get a _slight_ foretaste of the joys of a sailor’s life. But still, whenever we have been asked the question by such, we say, “Go, by all means, and then you will be satisfied.” The old adage proves true here as well as elsewhere, “Experience is a dear school.” We will here give one or two anecdotes in relation to life on shipboard, which will serve to illustrate the tricks and games often practiced. We had with us, by some means unaccountable, a young fellow from Taunton, Mass., a lazy, half-foolish, soft piece of humanity, to whom we soon gave the dignified appellation of “Barney.” When only a few days out, and Barney was partially recovering from his sea-sickness, the poor fellow, missing the accustomed good things at home, and not relishing the hard fare of ship-life, complained sadly of his want of appetite; that he could not relish the fat salt pork and hard bread which he was obliged to eat. One of the old seamen, who are always up to such jokes, said to him, “Why, Barney, you fool, why don’t you go and ask the captain or mate to break out that _cask of pies_ that they have got in the main hold, and give you one? They were put on board expressly for the green hands when recovering from their sea-sickness.” “_Cask of pies!_” replied Barney, opening his eyes and mouth wide with astonishment. “Is there a cask of pies aboard?” “Certainly,” replied his tormentor, “and it was put aboard on purpose for the green hands, and you’re a fool if you don’t go and tell the old man[1] you want some.” So off Barney posts aft to the captain and mate, who were walking the quarter-deck together. It was not long before he returned to the forecastle, his countenance considerably elongated, and feeling very much crestfallen. “What’s the matter, Barney? Didn’t you get any pies?” “_No_, I didn’t get any pies, and there ain’t any aboard the ship either, and you knew there was not.” “Why, what did the old man say?” “He said that some one was making a fool of me, and if I came to him after any more pies he would stop my watch below for the whole cruise.” Poor Barney was obliged to submit, not only to sailor’s food, but to be one of the butts of the ship’s company for the voyage. We had on board a fellow from Nova Scotia by the name of Mackey. It was the delight of some of the watch to “stuff” Mackey with all sorts of imaginable stories on divers subjects, and to get the poor fellow, who was very credulous withal, into some scrape. One night, when it was blowing very hard, and the ship lying-to under easy sail, rolling heavily, some one of the watch told Mackey to place a handspike in one of the lee scupper-holes to prevent the ship rolling so badly. Off posts Mackey for a handspike, but, finding none, he contented himself with using a scrub-broom handle, which he placed in the scupper-hole, and commenced jumping upon it, until he finally broke it. The officer of the watch espied him, and sang out, “What are you about there, you Mackey?”