Charles Frederick Briggs （b. 1804,d. 1877） was born on the island of Nantucket. When quite young,however,he became a resident of New York City. In 1845,in conjunction with Edgar A. Poe,he began the publication of the "Broadway Journal;" he was alsconnected with the "New York Times," and the "Evening Mirror;" alsas editor from 1853 t1856 with "Putnam‘s Magazine." Mr. Briggs wrote a few novels,some poetry,and numerous little humorous tales and sketches. The following selection is from "Working a Passage;or,Life on a Liner," one of his best stories.
1.Among the luxuries which the captain had provided for himself and passengers was a fine green turtle,which was not likely tsuffer from exposure tsalt water,sit was reserved1 until all the pigs,and sheep,and poultry had been eaten. A few days before we arrived,it was determined tkill the turtle and have a feast the next day.
2.Our cabin gentlemen had been long enough deprived of fresh meats tmake them cast lickerish2 glances towards their hard- skinned friend,and there was a great smacking of lips the day before he was killed. As I walked aft3 occasionally,I heard them congratulating themselves on their prospective4 turtle soup and forcemeat5 balls;and one of them,theighten the luxury of the feast,ate nothing but a dry biscuit for the twenty-four hours preceding,1Reserved,kept back,retained.
2Licker. ish,eager or greedy tswallow. 3Aft,toward the stern of a vessel.
4Prospective,relating tthe future.
5Forcemeat,meat chopped fine and highly seasoned.
that he might be prepared tdevour his full share of the unctuous1 compound.
3.It was tbe a gala day with them;and though it was not champagne day,that falling on Saturday and this on Friday,they agreed thave champagne a day in advance,that nothing should be wanting tgive a finish ttheir turtle. It happened tbe a rougher day than usual when the turtle was cooked,but they had become towell used tthe motion of the ship tmind that.
4.It happened tbe my turn at the wheel the hour before dinner,and I had the tantalizing misery of hearing them laughing and talking about their turtle,while I was hungry from want of dry bread and salt meat. I had resolutely kept my thoughts from the cabin during all the passage but once,and now I found my ideas clustering round a tureen of turtle in spite of all my philosophy.
5.Confound them,if they had gone out of my hearing with their exulting smacks,I should not have envied their soup,but their hungry glee sexcited my imagination that I could see nothing through the glazing2 of the binnacle3 but a white plate with a slice of lemon on the rim,a loaf of delicate bread,a silver spoon,a napkin,twor three wine glasses of different hues and shapes,and a water goblet clustering round it,and a stream of black,thick,and fragrant turtle pouring intthe plate.
6.By and by it was four bells: they dined at three. And all the gentlemen,with the captain at their head,darted below intthe cabin,where their mirth increased when they caught sight of the soup plates. "Hurry with the soup,steward," roared the captain. "Coming ,sir," replied the steward. In a few moments the cook opened the door of his galley4,and out came the delicious steam of the turtle.
1Unctuous,fat.
2Glazing,glass or glasslike substance.
3Binnacle,a box containing the compass of a ship. 4Galley,the kitchen of a ship.
7.Then came the steward with a large covered tureen1 in his hand,towards the cabin gang way2. I forgot the ship for amoment in looking at this precious cargo,the wheel slipped from my hands,the shipbroached twith a sudden jerk;the steward had got only one foot upon the stairs,when this unexpected motion threw him off his balance,anddown he went by the run,the tureen slipped from his h a nds,a nd p a r t of it s contents flew intthe lee31Tureen,a large deep vessel for holding soup. 2Gangway,a passageway.
3Lee,pertaining tthe side opposite that against which the wind blows.
scuppers1,and the balance followed him in his fall.
8.I laughed outright. I enjoyed the turtle a thousand times more than I should have done if I had eaten the whole of it. But I was forced trestrain my mirth,for the next moment the steward ran upon deck,followed by the captain,in a furious rage,threatening if he caught him tthrow him overboard. Not a spoonful of the soup had been left in the coppers2,for the steward had taken it all away at once tkeep it warm. In about an hour afterwards the passengers came upon deck,looking more sober than I had seen them since we left Liverpool. They had dined upon cold ham.
1Scuppers,channels cut through the side of a ship for carrying off water from the deck. 2Coppers,large copper boilers.