River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-10-25

IT is seldom that a whaler has a
better crew than had the ship An
dromache, during a voyage that
once made in her. The greater part
of her hands were young men with
high and just appropriations in the
business they had adopted. Our boat
steerers were fine. capable fellows,
and as to our three mates, they were
men who went about their duties in a
sturdy, sensible manner, without
abusing those under them.
But there was one serious draw
back TO our content. Our captain, be-
sides being harsh man, was SO ex-
1remely close-fisted as to begrudge
us every mouthful of provision that
we consumed. Interested in the YES
sci as a part owner, he appeared to
think that we were really doing nm
an injury by eating at all; SO that
whenever new barrel of beef was
broken out" as the term is, we were
sure to hear a violent outburst from
him about our wastefulness.
Nevertheless, in the earlier part of
the voyage we Jared tolerably well in
spite of his fault-fnding. While he
confined himself to mere words, we
could put down the salt junk in
silence, and feel equal to 20-mile pull
at the oars or a - hours task at
cutting in" However weary we
might be, it was a great satisfaction
to reflect that a good solid meal Of
beef and bread awaited us al the end
of our work.
But at length there came change.
We were cruising in the South Allan
tic, away down by Tristan de Acunha,
when the "old man." as we called him,
introduced reform" in our manner
of living, putting us on an allowance
of one pound of beef and bone per
day for each man, with but short
supply of bread.
pound of clear beef, with a fair
quantity of bread, might have suf-
feed; but the beef and bone were
weighed out together, and it often
happened that there was as much
bone as meat.
Whales were abundant, but some
what wild, and we had many a long
chase for nothing, although tolerably
successful upon the whole. Whenever
q whale was killed. if the ship hap
pened to. be to the leeward, he must
be towed to her by long and tedious
rowing; and then came the cutting,
the hosting and all the incidental
work of the occasion.
A man who has been all day pulling
at an oar, or at work upon whale
alongside of the ship. cannot be salts
fed with a bare ox-bone and bit OF
hard bread for his supper; he has
need of something more sustaining.
Yet this was the fare that the stew
ard dealt out to us day after day
and this. too, while we were well
aware that the ship had on board an
abundance of provisions. OF course,
we complained loudly; but it was to
no purpose.
The chief mate. who saw how poor
" We were supplied, and who was not
in favor of starving us, laid our case
before the captain, telling him that
we had not half enough to eat. and
were constantly grumbling in conse-
QuCuCts bht iAt NoS $3.50 - ~
tend to his own business.
The shipkeeper and the boat steer
ers had the same fare as the foremost
hands, and were equally as discon-
tented. The condition of things had
become intolerable, and we deter
mined upon revolution" 1t should
be a "peaceable revolution" but eff
fective and complete.
mo more whaling on empty stom-
achs," we said; let the fulfilled ones
catch the whales"
II was settled that the shipkeeper
should be our spokesman TO the cap
tain, presenting our ultimatum as to
what we would and would not do.
No positive mutiny should be set on
foot, no criminal act committed; but
either we must have full allowance
of provisions or the ship must be
headed for home-otherwise we would
refuse duty.
Having decided upon our course of
action, we marched aft in body to
the quarter deck, the shipkeeper car
rying our last kid" of beef, which
contained a bone almost as large as a
quadrant and nearly of the same
shape.
suppose we were rather a quaint
looking company, in our sailor caps
and trousers, as we shuffied along
with our grim spokesman in the van.
Juggling the kid" of beef.
Capt Winthrop" said the old tar,
respectfully, 1.-The crew ask me to
speak for EN-, and l have brought aft
their allowance to show you what sort
of care they have. You see this big
bone. sir, and can judge for yourself
how much meat will be left when the
weight of this is taken out. / speak
for the boat steerers and myself. as
well as for the for'ard hands. What
we want is a full allowance of meat
and bread. sir, and we can't work
without it
He put the kid" down on the deck,
and held up the huge beef bone, with
its thin covering of meat and gristl-.
Il don't care what you want!"
roared the captain, savagely. TN
not going 10 have you running TO me
with every tone you happen to find
In a piece OF beef! Go forward-all
of you-and don't let me hear any
more of yous grumbling! I'm cap
tain of this snip, and l shall feed YOU
as think best!"
swell. sir" replied the shipkeeper,
fn a decided tone. then we ask you
to head the ship for home-our whal-
ing is up"
"Ahl" calculated the captain, your
whaling is MP, is it? Mutiny, you ras-
calsl mutiny, eh?'
asNo. sir, there is no mutiny. We
win 90 TO work the moment you agree
20 feed us rs we ought to be fed, hut
not before, except so far as TO take
the ship home.
you're a fine lot of mutineers,
vnust say!" cried the commander
.And as for you. shipkeeper. I've a
good mind to put You in irons' Re
fuse duty, do you? I'll see whether
or not you'll obey orders when the
sims CONTEST"