The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-07

7
| ASHORE ron AN OUTING.
patton Of such lack. OF forks there was one,
while shallow tins served a. plates. And yet, in
| spite Of 30 great poverty in table furniture. We
had an abundance Of very good claret, served In
glasses Of proper shape.
! The food, too. was as surprisingly good a. tho
| wine. No better roast was ever carved than
| that, and II was hanked with baked armadillas,
| the most toothsome morsel had ever seen.
| Both kinds Of meat wero seasoned with salt and
| pepper only. With these we had hard biscuit Of
the Buenos Ayres sort-sn oblone. Rlobular
little loaf, say by inches large in its longest
| and shortest diameters. The absence If garlic
| and Italian sauces completed our pleasure. and
black coffee. served in tin cups. ended the meal
We passed the rest of the day wandering about
the old volcanic cliffs and along shore. where
| one Of the party picked mp the well-rusted rem
nant OF a twelve-pound cannon ball that had
been left there by the colony Of Spaniards
planted there without permanent success more
than 100 years ago.
After leaving Port Desire We had variation
in our meals. The sailors had gone fishing with
a net, and with success There were two kinds,
one rather like Yankee smelt only more
slender, and the other somewhat like Q Lake
Erie pickerel. Both were excellent. but the
little fellow boiled and made into a salad was
particularly fine.
Then. too. a species OF ducks had become very
abundant. They were 10 dark above as to ap-
pear black. while the under parts were pure
white. Their curiosity led them to hover about
the ship in twos aud threes, sometimes flying
along say nfty feet above the weather rail. On
such occasions Can't. Chwaites brought out q
light shotgun On the day we entered Santa
Cruz he knocked so many down on deck
that the passengers had roast duck for
one course at dinner. IL was very
good course, too In fact for a citizen Of South
America the Captain was remarkably nne
sportsman. He never used shotgun a sit
ting bird. He could kill gulls at long range
with rifle when they were bobbing about on
the waves. While lay In Rio Gallegos he
rode out on the table land day with q man
living there and killed three guanacos (the Wild
llama OF Argentine. using the bolas Indian
fashion to bring them down. The tourist who
sails with Capt Chwaites can expect to have
game at the table frequently during tho voyage.
But II should not be Inferred from what has
been said so far that the table was beyond criti-
cism during my voyage. For instance, the nap
kins were not changed at any time oftener than
once . week, and at the last the interval In
creased to ten days The tablecloth remained
unchanged an equal period; this, too. during
the home voyage, when the number OF nrst-class
passengers had increased To twenty five and the
table had TO be set twice. The steward said he
couldn't help II, because we were short OF fresh
water and shorter of soap. There had been a
miscalculation In buying soap, he said. on the
passage out, and added that when in PuntA
Arenas, in the Straits OF Magellan. we would get
soap and that sli the linen would be washed up
for fresh start. But we left that town with no
extra supply.
The Captain was not unaware OF the condition
Of affairs. He stood beside me one day while
the steward shook the table cloth over the rail
IL looked as ono could expect q cloth TO look
after ten days use at sea.
look at that CLOTH" said tho bold skipper
did you ever SEQ such dirty lot Of passen-
gersf"
! was eating in those days in the Captains sit
ting room. and his remark had no personal Ap-
plication. replied:
Looks vile. don't it7 But why don't you or |
der the steward to wash Il 2"
81 cannot. There Is SO little soap. Look at |
my hands. have no soap To wash them with. |
The passengers know We have no soap. They |
ought 70 be careful, like gentlemen"
His hands certainly showed the lack OF soap. |
So did those OF the steward. We got a handful !
of sweet crackers with q cup Of coffee in lieu OF
the meal called breakfast In the United States. |
II Was dirty handful, too.
Then the vegetables, which were abundant on |
leaving buenOs Ayres, dwlnuled away before We |
entered the Straits OF Magellan. At Punta Arenas |
cabbage, tuTnips potatoes, and some other roots |
are grown and sold at low prices, but We got |
such scant supply that for the last three weeks |
Of the voyage our food consisted chiefly Of meat. |
dried peas and beans, and hard bread.
Worse yet. the bed linen was not changed |
during the entire VOyage OF 81 weeks. COM
plants were OF no avail, 80 was ct last glad To
leave my bunk and roll up in a fur robe Of Indian
that | bought when In the Rio
Gallegos With . lounge in place OF = bunk
was As dry and comfortable rs | had been damp
and miserable In the bunk. should any reader
Of this try the voyage he will need to take
large supply OF WOOllsn under and night wear,
soekA The proper changes Of these
will serve In place of changes OF bedding.
Nor u the lat OF discOmforts complete. When
lOaying the River Plats the air In the saloon and
staterOoms was insunsrably close. There sas
40 ventilation for the stAterooms save through
the doOFs intO the saloon. The saloon was ven
lllAted through the doors at the head Of the
CON paniOnsAy And through the skyliEht, but
there Was no sort OF sind sail or device 10 force
The air down In the SIMMER time In the River
Plate, where the thermOmetsr sometimes marks
l10' n he EhAds, hat Sal00a = y - compared