The Ely miner., 1929-11-15

wash shirts on board for hire. In
deed. i'm this respect all galley slaves
are alike; they are all traders and
every one of them has something for
sale under his bench"
Next he acquaints us with life
among his fellow-pilgrims who made
up the greater part of the passenger
list on this particular voyage. Al
though these travellers had gone upon
a sacred mission it would seem that
the private behavior of many of them
was open to criticism. He continues !:
''SOme. as soon as they arise from
table, go about the galley inquiring
where the hest wine is sold and there
sit down and spend the whole day over
their wine. This Is usually done by
Saxons. Flemings and other men of
a low class. Some play for money,
some with a board and dice, others
with dice alone, some with cards, 9TH
ers with chessboards, and one may
say that the greater number is en-
gagged at this pastime
"Some sing songs or pass their
time with musical instruments. Some
discuss worldly matters. some read
books, some pray with beads, some
sit still and mediate. Some sit and
look at the sea and the land which
they are passing and write about them
and make books of travel, which was
my daily employment out of my
canonical hours, for busy men are not
weary of life even on board ship.
Finally, there is among all the occu-
pations of seafarers one which, albeit
lOathsOme, is yet very common, daily
and neceSsary-l mean the hunting
and catching of lice and vermin. Un-
less man spends several hours in
this work when he is on pilgrimage
he will have but unquiet slumbers.
"When the hour of dinner or supper
draws near, four trumpeters rise up
and with their trumpetS sound call,
on hearing which all those who sit at
the captains table run with the ut
most haste to the poop that they may
get a place where they can sit COM
Portable, for he Who comes thither
late gets bad seat. There are three
tables well and orderly set out on the
poo? but he who comes late must sit
outside the poop ON the galley-slaves'
benches, uncOmfortably, in the sun,
the rain or the wind.
Restless Nights.
"He who comes first sits down as
he pleases; nor does the poor man
make way for the rich, the peasant for
the noble, the working man for the
priest. the l:.yman for the learned
doctor. or the worldling for the monk.
The reason of this want of order and
respect imagine to be this: that all
pay the same money to the captain,
great and small alike. For this rea-
son nOblemen who have their own
servants with them always eat near
the mast or in their berths. With
lights even at midday since the air
is dark there. The food is dressed
in the Italian fashion. First there
is salad of lettuce with oil, if
green herbs can be come by, and
at dinner, mutton and pudding or
mess of meal Or of bruised wheat or
barley. or panada and thin cheese.
On fast days, when flesh is not eaten,
the little fish called Zebilini are served,
salted. with oil and vinegar or a
Fresh loaves are served out when the
ship is near harbor, for fresh bread
will not keep on board of galley
after the fifth day. When fresh l0aves
fail, they serve out twice-baked
cakes which they call biscuits and
which are as hard as stones.
LAS much wine is given as one can
drink, sometimes good, sometimes
thin, but always well mixed with >wa-
ter. The pilgrims dinner is quickly
an end the trumpeters again sound
tn ,ir trumpets. The tables are again
sOlemnly laid for the captain and
those of his council. His table is
more frugal than that of the pilgrims
but his food is brought to him in sill
yer dishes and his drink is tasted be-
fore it is presented to him, as is done
to princes in our own country. WOm-
en- pilgrims do not come to the COM
mon table but remain in their berths
and both eat and sleep there. The
galley-slaves eat in messes of three
each. on their -rOwing-benches and
prepare their own food. | have often
seen them eating while still red with
their own blood.
after supper the pilgrims sit down
and talk with one another and never
go to bed save with lights. There is
a tremendous disturbance while they
are making their beds; the dust is
stirred up and great quarrels arise be-
tween those who are to lie side by
side, for one blames his neighbor for
overlapping a part of his berth with
his bed. During these quarrels have
seen pilgrims fall upon one another
with naked swords and daggers. Dur
ing many nights | never closed my
eyes. Moreover, the narrowness of the
place for ones bed and the hardness
Of the pillows makes one restless. Be-
sides, the place Is enclosed and ex-
ceeding hot and full of various foul
vapors. Fleas and lice swarm there
at that time in countless numbers, also
mice and rats. Oftentimes. may say
every night, have risen silently and
gone up into the open air and have
felt as though | had been freed from
some filthy DriSOn."