Day 340. Flying fish and salt horse: a seafaring tale
5th July 1860:
Thursday 5th. 4 AM Set T. G. Sails F. Jib and M.T.G. Staysail. 8 AM unbent M.T.G. Sail to mend. Sails and another hand mending it. A bark crossed our hawse on the other tack at 2 PM but we being going about 7 knots each and nearly in opposite directions soon left each other out of sight. 4 PM Tacked ship in and bent M.T.G. Sail.
I think I have not mentioned that we kept a fire in the galley all night, and spend our watch, when there was nothing to do on deck, with the exception of one man at the wheel and one on lookout. we also had ½ a pint of hot coffee each every watch which kept us warmed first rate and broke the monotony of the watch. There are generally some pretty good yarns going on, or as sailors say, under way or being spun. there are plenty of albatrosses flying about the ship, looking out for anything that is thrown overboard from the ship. Then you will see a fight. The sailors who are very superstitious say they are old lime juice Skippers, and the Mother Cary’s Chickens are old sailors who when they die are turned into those things.
We had a rare laugh at the Steward this morning. He was fetching his breakfast aft for the Cabin, strutting along as bold as you please, when the ship gave a lee lurch, and the decks being wet, from the water washing backwards and forwards on them, down went the poor steward into the lee scuppers. The pan of coffee which he held in one hand and the pan of hash in the other went flying in all directions. The men forward seeing the Steward (who is like a barrel, as thick as he is long) rolling about in the scuppers, holding onto his empty pans, they ran like so many sharks, to mitten the hash that was lying about the decks, each grabbing a handful and running forward into the forecastle with it. The Steward however soon regained his perpendicular all dripping with salt water and coffee, like a bear in a Washing tub, and not liking to be the laughing stock for all the crew, he made his escape into his sanctum of cups and saucers, his bottom jaw hanging down as if it and the upper one had dissolved partnership, but the force of his desolate position soon broke upon him, his jaw regained its former elevated position, and he set about knocking up another mess for breakfast or it would not have been so well for his little carcase. He is now restored to his proper spirits and is feeding the cade pig.
6pm took in T.G. Sails and F Jib and T.G. Staylls. Lat - Long - could not get either.