He then hailed us, but our captain was so mad that he could only swear and rave at him for an unwashed son of a sea dog. To cap the climax, the big ship’s band struck up “The Girl I Left Behind Me.”
She proved to be the old American ship “Red Jacket” (sister ship to the famous “Blue Jacket”.) She was bound for Melbourne, Australia, and was out of sight in a short time. Our captain continued to rave and swear about the “damned lime-juicer” as long as she was in sight.
Some of our night watches while passing through the tropics were lovely, and one would feel like having something to eat, if he could only have access to the cabin stores.
We soon learned the location of the cook’s pantry, and would often explore it when the officer of the deck was not near us, and “appropriate for the good of the watch” whatever tidbits we might run across. The pantry door opened off the main deck from the starboard side, and one man would always watch to see that the officer of the deck remained on the quarter deck, and if he changed his location the signal would be given, and whoever was in the pantry would slide out on the main deck again.
For several nights I did the foraging and my chum kept watch. From the several cupboards in the pantry I would select pie, cake and chicken, and carry them forward to the fo’c’sle, where they would be stowed away and eaten at our leisure. One morning, when I was at the wheel, the first table in the cabin were at breakfast, I heard loud talking between the captain and his brother, the mate. Just before this row, I had heard the captain’s wife say, “Steward, bring out some of that cold chicken that was left over from yesterday.” The colored steward replied, “Dar is none, dey done eat him all last night.” This led the captain to say to his brother, “Eat all you want at the table, but don’t be lunching at all hours aboard this ship,” and “There is no need of you eating in the night watch, anyway.” The conversation became heated, and as the wheel was near the cabin door, I could hear the mate say, “I don’t eat in the night-time, and you need not accuse me of being a thief.” After a while they cooled down, and when the second mate came to breakfast the captain said to him, “Mr. Harding, eat all you want at the table, but quit cleaning out the pantry at night.” This led to another denial from Mr. Harding, and I heard the captain say, “By God, I’ll find out the thief.”
It was extremely funny, and I could hardly keep from laughing out loud. Later on in the morning, the captain came to me and said, “Have you seen any of the sailors going in the cabin at night time?” Now, I was not a sailor, but had shipped as an ordinary boy, so I replied, “No, sir. I have seen cake crumbs and pieces of pie about, but supposed it was something the steward had given the men, and had I seen any one in the pantry stealing, I would have felt it my duty to have reported it to you.” “Well, by God,” he said, “I will find out who has been stealing aboard this ship.”
Then he called the steward aft and said in my hearing, “Steward, make up a batch of cake and some dried apple pies, and dose them heavy with jalap, which I will get you from the medicine chest.” Now, jalap is a very active purgative, and in a strong dose causes free movements, with some pain and griping, so I concluded to say nothing and await results. That night, when all hands were in the fo’c’sle, except the man at the wheel and the lookout, the crew said to me, “Now, Taylor, get us some pie and cake.” I replied, “Not on your life; you will give me away.” They all swore strict allegiance, so at midnight I “yaffeled” three pies and a loaf of cake from out the steward’s pantry, and brought them into the fo’c’sle. It was customary for both watches at midnight to smoke and talk for about half an hour, so all hands set to and cleaned up the stolen grub, which was, as I knew, well dosed with the jalap. I did not eat any, as I told them I had eaten all I wanted, but I made up my mind that there would be a windstorm by daylight.
Sure enough, they commenced to feel the effects of the medicine and were soon grumbling and rubbing their stomachs. I said to them, “Well, it looks like Asiatic cholera, as we are in the tropics, and liable to get these sort of things.” At two o’clock the starboard watch were so sick they could not go on duty, and at daylight reported to the captain, who sent for them to come aft.
The captain said, “What hurts you?” They answered, “Pains in the stomach and bowels, sir.” “What have you been eating?” was his next question. “Nothing, sir, outside our regular grub,” they replied. “You act as if you had taken poison; go forrard, you thieves, now I know who has been stealing my cabin grub.” He then called me aft and questioned me sharply, but I was innocence abroad. This ended the “cake walk,” and there was nothing missing after that.
The remainder of the outward voyage was very quiet, and we soon came to anchor in the open roadstead at Cape Town, in one of the finest of harbors on the African coast. After discharging cargo, we took on board a cargo of dry and salted hides, sheep-skins, and wool. This kept us in Cape Town about four weeks, and we had ample time to see the place to our hearts’ content. The harbor was filled with ships from all parts of the world, and many English warships were there at that time, so there was plenty going on to make things interesting for the sailors.