They Sang In The True Sailor's Style, And The
Rest Of The Crew, Which Was A Remarkably Musical One, Joined In The
Choruses.
They had many of the latest sailor songs, which had not
yet got about among our merchantmen, and which they were very choice
of.
They began soon after we came on board, and kept it up until
after two bells, when the second mate came forward and called "the
Alerts away!" Battle-songs, drinking-songs, boat-songs, love-songs,
and everything else, they seemed to have a complete assortment of,
and I was glad to find that "All in the Downs," "Poor Tom Bowline,"
"The Bay of Biscay," "List, ye Landsmen!" and all those classical
songs of the sea, still held their places. In addition to these,
they had picked up at the theatres and other places a few songs of
a little more genteel cast, which they were very proud of; and I
shall never forget hearing an old salt, who had broken his voice
by hard drinking on shore, and bellowing from the mast-head in a
hundred northwesters, with all manner of ungovernable trills and
quavers in the high notes, breaking into a rough falsetto - and in
the low ones, growling along like the dying away of the boatswain's
"all hands ahoy!" down the hatch-way, singing, "Oh, no, we never
mention him."
"Perhaps, like me, he struggles with
Each feeling of regret;
But if he's loved as I have loved,
He never can forget!"
The last line, being the conclusion, he roared out at the top of
his voice, breaking each word up into half a dozen syllables.
This was very popular, and Jack was called upon every night to
give them his "sentimental song." No one called for it more
loudly than I, for the complete absurdity of the execution,
and the sailors' perfect satisfaction in it, were ludicrous
beyond measure.
The next day, the California commenced unloading her cargo; and
her boats' crews, in coming and going, sang their boat-songs,
keeping time with their oars. This they did all day long for
several days, until their hides were all discharged, when a gang
of them were sent on board the Alert, to help us steeve our hides.
This was a windfall for us, for they had a set of new songs for the
capstan and fall, and ours had got nearly worn out by six weeks'
constant use. I have no doubt that this timely reinforcement of
songs hastened our work several days.
Our cargo was now nearly all taken in; and my old friend, the Pilgrim,
having completed her discharge, unmoored, to set sail the next morning
on another long trip to windward. I was just thinking of her hard
lot, and congratulating myself upon my escape from her, when I
received a summons into the cabin. I went aft, and there found,
seated round the cabin table, my own captain, Captain Faucon of
the Pilgrim, and Mr. R - - -, the agent.
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