Connecticut western news., 1882-06-14
IN THE FORECASTLE.
A Batch of Sea Yarns by Old Salts.


 One evening the discussion in the forecastle, says Kennebecker in the Boston Journal, would be on hawsers, stacking and cutting them, when our old man of the sea told of party of his shipmates being on shore in Bath, got boozy and rolled into some ones yard and found clothes line stretched across their way. The soberest one of the party gazed up, saw how the land lay, saw the house, the frightened girls at the window, and roared out, Blouse, ahoy !' No answer. "House, ahoy {: let go your hawser or I'll cut it l" An other time the subject was music, which turned on operatic and other airs. Sev- eral yarns were told, which need not be related here. All of this put John sin mind of the time when he was on shore on liberty with part of s whale ships crew round 'tother side of the land," in Mazatlan. They were running down before the wind and came to a house where there lived 8 philanthropic En. glish lady and her family. "Dear me. !" she said to some member of the family. "here are some noble tars; no doubt they are weary; we will invite them in and give them some refreshments" After much persuasion the "noble tars were induced to go in, and after partaking of the lady's good cheer were invited to remain, while "the daugh- ter" sang and played them several pieces from the opera. Then she asked them if they had any choice, any favor ite piece, thinking that some of them might be called to think of home, of mother or sister, and wish to hear some long forgotten strain once sung by them. No one could think of anything, until one tar hitched up his pants and roared out "Give US Highland, Aye, and Of She Goes P" This was a poser; it was not in the sweet singers collection. (Every sailor knows this as. an old windlass song.)
 One evening, when the subject under consideration was etiquette, John illus trated the subject by the following yarn. But in the first place let me state, that at sea, of course, one man is always at the wheel (steering), consequently at at real time portion must be saved for him. This is the solemn duty that every true sailor attends to. Now, John said that a sailor acquaintance A his was, once upon time, the only one at small diuner party on shore consid- cred eligible to handle the carving knife and fork. There was chicken, and he was called upon to carve it. He reluot- ant1y consented. He cut off half, laid it on plate, and told the girl to put that away "the man at the wheel" and took the other half himself. What was half roast chicken to hungry sailor just on shore, and who had not tasted one for years
 will give you just one more. The conversation fell on what sailors ought to have to eat. John was calledsupon to discourse on the subject He said, by way of illustrating what people gen. eraily thought on shore, he would tell what once happened in one of the sea- ports in the North of England. Tn certain family the stock of butter on hand was considered bad, not fit to eat. The lady of the house told the servant girl it would do for sailors, and she had better take it down on the quay among the ships and try and dispose of it, for 1t was at a time when seamen had to purchase their own ''small stores." as such articles were called. So down she went with the jar of butter on her head crying out, 'sDirty butter for sailors Dirty butter for sailors P These en- ragged sea-dogs took it as a slur and chased her home with a vengeance. The old lady reprimanded her by say ing she ought not to have mentioned it's being dirty. The sentence has passed into the vernacular of seamen, and often find myself saying, when I have been cheated, softly, "Dirty but ter for sailors"