Life — April 22, 1886 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

230 portions of the men, not to be outdone by the officers in polite attentions, would come for- ward as a deputation, some carrying (attached to their wrists by a lanyard) a bag of grapeshot, and others playfully sporting belaying pins ‘THE CAPTAIN OF THE “OLDBUMMER” DECIDES TO FIGHT THE“ KORSAGE.” and capstan bars. The officers meeting them in the same cordial spirit in which they came, both sides would engage in what was techni- cally termed a ‘Skrim-Shander,” which for genuine feeling and real energetic, fore-reach- ing, side-splitting divertisement excelled any- thing I have ever seen. decks, this spectacular performance was spir- ited and enlivening in the extreme. Being of Irish descent, as my name suggests, I had fre- quently been at wakes and fairs and similar comminglings, but never have I seen a merry- making so much to my taste as this. Here When the frst shot, struck us the Captain, way standin . . Just abaft the S rd Mizzen Kee ‘op Maylard Port Bowling. would be a gunner’s mate with his head neatly laid open with a belaying pin, and there, a petty officer vainly endeavoring to coax back into its place his truant jaw which had inad- vertently meta capstan bar. Officers and men, bars, bags and billets mingled in one beautiful red-colored carnival; and it was Occurring between | ‘LIFE: only when completely worn out with sport and liquor that the high-spirited fellows de- sisted, and were quietly placed in irons. These scenes of jollity and good feeling generally occurred after the gallant crew had been ‘‘bows- ing up their jibs,” a mari- time _expres- sion corres- ponding very nearly with the landsman's phrase ‘‘barrel- ing up.” Of course, with such a model crew, life sped gaily and pleasantly onward. Good feeling and pleasant drolleries were the order of the day. Songs were sung, and many were the merry dances of the light- hearted tars. In some of these the feet of the sailors would not touch the decks for hours ata time. One of the most enjoyable of all the pleasant the pride of cur ‘When | little parties which marked a year of social Caribbean Sea, The port watch acted as hosts, opened a few bottles of their favorite claret. One of the entertainers extended an invitation to the dance in the following quaint words: ‘Well, here's for a quiet life; I can | lick anything in the starboard watch.” Ina few minutes the entire front of the island was a scene of animated gayety. Dancing was indulged in untila late hour, and the boats which came to take the revelers back to the ship returned several times in order to remove a number of gentlemen who had no choice but to remain flat and be carried feet fore- most. Of course we took many prizes; almost every day, and invariably twice on Sundays, we captured one of the enemy’s vessels. I will not bother the reader with the narrative of these victories, since it is with the delightful social | life of the man-o’-war that I seek to entertain him, ‘What sport we had with the prisoners. One of our enforced visitors was a parson-like gen- tleman, and as he fell to my share, J tried him in my fron tank, capable of holding a hundred gallons of hot water. Years before, during a visit to the Cannibal Islands, I had banqueted with a friend of mine, the chef of a hospitable tribe, on a similar dish, and had often longed for an opportunity to experiment in the same line. Need I say that my experiment was a great epicurean success? As we had been long cout of port, and had exhausted nearly all our supplies except our stock of salt-horse, the officers and crew were so polite as to send me their written thanks for this much-relished change in their bill of fare. Dear O/dbummer, how the memary of those happy days returns tome! : I now come to the saddest part of my nar- rative—our last engagement. The officers had for some time been asking me for frogs legs for dinner ; and as I had assured them that it was impossible to procure this delicacy so far from land, they at last prevailed upon the cap- tain to make sail for France. Our course was THE “KORSAGE" MASTENING TO THE SCMJU OF ACTION. . ry, and ove of Joha Roach's ings a cont of fo.con each time. tender full steam she can easily make her three kits a week. r | thereupon altered to S.S.E. by N.N.W., and | gayety was the Christmas celebration at Arcas | we put before a favorable breeze at the rate of | Keys, a somewhat sequestered spot in the | ten knots per hour. masterpieces, had been complete! Mer magubiceat salt power engines alove cost Had it not been for this fatal fancy of our epicurean officers I am sure that the O/dbum- mer would have existed many a year to be an honor t ser country and a credit to her cap- tain. But we went to France, and from the harbor of Cherbourg, on a sunny Sunday, we started forth to meet the Xorsage. It was never my habit to pass my time in idleness upon the deck during an engagement. Others, tempted by curiosity, might desire to promenade at such times and gaze on the scenery, but I was above such work myself. I knew that we always came out ahead, and as long as my prize money was secure I did not interfere in the action. I was frying flapjacks for the officers’ mess when the action began, and despite the noise and confusion incident upon and almost inseparable from a naval comicbooks.com