308 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



The new men had by now learned appropriate Carnegie table- 

 manners. In heavy seas, the bent-wood dming-room chairs had 

 a habit of sliding away from the table. The first impulse of the 

 uninitiated was to grab for the nearest support and tug the chair 

 at once back to the table. They soon discovered that proper 

 etiquette required them to sit quietly and wait for the return roll 

 to bring them back to the meal. 



At the oceanographic station on October 24 we were surprised 

 to find that the plankton-pump came up much discolored by its 

 immersion in the sea. Over its dull brass surface were spread 

 areas of black and bright green as though it had been suspended 

 in a corrosive fluid. We were at a loss to explain this. Someone 

 suggested that it might be due to some sulfurous acid in the water, 

 for we were in a region where the bottom showed signs of recent 

 volcanic activity. We inquired as to what had been thrown 

 overboard while we were hove to. The cook had emptied a vessel 

 of water in which the ham and cabbage had been boiled; but ex- 

 periment showed that this fluid did not affect the metal in the 

 same way. 



On the following day Forbush put on a vaudeville act. He had 

 rehearsed it in Honolulu and the performance that day was per- 

 fect. The stunt consisted of a slide down the cabin-stairs on 

 heels and elbows. Not everyone witnessed the exhibition so he 

 repeated it in a matinee the next day. For a long time he went 

 about the ship with vivid purple elbows. 



October 29 was Captain Ault's birthday. Oscar made one of 

 his pastry creations with fancy icings. The Engineer, Sturk, 

 presented the Captain with a beautifully machined miniature 

 flag-pole made out of solid brass with a tiny house-flag flying 

 from the top. The dinner was notable for we had our first meal 

 of canned baked chicken. The evening ended in a hilarious game 

 of "500" where everyone's ambition was directed to lowering the 

 score of the high-stand man instead of accumulating points for 

 himself. On many occasions everyone's score stood several 

 hundred points below zero. 



The month of November was ushered in by a terrific downpour 

 of rain, almost five inches falling during the night. When these 



