9th Paper (9a.)
Sunday, 25th July 49 days out.
Ladrone Islands in sight. The nearest is called “Alamagrian.” It
is steep and inaccessible, and is volcanic, the crater being immense and clearly visible from the ship. I believe there is no inhabitants on it. The weather is hot and sultry, the thermometer standing at 88 degrees in my cabin, in the sun it is about 100. We had a seven typhoon in sight of these Islands, in the Fearless a year ago last November (20 mo. ago) and it is the last one I have seen! The weather is very different now; the sky is clear and beautiful, though for the last 4 days it has looked wild and unsettled. I guess we are going to have good weather.
Saturday, July Last
Lat. 18’ North. Long. 135’ East
54 days at sea. How hot and sultry it is, and very little wind. We are dragging our weary length along. Every afternoon it rains now, and rains all night, and heavy thunder & lightning. It is terrible gloomy. One of these nights is like a funeral pall. “But it is a part of our life. How long O God?” I woke up this morning at half past three, with a terrible screaming, it was cook killing our two pigs. They were hanging up by the heels when I got on deck. Mr. Spear learned a butcher’s trade when he was young, and he and Pilgarlic went to cut them up after a breakfast off their lives. First cut them right down through the back…
…bone. Then cut off their heads, then the fore shoulders and sh
anks, then off with their feet at sec. joint for sousing?.. Then their he cuts the flanks off, then cut them lengthwise and crosswise to the bone. Put them in table salt , lay them down in a keg for curing. A nice sparerib for our dinner hold on! Says Mr. Spear, “Let me score it.” The rest of the spareribs for the sailors, chopped. Take out the tongues, then the under jaw. Chop one head up for soup- the other layed down- put salt from our pork _____ all over the whole- fill it with brine, put a stone on it to keep it down. There says Spear- That will keep a week. Yes says Fisk, a fortnight, but if it keeps three days we shall be lucky with the thermometer at 88 in the shade. Wouldn’t L. laugh to see Pilgarlic cutting up pork?
Pilgarlic made an envelope and printed L’s address on it yesterda
y. I guess everybody will know she got a letter when that comes, although there won’t be much in it. Pil does not have much to write about this year. He ain’t so enthusiastic as he used to be. He wants to see his loved ones very much, But the Franklin is so slow that it will be a long time first. He has picked his hair mattress all over now, made some bracketts (One to put Danny’s shoe on) and a couple of drawings. He don’t read any now, his eyes won’t stand it. Time hangs heavy. I suppose they got through haying now, but it is not probably well done as it was last year, not having the wonderful Captain and his long tailed man to help him.
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A Maine Sea Captain's Journals From the Clipper Ship Era 