The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-12-21


"par' or "aunt!" is called
I'm to turn to and do this disagreeable
work. The second mate once ordered
ME to find certain iron hook, where
with to draw the pump boxes, and when,
after short search, l returned and
asked him where it might be, l was hor-
rifed by the expression of astonished in
dignation spreading over his face. as he
yelled: "Great Scott, he expects me to
help him find it," saw the point and
all it involved, and never so wounded an
officers dignity again. 1t is sailors,
and especially boys, business on ship
board to find whatever he is ordered to.
e soon learned on the Wizard how
wen we had lived at home. Our sea
fare of hard tack and salt junk taught
us how to appreciate at their true value
the broiled steaks, hot cakes and but.
tered toast of home tables The quart of
very common molasses served out to us
weekly soon became luxury, and when
the steward occasionally brought us "be-
navlins' Uhe nautical term for the broken
fragments from TIE cabin table,, we re-
garded it as very luxurious living, though
a month previous we should have deemed
such food fit only for the swjll tub.
In about two weeks we had settled
down into the routine of life at sea.
Sailors are apt to term theirs "dogs
life" l never did 1t was a peculiar
life, and in some respects an unpleasant
one-like many others on land. But it
was not "dog's life." There was plenty
to eat, and we relished our ''lobscouse,"
hard tack, salt junk, beans, Goldfish, POI
tatoes and-Sunday's and Thursdays
duff.
The hours of labor were not exhaust
ing. 1t was watch and watch, four
hours off and four hours co." Many a
New York retail grocer's clerk, who
turns to at in the morning and never
leaves off until II at night, would revel
on such regulation of time and labor.
So would many u sewing girl. We had
plenty of time for sleep. If called up at
every alternate morning, and obliged
20 stand watch until a. M, we could
turn in" at that hour after breakfast
und sleep till noon. Apart from the
Alternate watches the work of "jobs" oc-
ctpied about six hours per day. True
there was at times some heavy work,
but it was only occasional. Sailor work
is not heavy as compared with the in
cessant tagging, wearing, never ending
character of some occupations on shore.
Skill agility and quickness are in greater
demand than mere brute strength.
Lobscouse is a preparation of hard
bread, first soaked and then stewed with
shredded salt beef. 1t looks somewhat
like rations for a delicate bear when
served out by the painful. But 1t is very
good. Salt beef is wonderfully i'm
proved by streaks of fat through 1t,
These serve the foremost hands in place
of butter. | know OF no better relish
than good pilot bread and sliced salt
junk, with plenty of clean white fat,
On shore that quart of boiling hot liquid,
sweetened with molasses and called tea,
would have been pitched into the gutter.
At sea, after an afternoon 8 work, 1t was
good With similar content and resig-
nation, not to say happiness, we drank
in the morning the hot quart of black
fluid similarly sweetened and called cof-
fee. 1t was not real coffee. | don't
know what it was. | cared not to know.
Of course we grumbled at it. But we
drank it. 1t was "filling," and was far
better than the cold, brackish water, i'm
pregnated thickly with iron rust, gal
lon of which was served out daily. For
the fresh water was kept below in an
iron tank, and, as the deck leaked a
small portion of the Atlantic had some
how gained admission to it and slightly
sailed it. Ii resembled chocolate to the
eye, but not to the palate.
On the fourth day out the Wizard was
found to have four feet of water in her
hold. The ship was pumped dry in
about four hours, when she proceeded to
fill up again. The captain seemed man
of many minds for the next two or three
days. First the ship was put back for
New York. This course was altered and
her bows pointed for Africa. Then the
foremost hands became worried, and,
going aft one morning in body, asked
Capt. s. what he meant 10 do and
where he meant to go, because they had
shipped for San Francisco and they did
not intend going anywhere else. The
captain answered that his own safety
md that of the vessel were as dear to
him as their lives were to them, and
that he intended doing the best for the
general good. This answer was not very
satisfactory to the crew, who went
grumbling back to their quarters. Ulti-
mately it turned out that we were to
take the leak with us to San Francisco.
At the rate the water was running In
it was judged that the bone, muscle and
sinews of the crew could manage to keep
1t down. So we pumped all the way
,~und Cape Horn. We pumped during
our respective watches every two hours.
In geod weather and on an even keel ii
took half an hour to suck the pumps. y
IL the vessel was heeled to larboard or
starboard it took much longer. In very
rough weather we pumped all the time
that could be spared from other duties
There were two pumps at the foot Of the