would turn in. At quarter be-
ore twelve we'd rouse out to get dinner.
This consisted of pork or beef. If it
vas pork day, we'd have some luke
warm, greasy water, with few dozen
-ellow shot knocking about in it, called
served out to us if beef day,
we'd get calker of duff, looking to the
we like old yellow soap. and tasting
veil, and tasting like duff; and more
han that can't say. Sometimes we'd
ave few Of our own preserved spuds
-spuds means potatoes cooked but
ould never endure the smell, much less
he taste, of those things. Then we'd
% on deck, where we'd be set to work
t once on different jobs.
"There's no good in my telling you
THAT those jobs would be, for only ,
ailors could understand the words I'd
ave to use. No ships boys were ever
,ut to dirtier work than we were. I've
craped and CREASED down masts, painted
he ships side, tarred down, cleaned
'rasswork, painted the quarter boats,
md only wonder that the skipper
lidn't put US to washing up the cuddy
fishes and cleaning the knives.
"They may call this learning to be a
ailor, but don't; sailors none the
better, that can see, for knowing how
o polish brass and flourish scrubbing.
,rush. You might as well say that a
mans not fit to get married and rent a
louse and be master of it until he's .
=
'lack-lead the kitchen range. When a ,
nan pays large premium for his son .
o go to sea he doesn't expect him to be !
nut to work which an able seaman would
efuse, saying it was an ordinary sea- :
hams or boys job. What he pays for ,
is son to learn is practical seamanship O
nd navigation. If cleaning brasswork =,
nd scrubbing decks is practical sea- q
lanship, so polishing the shippers !
cots be, and making his bed. And !
ny don't captains put midshipmen and q
remium apprentices to that sort of h
ork? Couldn't they argue, ooh, how q
An you expect boys ever to become sea- L
len if they don't know how to shine :,
ne boots of a sea-captain, and stow a =
unk or cot fit for skipper to sleep in p 6
Well, we'd be kept at work all the 8
fternoon on mean jobs which taught q
s nothing, and then we'd go below for g
ne first dog watch and get tea, which =
as breakfast over again. That's the ,
outine, with shift of watches every \
Wenty-four hours, the dog-watches be- 6
lg invented to give the crew change y
nd change about. Of course, I'm talk -
lg to you as if we had always warm, 9
ne weather. But there's more storm +
at sea and no matter b
i -