The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
AND PLUM DUFF.
WHY TRE OLD SALTS ENJOY THEIR
CHRISTMAS DINNER.

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don't think much OF II for q Christmas dinner
said the old salt. who has abandoned the roll
ing deep for e wife and q Harlem fiat. but whose
gait and "reminiscences are purely nautical.
why not 2" asked the landlubber. who was
eating the Captains turkey. and felt that he
ought to follow the hosts Conversations lead.
Roast pork IL the real thing said the Cap
tain declsively. You see. it's this way: When
q man ships round the Cape
Every one settled down to serene gastronomic
prowess; for. II the old sailor had started
round the Cape. IL was q sure thing that he
wouldn't bring the conversation back and
anchor before the pudding appeared.
When a man ships round the Cape" re-
peated the Captain. hes In for months Of salt
meat. There's an act OF Parliament settling
what the jackies on English ships shall have to
eat. and / think there's q law about sailors
menus over here now. There wasn't any when
1 was cruising. You get salt beef and duff one
day and salt pork and pea soup the next day.
Then you begin over again. What's duff ?
Why. duff's q sort OF dumping stuff made out
Of flour and water and cooked in a bag. II
amt 30 heavy as It sounds. II a cook makes
heavy dun the crew argues with him. The
biggest man takes up the argument first. and
he's usually very convincing. Heavy duff will
give a sailor indigestion. but I've known 1t to
give q cook two black eyes. a bloody nose and a
cracked rib.
well. as I was saying. you get salt meat
every day; but when Christmas comes around
It's a feast day. No respectable ship sails on a
long cruise without carrying O Christmas pig.
The porker has a pen on the main hatch, and
the sailors are that fond Of him they'd be wild
with grief II he'd die a natural death. Every
time Jacky goes by that pig he smacks his lips
and thinks about Christmas. I've seen sailors
sitting down in front OF that ~squealer and star
ing at him as IL he were a heather idol-havinR
a regular pipe-dream about Christmas dinner.
you know II this here new-fangled Christian
science had any effect on animals, the
thoughts the men give a Christmas pig
would be the death OF him long before time for
to be a blessed martyr; but he don't pay
much attention to any one except the cook.
who feeds him-and roasts him.
There's nothing like four months OF salt
meat grub to get up ones appetite for fresh
meat; and I'm willing to bet there never was a
dinner more appreciated than the roast pork
and plum duff served to sailors on Christmas
Day. never ate anything that could touch it.
You know cutting the duff into portions Is a
ticklish business. II the cook did it he wouldn't
live a month. The men won't stand any nom
sense from the cook. The Oldest man in the
watch cuts the dun. He's got to be an expert
at long division; but there's no appeal from his
a aed : Il anyb pha fiet = P FSe fes 81 Of se tbe c ssiSgt STns
way se Of t SefSi Be- t q rot aut on the he's s &fe e 70 Rs dsS.
tribute the portions. Thatd be sure to raise q
row. Every man Just reaches out and gets the
THE only time I ever knew Of q. grand
ship bound for Java. There was two Geordies
" Well HG say. ye @HRi in f lneE. T Yon'd . k SeSFS bism rs
we'll Il you'd ever been at sea. Geordie is 9
the ree and a Gsord hlesK L i 1.ao soss dsFrees l @ean up
s ssiior ANY aSd Gt The d Rnn HeSat ss Sss h on thu The s esst
They're clannish and they'll stand together
anywhere II a chap gets On a ship where
!SsoEgiss On = ship they'll get together and lick
We'll. as i was a-saying. there was two
Geordies on that ship. and a measly mean ship
1t sn Uashf ios , Hiea 1o 5sas sta Tbee out + T Sn1tb 6Hss E T
Iations Al around: Now We had nasty weather
but the Geordies was boiling ugly. One day
lsad T asn d Sos there fSa si fir.s. 4 TSe sh di tHG s Tals iGr
ss.eb%sda{ ybie d Gns S Of then e In r tas io tho out m,d ahd
Ne and my chum likes dun ends he says.
as cool as q cucumber. Row? Well. there was
to run the, ship; but those two bioominE
Geordies backed up against the forecastle and
tOe eH5e1 st tSs Th 9H a%T sitar tSed e s6sy t Tas y n sR WiFS
gs. too. As for a aeordie Captain OF mattel
The men dont do any monkeying with them. 4
lick him. but there's never that fault to find
with a Geordie officer.
q, Geordie second mate. q stocky little fellow
about as big as half 2 pint Of grog. There was
3 ain S!s as s1asa G %a 5teR}Ss oS. eSs aFsat9a n aiRs e st stiP:
water and partly the, beastiIy climate; but. at
went wrong: He was a great, bIaTpy Niger,
on his nerves and drove him to drink. One
morning he came raging out OF his galley. witha
F [Se oeh pin IN H. Sn %a hand 1SoS Rnd 2 sS esr rdTs' snifc ram in
. s9 sasvin se5 fnisse: { Ins sa sasR; 7 q Di 4ss S'sSeP and G' VIZ
.ook q look at him. and went below. The mate
. y adr n hin up; and Is sgEEe At us is for pigsheaded
Along came the, little second mate. The dairy
standing ~ the galley waving hIs knife
ooked at him. Then he made for him. and we
thought we were going to lose q second mate,
walked straight up to the cook without CULVER
M an eyelash.
"T fss d Gst y fasls,l, d s sasSi made a lunse. blu.
lin one under the Jaw that sent him down the
NtStA W - ~ - hVaRs iSli WV lol- 1
owea him down. licked him within an inch Of
lis life. tied him up to think 1t over. and went
Jack to regular work. Now. that's the kind OF
man to run a ship. There isn't any room aft
or a man without sand.
The cook ID q mean cuss usually. He thinks
my one but the 9dm man. and don't think there's
ny one on board good enough to associate with
I'm. The mate has more trouble with him
han with the rest Of the crew put together, and
las Z, lick him about once a fortnight. The
ook also take their turn at him. Oh. he needs
DTS, OF persuasion. the cook does. Once, in
Thile. a cook gets unreasonable and won't bake
he pea. for supper, Then one Of the tackles
pades the cook with asts and a belaying, pin;
Doesn't the old man interfere with tho
Lord love you, no. He don't care
rho iieks who. so long as he can lick the mate.
nd the mate can lick the second mate. and the
econd mate can lick the men slpgly or in
sil9Es alive, Their, Toaldn,t 20 apything IN
guess I'm glad I came ashore whom I did :
ut. It syo = great lite', the sailors life is and 1
The lendlubber was ready for pudding and q
hare OF the conversation.
II cant see where the fun comes in" he said
!. Haven told yop about the fghting man ?"