Page:Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes.djvu/53

27 One of the assigned dishes on Sundays was a batter pudding. How a batter pudding was made I knew not, but the Malay gave me directions as well as he could. The flour, eggs, &c, were mixed in a large wooden bowl and just as it was ready to be put into the bag, all hands were called to shorten sails in a squall. I left the bowl standing in the pantry, to the beams of which many hams were suspended. The squall was violent and the ship pitched and tossed violently. When it was over I went to the pantry and what was my horror to find one of the hams had broken its brackets and fallen into the bowl of batter. What was to be done. The ham was also to be cooked & the batter could not be lost so I scraped the ham & put the batter into the bag and took the ham & it to the cook to boil; no one had seen it and I resolved to be mum. Dinner was served and all was going nicely when the pudding came for desert. It was a nice-looking dish with cold sauce, sugar & butter beat up. I expected a row to take place. The pudding was an elongated one and the batter had not become impregnated by the ham—only on one end, which clearly showed itself to my eye by a slight discoloration. Some who were helped got the good part, others the hammy; the first praised it, the last damned and cursed it. The Captain declared it was first rate, so did two or three others and, as it required but a slight circumstance to stir up anger of men who had been at variance, an almost deadly encounter took place; knives were flourished & threats made, but no actual encounter took place. I was a witness of the whole and rather enjoyed the fun as I had no love for either side. The poor cook was the recipient as it was determined he had boiled the pudding & ham in the same pot, but this was deemed impossible as the whole pudding must have been equally affected. I thought the Captain enjoyed this untoward circumstance and was satisfied it was the wish or intention of the few to grumble at the best of things. I afterwards tasted the pudding; a part of it was excellent but the other was execrable and very ham-like. I kept everything to myself and this is the only time I have referred to it.

I said our voyage was prolonged; I think it was nearly 50 days passage. Oh, how my heart leaped for joy as we neared Sandy Hook and entered the Bay with a fair wind. My troubles were soon to end and my separation from this brutal and atrocious set, including Capt, Mates, crew and passengers, was at hand. The moment the Ship was alongside the wharf I made for my dear home. It was late in the afternoon when I rang the bell. My terrier dog, Fury, was lying at my father's feet, was aroused & jumped about in the parlour & the moment the door was opened, he sprang on me barking and yelping for joy. All the family was alive at the uproar and great was my joy exhibited in floods of tears from the whole family. I was a very different looking boy from my appearance when I left a natty sailor boy. My clothes were well tarred and worn, my hands olive brown, and the beauty spots of my cheeks had disappeared for months as I have before related. My father was overjoyed to see me and tears were often suffusing his eyes as he regarded the change that had taken place in my looks. Hard work and bad usage with the example and prevalent as-