The Press., 1890-02-27

cisco for whal-
 ing, sealing, aba
 lone curing and general "pick up" voyage along the Lower Californian coast. My acceptance as cook was based on the production of an Irish stew which I cooked for the cap- tain and mate while the Henry was "hove down" on the beach at North point, and undergoing the process of cleaning her bottom of barnacles. l can't recol- lect at this lapse of time where I learned to cook an Irish stew. I will add that it was all could cook-positively all-and with this astounding capital of culinary ignorance l ventured down upon the great deep to do the maritime house. work for twenty great men.
 When we were fairly afoat and the Farallones were out of sight, my fearful incapacity for the duties of the position became apparent. Besides, was dread fully seasick, and SO remained for two weeks. Yet cooked. It was purgatory, not only for myself, but all hands. There was a general howl of generation forward and aft at my bread. my lob scouse, my tea, my coffee, my beef, my beans, my cake, my, pies. Why the cap tain continued me in the position, why they didn't throw me overheard, why was not beaten to jelly for my contin- ued culinary failures, is for me to this day one of the great mysteries of my ex- istence. We were away nearly ten months. was three months learning my trade. The sufferings of the crew during those three months were fearful They had to eat my failures or starve Several times it was intimated to me by the under officers that I had better re- sign and go ''for'ard" as one of the crew. I would not. I persevered at the ex- pense of many pound of good flour. l conquered and returned second class sea cook.
 The Henry was a small vessel-the deck was clutter of whaling gear. Where my galley or sea kitchen should have been stood the try works for boil ing blubber. They showed me around anywhere. Sometimes I was moved to the starboard side, sometimes to the lar board, sometimes when cutting in a whale way astern. I expected eventu- ally to be hoisted into one of the tops and cook aloft. Any well regulated galley is placed amidships, where there is the least motion. This is an important con- sideration for sea cook. At best he is often obliged to make his soup like an acrobat, half on his head and half on his heels, and with the roof of his unsteady kitchen trying to become the floor. My stove was not marine stove. It had no rail around the edges to guard the pots and kettles from falling off during extra lurches.
 The Henry was a most uneasy craft, and always getting up extra lurches or else trying to stand on her head or stern. Therefore, as she flew up high astern when was located in that quarter, she has in more than one instance flung me bodily, in an unguarded moment, out of that galley door and over that quarter deck, while host of kettles, covers and other culinary utensils rushed with clang and chatter out after me and with me as their commander at their head. We all eventually terminated in the scuppers will not, as usual, say "lee scuppers. y Any scupper was a lee scupper on that internal vessel. I endeavored to remedy the lack of rail about this stove by a system of wires attaching both pots and lids to the galley ceiling. 1 "guyed'' my chief culinary utensils. Still during furious oscillations of the boat the pots would roll off their holes, and, though prevented from falling, some of them as suspended by these wires would swing like so many pendulums, around and to and fro over the area of that stove.
 That was the busiest year of my life l was the first one up in the morning, and the last, save the watch, to turn in at night. In this dry goods box of a kitchen I had daily to prepare a break fast for seven men in the cabin, and another for eleven in the forecastle; a dinner for the cabin and another for the forecastle; likewise supper for the same. It was my business to set the aristocratic cabin table, clear it off and wash the dishes three times daily. I had to serve out the tea and coffee to the eleven men forward. The cabin expected hot bis c,ait for breakfast, and frequently pie aud pudding for dinner. Above all men must the sea cook not only have a place for everything and everything in it's place, but he must have every ything choked and wedged in its place. You must wash up your tea things, some- times holding on to the deck with your toes, and the washtub with one hand, and wedging each plate, so soon as wiped, into corner, so that it slide not away and smash. And even then the entire dish washing ap- paratus, yourself included, slides gently across the deck to leeward You can't leave fork, or stove cover, or lid litter lying about indifferently but what it slides and sneaks away with the roll of the vessel to some secret crevice, and is long lost. When your best dinner is cooked in rough weather, it is time of trial, terror and tribulation to bestow it safely on the cabin table. You must ho,.la<a,. ll;.,xe