The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and PoliticsVarious
General
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics
Various
American periodicals
The next object of interest to attract attention was the Doctor's
"smoke-house," then in full operation. This was simply a large hogshead,
with one head pierced with holes and the other head knocked out. The end
without a head was set upon a circle of stones, which supported it about
a foot above the ground, and inside of this circle a great volume of
smoke was being generated, and which came puffing out through the holes
in the head above. Inside of this simple contrivance were suspended a
number of fine salmon, the delicate flesh of which was being dried by
the heat, and penetrated by the sweet aroma of the smoke, which came
puffing through the holes. The smoke arose from a smouldering fire of
the leaves and branches of the Andromeda (_Andromeda tetrigona_), the
heather of Greenland,--a trailing plant with a pretty purple blossom,
which grows in sheltered places in great abundance. Besides moss, this
is the only vegetable production of North Greenland that will burn, and
it is sometimes used by the natives for fuel, after it is dried by the
sun, for which purpose it is torn up and spread over the rocks. The
perfume of the smoke is truly delicious, which accounts for the
excellent flavor of the salmon which the Doctor had given me for lunch.
Nothing, indeed, could exceed the delicacy of the fish thus prepared.
The inspection of the Doctor's garden, or "farm," as he facetiously
called it, occupied us during the remainder of the afternoon; and so
novel was everything to me, from the Doctor down to his vegetables and
perfumed fish, that the time passed away unnoticed, and I was quite
astonished when Sophy came to announce "dinner."
We were soon seated at the table where we had been before, and Sophy
served the dinner. Her soup was excellent, the trout were of fine
quality and well cooked, the haunch was done to a turn, the wines were
this time rightly tempered, the champagne needed not to be iced, more of
the round red radishes appeared in season, and then followed lettuce and
cheese and coffee, and then we found ourselves at another game of
billiards, and at length were settled for the evening in the Doctor's
study, one on either side of a table, on which stood all the ingredients
for an arrack punch, and a bundle of cigars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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