32 TEE CRUISE OF TEE "CACEALOT." 



all, and was full of sympathy for their undeserved 

 sufferings, I could not but feel that they would have 

 been more than human had they not envied me my 

 immunity from the kicks and blows they all shared so 

 impartially. However, there was no help for it, so I 

 went on as cheerily as I could. 



A peculiarity of all these vessels, as I afterwards 

 learned, was that no stated allowance of anything was 

 made. Even the water was not served out to us, but 

 was kept in a great scuttle-butt by the cabin door, to 

 which every one who needed a drink had to go, and 

 from which none might be carried away. No water was 

 allowed for washing except from the sea ; and every one 

 knows, or should know, that neither flesh nor clothes 

 can be cleansed with that. But a cask with a perforated 

 top was lashed by the bowsprit and kept filled with 

 urine, which I was solemnly assured by Goliath was the 

 finest dirt-extractor in the world for clothes. The 

 officers did not avail themselves of its virtues though, 

 but were content with ley, which was furnished in 

 plenty by the ashes from the galley fire, where nothing 

 but wood was used as fuel. Of course when rain fell we 

 might have a good wash, if it was night and no other 

 work was toward ; but we were not allowed to store any 

 for washing purposes. Another curious but absolutely 

 necessary custom prevailed in consequence of the short 

 commons under which we lived. When the portion of 

 meat was brought down in its wooden kid, or tub, at 

 dinner-time, it was duly divided as fairly as possible 

 into as many parts as there were mouths. Then one 

 man turned his back upon the carver, who, holding up 

 each portion, called out, " Who's this for ? " Whatever 

 name was mentioned by the arbitrator, that man 



