Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-07


thirsty IN The morning. when half
dozen full pals is not an uncommon
drausht for one of them. Plenty of
water helps to condition them. W,tar
Is iattening. too. and fat cattle are
desirable creatures. for they sell en-
tileiy by weight when landed.
The watering over. bales of hay vare
got out of the hold and the first feed
OF the day given. Three men of each
little gang spread the hay between the
tiers of stalls and shook il out. The
fourth man forked it into the trou ghs.
Ihis watering and haying out of the
way. the aliays We're swept up and all
made clean
1t was then about half-paSt i've
aEd our thoughts were of breakfast
but breakfast was not served until
seven bells. two hours of a wait after
our morning brisk exercise. We met
breakfast with Il grand appetite which
was somewhat appeased though not at
al satisfied. by a dipper of coffee
without sugar or milk, one good sized
blScCit aud Il mess Of what is called
"scouSc. In cheap boarding houses
ashore. 4 slightly similar. but not
nearly - battling connection. goes by
the name of mystery" 50 sailornen
say.
Al half-past ten we took our little
wooden ScraperS and cleaned out ne
trnuehS. Then fun pail Of corn meal
or Of corn on the cob was set before
every steer. This feed Of corn il Il
sort OF caNiarc intended TO whet the
appetite Of the cattle and conduce to
their ultimate fairness. The hope. the
one idea. is 10 fattcn the beasts. This
morning they did not take to the stuff.
but after day or two. we We're told.
they would deVour il eagerly. even to
licking clean the bottom of the troughs.
AT half-past eleven. We. the ''stilfs.'
We're given a second meal. This was 4
soup and Il form Of beef The sour
has a reputation of its own. Pea
soup" as the cook calls it. this dav. is
favorite form of infliction. 1t was
not made from real peaS-cVen the
cook himself would not claim that
but from some kind OF split beam Th.
fertile fancy of the cattle punchers
had il that a queer kind of petrified
bean. a product of the far-away In
dies. is used in the soup. The strong
est criticism that could be made of
this device is to record the fact that
most Of our hungry crew passed il by
a large or small lump according to the
draw. First At the pan had. of course
the best luck. Big. able men had fine
luck also.
At two o'clock the cattle were
watared again. At four they we're
given their last feed Of the day. This
was Of hay. Each feed Of hay was
about ten pounds. Twenty pounds of
hay, one pail of corn meal ana un-
limited water is a bullocks daily lot
That is about as much as one Of them
will absorb. They would get more if
experience proved that they could get
away with it. They are given all lney
can stand. Ii is all for the market.
At five O'Clock bread and tea vas
given US cattlemen. We came always
after the cattle. it will be noticed. AS
i at breakfast, no sugar nor milk went
! with it, and the quantity of bread al
lowed did not make gluttons of us. The
tea given to us was said to be. and
4 probab bly, was, the second brew from
s the tea leaves of the officers teapot.
8 1t was put on the fire the night before
and had plenty of time to simmer
4 against the time they got it below.
Our fare varied as we went on.
though not so widely as to bring on a
! panic. For breakfast. after the sec
Fond morning, we had corn-meal pOr-
s. ridge in place of the scOuse. The por-
{ ridge came with dressing of treacle.
When this contrivance was stirred up
in the rusty pan that served as plate.
saucer and all side dishes, il seemed
an unholy thing. Cattlemen call this
"BurgoO' Nobody knows who named
it first. but that fits il. BY saying it
over three or four times to yourself.
Burgoo, Burgoo. Burgoo. you viii be-
gin to get the taste Of it. 1t is not the
same thing as the nourishing Scotch
dish sometimes called by that name
To us il suggested queer, Orienta
things. In the galley Of every cattle
steamer. say the cattlemen. IS Cdfk
board of strategy and Burgoo IS their
master plan. 1t is every cattleman
belief that the cooks get most Of their
recreation aboard ship by means Of
these inventions to balk his, the cat
tleman's healthy appetite
on the fourth day q hot pot was
served This is similar 70 what we
call Irish stew in this country. 1t IS
priced past belief by the cattlemen and
it's entry opened up gala OCCASION
The distribution of the hot pot. which
came down in Il bread dish. was truly
an event below and not to be too light
ly described.
The man who was ''pegging for the
day-that is. he whose turn it was 10
bring down the main ration from the
galley-was supposed to make the as
tributiOn. But his mathematical
bump was deemed TO be outclasSed oy
the greatness of the emergency. 10
size up hot pie. as it lies SteamlnS III
the pan. and measure it out equally 10
fifteen or twenty hawk-eyed Vuitufe-
like Impatient cattlemen. is trlal 10
test the nerve and the eye of the nest
man afioat. Wise old hands who h'u
been there before pitched on the apie
est looking" man in the hold To atteii
| to this job. Sometimes. wise Ola Haii"9
are not there, and then the EoId 3etS
action.
Advice to the man behind the ''o,e
was not wanting with our crown
Rather was there enough, and more
But it was not of a kind to steady ms
nerve. Command, entreaty ana threat
followed every crook of his finger ahu