Cape Breton's Magazine

Theodore Rideout: Sealing We did nothing while we were jammed in the ice, only roaming around the ship, go out and try to kill a few seabirds and pick them and eat them. Bake them. Edgar Lil- lington (of Neil's Harbour) used to bake some buns for us. We never got any bread, only hardtack--so he used to bake buns. Mo? lasses buns. So we used to enjoy them. It's that bad of. a story, I don't know if I should be telling it to you. Well, it's starvation • We had starvation on the ship. And all kinds of meat aboard of her. Twenty-five quarters of meat going spoiling--big western quarters of meat--we didn't get any. Not a crumb. Only the cap? tain was getting that, and officers and doctors. They got all kinds of steaks. We got a roast beef Sunday--a bone. And through the week we got a pot of pea soup. And for breakfast in the morning, there's a big barrel of hardtack in the corner there, and a bucket of molasses over there. And you go and take a hardtack out of the barrel, if you had good teeth, and had some molasses, and put it in your cup. And tea--they used to call that "switchel"--be- cause that was boiled over and over and o- ver and over. And that was our breakfast, every morning. Well, come dinnertime we'd have potatoes with hake, old hake--I don't know if you know what hake is--skin and all on, just like they come out of the wa? ter. You eat that, if you had a good stom? ach. They would boil it up. We had differ? ent cooks from what the officers had. We had 3 old cooks that had never cooked be? fore. Well, they had real chefs, the cap- CONTINUED FROM INSIDE FRONT COVER tains and officers and doctors. There were two doctors on it. When they'd pass through in the morning, you could smell the bacon and eggs. We never got one bit • And come a mild day, and we had to get up on deck. About 25 quarters of western beef was getting mouldy; we had to wash the slime off of it. Fresh water with baking soda in it. To wash the slime off the meat--it was spoiling. (So you knew the meat was there.) We knew the meat was there. What we should have done was raided the ship! You couldn't believe it unless you saw it! If we'd have got some seals, I guess we'd have got some good grub. If we didn't get any seals, we got no grub. And we had no tobacco. But the Newfoundlanders that were out the year before had their tobacco. They knew what was going to happen. If we didn't get seals, we wouldn't get any to? bacco. And no grub, either. I was thinking about it in bed the other night--up there, stuck in the ice. And I was telling my wife yesterday--that's where you used to see the rough days out there on the ice fields. The winds were blowing nor'west. You couldn't see any? thing. There was no woods, there was no nothing--only ice and snow and wind. Then we got lousy--I'm telling you every? thing! We all got lousy. And that wasn't too good' You get out on the ice and try to pick your shirt. This is a beautiful SAVE YOUR WINDSHIELD! STONE DAMAGED WINDSHIELDS RESTORED FOR FREE! Your Insurance Company Pays All DAY 564-4527 NIGHT (M' Now full auto .glass service, if your windshield is beyond surgery. MAIN CLINIC: 6 LIBERTY ST., SYDNEY (Free House Calls) The Windshield Surgeon Island Graf ts We House the Talents of Over 300 Cape Breton Craftspeople VISIT OUR STORE & SEE THE KALEIDOSCOPE OF TREASURES Handknit Fishermen's Sweaters - Kitchen Accessories Designer Mohair Sweaters - Hand Carved Clan Crests Hats & Scarves-for Every Age Group - Cookbooks Intricate Designs in Pottery - Hand Appliqued Quilts Ruffled Cushions - Wide Selection of Baby Items The Mad Potters Collection - Boats in Bottles A Good Selection of Local Literature The list is endless! Treat yourself to ISLAND CRAFTS. Iwholesale; full line of souvenirsi The Focus of Your Visit to Cape Breton "Rise and Follies" performers in Island Crafts sweaters and scarves in Downtown Sydney. OPEN YEAR ROUND: MONDAY TO SATURDAY, 9 TO 5; FRIDAY, 9 TO 9 539-6474 329 Charlotte St., Sydney JHHHHHHBHHHHHH '' • pfoiwto(c?p*B 564-5527