PREFACE
As in the case of our first “Deep-Water Voyage” to Calcutta, the present one was undertaken with the sole idea of enjoyment. The pleasure which such a voyage affords the fortunate few in whom there is a real affection for the sea is quite indescribable. To such there is no monotony, for there is always something interesting and amusing going on aboard ship, if one’s eyes are open; the men themselves present an inexhaustible field for study and reflection, and it is well known that a more jovial and witty fraternity does not exist.
But there is also a sombre, tragic side to a voyage in a Yankee deep-water ship, and that is the cruel and brutal treatment accorded that most popular individual just now,—the American sailor; by which is meant the men who sail before the mast under our flag. The merchant service has ever been regarded as the navy’s nursery, and a faithful account by an impartial observer will be found in these pages, showing the manner in which our seamen are treated,—the brothers, as it were, of those who won our victories at Manila and Santiago.
P. E. S.
New York, October 10, 1898.