Table of Contents
Wednesay 22
Last night about 8 o'clock, quite a little fleet came around us. Our old friend Patuxent, the Union and two other tugs. We were all em- barked on the Union. There was just room enough to stand between decks. 3 companies quartered in the upper & 3 in the lower packed in like shad We dropped astern of the Cossack and anchored. There was a lively time among the sailors getting the tugs lashed to, it was dark, and the few lights [?] had seemed to make it darker yet. The channel which was yesterday with barrels, and flags, now various colored lights, red & white. Our men were in fine spirits during the first three or four hours. There was considerable singing, Campbell & Smith of our company, performing finely. Campbell has a peculiarly sweet voice, and his songs showed his temperament delicate, refined - above the courser passions and tastes - and they touched chords which were in every breast - Smith's was one about a miller, who about to die, had an old mill and three sons; and called them each in, at his deathbed to inquire how much toll they would take - & left it to the eldest, who would take three pecks or all. It was a quiet satire on millers. His other had a delicate touch of smut - the charge for a guinea, and the tailor's wife - the [?], some Butcher goes to Leicester to buy cattle - [?] the charms of some pretty country wench and gives her a guinea - when he comes to pay the bill he tells the Landlord that he gave the [?] maid a guinea & got no change - the Landlord calls the maid and she has to give up the guinea - a year afterwards the Butcher returns again, and she places a child 3 months old on his knee - with some [?] about the change for the guinea. The Tailor's wife has a frolic with a sailor, Tailor comes home suddenly, she puts him in a chest, sailor carries off off his [chest?] the tailor in it - it is so heavy he opens it - finds tailor & carries him off sea, They are evidently "auld country" songs, handed down among them - would [?] doubt have a trace of his descent, to look up how they got them North Snyder sung "The Jolly brown jug" & "Northhampton County Prison" The latter is [his?] trial, Reeder, Judge Jones & other local incidents. North has been three times in the Penetentiary. He is a singular character, and very wicked, vulgar, though he seems to have a good heart. So the time passed pleasantly - gradually they became quiet & sunk into disturbed slumber - [piled?] and mixed in an indiscriminate manner. [?] & I borrowed blankets of the men and lay down on the gangway outside. We were there an hour or two - I discovered symptoms of rain - & went down by the furnace - where I had just room enough to sit - by leaning [?] a little I dozed some - but my arms and legs got paralyzed - & could not change my position. Then it rained - a dozen or more who were outside came crowding in crawled over us, down into the fire place - then we dozed again - the rain ran in along the floor - I slipped off my blanket - found my overcoat and [posterior?] all wet - the the [firemen?] had orders to get up steam - then the dozen men, with knapsacks guns & cartridge boxes, had to crawl gack again over us. Capt Bell did some [funny?] swearing over it. Oh! it was a dreary uncomfortable night. On comparing notes I found that none of the officers or men had it any better than I had. About seven we steamed back to the Cossack now happily beyond the channel, safely in the sound. That is a satisfaction that makes up for all the discomfort of last night. Curtin came on board last night. He & Dr Gibson have been having pleasure excursions around ever since last Friday. One of the unpleasant things that occur on board is the food and water of the men. Yesterday the cooks went out to see the ship moving, and when they got back, the soup was [burned?] a half inch crust on the bottom - the men threw the stuff overboard. There had been detailed each day - the three got scared at the fury of the men & deserted the cook house, and it was impossible to find out who they were. Then Lt. Goulen was put in charge, & by evening coffee was made - When it isknown that it takes two gallons of water a day - that it takes 3 barrels of water to make coffee once around - when it requires them to be cooking day and night, how easily things may be thrown into disorder, and once so it takes long to rectify - meanwhile 4 or 5 [?] men are suffering - growling - more [?] and irritable because they have nothing all day long to engage their attention. To-day they are out of water - they had coffee in the morning - but no water all day - a thirst is intolerable - I felt it last night during the long night - The wind was so high all day that we could not send any small boats for it, & had to depend on the tender mercies of a tug to come to relieve us. This evening it is blowing furiously. But we have depth of water & see room, and have no fears. [Down] it was a constant source of anxiety - either aground or run into by other vessels, all the time - not safe anchorage for ten vessels & yet we had over a hundred - blowing a gale all the time - Bennet the Pilot said he had not seen such weather for [eighteen?] years.