Beadle's Dime Novels No. 94: The Mad Skipper — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

74 THE MAD SKIPPER. the delicate flying-fish as it flitted hither and thither with gauzy wing over the crests of the dark-blue waves. Schools of porpoises rolling and tumbling about, or running across the bows of the careering ship, were frequently seen; and occa: sionully one or two were made to suffer for their temerity ; that is {0 say they were harpooned and dragged on hoard to be cooked into “balls”—-a delicacy much prized by whale- men—for breakfast or dinner. ois fl “] am opposed to dis ungen’lemanly way ob serving dese poor creatures,” the cook would say, as he stood looking down upon the fish gasping and struggling upon the deck in a pool of’ its blood—-t Mos’ decidedly. It am one ob de mos’ cruel- est and barbarousest fashions in de world to kill dese citizens Job de water !” | “ Ay, ay, cook ”"——from igliiver Ben or Frank—* but I think I've heard you say that you are very fond of killing pigs. It’s as cruel to kill them as to kill fishes.” “Dat am «a lopsided-view of de question. If you kill a pig, why den every part ob him come ‘» use, so dat you hab -gome reward for your trouble, but dese porpoises—what’s de -use ob killing dem jus’ for de sake ob cooking dem balls which it am a mighty sight. ob trouble for gen’lemen to fix up and cook in de right shape.” “Hil bil i Y from one of the Kanakas, “ dig man no eo pity for fish ; quick see dat. No like to eook—dat’s all !” And Moonshine would then scratch his head, and with ¢ guilty grin return to his galley to vainly puzzle his brains for some plan that should prevent the catching of porpoises in future. He had taken something of a dislike to Doctor Claret, be- cause that worthy had recommended the balls to the erew ag a healthy and palatable dish ; and because he had refused to gratify him (the cook) afterward, by contradicting the state: ment. | The present mild weather often enticed the man of medicine on deck. He would pace the quarter-deck, swinging his arm to and fro, walk up and. down the shrouds, or assist the men » pulling at the ropes, in order, as he often remarked, “ to strengthen and invigorate his constitution.” As to Lilian, she never quitted the deck, on these clear suv’ ny days, except to seck ber couch or partake of her meals Ccomiclooks.conn |