“Well, there is a fresh salmon, Massa?”
“Let us have steaks off of it. Do them as I told you, and take care the paper don’t catch fire, and don’t let the coals smoke ’em. Serve some lobster sauce with them, but use no butter, it spoils salmon. Let us have some hoss-radish with it.”
“Hoss-radish! yah, yah, yah! Why, Massa, whar under the sun does you suppose now I could git hoss-radish, on board ob dis ‘Black Hawk?’ De sea broke into my garden de oder night, and kill ebery created ting in it. Lord a massy, Massa, you know dis is notin’ but a fishin’-craft, salt pork and taters one day, and salt beef and taters next day, den twice laid for third day, and den begin agin. Why, dere neber has been no cooking on board of dis here fore-and-after till you yourself comed on board. Dey don’t know nuffin’. Dey is as stupid and ignorant as coots.”
Here his eye rested on the captain, when with the greatest coolness he gave me a wink, and went on without stopping.
“Scept massa captain,” said he, “and he do know what is good, dat ar a fact, but he don’t like to be ticular, so he takes same fare as men, and dey isn’t jealous. ‘Sorrow,’ sais he, ‘make no stinction for me. I is used to better tings, but I’ll put up wid same fare as men.’”
“Sorrow,” said the captain, “how can you tell such a barefaced falsehood. What an impudent liar you are, to talk so before my face. I never said anything of the kind to you.”
“Why, Massa, now,” said Sorrow, “dis here child is wide awake, that are a fac, and no mistake, and it’s onpossible he is a dreamin’. What is it you did say den, when you ordered dinner?”
“I gave my orders and said nothing more.”
“Exactly, Massa, I knowed I was right; dat is de identical ting I said. You was used to better tings; you made no stinctions, and ordered all the same for boaf of you. Hoss-radish, Massa Slick,” said he, “I wish I had some, or could get some ashore for you, but hoss-radish ain’t French, and dese folks nebber hear tell ob him.”
“Make some.”