But our worthy captain, who was a great worshipper of the "almighty
dollar," in whatever shape it appeared, had no intentions of the kind.
Water was scarce, and cost ten dollars a cask. Beef and bread also cost
money, and we left St. Bartholomew with only the wretched apology for
provisions and water which were put on board in Martinico.

Probably no American vessel ever left a port with such miserable
provisions for a voyage. Bread, beef, and water constituted our variety.
We had no rice, beans, Indian meal, fish, or any other of the numerous
articles usually furnished by merchants for the sustenance of the
sailors who navigate their ships; and SUCH beef, bread, and water as we
were doomed to live upon for three successive weeks after we left St.
Bartholomew, was surely never prescribed by the most rigid anchorite
and exacting devotee as a punishment for the sins of a hardened
transgressor.

Chapter IX. ARRIVAL AT SAVANNAH

Captain Turner, on being urged to provide some palatable food and drink,
declared with an oath that he did not select the provisions of fill the
water; that this was done by others who knew what they were about; that
every thing on board was good enough for us, and if we did not like it
we might starve and BE HANGED!

This was a clincher it ended the argument. There was nothing left for us
but to put the best face, even if it should be a wry face, on troubles
we could not overcome or diminish.

In a choice of food there is a wide difference in taste. One people will
regard as a luxury a viand or condiment which is repugnant to another.
Locusts have been used from time immemorial for food by different tribes
of Arabs. Snail soup was once regarded in Europe as a delicious dish.
In the West Indies and South America the guano, a species of lizard, is
devoured with gusto. Bird's nests command enormous prices as an edible
in China, where also dogs and cats are ordinary food. At Rome camels'
heels were a tidbit for an epicure. Whale's tongues ranked among the
delicacies feasted on by the Europeans in the middle centuries. The bark
of the palm tree is the abiding place of a large worm, which is sought
for, roasted, and devoured as a delicacy. In Brazil, a monkey pie is a
favorite dish, and the head of the monkey is made to protrude and show
its teeth above the crust by way of ornament. Indeed, habit, we are
told, will reconcile a person to unsavory diet. But neither habit nor
necessity could re