24 AX AMERICAN FARMER IX ENGLAND. 



to do with them. In fact, except when he is taking observations, 

 or in bad weather, or an emergency, you would never see in him 

 any thing but a floating-hotel keeper. It is plain, nevertheless, 

 that his eye is everywhere, and a single incident will show that 

 the savage custom of the sea has not been without the usual 

 influence upon him. He went to the kitchen the other day and 

 told the cook he must burn less wood. The cook, who is a pecu- 

 liarly mild, polite, peaceable little Frenchman, replied that he 

 had been careful not to use more than was necessary. The cap- 

 tain immediately knocked him down, and then quietly remarking, 

 " You'll take care how you answer me the next time," walked 

 back to join the ladies. The cook fell on the stove, and was 

 badly burned and bruised. 



The men complain that their food is stinted and poor, and they 

 are worked hard, at least they are kept constantly at work ; men 

 never exert themselves much when that is the case. It has been 

 evident to me that they all soger systematically. (Sogering is 

 pretending to work, and accomplishing as little as possible.) It 

 is usually considered an insult to accuse one of it, but one day I 

 saw a man so evidently trying to be as long as he could at some 

 work he had to do in the rigging, that I said to him : 



" Do you think you'll make eight bells of that job ?" 



He looked up with a twirl of his tongue, but said nothing. 



" Have you been at it all the watch?" 



" Ay, sir, I have: ' 



" A smart man would have done it in an hour, I should think." 



" Perhaps he might." 



" Do you call yourself a soger?" 



" Why, sir, we all soger, reg'lar, in this here craft. D'ye see, 

 sir, the capten's a mean man, and 'ould like to get two days work 

 in one out on us. If he'd give us watch-and-watch, sir, there'd 

 be more work done, you mote be sure, sir." 



