The Press., 1890-02-13

Ek spent in looking for mls-
 laid poker, and then ''maT ... V sspar' or 'sauntI" is called on to turn to and do this disagreeable work. The second mate once ordered me to find a certain iron hook, where with to draw the pump boxes, and when, after a short search, 1 returned and asked him where it might be, was hor- rified 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. It is a sailors, and especially boys, business on ship board to find whatever he is ordered to-
 We soon learned on the Wizard how we'll 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- pavlins" the nautical term for the broken fragments from the cabin table), we re- garded it as.very luxurious living, though amonth previous we should have deemed such food fit only for the swill tub. In about two weeks we had settled down into the routine of life at sea. Sailors are apt to term theirs ''dog's life."sI never did. It was peculiar life, and in some respects an unpleasant one-like many others on land. But it was not "dog's ife." There was plenty to eat, and we relished our "lobscouse, hard tack, salt junk, beans, codfsh, po- tatoes and-Sunday' and Thursday's- duff.
 The hours of labor were not exhaust ing. It was "watch and watch, foul hours of and four hours on." Many a New York retail grocer's clerk, who turns to at 5 in the morning and never leaves off until il at night, would reve on such regulation of time and labor So would many sewing girl. We had plenty of time for sleep. If called up al every alternate morning, and obliged to stand watch until 8 a. m., we coule "turn in'' at that hour after breakfas and sleep till noon. Apart from th' alternate watches the work of "jobs" oc cupied about six hours per day. True there was at times some heavy work but it was only occasional Sailor worl l is. not heavy as compared with the in cessant Tagging, wearing, never ending l character of some occupations on shore Skill, agility and quickness are in greate demand than mere brute strength.
 Lobscouse is preparation of hart l bread, first soaked and then stewed wit shredded salt beef. It looks somewha l like rations for delicate bear whe served out by the painful. But it is yer good. Salt beef is wonderfully in proved by streaks of fat through ii These serve the foremast hands in plac of butter I know of no better relis than good pilot bread and sliced sa junk, with plenty of clean, white fa On shore that quart of boiling hot liquie sweetened with molasses and called tes would have been pitched into the gutter At sea, after an afternoons work, it ws good With, similar content and resis nation, not to say happiness. we dran in the morning the hot quart of blac fluid similarly sweetened and called CO fee It was not real coffee. don know what it was. cared not to know Of course we grumbled at it. But W drank it. It was filling" and was f. better than the cold, brackish water, in pregnated thickly with iron rust, ga lon of which was served out daily. Ft the fresh water was kept below ill q iron tank, and, as the deck leaked, small portion of the Atlantic had som how gained admission to it and slight | :% r. Ll,l cI0 ofa fnf f eye, but not to the palate.
 On the fourth day out the Wizard W; found to have four feet of water in ht hold The ship was pumped dry
 about four hours, when she proceeded
 fill up again. The captain seemed mc of many minds for the next two or thr days. First the ship was put back f. New York. This course was altered ar her bows pointed for Africa Then u foremast hands became worried, an going aft one morning in a body, askt Capt. s. what he meant to do ar where he meant to go, because they hs shipped for San Francisco and they d not intend going anywhere else. Fl captain answered that his own safe and that of the vessel were as dear
 hin, as. tIleir lives were to them. ai that he intended doing the best for u general good This answer was not ve satisfactory to the crew. who we grun5ling back to their quarters. LII mately it turned out that we were
 take the leak with us to San Francisco
 At the rate the water was running
 it was judged that the bone, muscle al sinews of the crew could manage to ke it down. So we pumped all the Vi round Cape Horn. We pumped duril our respective watches every two lioul In good weather and on an even keel
 took half an hour to .'suck the pumps If the vessel was heeled to larboard
 starboard it took much longer. In ve rough weather we pumped all the tir