These Are All Boiled Down Together In The "Coppers," And Before
Serving It Out, The Mess Is Stirred Up With A Stick, So As To Give
Each Man His Fair Share Of Sweetening And Tea-Leaves.
The tea
for the cabin is, of course, made in the usual way, in a tea-pot,
and drank with sugar.
- - - - - - - -
The temperance reform is the best thing that ever was undertaken
for the sailor; but when the grog is taken from him, he ought to
have something in its place. As it is now, in most vessels, it is a
mere saving to the owners; and this accounts for the sudden increase
of temperance ships, which surprised even the best friends of the
cause. If every merchant, when he struck grog from the list of
the expenses of his ship, had been obliged to substitute as much
coffee, or chocolate, as would give each man a pot-full when he
came off the topsail yard, on a stormy night; - I fear Jack might
have gone to ruin on the old road.(2) But this is not doubling
- - - - - - - -
(2) I do not wish these remarks, so far as they relate to the
saving of expense in the outfit, to be applied to the owners
of our ship, for she was supplied with an abundance of stores,
of the best kind that are given to seamen;, though the dispensing
of them is necessarily left to the captain, Indeed, so high was
the reputation of "the employ" among men and officers, for the
character and outfit of their vessels, and for their liberality
in conducting their voyages, that when it was known that they had
a ship fitting out for a long voyage, and that hands were to be
shipped at a certain time, - a half hour before the time, as one of
the crew told me, numbers of sailors were steering down the wharf,
hopping over the barrels, like flocks of sheep.
- - - - - - - -
Cape Horn. Eight hours of the night, our watch was on deck, and
during the whole of that time we kept a bright look-out: one man
on each bow, another in the bunt of the fore yard, the third mate
on the scuttle, one on each quarter, and a man always standing by
the wheel. The chief mate was everywhere, and commanded the ship
when the captain was below.
When a large piece of ice was seen in our way, or drifting near us,
the word was passed along, and the ship's head turned one way and
another; and sometimes the yards squared or braced up. There was
little else to do than to look out; and we had the sharpest eyes in
the ship on the forecastle. The only variety was the monotonous
voice of the look-out forward - "Another island!" - "Ice ahead!" -
"Ice on the lee bow!" - "Hard up the helm!" - "Keep her off a
little!" - "Stead-y!"
In the meantime, the wet and cold had brought my face into such
a state that I could neither eat nor sleep; and though I stood it
out all night, yet, when it became light, I was in such a state,
that all hands told me I must go below, and lie-by for a day or
two, or I should be laid up for a long time, and perhaps have the
lock-jaw.
When the watch was changed I went into the steerage, and took off
my hat and comforter, and showed my face to the mate, who told me
to go below at once, and stay in my berth until the swelling went
down, and gave the cook orders to make a poultice for me, and said
he would speak to the captain.
I went below and turned-in, covering myself over with blankets
and jackets, and lay in my berth nearly twenty-four hours, half
asleep and half awake, stupid, from the dull pain. I heard the
watch called, and the men going up and down, and sometimes a
noise on deck, and a cry of "ice," but I gave little attention
to anything. At the end of twenty-four hours the pain went down,
and I had a long sleep, which brought me back to my proper state;
yet my face was so swollen and tender, that I was obliged to keep
to my berth for two or three days longer. During the two days I
had been below, the weather was much the same that it had been,
head winds, and snow and rain; or, if the wind came fair, too foggy,
and the ice too thick, to run. At the end of the third day the ice
was very thick; a complete fog-bank covered the ship. It blew a
tremendous gale from the eastward, with sleet and snow, and there
was every promise of a dangerous and fatiguing night. At dark,
the captain called all hands aft, and told them that not a man was
to leave the deck that night; that the ship was in the greatest
danger; any cake of ice might knock a hole in her, or she might
run on an island and go to pieces. No one could tell whether she
would be a ship the next morning. The look-outs were then set,
and every man was put in his station. When I heard what was the
state of things, I began to put on my clothes to stand it out
with the rest of them, when the mate came below, and looking at
my face, ordered me back to my berth, saying that if we went down,
we should all go down together, but if I went on deck I might lay
myself up for life. This was the first word I had heard from aft;
for the captain had done nothing, nor inquired how I was, since I
went below.
In obedience to the mate's orders, I went back to my berth; but a
more miserable night I never wish to spend.
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