New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-21
A FORECASTLE FARMYAA.D.
FROI,ICsOME PIGS AS SAILORS PETS.
SEAFARING GOATS AND THEIR
STRANGE DIET.

Frank T. Bullen In Country Life Illustrated
BY far the largest portion Of my experience
of farniyard operations on board ship has been
connected with pigs These prontaD,e annA rs
sea life and / fully believe, what have OFTEN
heard asserted that no pork is so delicious as
that which has been reared on board snip. be
that as il may, pigs of every natlon under
heaven where swine are to be found nave been
shipmates with me, and complete STUDY or all
their varied characteristics and their pehaVior
under all sea circumstances would occupy a
far greater number of pages than / am ever
likely to be able OF willing to give Already l.
have endeavored to set forth In an earlier num-
Der of this journal sketch or the priiiiaht TX
cratic career of one piggy shipmate whose life
was full of interest and his death a plaze OK
lurid glory. But he was in no wise the most
important member Of our large and assorted
collection Of grunters in that ship. Our Scotch
skipper was an enthusiastic farmer during the
brief periods he spent at Cellardyke between ms
voyages to the East Indies, and consequently u
was not strange that he should devote portion
Of his ample leisure to pig breeding when at sea
For some reason, probably economical. we car
ried no fowls or other animals destined for our
meat, with the exception or the pigs, Two large
retriever dogs and two cats making up the total
OF our animal passengers. unless large ana
active colony N rats that Inhabited the recesses
of the hold be taken into account
The day before sailing from Liverpool hand
some young pair Of porkers boar and SOW. were
borne board in one sack by the seller, max
ing the welkin ring with their shril protests
We already possessed a middla-aged black sow
OF Madras origin, whose temper was perfectly
savage and unappeasable; in fact, she was the
only animal ever on board ship that could
not be tanned The first few days Of our passage
being stormy, the two young pigs suffered
gre atty from seaSickncss and in their helpless,
enfeebled state endured many things from the
vrathful long shouted old Madrassee, who
seemed to regard them both with peculiar aver
sion. She ate all their grub as well as her
own, although, like the lean kline Of Scripture
she was nothing benefited thereby.
But the sailors, finding the youngsters AMIGA
bly, disposed, began TO pet them and in all pos
sible ways to protect them from Ill usage not
only by the savage Indian, but by the black
retriever Sailor, who had taken up his quarters
in the fo'c's'le and became furiousy jealous OK
any attention shown to the pigs by his many
masters II should be noted that contrary 10
the usual practice, those pigs had no settled
abiding place. All night they slept In some
darksome corner beneath the top gallant FORE
castle, wherever they could find dry spot but
by day they roamed the deck whithersoeVer they
listed often getting as far aft as the sacred
precincts OF the quarterback. until Neptune.
OF the ship esped them, and, leapng upon them,
towed than forrard at full gallop by the ears
amid hurly-burly Of eldritch shrieks ana rat-
Ting hoofs. am not at all sure that the froic-
some young things did not enjoy these squaly
interujes in their otherwise peaceful INeS
Certainly they often seemed TO court rather
than to avoid the dogs onslaught, and wouid
dodge him round the after hatch for all tho
world like London Arabs guying policeman
THE MORNING BATH.
The only bitter drop in their trimming cup
of delights came with distressing regularly
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