The Log of a Sea-Waif: Being Recollections of the First Four Years of My Sea Life
by Frank Thomas Bullen · English · Gutenberg #36657 · 585,463 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Log of a Sea-Waif: Being Recollections of the First Four Years of My Sea Life
Author: Frank Thomas Bullen
Release date: July 8, 2011 [eBook #36657]
Most recently updated: January 7, 2021
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOG OF A SEA-WAIF: BEING RECOLLECTIONS OF THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF MY SEA LIFE ***
Produced by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
THE LOG OF A SEA-WAIF
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| =By FRANK T. BULLEN.= |
| |
| =The Log Of a Sea-Waif.= Being Recollections of the First Four |
| Years of my Sea Life. Illustrated. Uniform edition, 12mo. |
| Cloth, $1.50. |
| |
| The brilliant author of "The Cruise of the Cachalot" and |
| "Idylls of the Sea" presents in this new work the continuous |
| story of the actual experiences of his first four years at |
| sea. In graphic and picturesque phrases he has sketched the |
| events of voyages to the West Indies, to Bombay and the |
| Coromandel coast, to Melbourne and Rangoon. Nothing could be |
| of more absorbing interest than this wonderfully vivid account |
| of foks'l humanity and the adventures and strange sights and |
| experiences attendant upon deep-sea voyages. It is easy to see |
| in this book an English companion to our own "Two Years before |
| the Mast." |
| |
| =Idylls of the Sea.= 12mo. Cloth, $1.25. |
| |
| "This book is truly fascinating reading.... To everything Mr. |
| Bullen brings enthusiasm, a passion for accuracy, and the good |
| writing that comes of knowledge and sincerity."--_London |
| Academy._ |
| |
| "A fresh sea-breeze blows through the whole book, and |
| entertainment and instruction are delightfully blended."--_The |
| Daily Mail._ |
| |
| |
| =The Cruise of the Cachalot.= _Round the World after Sperm |
| Whales._ Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. |
| |
| MR. RUDYARD KIPLING writes the author: |
| |
| "It is immense--there is no other word. I've never read |
| anything that equals it in its deep-sea wonder and mystery, |
| nor do I think that any book before has so completely covered |
| the business of whale-fishing, and at the same time given such |
| real and new sea pictures. I congratulate you most heartily. |
| It's a new world that you've opened the door to." |
| |
| * * * * * |
| |
| =D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, New York.= |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: It was a bleak, gloomy day in January when I first beheld
her.]
THE LOG OF A SEA-WAIF
BEING RECOLLECTIONS OF
THE FIRST FOUR YEARS
OF MY SEA LIFE
BY
FRANK T. BULLEN, F.R.G.S.
_Author of The Cruise of the Cachalot,
Idylls of the Sea, Etc._
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
1899
COPYRIGHT, 1899,
BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.
TO
J. ST. LOeE STRACHEY,
IN
GRATEFUL RECOGNITION
OF HIS UNWEARYING ENCOURAGEMENT OF AND
PERSISTENT KINDNESS TO THE AUTHOR,
THIS BOOK
IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.
PREFACE.
Notwithstanding the oft-reiterated statement that the days of sea
romance are over, it may well be doubted whether any period of our
literary history has been more prolific in books dealing with that
subject than the last twenty-five years. Nor does the output show any
signs of lessening, while the quality of the work done is certainly not
deteriorating. Writers like Kipling, Cutcliffe Hyne, Joseph Conrad, and
Clark Russell, each in his own style, have presented us with a series of
sea-pictures that need not fear comparison with any nautical writers'
work of any day, although they deal almost exclusively with the
generally considered unromantic merchant service. Having admitted this,
the question perforce follows, "Who, then, are you, that presumes to
compete with these master magicians?"
To that inevitable question I would modestly answer that the present
book is in no sense a competitor with the works of any writers of
nautical romance. But having been for fifteen years a seafarer in
almost every capacity except that of a master, and now, by the greatest
kindness and indulgence on the part of men holding high positions in the
literary world, being permitted to cater for the reading public in
sterling periodicals, it has often occurred to me how little landsmen
really know of the seaman's actual life. "Two Years before the Mast,"
although written by an American, and of life on board an American
merchantman, has long held undisputed sway as a classic upon the
subject. And for the only reason, as it seems, that no serious attempt
has been made by a Britisher to do the same thing for life in British
ships.
Still, conscious as I certainly am of small literary equipment for such
a task, I should hardly have dared to try my hand but for the
encouragement most generously and persistently given me by Mr. J. St.
Loee Strachey, who, with that large faith in another's abilities that
breeds confidence in its object, however diffident, urged me strongly to
tell the public some of my experiences of sea life. And his advice to me
was to set them down, just as they occurred, as nearly as memory would
permit. Of course, it was not possible to cover the whole field of my
experiences at once, except in the most scrappy and unsatisfactory way,
and therefore I decided to take the first four years--from the age of
twelve to sixteen. Following my friend's advice, I have written nothing
but the truth, and, in most cases, I have given the real names of ships
and individuals. If the book, then, does not please, it will be owing to
my lack of discrimination between interesting and commonplace details,
and not because the pictures given of life at sea in the forecastle are
not faithful.
And now, as I know that there are a great many people who do not read
prefaces, I will close mine by humbly commending this "autobiography of
a nobody" to that tremendous tribunal, with whom lies the verdict of
success or failure, and from whose fiat there is no appeal--the Public.
FRANK T. BULLEN.
CAMBERWELL, _September, 1899._
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I.--MY FIRST SHIP
II.--OUTWARD-BOUND
III.--ARRIVAL AT DEMERARA
IV.--THE MUTINY AND AFTER
V.--THE LAND OF LIBERTY
VI.--TO HAVANA AND AFTER
VII.--OFF TO SEA AGAIN
VIII.--STRUGGLES IN LIVERPOOL AND LONDON
IX.--BOUND FOR JAMAICA
X.--ADVENTURES OF A SHIPWRECKED CREW
XI.--AN EVENTFUL PASSAGE HOME
XII.--ADRIFT IN LIVERPOOL ONCE MORE
XIII.--THE DAWN OF BETTER DAYS
XIV.--DUE SOUTH
XV.--EIGHT WEEKS' CALM
XVI.--UP THE INDIAN OCEAN TO BOMBAY
XVII.--ON THE COROMANDEL COAST
XVIII.--HOMEWARD TO LONDON
XIX.--A CHANGE OF NATIONALITY
XX.--THE PASSAGE TO MELBOURNE
XXI.--I BECOME A COLONIAL COASTER
XXII.--PROSPERITY PALLS UPON ME
XXIII.--ANOTHER QUEER SHIP
XXIV.--DEEP-WATER AMENITIES
XXV.--PROCEEDINGS AT RANGOON
XXVI.--HOMEWARD-BOUND IN DIFFICULTIES
XXVII.--DEEP-WATER COASTING
XXVIII.--WHICH BRINGS US TO PORT AT LAST
XXIX.--CONCLUSION
THE LOG OF A SEA-WAIF.
CHAPTER I.
MY FIRST SHIP.
Many boys clamour for a sea life, will not settle down to anything
ashore, in spite of the pleading of parents, the warnings of wisdom, or
the doleful experiences of friends. Occasionally at schools there breaks
out a sort of epidemic of "going to sea," for which there is apparently
no proximate cause, but which rages fiercely for a time, carrying off
such high-spirited youths as can prevail upon those responsible for them
to agree to their making a trial of a seafaring life. All this is quite
as it should be, of course, in order that Britain may continue to rule
the waves; but many a parent, whose affectionate projects for the future
of his offspring are thus rudely shattered, bitterly resents what he
naturally considers to be unaccountable folly.
In my own case matters were quite otherwise. I belonged to the ignoble
company of the unwanted. In spite of hard usage, scanty food, and
overwork, I ridiculously persisted in living, until, at the approach of
my twelfth year, an eligible opening presented itself for me to go to
sea. Being under no delusions whatever as to the prospect that awaited
me, since I had known intimately those who had experienced all the
vicissitudes of a sailor's life, I was not unduly elated at the idea.
Nevertheless, food and shelter were objects peculiarly hard of
attainment ashore, while I felt satisfied that at sea these necessaries
would be always provided, even if their quality was none of the best.
The vessel in which I obtained a berth as cabin-boy was commanded by my
uncle: a stubborn, surly, but thoroughly capable old seaman. Soured by
misfortune and cross-grained by nature, it was small wonder that he had
no friends, not even the sterling honesty of his character, or his high
ability, being sufficient to counterbalance the drawback of his
atrocious temper. His latest command was not calculated to improve him,
for she was a survival of a bygone day, clumsy as a Dutch galliot,
impoverished by her owner, who was heartily sick of seeing her afloat,
and would have rejoiced to hear that she was missing; and withal leaky
as a basket. When I first saw her huddled into a more than usually dirty
corner of the West India Docks, I was filled with wonder to see that her
cutwater was sunken between two swelling bows like the cheeks of a
conventional cherub. Though I could be no critic of marine construction,
this seemed an anomaly for which there appeared to be no excuse. Her
bowsprit and jibboom soared into the air exactly like those of the
galleons of old, and her three skimpy masts stood like broomsticks at
different angles--the foremast especially, which looked over the bows.
It was a bleak, gloomy day in January when I first beheld her. The snow,
which had fallen heavily for some days previously, was, wherever it
could be, churned into filthy slush, and where undisturbed, was begrimed
more into the similitude of soot-heaps than anything else. Everything
wore a pinched, miserable appearance. So forbidding and hopeless was the
outlook that, had it been practicable, I should certainly have
retreated. But there was no choice; I had burned my bridges.
Climbing on deck, I found such a state of confusion and dirt reigning as
I could hardly have believed possible. Owing to the parsimony of the
owner, not even a watchman had been kept on board, and, in consequence,
the decks had not smelt a broom for a month. The cargo and stores were
littered about so that progress was gymnastic, while in every corner and
hollow lay the dirty snow. Several discontented-looking men were engaged
aloft bending sails, others were gradually coaxing the cargo on deck
into the hold, but no one seemed to have any energy left. Seated upon an
up-ended beef-cask was a truculent-looking individual whom I
instinctively regarded as the boss. Him, therefore, I timidly
approached. Upon hearing my message, he rolled off his throne and led
the way aft, uttering all the time some, to me, perfectly unintelligible
sounds. I made no pretence of answering, so I suppose he took me for a
poor idiot hardly worthy of his attention. When, after some effort, he
disappeared down the cabin companion, I was close behind him, and,
understanding his gestures better than his speech, made out that here
was to be the scene of my future labours. The place was so gloomy that I
could distinguish none of its features by sight; but the atmosphere, a
rank compound of the reek of bilge-water, mouldering stores, and
unventilated sleeping-places, caught me by the throat, making my head
swim and a lump rise in my chest. A small locker by the ladder's foot,
reminding me curiously of a rabbit-hutch, was pointed out to me as my
berth, but I naturally supposed it to be a place for my bag. How could I
have dreamed that it was also to be my chamber? But everything began to
reel with me, so, blindly clutching the ladder, I struggled on deck
again, where the bitter wind soon revived me.
Henceforth no one noticed me, so I roamed about the deck, prying into
holes and corners, until the stevedores knocked off for dinner.
Presently the mate came towards where I sat, shivering and solitary, on
the windlass end, and made me understand that I was to come ashore with
him. He conducted me through a labyrinth of mean streets to a spacious
building in a wide thoroughfare, around which were congregated many
little groups of seamen of all nations. We entered the place at once,
and soon reached a large bare room crowded with seamen. Here I was told
to wait while Mr. Svensen went to seek the captain. While I stood
bewildered by the bustle of the crowded place, I heard occasional
hoarse demands for "Three A.B.'s an' one ordinary for Pernambuck!" "Cook
an' stooard for Kingston, Jamaica!" "All the croo of the _Star o'
Peace_!" and similar calls, each followed by a general rush towards the
speaker, accompanied by a rustling of discharges in the air as their
owners sought to attract attention.
After about an hour's wait I heard the cry of "Croo of the _Arabella_
here!" which was followed by the usual rush; but, to the disappointment
of the watchers, the whole of the crew had been already selected. One by
one they squeezed through the crowd into an office beyond, whither I
managed to follow. I was too much amazed at the hurly-burly to notice
who were to be my future shipmates, but I paid a sort of awe-struck
attention to the reading of the "articles." Doubtless much excuse must
be made for the officials, who have to gabble the same rigmarole over so
many times each working day; but I certainly think some attempt might
always be made that the essential parts of the agreement should be clear
to men who are about to bind themselves for a long period to abide by
it. In our case, the only words clearly accented, heard, and understood
by all, were the last three, "no spirits allowed." Each man then signed
the articles, or made his mark, ending with myself, when I found I was
entitled to receive five shillings per month, without any half-pay or
advance. Each of the men received a month's advance, in the form of a
promissory-note, payable three days after the ship left the Downs,
"providing the said seaman sails in the said ship." None of them lost
any time in getting away to seek some accommodating (?) shark to cash
their notes at an average discount of about forty per cent., most of the
proceeds being payable in kind.
This important preliminary over, I was free till next morning, when all
hands were ordered on board by ten o'clock. Not feeling at all desirous
of returning to the ship, yet being penniless, and in a strange part of
London, I made my way westward to the Strand, where I soon managed to
pick up enough for a meal. I spent the night in Hyde Park in a snug
corner, unknown to the police, that had often served me as a refuge
before. At daybreak I started East, arriving on board at about half-past
nine very tired and hungry. The mate eyed me suspiciously, saying
something which I guessed to be uncomplimentary, although I was still
unable to understand a word. But, as before, he did not interfere with
me, or set me any task.
The litter of cases, bales, etc., about the deck was fast disappearing
under the strenuous exertions of the stevedores and dock-wallopers,
while the raffle of gear aloft was reduced to as near an approach to
orderly arrangement as it could ever be expected to assume. Presently a
grimy little paddle-steamer came alongside, through the clustering swarm
of barges, and was made fast ahead and astern. An individual with a
stentorian voice, a pilot suit, mangy fur cap, and brick-red face
mounted the forecastle, bellowing out orders apparently addressed to no
one in particular. Their effect was at once evident, however, for we
began to move deliberately away from the wharf, splitting the crowd of
barges asunder amid the sulphurous remarks of their attendants. Once out
into the comparatively clear centre of the dock, we made good progress
until the last lock was reached; but there we came to a full stop. As
yet none of the crew had arrived, the vessel being handled by a
shore-gang so far. After about a quarter of an hour's delay, during
which the captain and pilot exhausted their vocabulary in abuse of the
laggards, the latter hove in sight, convoyed by a motley crowd of
tailor's "runners," boarding-masters, and frowsy looking women.
They made a funny little group. The sailors were in that happy state
when nothing matters--least of all the discounter of an advance-note;
hence the bodyguard of interested watchers, who would leave no stone
unturned to see that their debtors went in the ship, although being
under the vigilant eyes of the police, they dared not resort to violent
means. The ladies, possessing but a fast-fading interest in outward
bounders, were probably in evidence more from slackness of business than
any more sentimental cause. But having cajoled or coerced Jack to the
pierhead, he seemed unpersuadable to the final step of getting aboard.
Again and again a sailor would break loose and canter waveringly
shoreward, only to be at once surrounded by his escort and hurriedly
hauled back again. At last, exasperated beyond endurance by the
repetition of these aimless antics, the skipper sprang ashore followed
by the pilot. Bursting in upon the squabbling crowd, they seized upon a
couple of the maudlin mariners, hurling them on board as if they had
been made of rubber. With like vigour the rest were embarked, their
"dunnage" flung after them; the warps were immediately let go, and the
ship began to move ahead.
Outside the dock-gate a larger tug was waiting in readiness to hook on
as soon as we emerged, and tow us down the river. With a final shove,
accompanied by a stifling belch of greasy smoke, our sooty satellite
shook herself free of us, retreating hastily within the basin again,
while, obedient to the increasing strain on our hawser ahead, we passed
rapidly out into the crowded stream.
During the uneventful trip the shore-gang, under the direction of Mr.
Svensen and the second mate (who, being also the carpenter, was always
known as "Chips"), worked indefatigably to get the decks clear for
sea--lashing spars, water-casks, boats, etc. But their efforts were
greatly hindered by the crew, who, not being sufficiently drunk to lie
still in the forecastle, persisted in tumbling continually about the
decks, offering assistance while getting in everybody's way. In vain
were they repeatedly conducted to their doghole; no sooner were they
left than they were out again, until the hard-working "lumpers" were
ready to jump on them with rage.
Meanwhile I grew so weary of standing about that I was quite grateful
when Chips ordered me to fetch him a marlinespike. What he wanted I had
not the slightest idea; but, unwilling to confess such ignorance, I ran
forward and asked a labourer who was stowing the cable. He told me that
it was a pointed bar of iron with a hole at one end for a lanyard to
hang it round the neck by, adding that I should find some in the
fo'lk'sle, "right forrard in the eyes of her." Away I went into the
thick darkness of the men's dirty cave, groping my way into its
innermost recesses among the bags, chests, and beds with which the deck
was bestrewn. Reaching the farthest corner, I felt a great bundle of
something upon what I took for a shelf, which barred my further search.
Tugging heartily at it to get it out of my way, I suddenly felt it move!
I did not wait to investigate, but floundered back on deck again almost
witless from fright. Breathlessly I reported to Chips my discovery,
which brought him quickly to the spot with a light. Sure enough there
was a sea-bag, about six feet long, stuffed full--the draw-string
tightly closing the mouth. As soon as it was touched, there was a
movement within. Its contents were evidently alive. Chips and his
assistant promptly muzzled the bag, dragging it out on deck, and,
casting the cord adrift, turned it bottom upwards. Out there tumbled,
head foremost, a lanky nigger-lad, who had been missing since the
previous morning and given up as having deserted. On being questioned as
to the meaning of this freak, he humbly explained that, despairing of
ever getting warm again, he had put on his entire wardrobe, lain down in
his bunk, and crept into his bag, managing somehow to draw the string
tight over his head; that he had been there ever since, and was likely
to have died there, since he could not get his arms up again to let
himself out. He was dismissed to work with a grim promise of being
warmed in an altogether different fashion if he was again guilty of
skulking.
Upon arrival at Gravesend we anchored; the tremendous racket made by the
cable rushing over the windlass giving me a great fright. I thought the
bottom of the ship had fallen out. The tug departed for a berth close at
hand, the pilot and shore-gang leaving us in a wherry. I looked
longingly after them as they went, for I felt strangely that the last
link connecting me with England was now broken, and, although I had not
a single soul ashore to regret me, or one corner that I could think of
as home, there was sufficient sadness in the thought of leaving the land
of my birth to bring to my eyes a few unaccustomed tears.
Fortunately the cook, a worn-out seaman, whom, in common with most
vessels of that class, we carried for the double duty of cook and
steward, was now sober enough to get supper ready. In the emphatic
sea-phrase, he "Couldn't boil salt water without burning it;" but, as
nobody expected anything different, that passed without comment. My
regular duties now began: my uncle, the captain, giving me my first
lesson in laying the table sea-fashion, showing me where to find the
gear, and so on. The curious atmospheric compound below was appreciably
improved, but still there was a prismatic halo round the swinging lamp.
The skipper and his two officers took no notice of it, seeming quite at
their ease as they silently ate their humble meal, though I got a
racking headache. Supper over, I was ordered to "Clear away the wreck,"
and get my own meal in the pantry: a sort of little-ease in a corner of
the cuddy, wherein a man might successfully block all the crockery from
falling out by inserting his body in its midst. Hungry as I was, I could
not eat there, but stealthily seized the opportunity, as soon as the
skipper had retired to his state-room, to flee forrard to the galley
with the cook. His domain consisted of an erection about six feet
square, with sliding doors on either side, which was lashed firmly down
to ring-bolts in the deck. A coal-locker ran across it at the back, its
lid forming a seat. Between it and the stove there was just room to
turn, while most of the cooking utensils--no great store--had permanent
positions on the range.
Here, by the dim flicker of an antique contrivance of a lamp like a
handleless teapot--the wick sticking out of the spout and giving almost
as much smoke as flame,--I spent quite a pleasant hour with the ancient
mariner who ruled there, eating a hearty supper of biscuit and tea. He
was not in the best of spirits, for the drink was dying out of him; but
his garrulous, inconsequent talk amused me mightily. At last, feeling
that I might be wanted, I returned to the cabin, where I found the
captain and Chips making melody with their snores; Mr. Svensen being on
deck keeping watch, for which none of the crew were yet available. And,
finding no other corner wherein I might creep, I made just such a lair
as a dog might, in the hutch that held my scanty stock of clothing, and,
crawling into it, was soon in the land of perfect peace.
CHAPTER II.
OUTWARD-BOUND.
Something banging at the bulkhead close to my ear aroused me from a deep
sleep in great alarm. The hole in which I lay was so pitchy dark that,
even when I realised where I was, which took some little time, I fumbled
fruitlessly about for several minutes before I finally extricated
myself. When at last I stood upright on the cuddy-deck, I saw the
captain seated at the table writing. He looked up and growled, "Now
then, look lively! Didn't you hear, 'Man the windlass'?" Alas! I knew no
more what he meant than as if he had spoken in Hebrew; but I gathered
somehow that I ought to be on deck. Up I scrambled into a bitter,
snow-laden north-east wind and darkness that, but for the strange sheen
of the falling flakes, was almost Egyptian. Shivering as much with queer
apprehensions as with cold, I hurried forrard, where I found the mate
and Chips hard at work getting the hands out of the fo'lk'sle, and up on
top of it, to where the two gaunt levers of the windlass made a blacker
streak in the prevailing darkness. Tumbling up against Jem, the darky,
he said, as well as his chattering teeth would allow, "Specs yo gotter
haul back chain longer me, boy; yars a hook fer yer,"--putting into my
hand, as he spoke, a long iron hook with a cross-handle. Then, when at
last the half-dead sailors began to work the levers, and the great
clumsy windlass revolved, Jem and I hooked on to the massive links of
the cable, dragging it away from the barrel and ranging it in long
flakes beside the fore-hatch. Every few fathoms, when the chain had
worked its way right across the barrel, and the turns were beginning to
jam one another up against the bitt, Jem called out, "Fleet, oh!" Then a
couple of men descended from Mount Misery and hooked a mighty iron claw,
which was secured by a stout chain to the bitt, on to the cable before
the windlass. This held the whole weight while the turns of chain were
loosed and laboriously lifted back to the other end of the
windlass-barrel again. When thick with mud, so that each link was more
like a badly made raw brick than aught else, this primitive performance
was an uncouth job, and I could imagine many pleasanter occupations.
Two o'clock on a winter's morning, struggling with mud-besmeared masses
of iron, upon a footing so greasy that standing was a feat, hungry and
sleepy withal, there was little romance about this business. At last the
mate bawled, "She's short, sir!" and told the men to "'Vast heavin'."
Out of the gloom around the tug-boat emerged, coming close alongside to
receive her end of the big rope by which she was to drag us out to sea.
No sooner was it fast than a strange voice aft--the Channel
pilot's--roared out, "Heave right up, sir!" "Aye, aye, sir!" answered
the mate. "Heave 'way, boys!" The clatter of the pawls recommenced,
continuing until the anchor was as high as it would come. The subsequent
"catting" and "fishing" of the big "mud-hook" was all a confused dream
to me. All I knew was that I had to sit down and pull at a rope which
was wound round a capstan by the steady tramp of the crew, of whom one
would occasionally growl at me to mind my "surge," and I would feel a
jerk at my rope that shook me up dreadfully. It seemed an interminable
job; but, like everything else, came to an end at last. The mate now
walked aft, ordering Jem and my small self to coil ropes up and clear
away generally. But he called out almost immediately, "All hands lay aft
to muster!" The whole crowd slouched aft, grouping themselves at the
break of the poop, where a sort of elevated deck began just before the
mizzenmast. Each individual's name was now read out and answered to as
announced. I found that there were six able seamen, and the nigger-boy,
Jem, "foremast hands." The captain, mate, Chips, cook, and myself formed
the "afterguard."
The "crowd" were now divided into watches, the mate having first pick
for the port watch, and getting Jem over. This ceremony concluded, the
word was passed to "Pump ship." Several grumbling comments were made on
the "one-arm sailor" pumps: a mean, clumsy contrivance, only fit for the
smallest vessels, requiring twice the exertion for half the result
obtainable from any of the late patents. But the amazement and disgust
of the fellows can hardly be imagined when, after half an hour's
vigorous "Clankety, clankety, clankety, bang!"--three strokes and a
pause as the fashion is--there was no sign of a "suck." A burly
Yorkshireman, leaning up against the brake to mop his brow, said, "Well,
boys, if this ---- old scow ain't just sprung a leak, or bin left fur
'bout a month thout pumpin', we're in for a ---- fine thing ov it." There
was hardly any intelligible response, they all seemed choking with rage
and curses. However, they sucked her out, and then the big man asked
Chips quietly whether that "spell" was usual. Chips assured him that she
had not been baled out for a long time, and that she would certainly
"take up" in a day or two. Oil on the troubled waters, but very risky,
for he had only just joined himself; nor did he know anything of the old
tub's previous record.
Meanwhile the cook, or "doctor," as his sea-sobriquet is, had been busy
making coffee. Unlike any beverage called by that name ashore, even the
funny mixture sold at a halfpenny a cup at street corners being quite
luxurious in comparison with it, yet it was a godsend--boiling hot, with
plenty of sugar in it--to those poor wretches with the quenchless thirst
of many day's indulgence in the vilest liquor making their throats like
furred old drain-pipes. It calmed the rising storm, besides doing them a
vast amount of physical good. I was at once busy supplying the wants of
the officers, to whom the refreshment was heartily welcome. All the
time, we were ploughing steadily along behind the strenuous tug at a
greater rate than ever I saw the old barky go afterwards. (I have
omitted to mention that we were bound for Demerara with a general cargo,
but our subsequent destination was not settled yet.) All hands were
allowed a pretty long spell of rest, with the exception of the man at
the wheel, and one on the look-out, because, until we were well out,
sail would have been more hindrance than help. The wind increased as we
got farther down, until, as we passed out of the river, quite a sea was
rising, to which the old hooker began to bob and curtsey like a country
girl looking for a situation. The relentless tug, however, tore her
through the fast-rising waves, making them break over the bows in heavy
spray. This was uncomfortable, but the motion was far worse. All the
horrors of sea-sickness came suddenly upon me, and, like an ailing
animal, I crept into a corner on the main-hatch under the long-boat,
wishing for oblivion. Sea-sickness is a theme for jesting, no doubt, but
those who have suffered from it much, know how little room there is for
laughter at such suffering--suffering too for which, at the time, there
seems no hope of alleviation except the impossible one of the motion
ceasing.
From that morning for several days I remained in this miserable
condition, not caring a pin's point whether I lived or died, nor, with
the sole exception of the negro, Jem, did any one else on board seem to
give me one moment's thought. Not that I would lightly accuse them of
cruelty or callous indifference to suffering; but, being all fully
occupied with their work, they had little leisure to attend to a
sea-sick urchin that was of small use at his best. However, poor black
Jem never forgot me, and, although he had nothing likely to tempt my
appetite, he always brought his scanty meals to where I lay helpless
under the long-boat, trying in various quaint ways to coax me into a
returning interest in life. Fortunately for me, the wind held in a
quarter that enabled the ship to get out of the Channel fairly soon,
considering her limitations, and, once across the dreaded stretch of the
Bay of Biscay, she speedily ran into fine weather and smoother seas.
When I did eventually find my sea-legs, and resumed my duties in the
cabin, I was received with no good grace by my uncle or the doctor. The
latter had, indeed, special cause to feel himself aggrieved, since he
had borne the burden of double duty during my illness: a hardship which
he was a long time in forgetting. But she was an unhappy ship. The
skipper held aloof from everybody, hardly holding converse with the
mate. He even kept the ship's reckoning alone, not accepting the mate's
assistance in taking the sun for the longitude in the morning, but doing
it all himself after a fashion of his own, so that the chief officer was
as ignorant of the vessel's true position as I was. Then the food, both
forrard and aft, was, in addition to being strictly on the abominable
official scale which is a disgrace to a civilised country, of so
unspeakably vile a quality that it was hardly fit to give to well-reared
pigs. I have often seen the men break up a couple of biscuits into a pot
of coffee for their breakfast, and, after letting it stand a minute or
two, skim off the accumulated scum of vermin from the top--maggots,
weevils, etc.--to the extent of a couple of table-spoonfuls, before they
could shovel the mess into their craving stomachs. Enough, however, for
the present on the food-question, which, being one of the prime factors
in a sailor's life, must continually be cropping up.
The bleak, biting edge of the winter weather was now gone, the steady
north-easterly breeze blew mild and kindly, while from an almost
cloudless heaven the great sun beamed benignantly--his rays not yet so
fierce as to cause any discomfort. My sensations on first discovering
that no land was visible, that we seemed the solitary centre of an
immense blue circle, whose sharply defined circumference was exactly
joined to the vast azure dome overhead, were those of utter loneliness
and terror. For I knew nothing of the ways of navigators across this
pathless plain, nor realized any of the verities of the subject set
forth in the few books I had read. School learning I had none. Had there
been any one to whom I could have gone for information, without fearing
a brutal repulse, I should doubtless have felt less miserable; but, as
it was, use alone gradually reconciled me to the solemn silence of the
illimitable desert around. At rare intervals vessels appeared, tiny
flecks of white upon the mighty waste, which only served to emphasize
its immensity as the solitary light of a taper does the darkness of some
huge hall.
But the sea itself was full of interest. Of course I had little leisure;
but what I had was spent mostly in hanging spell-bound over the side,
gazing with ever-growing wonder and delight upon this marvellous world
of abounding life. This early acquired habit never left me, for, many
years afterwards, when second mate of one of our finest passenger
clippers, I enjoyed nothing so much as to pass an hour of my watch
below, seated far out ahead of the ship by the martingale, gazing down
into the same beautiful sea.
There were no books on board or reading matter of any kind, except the
necessary works on navigation on the captain's shelf; so it was just as
well that I could take some interest in our surroundings, if I was not
to die mentally as most of the sailors seemed to have done. As I got
better acquainted with them, even daring to pay stolen visits to their
darksome home in timorous defiance of the stern orders of my uncle, I
found to my amazement, that they could tell me nothing of what I wanted
to know. Their kindness often went the length of inventing fabulous
replies to my eager questions, but they seemed totally ignorant of
anything connected with the wonders of the ocean.
The days slipped rapidly away, until we entered the Sargasso Sea, that
strange vortex in the middle of the Atlantic. It was on a Sunday
morning, when, according to custom, no work was a-doing, except for the
doctor and me. Even our duties were less exacting than usual; so that I
was able to snatch many a short spell of gazing overside at the
constantly increasing masses of Gulf-weed that, in all its delicate
beauty of branch and bud, came brushing past our sides. That afternoon
the sea, as far as eye could reach, bore no bad resemblance to a ripe
hayfield, the weed covering the water in every direction, with hardly a
patch of blue amid the prevailing yellow. Before the light trade-wind we
were hardly able to make any headway through the investing vegetation,
which overlaid the waves so heavily that the surface was smooth as a
millpond. Through the bewildering mazes of that aquatic forest roved an
innumerable multitude of fish of every shape, size, and hue, while the
branches themselves swarmed with crustacea, so that a draw-bucket full
of weed would have furnished quite a large-sized aquarium with a
sufficiently varied population. I could have wished the day forty-eight
hours long; but I was the only one on board that derived any pleasure
from the snail-like progress we made. The captain's vexation showed
itself in many ways, but mostly in inciting Chips to order various quite
uncalled-for jobs of pulling and hauling, which provoked the watch so
much that there was a continual rumble of bad language and growling.
Even the twenty minutes' spell at the pumps, which, from its regularity
every two hours, now passed almost unnoticed, was this afternoon the
signal for a great deal of outspoken and unfavourable comment upon the
characters of ship, owner, and captain. The latter gentleman paced his
small domain with uncertain tread, as usual; but the glitter in his eye,
and the set of his heavily bearded lips, showed how sorely he was
tempted to retaliate. But he prudently forebore, well aware of his
helplessness in case of an outbreak, as well as being forced to admit
full justification for the bitter remarks that were so freely indulged
in.
Indeed, it was a serious question how long the present peace would last.
The rigging was dropping to pieces; so that a man never knew, when he
went aloft, whether he would not come crashing down by the run, from the
parting of a rotten footrope or a perished seizing. The sails were but
rags, worn almost to the thinness of muslin, every flap threatening to
strip them from the yards. There was no material for repairs, no new
rope, canvas, or "seizing-stuff;" half a barrel of Stockholm tar, and a
few pieces of old "junk" for sennit and spunyarn, representing all the
boatswain's stores on board. In fact, the absence of all those
necessaries, which are to be found on board the most poverty-stricken of
ships, for their bare preservation in serviceable condition, was a
never-failing theme of discussion in the fo'lk'sle. And one conclusion
was invariably arrived at, albeit the avenues of talk by which it was
reached were as tortuous and inconsequent as could well be. It was the
grim one that the _Arabella_ was never intended to return. This thought
tinctured all the men's ideas, embittered their lives, and made the most
ordinary everyday tasks seem a burden almost too grievous to be borne.
Had it not been for the overwhelming evidence that the condition of the
afterguard was almost as miserable as their own, the abject humility of
the mate, in spite of his really good seamanship, and the
hail-fellow-well-met way in which Chips confessed his utter ignorance of
all sailorizing whatever, I very much doubt whether there would not
have been a mutiny before we were a fortnight out. But as the villainous
food and incessant pumping were not aggravated by bullying and "working
up," matters jolted along without any outbreak. Born as I was under an
unlucky star, my insignificance nearly overthrew the peace that was so
precariously kept. The deadly dulness of the cabin was so stifling, that
I felt as if I should die there in the long, dreary evenings between
supper and bunk. Nothing to read, nobody to speak to, nothing to do, and
forbidden with threats to go forrard among the men--that I should
transgress sooner or later was a certainty. I took to creeping forrard
oftener and more openly, because no detection followed, until a sharp
rope's-ending from my uncle brought me up "with a round turn," as the
sailor says. By this time I had become rather a favourite forrard, as
well as something of a toy, being very small for my age and precocious
as might be expected from my antecedents. One man especially--Joe, the
big Yorkshireman--became strongly attached to me, endeavouring to teach
me thoroughly the rudiments of sailorizing. This was at considerable
sacrifice of his own time, which, as he was an ardent model-maker, was
sufficient proof of his liking for me.
Now I was almost destitute of clothing, and what little I did possess I
was rapidly growing out of. So the next day after my disciplinary
castigation, Joe walked aft in his watch below demanding audience of the
skipper. There was an unpleasant scowl on the old man's face, as he
came on deck to see the audacious man, that boded ill for the applicant
in any case. But when Joe boldly tackled him for a bit of light canvas
whereof he might make me a "Cunarder" (a sort of habergeon) and a pair
of trousers, the skipper's face grew black with rage. The insult, all
the grosser for its truth, was too obvious. When he found his tongue, he
burst into furious abuse of Joe for daring to come aft on such an
errand. Joe, being no lamb, replied with interest, to the delight of his
fellows, who strolled aft as far as the mainmast to hear the fun. This
unseemly wrangle, so subversive of all order or discipline, lasted for
about ten minutes, during which time I stood shivering at the foot of
the cabin ladder in dread of the sequel. Finally the old man, unable to
endure any more, roared, "Get forrard or I'll shoot ye, ye d--d ugly
thief of a sea-lawyer! I'll have ye by the heels yet, an' w'en I do
ye'll think Jemmy Smallback's gruppin' ye!" With this parting shot he
turned on his heel without waiting the retort discourteous that promptly
followed, descending abruptly into the cabin with the ironical cheers of
the delighted crew ringing unmelodiously in his ears.
Under such provocation it was little wonder that I paid for all. It must
have been balm to my relative's wounded pride to rope's-end me; at any
rate, he did so with a completeness that left nothing to be desired.
And, in order to avenge himself fully, he closed our interview by
kicking me forrard, daring me, at the same time, ever to defile his
cabin again with my mischief-making presence under pain of
neck-twisting.
Of course I was received in the fo'lk'sle with open arms. My reception
went far to mollify my sore back, for the seclusion of the cabin had
grown so hateful, that I would willingly have purchased my freedom from
it with several such coltings as I had endured, not to speak of the
honour of being welcomed as a sort of martyr. Before long I owned quite
a respectable rig-out, made up, by the dexterity of Joe, from all sorts
of odds and ends contributed by all hands at a tarpaulin muster. Now
each man vied with the other in teaching me all they knew of their
business, and I was such an apt pupil that, in a short time, they were
able to boast that there was no knot or splice known to seafarers, that
I was not capable of making in sailor fashion. Being no climbist, as
might be expected from an urchin born and bred in London streets,
getting used to the rigging was unpleasant at first; but that was
mastered in its turn, until nothing remained unlearned but the helm. The
one aim, apparently, of every man forrard was to so fit me for the work
I might be called upon to do, as that no excuse might be found for
cruelty of any sort. Whether I had the ability to meet his demands or
not, it did not seem prudent for the old man to try his hand on me again
in the colting line, and I went gaily enough on my progressive way.
CHAPTER III.
ARRIVAL AT DEMERARA.
If all sea-voyages were like the usual passage to the West Indies,
except for an occasional nasty spell of weather in the English Channel,
the sailor's life would be a very easy one. Day succeeds day under the
same limpid blue sky fringed at the horizon with a few tufts of woolly
cumuli. Placid as a sheltered lake, every wavelet melting into its
fellow like a caress, the sapphire sea greets the gazer every morning
like a glad smile of unfathomable love. Beautiful beyond description is
the tender tropical sea, and hard indeed it is to realize that this same
delightsome expanse of inexpressible loveliness can ever become the
unappeasable destroyer, before whose wrath even the deep-rooted islands
seem to shake.
The nights rival the days. During the absence of the moon the blue-black
vault appears like a robe of imperial purple, besprent with innumerable
diamonds of a lustre unknown to earth's feeble gems. So brilliant is the
radiance of the heavenly host that even the unassisted eye can detect
the disc of Venus or Jupiter, while the twin streams of the Galaxy
literally glow with diffused light, suggesting unutterable glories in
their unthinkable depths. And up from the horizon towards the zenith,
with clear yet indefinite outline, as of the uplifted finger of God,
rises the mysterious conical flame-shadow of the Zodiacal Light. Under
such a sky the sea seems to emulate the starry vault above, for in its
darkling depths there is a marvellous display of gleaming coruscations.
In the foam churned up by the vessel's bows they sparkle and glitter
incessantly, while in her wake, where the liquid furrow still eddies and
whirls from the passing of the keel, there are a myriad dancing lights
of every size and degree of brilliancy. Like a bevy of will-o'-the-wisps
they sport and whirl, glow and fade--never still, never alike, yet
always lovely.
But when the full-orbed moon in a molten glow of purest silver, before
which the eye shrinks almost with pain, traverses the purple concave as
a conquering queen escorted by her adoring subjects, the night becomes a
sweeter, softer day, in which men may sit at ease reading or working as
fancy dictates. They dare not sleep in that white glare, lest with
distorted features and sightless eyeballs, they vainly regret their
careless disregard of the pale beam's power. And as the stately
satellite settles slowly horizonwards, or ascends majestically towards
the zenith, how dazzling the mile-wide pathway of shimmering radiance
she sheds along the face of the deep! The whalers, with more poetic
feeling than one would expect, call it the "moon-glade," as though she
must needs spread a savannah of splendour for her solemn progress over
the waste of ocean.
Here, perhaps, I should pause to disarm criticism, if possible. Such
thoughts as I have feebly tried to express were undoubtedly mine in
those youthful days, in spite of squalid surroundings and brutal
upbringings. And if I could fairly reproduce the multitude of fancies
which throng my memory as being the daily attendants of my boyish
daydreams, I should fear no unfavourable reception of such a book as
they would make.
But to our voyage. Coming on deck one morning soon after daylight, I was
startled to notice that the bright blue of the sea was gone. In its
place a turbid leaden flood without a sparkling wavelet extended all
around. I asked the doctor what this strange change meant. "Gettin' near
land, I s'pose!" was his gruff reply. Nor did I get any other
explanation from the men, for none of them knew that we were in fresh
water, which, rushing down to the sea from many mighty rivers, overlaid
the heavier salt flood for a great distance from land. We did not sight
the lightship _Demerara_ until next day at noon, although we were going
at fully five knots an hour. Behind it the low palm-fringed coast lay
like a sullen black cloud-bank just appearing above the horizon, for in
truth it was almost level with the sea. Thicker and dirtier grew the
water, until, as we passed the light-vessel, we seemed to be sailing in
a sea of mud. Between her and the shore we anchored for the night and to
await the coming of the pilot; thus closing our outward passage, which
might have been as successfully performed in an open boat, so steadily
fine had we found the weather.
What a strange sensation is that of first inhaling the breeze from a
foreign shore! I stood on the forecastle that evening, hardly able to
realize that we had crossed the Atlantic, full of queer feelings as the
heavy sweet scent of the tropical forest came floating languidly off
from that dim, dark line of land. There was a continual chorus of
insects, like a myriad crickets chirping, the sharp, crisp notes
curiously undertoned by the deep bass of the sleepy line of surf upon
the beach. But this persistent music, by its unvarying monotony, soon
became inaudible, or acted as a lullaby to which we all succumbed except
the anchor-watch.
Shortly after daylight a large canoe came alongside, manned by negroes,
bearing a pompous-looking negro pilot in what he, no doubt, took to be a
very swell costume of faded serge, surmounted by a huge straw hat. He
mounted the side by the man-ropes, with the air of a conqueror. As he
stepped over the rail with a ludicrous assumption of importance, he
said, patronizingly, "Good mawnin', cap'n, hope you'se berry well, sah?"
"Mornin', pilot, same t' you," curtly answered the old man; and, in
almost the same breath, "Dy'e think there's water 'nough on the bar
frus? We're drawin' fourteen feet aft." "Neb' mine 'bout dat, cap'n;
dat'll be all right. I'se bettin' big money dis yah packet gwine beat
'nuff watah 'head ob her ter float in er linerbattle ship. Gorbress my
sole, ef I ebber see sich er front eend on er craf' in my days. Wasser
name? de _Ark_ doan' it? ha! ha! ha!"----and he threw back his head,
laughing so capaciously that the broad, glistening range of his teeth
illuminated his coal-black visage like a shutter flung suddenly open to
the sun. But the old man looked sour. Such jeering at his command by a
nigger was in some sort a reflection on himself, and, thenceforward, he
held no more converse with our sable guide than was necessary for the
working of the ship.
We were soon under way, though poor Jem and myself got in a disgusting
condition of mud by the time the anchor was up. The fo'lk'sle, too, from
the fact of the cable running through it, was like a neglected sewer,
the blocks of foul-smelling mud dropping continually from the links as
they came in through the hawsepipes. All sail was loosed previously, but
only the jib was set until the anchor was out of the ground, when,
humoured by the helm, she turned kindly off the wind, gathering way from
its pressure on her broad stern, while the "mudhook" was hove right up.
Then everything was set that would draw, the wind being fair and strong;
but, in spite of the favourable conditions, our progress against the
turbulent ebb of the great river was so slow that we were the best part
of the day going the few miles that lay between the roadstead and the
moorings.
But at last we reached the group of vessels which lay off the business
part of the town. With great skill our pilot tried a "flying moor,"
letting our anchor go while we were forging ahead at a good rate, then
immediately clewing up all sail. By the time our way was exhausted,
about ninety fathoms had been paid out on the first anchor. The second
was then let go, its cable being veered away as the first one was hove
in, until an equal amount was out on each; both were then hove in till
the moorings were taut, and the vessel swung almost on a pivot. This is
a ticklish evolution to perform successfully in a crowded anchorage;
but, in our case, the result was entirely satisfactory, saving much
labour.
The sails being furled and decks cleared up, work ceased for the day.
The curious appearance of the wide verandahed houses embowered in
strange-looking trees, the assortment of vessels of all rigs--from the
smart Yankee schooner to the stately iron coolie-ship from Calcutta--the
muddy rushing river, all claimed attention, but for one attraction that
outweighed them all. Waiting alongside were two or three bumboats well
stocked with fruit, soft-tack, eggs, and such curios as a sailor might
be supposed to covet. I had seen such fruit before, on the other side of
plate-glass windows in the West End of London, or in the avenue at
Covent Garden, but never in such generous profusion as now. One boat
especially was laden to the gunwale with giant bunches of crimson
bananas, each fruit treble the size of ordinary ones; baskets of golden
mangoes, green limes, luscious-looking oranges flecked with green, and
clusters of immature cocoa-nuts: the kind that only contain sweet juice
and delicate jelly within a soft shell covered by husk as easy to cut as
a turnip. People accustomed to regular meals of decent food cannot
imagine how the sight of these dainties affected our ill-used stomachs.
Happily there was little delay in choosing our purveyor, who promptly
hoisted great part of his stock on deck for us to choose from. In virtue
of being the only person in the fo'lk'sle who could write, I was
appointed book-keeper, my remuneration being a fair proportion of the
good things without payment. In reply to eager inquiries, the bumboatman
declared that he had no rum, saying that he very well understood the
unwritten law prohibiting the supply of intoxicants by the bumboats, and
assuring the men that if he were detected breaking it, he would forfeit
his license as well as all payment for goods he had supplied on credit.
We were a happy company that evening. A plentiful meal after such long
abstinence put every one in good spirits, although there was much
wishing for the cup that both cheers and inebriates. In spite of this
want, joviality was the order of the night. Song and dance went merrily
round, at which the two darkey boat-boys, hired by the skipper to take
him backwards and forwards to the shore, assisted with great glee. Their
fun was spontaneous and side-splitting, seeming superior to all external
influences--a well of continual merriment bubbling up. Song, quip, and
practical joke followed one another incessantly, with all the
thoughtless _abandon_ of happy children, and mirthful enjoyment that
might have thawed an anchorite. All the pent-up laughter of the passage
burst out that evening, the first really jolly one I had ever spent.
At daylight all hands were busy rigging cargogear, for our lading was
long overdue. The discharging-gang of negroes were early on board,
awaiting only our preparations to begin their work. They were akin to
the boat-boys in their behaviour. Poor, even to the most utter
raggedness of the sacking most of them were covered with--hunger-bitten,
for all the provision brought by the majority was a tiny loaf, and about
two ounces of sugar each--they were yet full to the lips with sheer
animal delight of living. Some, the haughty aristocrats of the party,
proudly displayed fragments of salt fish or rusty-looking salt pork,
flanked by a green plantain, a coco, or chunk of wooden-looking yam; but
though these favoured ones were evidently stuck up, their poorer
brethren showed no envy. Their pay was the equivalent of one shilling
per day, which, as the price of food was high, except for a very few
local products, must have been all too little to keep hunger at bay.
Yet, when they got to work, how they did go at it! They seemed to revel
in the labour, although the incessant singing they kept up ought to have
taken most of their breath. Streaming with sweat, throwing their bodies
about in sheer wantonness of exuberant strength as they hoisted the
stuff out of the hold, they sometimes grew so excited by the
improvisations of the "chantey man," who sat on the corner of the hatch
solely employed in leading the singing, that often, while for a minute
awaiting the next hoist, they would fling themselves into fantastic
contortions, keeping time to the music. There was doubtless great waste
of energy; but there was no slackness of work or need of a driver. Here
is just one specimen of their songs; but no pen could do justice to the
vigour, the intonation and the _abandon_ of the delivery thereof.
[Music: Sis-ter Seusan, my Aunt Sal, Gwineter git a home bime-by-high!
All gwineter lib down shin bone al, Gwineter git a home bime-by.
Gwineter git a home bime-by-e-high, Gwineter git a home bime-by.]
The rushing, muddy stream literally swarmed with ground-sharks, who
sometimes came to the surface with a rush, looking terribly dangerous.
Yet the negroes took but little heed of them, merely splashing a bit
before diving if they had occasion to go down and clear some vessel's
moorings. Sharks and cat-fish were the only fish to be seen: neither of
them available for eating. Strange to say, the great heat troubled me
very little. Perhaps because, having for so long regarded cold as one of
the chief miseries of my life, the steady searching warmth by night and
day was grateful to my puny body. At any rate, but that the bloodthirsty
mosquitoes and sandflies tormented me cruelly, as they did all hands,
the tropical climate suited me very well. It may have been the healthy
season too, for, as far as I know, there was no illness on board any of
the ships. All our crew were in robust health, and putting on flesh
daily in consequence of the liberal diet.
I wanted much to go ashore, but dared not ask leave; but, to my
astonishment, on Sunday afternoon the mate told me to get ready and come
ashore with him. Glad as I was of the chance to see a little of this
strange land, I felt small gratification at the prospect of being his
companion; I would rather a thousand times have gone with Joe. However,
it being Hobson's choice as well as dangerous to refuse, I rigged myself
up as best I could (a queer figure I made too), got into the boat with
my inviter, and away we went. Landing at one of the "sterlings," as the
wharves are locally named, we strolled up into the main street in
silence. It was a wide avenue with quite a river running down the
centre, and doubtless on week-days would have been very lively. But at
this time it was deserted, except by a few stray dogs and sleeping
negroes. We trudged along without a word, till suddenly Mr. Svensen
hauled up at a grog-shop, the bar of which was crowded with sea-farers.
Pressing through the throng to the bar he called for some drink, and,
meeting a couple of his countrymen, entered at once into an animated
conversation with them in Norwegian. For over an hour I waited
impatiently, the air of the place being stifling and the babel of
tongues deafening. At last, in desperation, I crept in behind him and
attracted his attention. He turned sharply upon me, saying, "Vell, 'n
vat _jou_ vant?" "Please, sir," I humbly replied, "may I go an' have a
look round?" "Oh, co to hell ef jou lige, I ton'd care. Only jou ked bag
to der poad pefoar sigs o'clog, or I be tamt ef I tond trown jou coin'
off--see!" "Thank you, sir," I said gratefully, disappearing promptly
before he had time to change his mind.
What an afternoon I had, to be sure. I wandered right out of the town
through tangled paths crowded on either side by the loveliest flowers
growing wild I had ever dreamed of. I was like a boy in a dream now,
except for that haunting reality "sigs o'clog." And, to crown my
pleasures, when I had strayed as far as I dared, I came suddenly upon a
pretty villa in an open glade, the house itself being embowered in the
most gorgeous blossoms. I went up to the back of the premises to beg a
drink of water, which an amiable negress gave me with a beaming smile,
squeezing into it a fresh-fallen lime with a large spoonful of white
sugar. While I drank, a dear little white boy about five years old came
running round the corner. When he saw me he stood for a moment as if
petrified with astonishment; then, recovering his wits, darted back
again. A kindly-faced man in white, with a big brown beard, then
appeared, leading the little one. After a few inquiries he invited me
into the house to tea, treating me with so much kindness that, between
his attentions and those of his beautiful, weary-looking wife, I was
several times upon the point of bursting into tears. She plied me with
questions, soon getting all my sorrowful little life-story out of me;
and more than once I saw her furtively wipe away a tear. The little son
sat on my knee, great friends with me at once; and what with the good
fare, the pleasant talk, and the comfort of it all, I forgot everything
else in the world for a time. Suddenly I caught sight of the clock. It
was a quarter to six. I must have looked terrified, for my host, Mr.
Mackenzie, asked me with much solicitude whether I felt suddenly ill. As
soon as he heard the cause of my alarm he left the house, returning to
the front in a minute or two with a beautiful mule and a smart trap. I
took a hurried leave of my kind hostess and her child, promising to come
again if I could; and presently found myself bowling along a level road
at a great rate behind the swift hybrid, who seemed to glide rather than
trot. Arriving at the boat, nearly half an hour late, we found the mate
not yet there, one of the boat-boys volunteering the information that he
was well drunk up at the rum-mill. "That being so," said Mr. Mackenzie,
"I will see you on board." So we shoved off for the ship. During our
short transit I told my new friend how matters stood between my uncle
and myself, begging him not to inadvertently make matters worse for me.
He promised to be discreet. We reached the ship and climbed on board. I
fled forrard on the instant, while he interviewed the old man. Whatever
passed between them in their few minutes' talk, I don't know; I heard no
more of the affair. But I was never again allowed on shore while I
belonged to the _Arabella_. The mate came on board quietly and turned
in, no word reaching us forrard of any trouble about his little
flutter.
CHAPTER IV.
THE MUTINY AND AFTER.
It must be confessed that during our stay in Demerara the fellows had a
pretty good time of it. Since there were no stores on board of rope,
paint, or canvas, the work was mainly confined to washing decks or
scrubbing paintwork, a good deal of time also being wasted making
sennit, _i.e._ plaiting rope-yarns for chafing-gear. What sailorizing
was undertaken was in the nature of kill-time, and well understood as
such by the men. Nevertheless they were by no means pleased with their
easy times, for they had not yet been able to get any drink; their
displeasure being heightened by the knowledge that the mate had been
ashore and got a skinful. Any one versed in the ways of seamen should
have known that mischief was brewing, even though no definite plan of
action had yet been discussed. It only wanted a bottle or two of rum to
fire the magazine.
At last liberty day drew nigh. The cargo was all out, the ballast all
in, no cargo being obtainable for the crazy old _Arabella_ in Demerara.
I do not now even know whether it be a legal enactment that seamen shall
be allowed twenty-four hours' freedom in foreign ports, with some
portion of the wages due to them to spend, but if not, the custom is so
well established that it has all the force of law. The men were like
schoolboys at breaking-up time, half crazy with delight at the thought
of the joys (?) that awaited them ashore. They received but a few
shillings each, much to their disgust, because there was as yet little
wages due to them, and no amount of begging or bullying could avail to
get them any more. The mate's watch went first, among them my stout
friend Joe, whom I tearfully begged not to get drunk and kick up a row,
for my sake. Looking back I wonder at my temerity, for it must have been
like getting between a tiger and a shin-bone; but he took it very
meekly, and actually promised that he would come aboard sober. During
their absence the ship was strangely quiet, very little work of any kind
was done, and the waiting watch were as sulky as bears. Next morning
about eight o'clock the revellers returned, all except Joe in a
bedraggled, maudlin condition that told eloquently of their enjoyment.
Had it not been for Joe they would have all been in the lock-up, or
"chokey" as sailors invariably call it; but he had worked like a Trojan
to keep them together and out of harm as much as possible. He had quite
a triumphant air of unwonted virtue as I whispered my delight at seeing
him again, and _sober_.
Then the starboard watch, with the doctor, took their innings, with
strict injunctions not to be late the next morning, as we were going to
unmoor and drop down stream a little in readiness for sailing. The day
passed like the previous one, black Jem doing the doctor's work as well
as he could with such assistance as I could give. The next morning at
daylight preparations were made for unmooring, and at eight o'clock a
pilot came on board, a smart-looking, sharp-featured Yankee who looked
around the old hooker with undisguised contempt. Nine, ten o'clock, and
no sign of the liberty men. The old man went ashore on business, leaving
full instructions with the mate about unmooring, which he expected to be
carried on in his absence. He had barely been gone half an hour when the
starboard watch returned; but it was evident at once that they had their
own views upon the unmooring question, which by no means coincided with
the skipper's. They were all half-drunk and quarrelsome, especially the
doctor, who strutted about more like a bloodthirsty pirate than an
elderly spoiler of ships' provisions. Unfortunately, too, each man had
brought with him a plentiful supply of rum, which they at once began to
share with the port watch, all except Joe, who would have none of it.
They even invited Mr. Svensen and Chips to partake, meeting their
courteous refusal with quite gratuitous displays of bad language and
ill-temper.
At last the mate, mindful of the wigging he might certainly expect on
the skipper's return if no work was afoot, ventured to give the order,
"Man the windlass!" the pilot taking up his post on the forecastle. For
all answer there came a howl of derisive laughter from the den, where
all hands, with one exception, were busy "freshening the nip." Mr.
Svensen wisely took no notice; but, in a cajoling tone, said, "Now den
poys, gum along, mage a sdart; ids kedding lade, ju dond vant ter ked me
indo a row, do jer?" Forth strode the truculent doctor, an uncanny
figure, all asway with drunken rage. "Looky hear, yew square-headed son
of a gun, yew ain't agoin' ter horder me about any more, so I tell yer!
I ain't a goin' ter do another stroke abord the rotten barge-built old
bathin' masheen, so there!" (I suppress the every-other-word profanity
throughout). During the delivery of this speech he was wildly
gesticulating and spluttering right up against the mate's breast,
shaking his withered fists in the big man's face, and otherwise behaving
like a very maniac. The rest of them gathered around, adding to the
clamour; but the burden of all was the same, "No more work, not another
hand's-turn aboard this" (collection of all the abusive sea-epithets
known) "old lobster-pot." Joe, meanwhile, was calmly doing some trifling
job aft, by the break of the poop on the starboard side. To him
sauntered an Irishman, hitherto one of his best friends, now laboriously
polite and anxious to know whether he intended being a sneak, a
white-livered et-cetera and so forth. For all reply, Joe turned his back
on him. I was cleaning knives on the same side forrard by the galley
door, but not making much progress on account of so many distracting
episodes taking place. The babel of abuse around the unfortunate mate
was going strong all the time. A thrill of terror went through me as I
saw the Irishman suddenly lift his hand and strike Joe on the back of
the neck. He turned like a flash, shooting his right fist into Patsy's
face, with a crash that laid him out, sounding horrible to me. Without a
word Joe turned again to resume his work. Patsy gathered himself slowly
up and staggered forward, bleeding profusely, and muttering disjointed
blasphemy as he came. He passed me, going into the fo'lk'sle; but my
attention was suddenly attracted by a yell of laughter from the other
side of the deck. Peeping round the galley, I saw with amazement that
the drunken devils had actually triced the poor mate up spread-eagle
fashion in the main rigging, and were jeering him to their hearts'
content. Then they made a rush for the cabin. Chips was nowhere to be
seen. Presently they returned, bringing the ensign, which they proceeded
to hoist in the rigging, Union down, a sea signal of the most urgent
importance, denoting anything dreadful from fire to mutiny.
A step beside me made me turn, startled, to see who it was, and I just
caught sight of the grim blood-besmeared visage of Patsy, who was
stowing the long cabin carving-knife in the waistband of his pants.
While I stared at him, breathlessly wondering what his little game might
be, he broke suddenly into a run aft to where Joe still pursued his
peaceful task, all undisturbed by the riot around. "Look out, Joe," I
screamed, "he's got the carving-knife!" The warning came only just in
time; for as Joe turned sharply he met the raging Patsy at close
quarters, aiming a savage stab at him. Naturally lifting his arm, he
received the descending blade through the fleshy fore-part of it; but,
with the other, he caught the Irishman by the throat, and jammed him
back against the rail. Kicking the knife, which had dropped from the
wound, far forward as he sprang, he plucked an iron belaying pin from
its socket, and brought it down with a sickening thud upon Patsy's
already battered face. Again he fell, this time to remain until dragged
forward, a limp, disfigured lump.
By this time the inverted ensign had told its tale ashore, and a large
canoe well-manned with negro policemen, under a white sergeant, was
coming off to us at a spanking pace. This sight drew all the mutineers
to the side, whence they could watch her approach, which they hailed
with the liveliest expressions of joy. Chips now put in an appearance,
looking very sheepish, and, assisted by Joe, released the mate from his
undignified suspension in the rigging. He tottered aft, looking very
unwell, and muttering bitter reproaches on the carpenter for having
abandoned him to such a fate. The police-canoe bumped against the side,
her stalwart crew clambering on board like cats. While the officer
hastened aft to hear the news from the mate, his myrmidons were amazed
to find themselves hailed with delight by the excited crew, who
fraternized with them as if they had come to convoy them to a picnic.
The mate's tale being soon told, the sergeant of police gave orders to
his men to arrest the mutineers, and, with joyful outcry, all hands
hurried forward to prepare for their departure.
During the preparations, the pilot, the mate, and the police-officer
foregathered on the poop to indulge in a smoke, and discuss the ways of
seamen in general. But though their palaver lasted a long time, there
was no sign from forrard. At last, his patience exhausted, the sergeant
strode forward to the fo'lk'sle, demanding, with many objurgations, the
reason of this delay. To his rage and dismay he found that the supply of
rum had been so plentiful, and had circulated so freely, that policemen
and sailors were involved in one common debauch. Indeed it was hard to
say which was the most drunken of the two gangs. Uproarious was the din,
nearly every man shouting some fragment of song at the pitch of his
lungs, or laughing insanely at the gorgeous fun of the whole affair.
Back came the sergeant, almost speechless with anger and apprehension,
for this no doubt meant dire disgrace to him. He was made worse, if
anything, by the unstinted laughter with which the mate and pilot
received the news. Small blame to them, the thing was so ludicrous.
Up went the police-flag again--to the main truck this time. In addition
to this the sergeant hoisted a small weft at the peak, explaining
sulkily that this was an urgent private signal for reinforcements. He
added, "An' all _I_ hope is that the infernal scoundrels 'll fall out
an' kill one another before my boss comes, or else I'm booked for a
reduction in grade that'll dock me of a quarter of pay--none too much as
it is." Before many minutes had passed a large launch was seen
approaching, rowed by fourteen men, who, unlike the first lot, were all
white. With them came our old man, whose face was a study. I just
caught one glimpse of it, and its fury scared me so that I dared not go
near him. There was now no more fooling; in double quick time all the
roysterers, policemen as well as sailors, were collected from the
fo'lk'sle, handcuffs put on them, their effects flung into the launch,
and themselves bundled after with scant ceremony. So rapid was the work
that in less than ten minutes they were all on their way ashore, making
the air resound with their discordant yells.
A painful quiet ensued. Joe and I, sole representatives of the foremast
hands, leisurely cleared up the decks, after which he busied himself
preparing a meal which should do duty for dinner and supper. The captain
went ashore again, much to my relief, for while he was on board I
couldn't get quit of the idea that in some way or other he would bring
me in responsible for his disappointment, and take his consolation out
of my poor little carcass. I had been so used to this vicarious sort of
payment of old, that the idea was a fixed one with me whenever there was
a row. In fact, I often feel the old sensation now. But to-day he seemed
unable to give vent to his feelings, so nothing disturbed the calm of
the afternoon. Joe informed me that he had gone ashore to ship a fresh
crew, and that we should certainly sail in the morning, he having heard
the old man tell the pilot as much when he took the dinner aft.
Sure enough, just before sunset the skipper returned, bringing with him
a fresh crowd in place of the old hands, who had each, we were told,
received summary sentence of two months' hard labour. Quick work,
truly. The new crew were a mixed lot. There was a Newfoundland Irishman
named Flynn, a fat-faced blubber-bodied fellow, who was for ever eating
tobacco; a stalwart fiery-headed ex-man-o'-war's man who could only be
called Ginger; a long, melancholy-looking Englishman, who signed as
George Harris; a Eurasian of gentlemanly appearance, but most foul and
filthy behaviour; a delicate, pretty-faced Liverpool Irishman, with a
fair silky beard, for cook; a broad-shouldered Greek, who had not a word
of English; and, lastly, a precious piece of ornament in the shape of a
Chinaman, pigtail and all, as if he had just come out of Foochow, whom
the captain had shipped as steward for nothing a month. Gloomy Jem, the
unfortunate negro youth, of course, remained of the old crew. In some
misty fashion he went on his melancholy way, the butt of everybody but
myself, his only relaxation an occasional incoherent chatter with me in
some dark corner, when there was no work afoot.
Next morning at daybreak we unmoored, and proceeded down the muddy
river, without hitch of any kind. The new crew worked well, glad enough,
no doubt, to leave such miserable quarters as they had lately been
enduring. You Sing, the Celestial, was a great acquisition. He was made
to understand at once, that whatever work was to be done, he must take a
hand in it, and he certainly toiled like a beaver. Beautiful weather
still favoured us, and with an occasional glimpse of what looked to my
exuberant fancy like fairyland rising out of the sparkling blue sea, we
crept steadily westwards into the great gulf of Mexico. In spite of the
miserable food and swinish forecastle, the fresh crew worked well and
peaceably. What growling they did was indulged in out of hearing, and,
after late experiences, I hardly knew the old ship. Without a single
incident worth recording, we rolled along until we sighted the Mexican
coast, which, as the position of our first calling-place was somewhat
vague, the captain proposed to skirt until he came to it. The weather
now became less settled, squalls of considerable violence being
frequent, making a great deal of sail-handling necessary. One night,
when we were suddenly called upon to shorten sail in a deluge of rain,
it happened that the long Englishman, George Harris, and Ginger, the
quondam man-o'-war's man, found themselves together furling the main
to'-gallant sail. Now, Ginger, though a big fellow, was, as usual with
his class, of very little use at furling sail under merchant-ship
conditions. Where one man is employed in the merchantman, six or seven
crowd in on board of _Andrew_; and the "bluejacket" is consequently
handicapped when he finds himself thus lonely. The sail was stiff with
wet, the wind was high, and George, in trying to make up for Ginger's
deficiency, ruptured himself badly. He got down from aloft somehow, and
took to his bunk, a very sick man. The treatment he received only
aggravated his mishap, while he grew rapidly weaker from his inability
to eat the muck, which even in his case was unchanged. Although never
very friendly with me, I was filled with pity for him, and actually so
far forgot my dread of the terrible "old man," as to creep below and
steal a few cabin biscuits, which were less coarse and whiter than ours.
It was comparatively easy to evade the officers, and I chuckled greatly
over my smartness, being richly rewarded by the gratitude of the
invalid, who made quite a hearty meal of my plunder soaked with some
sugar. But I reckoned without You Sing. That slit-eyed pagan in some
unholy fashion found me out, and at once betrayed me to the skipper, of
whom he stood in such awe, that he was ready to jump overboard at a nod
from him. I was called aft, questioned, and found guilty. There and
then, with a bight of the gaff-topsail halliards, he gave me such a
dressing down as I have never forgotten, You Sing standing by with a
face like a door-knocker for expressionless calm. Even amid my sharpest
pangs I rejoice to think I didn't howl. Perhaps I gained little by that.
At last the skipper flung me from him, saying grimly, "Now ye can go an'
thank George Harris for that." And when, twenty years after, I saw that
stern old man, reduced to earning a precarious living as a ship-keeper,
fall from a ship's side in the Millwall Dock, injuring himself so
frightfully that death would have been refreshment, I could not help
thinking of the grist which is ground by the Mills of the Gods. Joe, my
faithful ally, was furious when I went forward quivering with pain. He
was for vengeance, first on the old man, then on the placid pig who had
betrayed me; but I begged so hard that he wouldn't make matters worse
by interfering that at last he yielded. But he never settled down again
satisfactorily.
Just a week afterwards we came to a slight indentation in the coast,
where a Norwegian barque lay at anchor. From her we got the information
that the place was called Tupilco, upon which we anchored, it being our
port of call for orders. The anchor was no sooner down than Harris
crawled aft and implored the captain to take him ashore so that he might
get some medical aid. Desire of life made the poor fellow quite
eloquent, but he might as well have appealed to a bronze joss. When,
exhausted, he paused for breath, the old man said, with bitter emphasis,
"Ef I'd ben a loafin' on my shipmets s'long's _you_ hev', I'd take 'n
heave me useless carcass overboard, ye wuthless sojer. Git forrard 'n
die. It's 'bout the bes' thing you ken do." George crept forrard again
without a word.
We lay at this forsaken-looking spot for four days, holding no
communication with the shore except twice, when a launch came off,
manned by a truculent-looking crew of "dagoes," _i. e._ Greeks,
Italians, Spaniards, and half-bred Mexicans. Soon after their second
visit we weighed again, having received instructions to commence loading
at Sant' Ana, some distance along the same coast. We had an easy run
thither, with a fair wind all the way, and were pleasantly surprised to
find that, although an open roadstead like Tupilco, there was quite a
fleet of ships at anchor there. They were of all sizes and rigs, from
rakish-looking Yankee schooners to huge fullrigged ships, and of
several nationalities--British, American, and Norwegian predominating.
There was a heavy landward swell on when we passed through them to our
anchorage, and it was anything but cheering to see how they rolled and
tumbled about in far more unpleasant fashion than as though they had
been under way. In fact, some of the fore and afters had actually got
staysails set, with the sheets hauled flat aft, so as to counteract in
some measure the dangerous wallowing they were carrying on. I watched
one Baltimore schooner, with tremendously taunt spars, roll until she
scooped up the sea on either side with her bulwarks, the decks being all
in a lather with the foaming seas tearing across them, and I couldn't
help thinking what a heavenly time those Yanks must have been having
down below, for there were none visible on deck.
CHAPTER V.
THE LAND OF LIBERTY.
We came to an anchor near the middle of the roadstead in seamanlike
fashion, every sail being furled before the anchor was dropped, and the
old tub brought-to as if going into dock. Then, as it was understood
that our cargo was ready for us, preparations were immediately made for
its reception. A stout spar was rigged across the forecastle, protruding
twenty-five feet on the starboard side, with a big block lashed to its
end through which ran a five-inch rope. A derrick was rigged over the
main-hatch with a double chain purchase attached, and a powerful winch
bolted to the deck, round which the chain revolved. Numbers of iron
spikes (dogs), with rings in them, were fitted with tails of rope about
three feet long, and lengths of hawser cut for "mother-ropes." The rafts
of mahogany and cedar logs are made by driving a tailed "dog" firmly
into the side of each log a foot or so from the end. As each one is thus
spiked it is secured by a "rolling-hitch" of the tail to the
"mother-rope" (_cabo madre_ of the Spaniards), until as many are
collected as required. This operation is always performed in the river
just inside the bar, where the logs are sorted after their long drift
from the interior. Then the raftsmen, who are equipped with capacious
boats pulling six oars, and carrying about three hundred fathoms of
grass rope, secure one end of their tow-line to the mother-rope, and
pull away seaward in the direction of the ship, the steersman casting
out line as they go. Arriving at the end of their tether they anchor,
and all hands turn-to with a will to haul the raft up to the boat. This
operation is repeated as often as is necessary to cover the three or
four miles between ship and shore, until at last the long line of
tumbling logs are brought alongside their destined vessel, and secured
to the big spar on the forecastle. At whatever time they arrive all
hands must turn out to receive them, and on board the American ships the
uproar used to be fearful; oaths, yells, and showers of belaying pins
rattling against the bulwarks, bearing eloquent testimony to the
persuasive methods of discipline in vogue on board of them. The
stevedores, or stowers of the timber, arrived on board shortly after we
anchored; like the rest of the population, they were a mixed crowd of
Latins and Greeks, but all speaking Spanish. Owing to their presence we
fared much better than we should otherwise have done, for they were fed
by the ship, and by no means to be offered any such carrion as usually
fell to our lot. Their pay was high, five dollars a day; but they
certainly worked well, besides being very skilful. With our first raft
there was trouble. Flynn, the "blue-nose" Irishman, was sent upon the
uncertain row of logs alongside to sling them; but after several narrow
escapes from drowning or getting crushed between the rolling ponderous
masses, some of them over five tons in weight, he clambered on deck
again, and flatly refused to risk his bones any longer. Nor, in spite of
the skipper's fury, could any other man be persuaded to attempt so
dangerous a task. Finally, the old man turned to one of the Greeks of
the stevedore gang, and ordered him to act as slingsman. "Oah yez,
capane," said Antonio, "sposa you giva me eight dolla day." After a
little more language the old man said, "All right, 'Tonio, I'll give you
eight dollars. An' I'll stop it out of your pay, you skulking sojer you"
(to Flynn). Which was mirthful, seeing that eight dollars represented a
fortnight's pay for our shipmate.
However, Antonio proved a most expert raftsman, being almost amphibious
and smart as any eel. But the work was exceedingly severe. Lifting such
great masses of timber tried the old sticks terribly, and when she
rolled suddenly to windward, tearing the log out of water with a jerk,
you almost expected her to fall apart. When, at last, the log showed
above the rail, if she started her antics, all hands near stood by for a
run, for the log would suddenly slue inboard, and come across the deck
like a gigantic battering ram. The whole process was a series of
hairbreadth escapes. Down in the hold, where the stevedores toiled with
tackles, rousing the logs about, there were many casualties; but these
dagoes never seemed to care. For every hurt they had one remedy: plenty
of "cana," a fiery white spirit, fresh from the still. Poured into a
gash, or rubbed on a bruise, with half a pint to drink, this vitriolic
stuff seemed to meet every emergency.
The enormous rate of pay prevailing here during the height of the
season, had the inevitable effect of causing frequent desertions; so
that as much as three hundred dollars was freely offered for the run to
New York or Europe for seamen. Consequently a vigilant watch was kept by
the officers of ships, lest any of the crew should take French leave,
although getting ashore was difficult. We, however, had a very large
long-boat, for which there was no room on deck, and, contrary to the
usual practice it was put overboard, and kept astern at the end of a
small hawser. The temptation was too much for my friend Joe, who,
accompanied by the Eurasian, slipped over the bows one dark night, and
swam aft to the unwieldly ark, unheard by the officer on watch. Poor
fellow! he couldn't keep awake night and day. At daybreak, when the
skipper came on deck, and looked over the taffrail, always his first
move, the idle rope hung down disconsolately--the long-boat was gone!
Seizing his glass he mounted to the cross-trees, and scanned the
horizon, discovering the derelict far out at sea. The gig was lowered
and manned by Flynn and Jem, the skipper himself taking the tiller, and
off they went in pursuit. It was nearly noon when they returned, towing
the runaway, and half dead with thirst and fatigue. Then only did the
skipper learn that two of his best men were gone. In his hurry he had
not stayed to inquire, and now his rage knew no bounds. Judge, then, how
he felt when he discovered, by the aid of his glass, that the deserters
were no further away than our nearest neighbour, an American brig that
lay less than half a mile away. Anger overcame his prudence, and he
actually went alongside the Yank, intending to go on board and claim his
men. He was received with contumely, the American skipper refusing to
allow him over the rail. His state of mind on his return must have been
pitiable; but he sought his cabin without a word, and remained there all
the rest of the day.
In some way the news spread round the fleet, and that evening we were
boarded by the captain of the _Panuca_, a Liverpool barque, who came to
condole and relate his woeful experiences. He said that his men had
refused duty altogether, upon which he was advised to take them ashore
to the "Commandant," who would deal with them in summary fashion.
Accordingly he took them, finding the _soi-disant_ official to be a
stalwart Greek, who held the position by virtue of his election by his
fellow rascals, for law there was none. El Senor Commandante, however,
told him to leave his men with him, and he would soon bring them to
their bearings. Very reluctantly he followed this advice, since he had
no choice, and returned on board, cursing his stupidity for ever taking
them there. To his joyful surprise they returned on board, next morning,
as meek in their demeanour as if they had, indeed, been taught a lesson.
But two nights afterwards there was a desperate hubbub raised, during
which the rascals looted the cabin, and, getting into the whale-boat
hanging at the davits, went ashore with their plunder. They had strictly
followed the instructions given them by the commandant, who made them a
handsome present in return for the fine boat they brought him. When the
half-frantic captain arrived on shore, and learned the truth, he was so
enraged that he actually tried to take his boat off the beach where she
lay, narrowly escaping being shot for his pains. This tale, poured into
our skipper's sympathetic ears, somewhat reconciled him to his loss,
since he still retained his boat.
But one disaster succeeded another. A curious malady of the feet
attacked every one of the crew. It caused the legs and feet to swell
enormously, and culminated in a suppurating wound horribly painful and
slow to heal. Then a deadly encounter took place between the cook and
You Sing, which was only settled by sending the Chinaman ashore, since
the two seemed bent upon murdering one another. Worst of all, when the
ship was half-full, the timber ceased to arrive. Ship after ship sailed
away, until there were only three of us left; and the season of the
"Northers" being close upon us, when those destructive gales blow right
home all along the coast, every one began to look very glum. The
unfortunate invalid, George Harris, after lingering longer than any one
could have believed possible, was set free from his misery at last, to
the manifest relief of his shipmates, who were heartily tired of his
taking so long to die. Sounds horrible, doesn't it? But it is the naked
truth. Under such circumstances as ours were, the better part of
humanity generally disappears, or only shines in individuals who are
often, almost always, powerless to help.
Miserable as the time had been, it was not all lost upon me. As far as
the hardship went it was no worse, if as bad, as I had endured in the
London streets; and here, at any rate, it was always warm. I had learned
to chatter Spanish fluently, although much of it I would gladly unlearn
if it were possible, for I have always noticed that, in picking up a
language colloquially, one learns easiest and remembers longest the
vilenesses. And how vile the Latin tongues can be, few Englishmen can
realize. I did not grow much, not being well-enough nourished; but I was
wiry, hard as nails, and almost as brown as an Indian, being half naked
from want of clothes. At last, one morning, my uncle sent for me.
Although unconscious of any offence I was terribly frightened, but went,
shaking with dread, to meet him. To my utter amazement he spoke kindly,
saying that the ship was so old, and the season so late, that he feared
there was great danger of her never reaching home. Therefore he had
decided to send me on board the barque _Discoverer_, commanded by a
friend of his, in which, as she was a splendid vessel, I should be far
safer. She was to sail the next day, so I must go on board that night. I
only said, "Thank you, sir," but volumes could not have expressed my
gratitude. To leave this awful den, to be once more treated to a kind
word occasionally--for, since Joe was gone and Jem had been driven
ashore (which I have forgotten to mention), I had no friends at all on
board; the prospect was too delightful for contemplation.
My wardrobe being on my back I was spared the labour of packing up.
Farewells there were none to say, although, being naturally a
tenderhearted little chap, I should have been glad of a parting
God-speed. But no one said anything to me as I bundled into the boat and
was rowed alongside my new home. As soon as I climbed on board I was met
with a very chorus of welcome. The warmth of my reception amazed me,
accustomed as I had been for so long to the miserable state of affairs
on board my old ship. But I soon overcame a strong temptation to cry for
joy, and, steadily choking down the lump in my throat, set about taking
stock of my new vessel. To my inexperience she seemed a most noble ship.
Everything was on a much finer scale than anything I had yet seen in my
brief travels. She had been built for the purpose of Arctic exploration,
and consequently presented a somewhat clumsy appearance outside from the
doubling of the bow planks and stern bends, and the diagonal oaken
sheathing with which she was protected. Inboard, though, she was roomy,
clear, and comfortable as could be imagined, while her rigging and spars
were all of the very best, and in tip-top condition.
Quarters were assigned to me in the comfortable cabin of the steward,
whose helper I was supposed to be, although, from the first, I had the
free run of the ship fore and aft. Next morning we weighed with a
gentle favouring breeze, homeward bound. But I soon discovered that
there was one drawback to all this comfort--the captain was a confirmed
drunkard. While the process of getting under weigh was going on, he was
mooning about the deck with a fishy eye and an aimless amble, getting in
everybody's way, and causing much confusion by giving ridiculous orders.
Had he confined himself to that all would have been well, for the men
humoured him good-temperedly, and took no notice of his rubbish. But
when they had "catted" the anchor, they were obliged to leave it hanging
while they got some sail on her, the fall of the cat-tackle being
stretched across the deck and belayed to the opposite rail, as there was
no fo'lk'sle-head, and consequently no capstan. All hands being aft, the
skipper maundered forrard, to find his further progress stopped by this
rope. Muttering unintelligibly, he cast it off the pin to which it was
belayed. The result staggered even himself, for there was a rush and a
roar, a perfect blaze of sparks, a cloud of dust, and, with a jerk that
almost threw everybody flat, the last link of one hundred and twenty
fathoms of cable brought the ship up all standing. All hands had flown
forrard at the first bang, but they were powerless to do anything except
pray that the cable might part. It was too good for that, bearing the
terrible strain to which it was subjected of bringing a ship up, in
twenty fathoms of water, that was going nearly four knots an hour.
The mate got the old man aft into his cabin while the fellows clewed up
the canvas again, and then issued the order to man the windlass once
more. But this the men flatly refused to do, alleging that after their
forenoon's work, it was unreasonable to expect such a thing. The mate
was powerless to insist, so nothing further was done till next day but
give the sails the loosest kind of a furl. At daybreak next morning the
heavy task of getting the anchor was begun, the skipper keeping out of
sight. There was a great deal of growling and bad language; but the mate
managed to get hold of a demijohn of the old man's whisky. This he
dispensed with no niggard hand, and so the peace was kept; but it was
late in the day when she was again fairly under way for home.
After that, everything went on smoothly enough. Although, as usual, the
crew were of several nationalities, they all pulled together very well,
nor did they take the advantage they might have done of the utter
absence of any shadow of discipline on board. The whole working of the
ship devolved upon the mate, for the skipper was always more or less
drunk, and the second mate was helpless, having had his right foot
smashed by a log of mahogany in loading. What work was necessary during
the daytime was done cheerfully enough, and a general air of peace and
contentment pervaded the ship. For one thing the food was really good
and plentiful, and none of the men were of that blackguardly kind that
glory in taking every advantage of any weakness aft. Of course the
watch-keeping at night was bad. A big London boy, who was much disliked
for his lazy, dirty habits, was made to keep the look-out always in his
watch--a duty which he usually performed with his head between his
knees. The rest of the men slept the night through, seldom knowing whose
watch on deck it was; so that if sail required trimming all hands
generally turned out to it after a good deal of inviting. The captain
was supposed to keep the second mate's watch, but he set a shining
example to his crew, by sleeping it out wherever he happened to drop
when he came on deck.
I was very happy. Never since the time my troubles began, that is, at
about eight years old, had I been treated so well. Being very small, and
fairly knowing, besides having a rather sweet treble voice, I was made a
sort of plaything--an universal pet. And in the dog-watches, when seated
upon the main hatch surrounded by the crew I warbled the songs I knew,
while not another sound disturbed the balmy evening but the murmur of
the caressing waters alongside and the gentle rustle of a half-drawing
sail overhead, I felt as if my halcyon days had dawned at last. That
fortnight is one of the pleasantest recollections of my life. The
weather was delightfully fine, and by day the ship was like a huge
aviary, a multitude of brilliant-hued little birds being continually
about her, although we were out of sight of land. They were of many
kinds, but all so tame that they freely came and went through cabin and
forecastle, hunting for the cockroaches with which she was infested. On
the upper yards a small colony of kestrels kept vigilant watch,
descending like a flash upon any unwary birdling that dared to venture
far into the open. The men made many nocturnal excursions aloft after
the "pirates," as they called them, giving them short shrift when they
caught them. So the days drowsed on quietly and peacefully, seeming, to
my youthful ignorance, as nearly perfection as they could possibly be.
Not but what I felt an occasional twinge of sorrow at the continual
drunkenness of the captain. Mixing with the men forrard freely as I did,
their rough but half-pitying comments upon him and his behaviour could
not fail to impress me, although I often wondered how it was that, being
so well aware of the danger they ran by reason of such general neglect,
they were not themselves more watchful, instead of taking such advantage
as they did of the captain's fault, to sleep all night.
At last, on the fifteenth day from leaving port, on a clear starlit
night with a gentle, fair wind blowing, and all hands, including the
captain--whose watch it was--asleep, the vessel ran upon a coral reef
and became a total wreck. Having told the story in another place, I
cannot enlarge upon the circumstances attendant upon her loss here; it
must suffice to say that, after many perils, all hands escaped safely to
land upon the "cay" or sandy islet which crowned the highest point of
the reef. A fairly large quantity of food and water was saved; so that
we ran no risk of privation, even had the islet failed to furnish us
with fish, fowl, and eggs in plenty as it did. One circumstance I must
record in passing as being well worthy of notice. As soon as it was
evident that the vessel was hopelessly lost, the seamen forrard, though
perfectly well behaved, insisted that every drop of intoxicating liquor
should be thrown overboard, and, in order that it should be done
thoroughly, themselves carried it out. As the giant breakers destroyed
the upper works of the ship, much useful wreckage came ashore, and one
calm day a visit was paid to her, which was rewarded by the salvage of
several sails and a quantity of cordage. With these, comfortable tents
were rigged, and I have no doubt that, had it been necessary, we could
have put in several months on that barren patch of sand quite happily.
Huge turtle came ashore to deposit their eggs, and were easily caught.
Sea-fowl of many kinds, principally boobies and frigate-birds, swarmed
in thousands, whose eggs, especially those of the frigate-birds, were
delicious eating, although, never being pressed by hunger, we left their
rank, fishy flesh severely alone. Fish of course abounded, while the
crevices of the rocks concealed great numbers of clams and oysters, and
at night the lighting of our beacon fire attracted quite a host of crabs
from the sea, who fell victims in great numbers to their curiosity.
Hardships there were none, and I would far rather have lived there for
six months than for one week on board the old _Arabella_.
Ten days passed gaily away, during which the sail-maker and carpenter
had made a fine seaworthy craft of the pinnace in which most of us
reached the shore. Fitted with new sails and rigging and half-decked,
she was fit for a much longer voyage than was necessary to reach the
mainland of Campeche, the nearest town of which, Sisal, was barely a
hundred miles distant. But one morning as the look-out man was ascending
the rocky promontory, where a flag-staff was erected to hoist the signal
of distress we always kept flying by day, he saw a handsome barque
lying-to only about two or three miles away. The French ensign was
flying at her peak, and a boat had left her side which was being rapidly
pulled shorewards. They soon landed, and by expressive signs the officer
in charge gave us to understand that he was prepared to take us all on
board, but that we must make haste, as the vicinity was much too
dangerous to linger in longer than was absolutely necessary. Not one
word of each other's language did we understand, yet we found no
difficulty in getting at one another's meaning sufficiently near for all
practical purposes. To my amazement, however, the skipper, the mate, and
four others, refused to avail themselves of the opportunity to escape.
They said they did not want to go to Havana, where the barque would land
us, preferring to sail in the pinnace to Sisal and take their chance
there. When the French officer realized this, he looked as if he thought
the small party refusing to come with him were mad. But after an
outburst of volubility, quite wasted upon our misunderstanding, he
shrugged his shoulders and retreated towards his boat, followed by all
who were ready to go with him. His men had made good use of their time
by getting a goodly quantity of birds and eggs collected, and now
disposed themselves, with a perfect uproar of chattering, in as small a
compass as they could, while our fellows took the oars and pulled away
for the barque. Looking back, I saw the little group of our late
shipmates standing watching us from the beach: a sight so pathetic that
I could not help bursting into tears, quite forgetting that it was
entirely in accordance with their own desires that they were thus
abandoned.
[Illustration: We could have put in several months on that barren patch
of sand quite happily.]
We soon reached the ship, swarmed on board, and swung the boat up to the
davits in a twinkling, while the officer who had brought us--the chief
mate--held an animated colloquy with the captain on the poop. From the
expressive gestures used, we had no doubt but that they were discussing
the incomprehensible resolve of our captain and his followers. They
terminated their conversation by mutual shoulder-shruggings, as who
should say, "But what would you, my friend? they are English, whose ways
are past finding out." Nothing could be more cordial than our reception
by all hands. The big long-boat was cleared out for our sleeping-place,
as the barque's fo'lk'sle accommodation was too limited to admit any
more than at present occupied it; and a bountiful meal of _fazhole
blanc_, a delicious _puree_ of haricot beans, good biscuit, and _vin
ordinaire_ was served out to us.
CHAPTER VI.
TO HAVANA AND AFTER.
This seems to be an appropriate place for noticing how, at less cost,
the Frenchmen fared so much better than in any sailing ship I have ever
been in. The Board of Trade scale of provisions for the Mercantile
Marine must strike every landsman as being a most absurd compilation. On
four days of the week each man is entitled to one and a half pounds of
salt beef, including bone, accompanied by half a pound of flour, except
on Saturdays, when half a pint of rice _may_ be given, or nothing. The
other three days each bring one and a quarter pounds of salt pork and
one-third of a pint of split peas. Every day there is an allowance _per
capita_ of one pound of bread (biscuit), an eighth of an ounce of tea,
half an ounce of coffee, and three quarts of water; and each week twelve
ounces of sugar and half a pint of vinegar is allowed per man.
What scope is there here for any variety or skill in cookery? Even
supposing that the beef and pork were in any way comparable with the
same articles on shore--which they cannot be in the nature of
things--such a diet must soon become infernally monotonous. But the very
best ship's beef and pork is not nice; the second best is nasty; and
what will pass an inspector, is often utterly unfit for men to live upon
entirely for any length of time, while it would be considered loathsome
ashore. And what can be done with half a pound of flour? Lacking
_anything_ else, except a few hops, obviously the best thing to do is to
make bread, which is a little more palatable than the flinty outrage on
the name of food that is called ship's biscuit. What is usually done is
to make "duff." This is really boiled bread, with the addition of some
skimmed grease from the coppers in which the meat is boiled. As an act
of grace, but by no means of necessity, a pannikin (pint) of molasses is
doled out for all hands on duff days, but the crew are not allowed to
forget that they have no claim to this dainty by Act of Parliament.
On pork days pea-soup is made, or "yellow broth," as sailors call it.
But pease and water with a flavouring of pork (not too much lest the
soup become uneatable from salt) needs a stretch of courtesy to be
called soup. A little, very little, addition of vegetables would make it
palatable, but "'tis not i' the bond." And even if so, do you think,
reader, you would feel contented with fat pork and pea-soup for dinner
three times a week for four months on end? For breakfast and supper
(tea) there is biscuit and beef, or biscuit and pork, washed down with
the result of the modicum of coffee or tea. And that is all. For very
shame's sake, a minority of shipowners do provide a few extras: such as
butter, an occasional mess of tinned meat, and a few preserved potatoes
and pickles. But these are the exception and not the rule. Moreover,
whenever these additional helps are given, the men are always reminded
that they have no right to them, that no owner need give anything more
than the bare pound and pint of the Board of Trade scale.
Contrast this with our living on board the Bordeaux barque _Potosi_. In
the first place the bread, which was in large puffy cakes, became, under
the slightest moisture, as easy to eat and as palatable as baker's
bread. This alone was an enormous boon. Breakfast, which, like all other
meals, was taken by all hands at once, was hardly a meal in our sense of
the term. It was only a cup of coffee (exceedingly good), some bread,
and about a gill of cognac. Luncheon at noon consisted of half a pound
of meat, free of bone, and some preparation of vegetables, bread, and
half a pint of wine. Dinner at four p. m. was a grand affair. The
changes were rung upon haricot beans, lentils, vermicelli, macaroni, and
such legumes cooked with meat and flavoured so that the smell was
intensely appetizing. Bread, and half pint of wine. And there was
abundance, but no waste. Yet I am persuaded that the cost was much less
than that of our authorized scale of provisions, about which it is
difficult to speak with patience. It will, I think, be admitted that
where men are shut up to a life of such monotony as the seaman's calling
must necessarily be, their food ought at least to have some
consideration. The meal-hours form almost the only breaks in the day's
sameness, and if the food be poor in quality and without variety, it is
bound to engender bad feeling and a hatred of those of whose fault it is
the outcome. This by way of apology for such a lengthy dwelling upon the
subject, if any be needed, though I have always felt that its importance
is great enough to merit much more attention than it commonly receives.
We had a very pleasant passage. The barque was a wonderfully handy
vessel, and her equipment was so good that it excited the wondering
admiration of all our men. The discipline was quite naval in its
character, and the day's duties went on with the regularity of
clockwork. Of course we could not understand the language, and were, in
consequence, unable to know whether there was the same amount of
grumbling commentary forward, upon the sayings and doings of the
officers, as is almost universal in British ships, with the exception of
"Blue-noses" (Canadian vessels). But it was admitted by all of us that
the crew seemed well content and heartily willing, and that she was
indeed a model ship. My scanty knowledge of Spanish came in useful, for
the captain spoke that language about as well as I did. On his
discovering this fact he sent for me, and, by dint of patience,
succeeded in learning from me such facts as he wished to know, rewarding
me with many a tit-bit from his table, as well as some very useful gifts
of clothing, which, as I was almost naked, were most acceptable.
Arriving at Havana, we were handed over to the British consul, leaving
the friendly Frenchmen with much regret and three hearty cheers, which
they returned with interest _a la Francaise_. We were no sooner clear of
her than they began to get under way again, and, by the time we were on
the wharf, she was once more heading for home. By the orders of the
consul we were marched up to a "fonda," or eating house, facing the
Plaza de Armas, which we understood was to be our home during our stay.
A plentiful meal was set before us, but we did not appreciate it much,
every dish being saturated with the flavour of garlic. But as two
bottles of wine were apportioned to each individual, the meal was a
merry one, all hands declaring that bread and wine would suit them down
to the ground. A bundle of cigars were distributed by a
benevolent-looking old stranger, who introduced himself as the
shipping-master, and spoke excellent American, being, as he informed us,
a native of New Orleans.
After a smoke, we were conducted to a large paved room at the back of
the premises, which was simply furnished with a couple of huge tables
and sundry benches, and had in one corner an unprotected well. Here we
were told we must spread such bedding as we had, and make ourselves as
comfortable as we could, until our proper dormitory was vacated by the
recruiting party that at present occupied it. The said party were by no
means an inviting crowd. They swarmed about the big chamber we were in,
looking fit for any villainy, and ostentatiously displaying their
vicious-looking bowie-knives. All our fellows had been deprived of their
sheath-knives upon first coming ashore, under the plea that the
carrying of weapons was unlawful, though we were the only unarmed
people I saw in the city during my stay. However, we had no choice of
quarters, so we proceeded to spread such ragged blankets as we possessed
upon the flagstones against one of the bare walls, and in due time
ranged ourselves thereon. Owing, I suppose, to the unusual quantity of
wine they had drunk, all our men were soon asleep, and when some one
took away the smoky kerosene lamp, the place was pitchy dark, except
where the silver bars of moonlight, streaming through the unglazed holes
in the walls, divided the blackness into rigid sections. I could not
sleep. The novelty of the situation, the strange smells, and an
indefinable fear of that truculent crowd of armed men, kept all my
senses at highest tension. There was no door, and, through the opening
in the wall, dark shapes of men came and went softly on Heaven knows
what errands. I had reached a condition of mind when I felt as if I must
scream to relieve my pent-up feelings, when I saw some figures bending
over my sleeping shipmates as if searching for something. By this time
my eyes had become able to distinguish objects in the surrounding gloom,
and I found that there were at least twenty men in the place.
Terribly frightened, and hardly knowing what I did, I roused the
carpenter, by whose side I lay, and whispered hoarsely in his ear what I
had seen. The word was passed along, and in a few minutes we were all
afoot and straggling out into the moonlight-flooded courtyard. There we
stood like a flock of startled sheep, irresolute what to do. But some
of the knife-carrying gentry emerged after us, and began whetting their
weapons on the blocks of stone laying about--portions of a ruined wall.
This significant hint decided us, and we passed out into the silent
street, feeling to the full that we were strangers in a strange land.
Lights of any kind there were none, and the intense brilliance of the
moon cast shadows as solid as does the electric glare. A few yards of
uncertain wandering, and we were lost. There seemed to be no one about,
and yet I could have sworn I saw dark shapes gliding along in the inky
shadows. And presently I fell headlong over something in the road, my
outstretched hands striking with a splash into a pool of mud. A cold
thrill ran along my spine when I found I was lying across a corpse, and
that the sticky paste on my hands was red. We quickened our steps after
that, keeping in the middle of the streets, but as ignorant of our
direction, or our purpose, as if we had been a herd of swine devoid of
instinct. At last, from sheer weariness, we sat down upon the steps of
some large building, and drooped our heads. As if he had risen from the
ground, a "vigilante" (watchman) appeared, bearing a short spear, from
the upper third of which dangled a lantern. "Vamos, perros!" he growled,
prodding those nearest to him into instant wakefulness. No one needed a
translation, or a second bidding to "Begone, dogs!" So we tramped
wearily along, our bare feet bruised by the littering stones. As often
as we dropped for a brief rest, one of those ubiquitous serenos moved us
on again to the same monotonous epithet of contempt. I often think what
a queer-looking procession we must have been. My only garments were a
flannel singlet and a pair of canvas trousers, so stiff that they
creaked woodenly as I trotted along. Cap or boots I had none. The rest
were in much the same plight, though none were quite so naked as me.
Going along a narrow lane, whereof I read the title, "Aguacalle," on a
building at the corner, I slipped off the hummocky sidewalk into a
slough of soft slush up to my armpits, and was dragged out by my next
friend with a new covering of such evil odour that I had to keep a
respectful distance from my companions thenceforth. Finally we emerged
upon what seemed to be a wide common or piece of waste ground. Here at
last we were permitted to squat unmolested. Fear of scorpions,
centipedes, and snakes, kept me from sleep; but all my companions lay
sound in strange attitudes, under the full glare of the moon, while I
watched, wondering if the night would ever end. At the first glimmer of
dawn I aroused my companions, who were all reeking with dew, and we made
for the streets again, going as straight back to our lodgings as if we
knew the road. When we entered, the warriors had all gone. No one
belonging to the establishment was astir, so we cast ourselves down on
our rags and slept like stones until roused at eight o'clock by the
servants. Until eleven we dozed on the benches, or in whatever corners
we could find, when a plentiful breakfast revived us in spite of the
garlic.
After our meal the vice-consul paid us a visit. He listened gravely to
our complaints of the accommodation we had found. Then he invited us to
accompany him to the consul's office. On our arrival all hands were
shown into a large, bare room, while I was called upstairs to undergo a
searching cross-examination by the consul as to what clothes the men had
saved, the incidents of the shipwreck, etc. I suppose he thought that so
young a boy would be more likely to tell a true tale than those artful
rogues of sailors, as he seemed to regard them. He was not at all kind
or sympathetic: that was no part of his business, I suppose; but as he
was writing an order upon a slop-seller for some clothing for us, a
handsome young lieutenant from an English man-o'-war came in. His eyes
fastened upon me at once, and, after a hurried question or two of the
consul, he came to me and spoke pitifully, giving me two dollars out of
his pocket as a solid token of his sympathy. Then the consul had all
hands in and harangued them, telling them to be sure and keep sober
(which, as they were penniless, was rather uncalled-for advice), and by
no means to stray away from the immediate vicinity of the
shipping-office. They would be sure to get a ship in a day or two, he
said. Dismissing us with a curt good-day, he retired, while we followed
the vice-consul to the clothier's. Here the men received each a rig-out
of cheap garments, but I was treated much better; why, I do not know.
After all the men had been served and had returned to our lodging, I was
furnished with quite a nice suit of clothes, with good underclothing,
patent leather shoes, and broad-brimmed Panama hat. A brilliant red
silk sash was given me by the shopkeeper as a present, and, thus
glorified, I felt quite transformed. With many cautions as to my
behaviour, the official bade me good-day, and I was left to my own
devices. And then began one of the strangest experiences of my life.
Wherever I went, people looked kindly at me, and spoke to me as if they
were interested in me. I entered into shop after shop to spend some of
my money, but found it impossible, for the shopkeepers insisted upon
giving me what I asked for without payment, and often added to my store
of cash besides. When at last I returned to the fonda, I was loaded with
cigars, fruit, pastry, and all sorts of odds-and-ends, so that my
shipmates were loud in their welcomes. By nightfall we were all in a
very contented condition of mind, and, when the landlord politely
requested me to inform my friends that our sleeping apartment was
prepared, we felt that our comfort was complete. But our joy had a
tremendous setback when we were shown the said bedroom. It was a long
lean-to shed erected against an ancient wall of rubble that had never
known contact with a whitewash brush. The floor was of dried mud. Along
the centre of its whole length ran an open ditch, which carried in a
sluggish stream all the sewage of the house. On either side of this foul
_cloaca_ were ranged "charpoys," a sort of exaggerated camp-stool, which
constituted the entire furnishing of this primitive bed-chamber. It was
well ventilated, although there were no windows, for daylight was
visible in many places through gaps in the boarding of the outer wall
and roof. Many and vigorous were the comments passed upon the filthy
hole, but there was no suggestion of raising any complaint, as all felt
that it would be useless, and, at any rate, the place was our own, and
we could barricade the door. So spreading our blankets upon the
charpoys, we turned in, and were soon oblivious of all our surroundings.
Next day, in the course of my wanderings, I entered the fine billiard
room of the Hotel St. Isabel and chummed up with the marker. I was well
acquainted with the game, having learned how to mark in one of the
strange by-paths of my nomad life before going to sea. And this
knowledge now came in usefully, for the marker was a one-armed man who
was often sorely bothered by the management of his three tables,
especially when the players were lively American and English skippers. I
was made heartily welcome, being helpful, in a double sense, from my
knowledge of Spanish as well as my acquaintance with the game. From that
time forward the "Fonda del buen gusto" saw little of me, and that
little at uncertain intervals. I had a comfortable chamber, the best
fare the hotel afforded, while as for money, the customers supplied me
so liberally that my pockets were always full. As I could not spend it,
most of it found its way to my shipmates, for I never came across one
without handing some of it over. The idea of saving any never dawned
upon me, and, when all my old shipmates were gone afloat again, I could
always manage to find some English-speaking mariners to whom I was
welcome company for a ramble round town.
The time flew by on golden wings. All my former miseries were forgotten
in my present luxurious life, and I blossomed into that hateful thing,
an impudent boy uncontrolled by anybody, and possessing all the swagger
and assurance of a man. Such as I was, however, I attracted the
attention of a gentleman who held a most important post under government
as a civil engineer. He was a fairly constant visitor at the hotel when
in Havana, and our acquaintance ripened into a strong desire on his part
to adopt me, and save me from the ruin he could see awaited me. His only
son, a young man of three-and-twenty, was his assistant, the two being
more like brothers than parent and child. Having made up his mind, he
fitted me out with an elegant suit of clothes made to his liking, and
one day took me in his carriage to see the consul and arrange matters.
To his intense surprise and disgust the consul flatly refused to
sanction the affair, telling him that he was responsible for my return
to England, and that, as I had admitted that my father was alive, any
inquiry after me, which resulted in the discovery that I had been
allowed to remain in Cuba without my parent's consent, would make
matters very unpleasant for him. All attempts on Mr. D.'s part to shake
this decision were fruitless. The consul refused to discuss the matter
further, and closed the conversation by warning me that I was liable to
severe punishment for absenting myself so long from the home (?) where
he had placed me. What I felt I cannot describe. Mr. D., with a deeply
dejected face, bade me good-bye, his duties calling him into the
interior next day. He gave me twenty-five dollars as a parting present,
and advised me to get a ship as soon as possible for home. It may
readily be imagined that I had no hankering after the sea again. The
pleasant, aimless life I had been leading, the inordinate petting and
luxury I had grown accustomed to, had made me look upon ship-life with
unutterable loathing, and I secretly determined that if I could avoid it
I would never go to sea any more.
About this time a terrible epidemic of yellow fever set in. So great was
its virulence, that even the never-ending warfare between the royalists
and insurgents slowed down, and instead of a ragged regiment of wastrels
being despatched into the mountains about twice a week, the authorities
were hard put to it to collect recruits at all. The great bell of the
cathedral tolled unceasingly. All night long the rumble of the waggons
over the uneven causeways sounded like subdued thunder, as they passed
from house to house collecting the corpses of the victims. The harbour
was crowded with vessels denuded of their crews, and from every masthead
flew the hateful yellow flag. It was heart-breaking to see and hear the
agony of the sailors being taken ashore to hospital. They knew full well
that there was hardly a glimmer of hope that they would return. The
Chinese, who acted as nurses, were destitute of any feeling of humanity,
and the doctors were worked to death. The nuns, who gave their lives
nobly, could do little but minister such ghostly comfort as they knew
how; but the net result of the hospital treatment was, with hardly an
exception, death. Yet, in spite of the scourge, and general paralysis of
trade in consequence, life, as far as I could see, went on much the same
as ever. The inhabitants seemed determined to put a brave air on,
whatever their inner feelings might be, and I declare that I saw very
little to frighten me. One can get used to anything, especially when one
has not learned to think. Several weeks passed away, and I was still
free, though not quite so flush of money, for the customers at the hotel
were necessarily fewer.
One day I was taking a stroll down by the deserted wharves, when I
noticed a peculiar glow in the sky. It came from the heart of a gigantic
cloud that draped half the heavens, and seemed as if it hid hell behind
it. Fascinated by the sight, though my heart thumped furiously, I waited
on the wharf and watched its development. The cloud spread until the
whole dome was covered in by it, and the fierce glare took a strange
greenish tinge. All around the edge of the darkness ran an incessant
tangle of vari-coloured lightnings, and a continual rumble of thunder
seemed to make the earth vibrate. Suddenly the storm burst. Jamming
myself into a corner between some posts, whence I felt sure no wind
could dislodge me, I waited and watched. For the first few minutes I
thought I should have died of fright. Torrents of water, like the fall
of a sea, were lashed into foam as they fell, and all torn into gleaming
fragments by innumerable flashes flying in every conceivable direction.
An overpowering smell like burning sulphur pervaded all. As for the
wind, its force must have been frightful, judging from its effect upon
the shipping and houses; but where I stood only a very strong gale could
be felt, such as no seaman would think extraordinary. This lasted about
an hour (but I cannot say much for time), and then the rain ceased. What
a scene of horror the bay presented! Vessels of all kinds drifted
aimlessly about, wrecking each other, and covering the boiling maeelstrom
of the harbour with their _debris_. Overhead a louder roar occasionally
made me look up to catch sight of a flying roof like a cloud fragment
fleeting through the murky air. A large Yankee schooner was torn from
her anchors, and lifted on to a ledge beneath the Moro Castle, which
jutted out of the perpendicular cliff about a hundred feet above
high-water mark. There she remained upright, with her bottom stove in
like Columbus's egg. Of all the vessels in the harbour, the only ones
that survived without serious damage were the warships, which, with
topmasts housed and cables veered out to the clinch, were all steaming
full speed ahead, and, even then, hardly easing the tremendous strain on
the latter.
Taking advantage of a lull I emerged from my corner, drenched to the
skin, of course, and so cramped from my long crookedness, that at first
I could hardly feel my feet. As hurriedly as I could I made my way
towards the hotel, finding the roadways almost blocked with ruins. The
hotel had escaped much damage, and I was received with open arms, soon
forgetting all my fears in a good meal and cheerful talk. In spite of
the havoc it had made, the general feeling was one of thankfulness, it
being taken for granted that the hurricane would be found to have swept
away the far more dreaded "Yellow Jack." And this was literally true,
for not a single fresh case was reported from that day forward. Business
revived with a bound, for there was much work to do everywhere,
shipwrights especially commanding almost any wages they liked to ask.
About a week after the hurricane, I was standing watching the transport
of a huge steam-launch over an isthmus to the dockyard, when I felt a
hand on my shoulder. Turning sharply, I saw the yellow visage of the
vice-consul, who was accompanied by a man in uniform, to whom he gave me
in charge. I was fairly caught, and without further delay, in spite of
my vehement protestations, I was put into a boat and taken on board a
large barque, the _Sea Gem_ of St. Andrews, N. S. The captain, a
kindly-looking old gentleman, heard my impudent remarks in amused
silence, until he thought I had gone far enough. Then he stopped me with
a quiet, "That'll do, my lad, you don't want a rope's-ending, I'm sure."
I had not lost all sense, so I pocketed my grievance and crept sullenly
forward.
CHAPTER VII.
OFF TO SEA AGAIN.
The _Sea Gem_ had suffered greatly from the hurricane, but, by dint of
strenuous effort on the part of her agents, was now fairly seaworthy
again. The ravages of pestilence, however, had left her almost unmanned,
the only survivors being the second mate, the carpenter, and a couple of
American negro youths. The new captain, I learned from the
carpenter--who had taken me under his protection--had been retired for
some years, occupying a fairly well-paid post ashore in Havana. But
tempted by a lucrative offer from the agents, and greatly longing to
return home again, he had accepted the post of master of the _Sea Gem._
He had succeeded in collecting another crew to take the vessel home; but
they were, indeed, a motley crowd. Three Austrians, a Montenegrin, a
Swede, a Frenchman and two more negroes made up the complement forward,
all of whom spoke a barbarous dialect of Spanish among themselves,
although the Austrians also conversed indifferently in some Slav tongue
as well as in Italian. There was as yet no chief mate, but another
American negro had been secured for cook and steward.
No cargo being procurable, we were to proceed in ballast to Mobile for
cotton, and thence home. I had not yet lost hope of being able to escape
before sailing; and the carpenter, who seemed to be greatly amused by my
company, rather encouraged me in the idea. Strangely enough, nobody
seemed to trouble about me, and I foolishly sulked about all day, doing
nothing but brood over the possibility of getting away. At last a chance
presented itself. All the members of the new crew were taken ashore to
the consul's office to sign articles, and I, of course, went along. I
had still a good deal of money, and, as soon as I had signed, and been
ordered by the captain to go down to the boat and await his coming, I
demurely obeyed, and bolted in a contrary direction as soon as I had
turned the street corner. I was free. True, I had an uneasy feeling that
at any moment I might be arrested for desertion; but I refused to
entertain it, and hurried up town to the Hotel St. Isabel. Here I got a
shock. My old friend the billiard marker was gone, and the new man did
not look upon me at all favourably. My other acquaintances in the hotel,
too, appeared anxious to avoid me, as if they had been warned not to
give me harbourage there. So I wandered forth disconsolately, feeling as
if the place was quite strange to me. In the course of a long ramble I
fell in with a young American seaman who was outward bound, i. e. hard
up, but as full of fun as if he had just been paid off. We had a great
time together for a couple of days, getting as far away as Matanzas, and
using up my stock of dollars at an alarming rate. The third day we were
a bit weary of skylarking about, and decided to return to his
boarding-house and have a good night's rest. When we arrived there it
was past closing time, and the place was all dark and silent. It was a
big corner building, springing straight from the roadway, with flat
walls, up to a height of about fourteen feet, where a balcony ran right
round the building. To rouse the landlord was more than we dared; so,
after much scheming, we managed to find a light cart under a shed, which
we dragged from its place and up-ended under the balcony. My chum, who
was very tall, climbed up the shafts and scaled the balcony, then
lowered his long sash to me. I was speedily by his side, and together we
sought and found his room, which opened on to the balcony and was
luckily unoccupied. Feeling secure, our love of fun overcame weariness,
and after a boisterous pillow-fight we strolled out on to the balcony
again. Just then a sereno loitered round the corner and uplifted his
voice, "Ave Maria purissima, sin pecado concebida. Doce hora; noche
serena!" As the echoes died away, he caught sight of the cart standing
where it ought not, and proceeded to investigate. Moved by the same
spirit of mischief, we hurried to the chamber, and found a big jug of
water, which Zeke carefully poured upon the head of the muttering
vigilante. The effect was amazing. Raving like a lunatic, he assaulted
the great door with feet and spear-butt, making an uproar that speedily
aroused everybody within earshot. Our house hummed like a hive, and,
before many minutes, we heard the hurried tramp of feet along the
uncarpeted corridors, and the babel of many voices--the drenched
official's shrilly predominant. Presently they entered our room, to find
us just awaking from a sound sleep! and blinking at the lanterns like
owls. So deep had been our slumbers, that it was some time before Zeke
could explain how I came to be there; but the landlord, whom I
recognized as an old acquaintance, was quite easily satisfied about me.
Clearly we were not the offenders, and the search-party passed along,
leaving us to enjoy a frantic jig at the glorious disturbance we had
aroused. How the affair was settled I never heard, for the next day was
my last of liberty.
Zeke went down to the shipping-office to look for a ship in the morning,
leaving me to my own devices. After an hour's ramble up town, I began to
feel a miserable reaction, helped on doubtless by the fact that I had
shared my last dollar with my chum, and couldn't for the life of me see
where any more were coming from. Presently I turned into a cafe
and called for a cup of coffee (I had not learned to drink
anything stronger). While I sat moodily sipping it, a drunken,
disreputable-looking man of about forty, roused himself from one of the
tables, and, coming over to where I was, addressed me in broad Scotch.
With maudlin tears he assured me that he was the chief mate of the _Sea
Gem_, and that he must get on board that day, but how he did not know.
He dared not go out for fear of being arrested; would I take pity on
him, and see him on board? He must have been in a queer state of mind,
for I was but a boy of thirteen, and small for my age. My pride was
touched, and I readily assented, leading him carefully down to the
wharf, and engaging a boat for him. There I would have left him, but he
held on to me like a bear, swearing he would be lost and undone without
me, so I had to go off with him. When we got alongside, the second mate
appeared at the gangway, and lowered a bowline, which I slipped over the
helpless creature's head and under his arms. Thus he was hauled on board
like a sack of flour. Then the second mate sternly ordered me to come
up. I refused. But he quietly said, "Well, then, I must come and fetch
you." That was sufficient; I mounted the side, and said good-bye to
Havana.
That a rope's-ending awaited me, I felt sure; but instead of that, the
captain called me into his cabin, and gave me a most fatherly talking
to. His kindness made me feel bad, and I promised him forthwith to be a
good boy, and forget my vagabond, independent way of living ashore.
Patting me on the head, he dismissed me to make my peace with the second
mate, who was very angry with me indeed. He received my apologies in
silence, and, although never friendly, I had no cause to complain of his
treatment afterwards. Of the mate I saw nothing for two or three days,
for, although we left Havana the next morning, he was in such a woeful
condition, after his long debauch, that he could not leave his berth.
When he did appear he seemed to have forgotten who I was. His manner to
me was extremely brutal; in fact, he was a brute all round--although a
lively regard for his own skin made him careful how he treated the
curious crowd of "dagoes" forward. They were not at all a bad lot, and,
considering their limited vocabulary, got on fairly well with the work
of the ship. The little Frenchman, in particular, was like a bundle of
watch-springs. When he once comprehended an order, it was delightful to
see him execute it. But his desperate attempts to understand what was
said were quite pathetic. He spoke a mixture of Spanish and French,
which the others did not well understand; and at last he pitched upon me
as the only one he could hold anything like a conversation with, though
how we managed it I have now no idea.
Everybody liked the old man. He was so genial, so simple, that it was a
pleasure to see him. But I am afraid he would have had a bad time of it
with a crew of Britishers. They appreciate a tight hand, and are quick
to take advantage of anything like easy-going on the part of their
officers. This polyglot crowd, however, gave no trouble; and, in spite
of the bungling stupidity of the mate, who never seemed to get quite
clear of the after-effects of his big drunk, things went on oiled
wheels.
We were drawing near our port, when one afternoon, during a fine
wholesail breeze, there was a sudden gloom which rapidly overspread the
sky. Somebody was keeping a bad look-out, doubtless, for before any sail
could be reduced, a squall of wind and hail struck the vessel, throwing
her on her beam ends. It was so sudden that, although all halliards and
sheets were let fly at once, not a yard would come down, the ship lying
over at too great an angle. And above the roaring of the wind, and the
flapping of the flying canvas, the ominous rumble of the stone ballast
rattling down to leeward could be plainly heard. The deck was like the
wall of a house, and, when I saw the foaming sea rising up on the
leeside as high as the hatches, I felt sure she was turning bottom up.
By God's mercy, we had an old suit of sails bent, which the wind
stripped from the yards and stays like muslin. Great sheets of canvas
flitted away into the darkness to leeward, while the flying running-gear
cracked like volleys of musketry. Gradually as the pressure weakened she
righted, regaining as even a keel as the shifted ballast would allow,
and we were safe. But there were many pale faces besides mine, the old
captain especially looking terribly shaken up.
Every stitch of canvas that had been set when the squall burst was gone,
and, as the weather gradually settled into a strong gale, there was a
desperate night's work ahead. In our position, with a great deal of land
about, it was imperatively necessary to get sail set; but before that
could be done it had to be "bent," that is, secured to the yards. Such a
task as this tests the capabilities of a crew very well. In a
man-of-war, where they can send a man to every roband, and a couple to
each earring, the job is fairly easy; but in a merchant-ship it means
almost superhuman labour, from the scarcity of hands. I shall not
attempt to describe the process, which bristles with technical details,
that cannot be grasped without a corresponding idea of the conditions of
work aloft in bad weather. Suffice it to say that by midnight the two
lower topsails, foresail, and fore-topmast staysail were set, and the
hands, thoroughly exhausted, allowed to rest a while. It was my first
experience of bad weather at sea, and I thought regretfully of the ease
and comfort of my late life. But a kind of philosophic determination not
to cry over spilt milk, which has attended me all my life, came to my
rescue, and prevented me from being too miserable.
The poor old captain, however, was severely tried. Evidently his
fortitude and ability were less than he had imagined. He looked worn and
decrepit, a settled anxiety gave him a haggard appearance, and all hands
pitied him. The fine weather had entirely forsaken us, nothing but
fierce squalls and incessantly shifting winds prevailing until we made
Dog Island, at the entrance to Mobile Bay, under the lee of which we
came to an anchor. Our troubles were even then not over, for a gale
sprang up almost immediately, which raised so ugly a sea that the lively
vessel almost plunged bows under. All hands but the captain and myself
were aloft, furling the sails forward. I stood alone by the windlass,
ready to slack or make fast such running-gear as I was called upon to
look after, when, with a tremendous bound, the ship reared herself high
in air forrard, snapping the sorely-tried cable, the released links of
which flew aft over the windlass-barrel with a deafening crash and
shower of sparks. Everything was at once dropped aloft, the hands came
sliding down backstays at their best gait, and in less than five minutes
the other anchor was let go. Cable was veered away to ninety fathoms,
and fervent hopes expressed that she would hold, for night was almost
upon us, and our position was dangerous in the extreme. Happily the wind
hauled soon after, the sea became smooth, and we rode in comparative
comfort till noon next day, when a powerful tug came down and towed us
up among the shipping to a secure berth.
A fine fleet of ships lay here, all loading cotton for Liverpool. Nor,
in spite of the number of vessels, was there any delay in commencing our
cargo, for the next day, after mooring, a gang of stevedores came on
board and set to work, with characteristic American energy, to prepare
the hold. Our captain left us for Mobile City in the same steamer that
brought them, returning with the first load of cotton, but only to bid
us farewell. He called us all aft, and, with a quivering lip, informed
us that he did not feel equal to taking the ship home. Therefore he had
determined to make way for a better man, who would be with us in a few
days. He thanked all hands for the way they had treated him, and then,
shaking hands all round, got into the boat and was rowed away to an
upward-bound steamer, which lay alongside our nearest neighbour, the
_Mary Durkee_. A hearty cheer followed him, which, if it lacked the
simultaneous volume peculiar to Britons, was certainly no less sincere.
Then the cotton began to come in. The great loosely pressed bales,
weighing some six hundredweight each, were whipped on board like magic
by a single-purchase steam-winch on board the steamer, and tumbled into
the hold as fast as they came. Below, operations commenced by laying a
single tier of bales, side by side across the ship, on the levelled
ballast, leaving sufficient space in the middle of the tier to adjust a
jack-screw. Then, to a grunting chantey, the screw was extended to its
full length, and another bale inserted. The process was repeated until
at last long wooden levers were attached to the iron bars of the screw,
and the whole gang "tallied" on until the last possible bale was
squeezed into the tier, which was then almost as solid as a beam of
timber built into the ship. It was a point of honour among stevedores to
jam as many bales into a ship as she could possibly be made to contain,
and restraint was often needed to prevent the energetic workers from
seriously injuring vessels by the displacement of deck-planks,
stanchions, bulkheads, and even beams.
On deck there was much to do. A winter passage across the Atlantic was
before us. The vessel had been greatly neglected in Havana, and a great
deal of sail-making had to be done. The mate, having obtained a demijohn
of "bug-juice" from one of the cotton-steamers, was constantly drunk; so
that all the work devolved upon the austere second mate, who toiled
early and late to keep matters in hand. Owing to the docility of the
crew, this was possible; but he was greatly relieved when one fine
morning a tall, determined-looking man with a sallow face, heavy black
moustache, and nasal twang arrived on board, and announced himself as
"Captain Jones, come to take command." Within half an hour of his
arrival, he had been all over the ship, had interviewed every member of
the crew, and had repeated at least a dozen times that he was a "down
Easter," and proposed to "run this packet Yankee fashion." With an
intuition I have always had, I determined at once that he was carrying a
good cargo of liquor; and it was as well for the besotted chief mate
that this was so, for he would not otherwise have been so friendly with
him, I'm sure. His rounds completed, he retired to the "saloon,"
catching sight of me as he went, and appointing me cabin-boy on the
spot. My first duty was to call the mate into his presence. There and
then the two of them, seated _vis-a-vis_, began to drink themselves
speechless, while I stood in attendance, filling up their glasses until
they could no longer hold them. At last they rolled off their seats, and
lay across one another insensible. I retired and informed the steward,
who lifted his hands despairingly, exclaiming, "Fo' de good Lawd, dis
gwine ter be ole hell erfloat. One on 'em's bad nuff, but skipper en
mate bofe: wa' we gwine ter do _I_ doan know." But Captain Jones'
carouse only lasted a couple of days. At the expiration of that time he
"sobered up," and, though looking very demoralized, went about the ship
like a man that knew his business thoroughly and meant doing it.
Strangely enough, he allowed the mate to go on as he had been doing,
never interfering with him in any way.
When two-thirds of our cargo was in, Captain Jones went up to the city
again. During his absence the stevedores quitted work and left us for
the Christmas holidays. By Christmas Eve there was not a steamer left in
the bay, and an aching sense of discontent manifested itself all through
the fleet. Not to speak of any festive provision, there was an actual
dearth of fresh stores of any kind, as no vessels had been down for
several days. Boats came and went from ship to ship on the same errand,
seeking wherewithal to make a Christmas dinner; but there was no hope,
all were alike unprovided. Gloom sat on every face as the prospect of a
salt-junk dinner on Christmas Day grew more definite, and the language
used about the matter was altogether improper and unseasonable. But,
just as dusk was stealing in, a solitary schooner was sighted coming
into the bay from the river under a press of canvas, which, in spite of
the light breeze prevailing, drove her along at a good pace. It was
quite dark by the time she reached us, and much to our surprise dropped
her anchor close aboard of us. As soon as she swung to the wind the
voice of Captain Jones hailed us from her deck, crying, "Send a boat
aboard!" He had no sooner spoken than a perfect chorus arose about him:
the squealing of swine, the cackling of geese, and the shrill war-cry of
turkeys. Blessed discord! filling us with visions of feasting too
delightful for speech. There was no delay in getting the boat afloat,
all hands being full of eagerness to assist.
After receiving the skipper, the boat made a tour of the anchorage,
Captain Jones standing up as each ship was passed, and shouting the good
news at the top of his voice. Then returning to the schooner, the
boatmen laboured like Trojans to transfer the stock to our deck. Besides
the poultry and pigs, there was a huge pile of fresh beef, vegetables,
and enough drinkables to furnish a carouse for the combined crews of the
whole fleet. The transhipment was barely completed when customers began
to arrive. Soon we were the centre of a flotilla of boats, whose crews
lined our rails while the skippers examined the provisions. All the
lamps in the ship were lighted and hung about, and, a rostrum being
erected, Captain Jones began his auction. It was the strangest scene I
ever witnessed on board ship. Roars of laughter punctuated every remark
of the auctioneer, and, assisted by swiftly circulating bottles of
strong waters, the fun raged furiously until long past midnight. Then,
as the last of the visitors departed uproariously, our excited crowd
quickly calmed down, and quiet reigned until a late hour on Christmas
morning. Of the subsequent feast there is no need to speak. Sufficient
to say that it laid over all my experiences on board ship, for our
skipper, having cleared a goodly sum by his "cuteness" and enterprise,
could well afford to be generous; and he was.
Four or five days elapsed before our stevedores returned, and the work
of shipping cargo re-commenced. But once they got to work again no more
time was lost. A week more saw every crevice, wherein it was possible to
jam, by the most violent means, a bale of cotton, utilized, and even
then the skipper growled because the time of year made it impossible for
him to risk carrying a few bales on deck. At last the day came on which
Captain Jones was to make his last journey to town to clear the ship for
sea. Before he went, he called all hands aft and offered to buy such
clothing as they required for the homeward passage. Being almost
destitute of "dunnage," I ventured to put in my plea for a little, but
was grievously disappointed. He would not buy me a rag, telling me that
I was not a wage-earner but a passenger, and he couldn't afford to spend
money out of his own pocket. Two days after we weighed for home.
We had fairly good weather as we were swept through the tortuous Florida
Straits by the rush of the Gulf Stream, which, whether you will or not,
carries you to the north-east at the rate of a hundred miles in
twenty-four hours. But we were hardly clear of the land before a fierce
north-westerly gale came howling down upon us, and my sufferings
commenced in real earnest. For although I was supposed to be cabin-boy,
I had to be on deck almost as much as I was in the cabin. The mate
seemed to take a curious sort of pleasure in hazing me about, as if he
had some personal grudge against me, although I never could understand
why. I was so bitterly cold-footed that I stole a pair of the captain's
stockings--I had nothing but a pair of patent-leather shoes--for
footwear. They (the stockings) were very old, and I soon wore out the
feet, which I cut off at the ankles, sewed up the openings, and put
them on again. This ingenuity led to disaster, for springing up on the
after-house one day by the side of the captain, who was leaning against
it, he saw his initials on my leg. Investigation followed, in which I
pleaded my sufferings from cold and his refusal to get me anything to
wear in Mobile. My excuse was, of course, unacceptable, and, although he
did not beat me, I was forbidden the cabin precincts any more, and
compelled to go barefoot for the remainder of the passage.
I was now in the mate's watch, and that worthy treated me with studied
brutality. I scarcely ever came within reach of him but I got a kick--he
seldom struck me with his hands.
As we got farther to the eastward the weather grew worse and worse. Gale
succeeded gale with hardly a lull between, but our vessel being in such
fine trim, we were decidedly better off than as if she had been deep in
the water. At last, however, we fell in with a regular hurricane. Every
stitch of canvas was taken in but a storm-staysail, made of the heaviest
canvas woven, under which we lay-to until she gave a tremendous
weather-lurch, and, rolling to leeward with a vicious jerk, the
triangular patch of sail blew clean out of its bolt-ropes. From that
time we lay under bare poles for eighteen hours, during much of which I
sat on the poop beside the tiller, hauling back the slack of the
wheel-ropes, more dead than alive from the wet and cold. Never having
seen such a storm at sea before, I was dreadfully frightened, until I
saw how unconcernedly the sea-birds hovered about us. Then I reasoned
that if those tiny things were so secure, surely a big ship like ours
must be much more so. Unsound as my conclusion was, it comforted me, and
I had no more fear. A few days of light fine weather succeeded this
storm, during which everything was made ship-shape again aloft. The
captain was a prime seaman, and, having completely left off his
drinking, managed everything in first-rate style. But he never forgave
me for my theft, nor did he ever check the mate for his ill-usage of me.
One lovely afternoon, to the surprise of all hands, the order was given
to shorten sail. There was not a cloud in the sky, and a gentle
south-westerly breeze was wafting us along about four knots an hour.
But, as the work of furling the upper canvas proceeded, the rumour went
round that the "glass," as seamen always term the barometer, was falling
very fast. It may have been, but for twenty-four hours we lay under
lower topsails and courses, not a trace of change in the serene weather
prevailing. In the first watch of the next night there stole over the
sky a gloomy shade, which deepened until the heavens were black. Not
black as night, or black as ink, but as if a pall of black velvet had
been suspended over the sea, scarcely higher than the mastheads. The
wind died completely away. The water was smooth as oil, and so still
that not a creaking rope or rattling sheave disturbed the deathlike
silence. When the look-out man struck four bells, the sound seemed to
wound like a sword-cut, so sharp and unnatural was its clangour. This
state of things lasted for about three hours. Then, gradually, tiny
threads of light ran waveringly in every direction, as if the solemn
dome of darkness above was cracking, and revealing an immense glow above
it. The brilliant crevices widened, grew longer and more vivid, until
the whole firmament was aglow with flashes of intensest light, while all
our spars were outlined in lambent flame. This display lasted for about
an hour, then faded away; the gloom disappeared, and the deep blue sky,
studded with innumerable stars and unflecked by a single cloud, extended
from horizon to horizon. This beautiful weather lasted for another
twenty-four hours, and then a gentle westerly breeze sprang up, which
gradually freshened, until we were flying along homeward at tremendous
speed, carrying every stitch of canvas the ship could stagger under.
Meanwhile the mate's treatment of me got worse, until one night he dealt
me a savage kick, which hurled me off the poop on to the main deck,
where I lay insensible for some time. Although no bones were broken, I
had received such severe injury that I was unable to walk for two days.
During my confinement I made a desperate resolution, and, as soon as I
resumed work again, carried it into effect by boldly approaching my
merciless tyrant, and telling him that I was a consul's passenger, as he
very well knew. I promised him that if there was any law that could
reach him, I would endeavour to have him punished for his cruelty. And
now I said, "You can kill me if you like, I don't care." Much to my
surprise, he weakened at once, and for the remainder of the voyage I
was freed from his cowardly attacks.
The brave westerly wind that was hurling us homeward acted as usual.
That is to say, it strengthened until, slowly and reluctantly, sail was
reduced to the two lower topsails and reefed foresail. The ship was so
buoyant that the mountainous seas which surrounded her, and often rose
upon either side to such a height as to make it appear as if we were
racing through a deep green valley, never broke on board. But the
skilful, courageous steering required could only be performed by a few
selected members of the crew. Several men had to be suddenly relieved of
the task, for their nerve failed them at sight of the mighty green walls
soaring above their heads, and they were within an ace of letting her
broach-to. This terrible calamity, which has been the end of so many
fine ships, occurs when the vessel swings broadside on to a great sea,
which either smashes her up or rolls her over. In the most favourable
cases much damage is bound to follow. We saw one sorrowful instance of
it in a brig, which we flew by, helpless to aid. She was just sinking,
the doomed crew clinging to the weather rigging as if to put off their
inevitable fate for a few fleeting minutes. A huge sea rose between us,
hiding her from view, and when we soared on the crest of the next one,
she was gone like a foam flake.
Thus we ran until the colour of the water told us we were nearing the
land, and soon we saw through the flying spindrift the lonely outpost of
the Fastnet rock, with its sturdy lighthouse, which looked to me like
a beckoning finger. Then mist-wreaths and snow-squalls shut out
everything from view, except a barque, which, apparently going to
Liverpool like ourselves, kept steadily on about a mile in front of us.
So exactly did we keep in her wake that it looked as if we were
following her lead. The weather got thicker, but the gale was unabated,
and still we flew before it. Suddenly we were all startled by the report
of a gun, and out of the fog on the starboard bow loomed the figure of a
lightship with three ball-crowned masts. Our leader had disappeared. As
we passed the lightship she fired another gun, and a lift in the fog
showed the name on her side--_Coningbeg_. Still we kept on, all hands
watching the skipper's troubled face. But a sudden roar of "Breakers
right ahead!" sent all hands flying to the braces. Hard down went the
helm, and round came the ship on her heel, the spray from the heavy
following sea flying high over our topsail-yards, while the tender
vessel heeled over until the lee rail was under water. Not a moment too
soon, for the furious roar of the baffled breakers sounded deafeningly,
as their fleecy crests boiled and foamed under our lee only half a dozen
cables-length away. Slowly, slowly we clawed off that ugly reef. For
more than an hour the issue was in gravest doubt; then hope began to
revive as the good ship's weatherly qualities became manifest, and it
was plain to all that we were drawing clear. The breeze now began to
take off a bit, and more sail was made. Without any further incident, we
ran steadily up-channel to Point Lynas, where we got a pilot and a tug,
which by daylight brought us safely to an anchorage in the Mersey. We
only anchored for an hour or two, waiting for high water, when we were
coaxed into the Brunswick Dock, and made solidly fast on the side next
the street. As soon as ever I could do so unobserved, I slipped down a
fender lanyard and touched England with my feet, feeling a delightful
thrill as I did so. Why, I did not know, but the fact remains. A
homeless, friendless waif, with no prospects before me, no one to
welcome me, I rejoiced to be in England again, as if I, too, felt it
good to be at home.
[Illustration: A huge sea rose between us, hiding her from view, and
when we soared on the crest of the next one she was gone like a foam
flake.]
CHAPTER VIII.
STRUGGLES IN LIVERPOOL AND LONDON.
In a very short time all hands had left the ship but myself. A decrepit
old man arrived from somewhere to act as watchman; but he took no notice
of me, and I made no advances. Not a word had been said to me by anybody
when they left the ship, and I was greatly in doubt as to whether I was
supposed to clear out like everybody else. But I was very sure that I
did not know where to go, and so I coiled myself up in my bunk and went
to sleep, as it was getting late. When I woke it was morning. A heavy
fall of snow had covered everything during the night, and the outlook
was as desolate and dreary as could be imagined. Making my way aft, I
found the cabin all locked up; so that, though I was ravenously hungry,
there was no chance of getting anything to eat. The ancient watchman was
fast asleep in the galley, into which I stole to warm my freezing bare
feet. As soon as I got the chill out of my bones I returned to the
fo'lk'sle, and found, to my delight, an old pair of boots that one of
the chaps had discarded. With these and some rags I covered my aching
feet, and then, mounting on the rail, looked long and eagerly
shorewards. Presently I made out, over the window of a small shop, the
legend, "Brunswick Dock Eating-house," and noted with satisfaction a
feather of smoke curling from one of the chimneys belonging to the
building. Hardly stopping to think, I slipped down a rope and ran across
the road, knocking boldly at the door. A ruddy-faced little girl about
my own age opened it, and said, hesitatingly, "What d'you want?" Trying
to look big, I said, "I'm a sailor belonging to that ship there, an' I
want to come an' lodge here till I'm paid off." With a doubtful glance
at my beggarly outfit, she said, "I'll go and call aunty," and ran off
upstairs. There was a glorious fire roaring in a great open fireplace at
the end of the low flagged room, so, without waiting permission, I
entered, and seated myself on a bench close to the bright blaze. In a
few minutes a sharp, business-like woman came down. In response to her
keen questions I told my story, carefully avoiding any reference to my
"passenger" status on board. Apparently she was satisfied, for in a very
short time I was supplied with such a breakfast as had long haunted my
hungry dreams. Rashers of toasted bacon, boiled eggs, new
bread-and-butter, fragrant coffee--it was just heavenly. All my miseries
were forgotten in present joys, and I ate and ate until, suddenly
looking up, I saw the little girl gazing at me with awe. No wonder she
was astonished. The way I was demolishing the food was a sight to see.
But, meeting my eye, she blushed crimson, and gabbled something in a
strange tongue (which I afterwards learned was Welsh) to her aunt, who
stood also looking at me with a good-humoured smile on her face.
Being warmed and fed, two satisfactory experiences to which I had long
been a stranger, I was in no hurry to leave such comfortable quarters
for the bleak outer world. But during the morning I ran over to the
ship, and finding there the cook, I learned that she was to be paid off
the next day. I determined to present myself with the rest at the
shipping-office, although my hopes of getting any money were very faint.
Still I knew enough of the world to be certain that, without money, I
should not be allowed to remain at my present lodgings. So at the
appointed hour I marched up to the Sailors' Home, meeting with a cordial
welcome from my shipmates, especially the little Frenchman. Better
still, as each of them received their money, they very kindly gave me a
little, the total amount thus contributed being twenty-two shillings.
Then came my turn to appear at the pay table. My heart beat fast with
apprehension as I faced Captain Jones, my head only just appearing above
the counter. His words were gruff and his manner unkind, but I believe
he was moved with pity for my forlorn position, for he actually gave me
two pounds ten shillings, pay at the rate of one pound a month. I was so
glad that I knew not what to say, but I hastily retreated lest he should
change his mind and take the money away again. As fast as my legs would
carry me, I ran back to the boarding-house to exhibit my wealth to the
landlady. I had never had so much money of my own before, and was
proportionately elated, the thought of how much I needed it never
entering my head. The landlady immediately suggested that I should treat
her and her crony from next door, who was in conversation with her, at
which proposition I felt quite a man, and inquired loftily what the
ladies would take. A little drop of "Donovans" appeared to be the
favourite liquor, a totally unknown beverage to me, but I should have
agreed had it been champagne. The little niece was dispatched for it, as
well as a couple of bottles of ginger-beer for us, who were too young
and wise to thirst for "Donovans"--which I knew, as soon as it arrived,
to be rum.
To do my landlady justice, she interested herself in getting me some
decent clothing, and promised to keep me on what remained of my money
until I got another ship or some employment ashore. But getting a ship,
I found, was an impossible task. My diminutive size and weakly
appearance obtained for me only derision when I ventured to ask for a
berth on what I considered likely-looking craft, and it soon appeared
hopeless to look in that direction any more. Help came from an
unexpected quarter. Next door to my lodging-place was the workshop of a
figure-head carver, who was a young, energetic man of great skill, and
very intimate with my landlady. He was kind enough to employ me in his
business, where I soon became useful in sharpening tools and
roughing-out work for him and his brother to finish. He paid me
sufficient for my board and lodging, which, considering that he was
teaching me his trade, was very generous. Here I was quite happy, for
my new master was kindness itself; and I believe I was really quick to
profit by all I was taught, so as to be worth my pay. But my evil genius
pursued me still. His brother became jealous of the attentions I
received, and, after I had been with them a couple of months, quarrels
between them on my account were of almost daily occurrence. This
unsatisfactory state of things culminated in my getting knocked
senseless one morning by my enemy during his brother's absence at a job.
When Mr. R. returned he was alarmed at my appearance, for I had an ugly
cut on the head which made me look quite ghastly. A tremendous row
followed, the upshot of which was that Mr. R. sorrowfully informed me
that he was obliged to send me away before serious harm was done. He
advised me to return to London, where I was better known (?), and gave me
ten shillings to pay my fare thither. I took his advice forthwith,
finding no difficulty in getting a half ticket to Euston, where I
arrived with two shillings and sixpence in my pocket.
The well-known streets looked strange to me after my long absence. In
fact, I felt more in the way than ever. I knew nobody that could or
would shelter me, and I had got out of the way of street life.
Husbanding my scanty store of coppers as well as I could, I haunted
Thames Street in the hope that I might pick up a coaster at the King's
Head, where, in those days, skippers of small craft used to get most of
their crews. There is a cook-shop with a tank of pea-soup in the window,
where for a penny I could always get a bellyfull of the thick,
comforting stuff--the best value for money in the grub line that I knew
of, and I was no bad judge. It--the tank--used to be cleaned out every
three days, and a fresh jorum of soup made. On the first day it was
comparatively thin; on the second, being filled up without removing the
solid matter settled at the bottom, it was better; but on the third day
you could almost cut it--a spoon would stand upright in it. And, anxious
to clear it out, they gave bigger penn'orths. I often used to go without
on the second day, so that I could have two separate portions on the
third; after which I felt as bloated as an alderman after a civic feast.
But the pence failed, and I picked up very few more; so that, though I
slept in any hole or corner I could find, to avoid the expense of
lodgings, the time soon came when I was face to face with starvation
again. Then a bright idea occurred to me, so obvious that I wondered why
it hadn't struck me before. I had my discharge from the _Sea Gem_. I
would seek a kindly boarding-master, and ask him to keep me till I got a
ship, paying himself out of my advance. I knew better than to go to the
so-called "Sailors' Home." They don't take in hard-up seamen there. It
is only a home for those who can pay down for their accommodation.
With my fortunate idea burning in my mind, I hastened down the West
India Dock Road, attacking the first house I saw with "boarding-house
for seamen" painted up over it. The proprietor, an old bo'sun, grumbled
at my request a good deal, but he took me in, God bless him! More than
that, he got me a ship three days after by means of his influence that
way, and once again I was freed from the misery of being masterless. The
vessel in which I was to sail was a splendid barque, reminding me
strongly of the luckless _Discoverer_, and about the same size. I shall
call her the _Bonanza_, for reasons of my own, though that was not her
name. She was bound to a port in Jamaica, with a general cargo for new
owners, and with a new captain and officers. When we came up to sign on
at "Green's Home," I found, to my delight, that I was to have twenty
shillings a month. Like all the rest, I received a month's advance, out
of which my boarding-master paid himself, and provided me with a
"donkey's breakfast" (straw-bed), hook-pot, pannikin, and plate; a
knife, and a suit of oilskins. So _he_ didn't rob me to any great
extent. He also gave me a few odds and ends of clothing, which had been
left by boarders, out of which, being a fair hand with my needle, I
managed to botch up enough garments to change. I bade him good-bye with
hearty feelings of gratitude, which he fully deserved, and took my
departure on board my ship.
CHAPTER IX.
BOUND FOR JAMAICA.
All hands had been ordered on board in the afternoon, the tide serving
about five p.m., but from some unexplained cause we did not sail at the
time appointed. This delay led to complications, for although the crew
had, for a wonder, come on board fairly sober, they all rejoiced at the
opportunity afforded them of a last carouse. By some mysterious means
some money was obtained; all hands departed for the purlieus of
Shadwell, with the result that at ten o'clock the officers were scouring
the slums hunting for them. It was a hopeless task, as the event proved,
for by midnight only two had been found, and they were both helplessly
drunk. They were dragged on board like bundles of rags, and hoisted into
their bunks, where they remained in peace. That tide being lost, the
officers had a few hours' rest, turning out again about four a.m. to
renew the search. Meanwhile the vessel was shifted into the Shadwell
Basin, ready to start the moment her crew were on board. The morning
broke cheerlessly enough with a light fall of snow, gradually increasing
to a blinding mist of white, through which occasionally a little party
came dragging some oblivious mariner, who had spent his respite in
filling himself with whatever fire-water he could obtain. At last, weary
of waiting, the skipper determined to go on, although he was still two
men short. Accordingly the warps were cast off, the tug backed in and
took hold of us, and away we went down the river through the thick veil
of snow that made the "mud pilot's" job both difficult and dangerous.
There was another boy besides me, a burly fellow of sixteen, who very
soon made it clear to me that I was not going to lead a pleasant time
with him. He had come from the _Warspite_, and knew nothing of the ways
of merchant-ships, which gave me a little advantage over him in one way.
But he was well provided with plenty of warm clothing, by the bounty of
the Marine Society, while I was so thinly clad that the piercing cold
benumbed all my faculties, and I crawled about like a snail, making a
very bad impression upon the officers. Our arrival at Gravesend came as
a blessed relief, for there was a good hot meal of fresh food ready as
soon as the anchor was down. And as all the seamen were in a deep,
drunken slumber, Bill, my colleague, and myself had a mighty feed all to
ourselves, after which we turned in, and slept unmolested till
supper-time. The skipper had gone ashore to get a couple of men in place
of the defaulters, and did not return till after dark. He brought two
sober seamen with him, who looked as though they had been outward-bound
for a very long time. Their cheeks were quite hollow with hunger, and
they had hardly more clothing than they stood in. Yet they were both
able men, proving indeed the best seamen on board. After they had eaten
a good meal, they were set to keep anchor-watch turn about, until at
midnight all hands were called to man the windlass.
I wish it was possible to give my readers an idea of the misery involved
in this operation under such conditions. First of all, the officers were
obliged to drag the sodden sleepers from their lairs; then to shake, if
possible, some gleam of sense into them, some faint idea of what was
required of them. After nearly an hour's struggle, the miserable men
were at last mustered on the fo'lk'sle head at the windlass levers,
where, exposed to the full fury of the bitter wind, they cowered more
like sheep than men. Their feelings, as the drink died out of them, and
the cold searched their very vitals, must have been horrible.
Occasionally one of them would slip down gently from the fo'lk'sle and
disappear, only to be hunted up again by the vigorous boatswain, who
kept a watchful eye upon any would-be skulkers. More by dint of the
bo'sun's energy, I believe, than any vitality in the limp crew, the
anchor was at last lifted, the hawser passed to the hovering tug, and
away we glided ghost-like down-stream. Ben, the big boy, and myself were
pretty well fagged out with hauling back the big links of cable, and
stowing them in neat fakes abaft the windlass; but the bo'sun believed
in keeping boys on the go, so we got no time to think about being tired.
Luckily for us the wind was dead on end, so that it was useless making
sail. All hands were kept busily employed clearing up the decks,
getting the running-gear into its proper places, and generally preparing
the ship for independent travelling. By daylight the weather grew
better, the wind veered to the eastward a little, and the fore-and-aft
sails were set. So we drew slowly round to the North Foreland, where the
tug slipped our hawser; all sail was set, and we were fairly started on
our voyage. As I got a little warmth into my stiffened limbs, I won back
some of the good opinion I had forfeited by my clumsy, spiritless
movements of the previous day. Being sent aloft to loose some of the
square sails, I was cheered by hearing the elderly mate remark quietly,
"That's a smart little boy," and I must confess I was not displeased to
note that Ben only succeeded in drawing down maledictions on his head
for his clumsiness and general inability to do what was required of him.
There was a vengeful gleam in his eye, as he saw how inferior he was in
smartness to myself, which boded no good to me, and from the first day
out he never lost an opportunity of doing me an ill turn.
The captain was a fine, manly specimen of a seaman, with glowing red
hair and beard, and a voice of thunder. Fiery tempered, yet easily
pacified, he was also one of the most energetic of men, and I never saw
a skipper better liked by his crew. The mate was a middle-aged man, at
least ten years the captain's senior, rather slow and sedate, but a
thorough seaman and navigator. The bo'sun, who was acting second mate,
was an old shipmate of the skipper's, and quite his equal in energy. He
was one of that fast-decaying type of seamen, a Blackwall rigger, to
whom every detail of sailorizing was as familiar as eating his
breakfast. Besides this, he was a born leader of men, who would enforce
his will regardless of consequences. No man durst give him "slack lip"
on pain of being instantly knocked endways; a feat of which, by reason
of his size and strength, he was fully capable. As a result we were a
well-disciplined crowd, from whom no growling was heard whatever the
work imposed. There were eight A.B.'s, out of whom only three were
foreigners; but not one of them calls for any special description from
me. They all had the bad old idea that boys were born slaves, who must
do all the dirty work on deck, and when below be content with their
leavings, wait upon them hand and foot, and take uncomplainingly all the
ill-treatment it was their prerogative to bestow. Being at the bottom of
the scale, I had a wretched life. For I was no match for Ben, who
unfailingly passed on his share of blows to me, so that I was seldom
without some visible marks of ill-usage. But the food was certainly
above the average. The skipper had the provisioning of the ship, and,
being a just man, he did not do as so many would have done under the
same circumstances: starve the men to fatten his own pocket. What with
the decent meals, and the masterfulness of the bo'sun, she was a
contented ship, and more work was done in a day on board than I have
ever seen before or since. As usual on this passage, fine weather
prevailed, the wind being so steady that for days together we never
touched a brace. This was taken advantage of by the skipper to
practically refit the ship, all hands being kept at work all day long
splicing, turning-in blocks, serving shrouds, fitting new running-gear,
and doing rigger's work generally. At night they all slept, with the
exception of the helmsman, the look-out man, the officer of the watch
and a boy, who had to keep near the officer to carry his commands to the
sleepers should the need arise. Really I was kept so constantly at work
that, for all I saw of the sea and its marvels, I might as well have
been ashore. Except at night, and then I was always half asleep through
getting so little legitimate opportunity for rest.
Twenty-eight days flew rapidly past without a single incident worth
noting, the same blue sky overhead, and steady breeze astern, until one
morning the beautiful shores of Jamaica loomed up ahead. A few hours
later we sailed in between the points of a sheltering coral reef to an
anchorage in the pretty little harbour of Falmouth, pompously announcing
our arrival by the firing of a four-pounder gun as the anchor was
dropped. While we were furling sails and clearing up the decks, visitors
were arriving from the four vessels in harbour as well as from the
shore, so that by the time work was over our decks were thronged. The
skipper seemed a prime favourite here, judging by the number of people
who came to see him and congratulate him upon his new command--the
largest vessel that had yet entered the little port. There were high
times forrard as well as aft, for canoe-loads of good things were
brought, and all hands invested recklessly on credit, forgetting that
as yet they had no money owing to them by the ship. Not only eatables
but sundry bottles of new rum made their appearance, which potent fluid
soon made things exceedingly lively in the fo'lk'sle. Matters
culminated, of course, in a free fight, which so alarmed me that I crept
into a corner under the heel of the bowsprit, out of the way of the
revellers. There I went to sleep so soundly that it was morning when I
again emerged at the hoarse cry of the boatswain calling us to "turn
to."
The darkies here were even merrier than my old friends of Demerara. Such
a jovial, musical lot I never saw. Living from hand to mouth on the
coarsest food, and with the oddest assortment of rags for clothing
possible to be imagined, they really seemed to be perfectly happy. The
feeblest joke was sufficient to send them into convulsions of laughter,
and the gift of an old shirt or pair of pants would keep them on the
broad grin for a couple of days. My life was so consistently miserable
from harsh treatment, that I continually envied them their careless
existence, wondering all the time how they managed to be so jolly under
what I often saw to be painful circumstances. To crown my misfortunes I
fell ill. After suffering for two or three days, I was sent ashore to
hospital. Then I was thankful for what I had thought the climax of my
misery. For in the hospital I was allowed to do pretty well as I liked.
There was no discipline, no rule of any kind. The doctor, as we called
him (I think he must have been the dispenser), was a mulatto, or
quadroon, with a comical notion of his vast importance, but a kindly
young fellow enough. Sometimes I had medicine; but only by accident, I
believe. At any rate, I soon got better, and rambled about the great
building or played on the beach outside with the darky boys of about my
own age, forgetting that such a place as the _Bonanza's_ fo'lk'sle
existed. At last I began to hope that the captain had forgotten my
existence, having some dim idea, I suppose, that I might be allowed to
spend an indefinite time in this pleasant way. But I was to be rudely
undeceived. One day, when I was presiding with much importance over a
game at cricket (much I knew about it), with twenty or thirty youngsters
of almost as many shades of colour around me, I suddenly heard my
captain calling me, with an angry note in his voice that boded me no
good. He had come up from the town to inquire about me, and had caught
me unaware. "You lazy young sodjer!" he cried, "this is how sick you
are, is it? I'll give you a lesson for this! Get down to the boat!" The
thought of returning to the ship was so terrible to me that I actually
dared to ask him to let me go--to discharge me. In a voice that shook
with fear and anxiety I told him how I had been treated, and implored
him not to take me back with him. I believe he was half-melted, but his
anger at what he thought was my skulking got the better of him. "Serve
you very well right," he said. "I'll give you a rope's-ending myself
when I've got time. Now be off with you, straight down to the boat."
With that he strode on to the hospital, while I, feeling as if I was
going to the scaffold, trudged through the sand down to the
landing-place. In about an hour he returned, but said no word more to me
as the boat danced over the wavelets back to that hateful prison. It was
"knock-off" time, and I busied myself in sweeping up decks with all the
alacrity I could muster, until I was free to fetch my many masters their
tea from the galley. They hailed me with many sarcastic queries after my
health, and the noble time they supposed I had enjoyed ashore at their
expense, commiserating Ben exceedingly for having been obliged to do my
work, as they said, while I had been loafing ashore. Happily I got over
the evening without anything worse than hard words being thrown at me.
Some grievance or another had excited the anger of a big Irishman, and
he soon monopolized all attention by a recital of his wrongs. It
appeared that the bo'sun had "got a down on him," in his opinion; but if
the bo'sun thought that he, Mike, was going to be played with, that was
just where he was all adrift. He, Mike, was a blank Fenian, so he was,
an' he'd just shwim in blood before he was put upon by any blank
dock-walloper that ever mooched around Blackwall, so he would. In the
fervour of his harangue he omitted to notice how he had raised his
voice; but he was presently reminded of it by the voice of the bo'sun at
the fo'lk'sle door, calling, "Mike, I want you a minute!" There was
complete silence in a moment, which reigned until the bo'sun repeated
his words, with the quiet addition, "You don't want me to fetch you
out, I s'pose?" Then Mike protested feebly that it was his watch below,
that he was having his supper, that various reasons, in fact, prevented
him from emerging. Like a tiger the bo'sun leapt into the crowded space.
There was a medley of arms, heads, and legs, a hubbub of inarticulate
noises, but out of it all the bo'sun and Mike emerged on deck. How they
got there, I don't believe any one knew. I heard the bo'sun imploring
Mike to stand up to him like a man, and Mike piteously reminding him
that he was by no means his match, that he was twenty years older (which
was nearly true). "Very well, then," said the boss, "not so much of your
slack next time. If you're an old man, behave like one, an' don't open
your mouth so wide, in case anybody jumps down your throat." There was
peace after that. Not even a word was said to me when I ventured to
crawl into the raffle of rags which was my bunk.
At daylight next morning all hands were called to get under way. In the
cabin the skipper had been entertaining a large party of friends, who
had been keeping up an extensive carouse all night. Uproariously they
departed their several ways as we toiled at the windlass, while boats
from all the other vessels in port came and fastened on to us to assist
us out from between the reefs. Such aid was absolutely necessary unless
the miserably slow method of warping out by a kedge-anchor was resorted
to. For in these West Indian ports there is invariably, during the
night, a gentle air from the land, which soon after daybreak dies away
to a complete calm, lasting perhaps an hour, and succeeded by the
invigorating "doctor," or sea-breeze. This latter soon gathers strength
and blows more or less forcibly all day long. In consequence of this it
becomes imperative to gain an offing before the "doctor" begins, in
order that the vessel may be able to fetch off the land in the teeth of
an increasing breeze.
Having assisted us to get about two miles out, the boats cast off from
us, and with many hearty farewells returned to port, taking with them
our pilot. A stark calm succeeded as usual, during which all hands
lounged about and whistled for a breeze, until some of the keener
observers noticed that the strong undertow was sweeping us rapidly
towards a long spit of sand that stretched seaward, about three miles to
the northward of us. Presently the mate's anxiety constrained him to
approach the captain, who, with flushed face and abstracted air, was
pacing the poop, and suggest that the anchors might be prepared for
letting go. Strange to say, the skipper received this hint with a bad
grace, answering his officer so abruptly and angrily that his words were
distinctly audible all over the ship. The mate, whose age and
experience, apart from his other undeniably good qualities, entitled him
to very different treatment, bowed and retired, evidently much hurt. A
short period of silence followed, while the vessel, her sails hanging as
if carved in stone, and her hull motionless, as if in dry dock, was
being carried along over the now visible coral bottom at the rate of
nearly four knots an hour. At last the bo'sun, unable to contain
himself, strode up to the captain and said boldly, "Cap'n----, if you
don't anchor this ship'll be ashore in another ten minutes." "Get off my
poop, you impudent rascal! How dare you come an' speak to me like that!
For two pins I'd put you in irons. D'ye think I don't know my duty? I
never heard such cheek in my life!" and he stamped with fury. But the
bo'sun simply said, "Well, don't you say you wasn't warned, that's all,"
and, turning on his heel, left the angry, unreasonable man to himself.
By this time all hands were fully possessed of the idea that only a
miracle could save the ship, for the reef seemed to be actually touching
the keel through the clear water which was carrying us so swiftly over
it. And the idea of the vessel's loss filled me with unholy joy. No one
could realize how terribly I dreaded the homeward passage, and, now that
deliverance seemed so near, I could hardly restrain my feelings.
Slinking into the empty forecastle, I waited breathlessly for the crash
I felt sure was imminent. It came, a long grinding sensation, like a
boat grounding on a pebbly beach magnified a thousand times. Almost
delirious, I danced about the place, in the middle of which unpardonable
exercise I was discovered by the bo'sun. Outraged beyond speech, he
dealt me one savage kick, which put all dancing out of my power for many
a day, and for the present stretched me motionless on the deck. Not,
however, to lie there long, for hearing my name shouted outside, I
dragged myself up, mustering all my energy, and hobbled off to obey the
call before some worse thing should befall me.
I found all hands toiling like ants, getting out anchors and hawsers,
and doing all that experience could suggest to free the vessel from the
position of danger into which she had been brought so recklessly. But
the calm was over, the sea-breeze had commenced, and was increasing so
fast that already the hitherto placid sea was beginning to foam.
Breakers, too, born of the jagged reef so close to the surface, were
rolling in steadily, although as yet they were of puny height and
weight. Being at so short a distance from the port we had left, our
plight was plainly visible to those on shore. Consequently, in a couple
of hours, every boat of sufficient size in the place was alongside.
Scores of willing hands plied every means by which good might be done,
but the steady increase in wind and sea, driving directly shoreward,
mocked all efforts at heaving the ship off. There were no steam vessels
either in Falmouth or the adjacent ports, so that, when every purchase
that could be got upon the anchors and cables laid out astern was
brought to a standstill, that branch of the work was perforce abandoned.
Then the cargo was attacked at all three hatches, everybody working as
if their very lives depended upon their labours. The negroes especially
seemed to regard the whole affair as a gigantic spree, for without
abating one jot of their labours, they yelled, sang, danced about, and
behaved generally like a pack of schoolboys just let loose without any
supervision. As the day wore on the wind increased to a strong gale, and
the rollers attained so formidable a height that at times they lifted
the vessel bodily from her jagged bed of rock, letting her fall again
with a crash that threatened to shake all her stout timbers apart. After
each of these blows she seemed to slide seawards a little, but all her
buoyancy was gone--the stern went down at an increasing angle, and the
water rose in the hold so freely that it was evident there were some
serious gaps in the hull. Still the work went on. Drogher after drogher
left us filled with salvage, while others crowded as near as they dared
to receive the bags, cases and bundles, that were constantly being
hurled overside. By nightfall all our own crew were worn out, and
transferred to one of the small craft which clung to our side receiving
the salved cargo. Each man secured what he could of his poor belongings,
but I, being unable in the scramble and confusion to get hold of the few
rags composing my stock of clothing, contented myself with carrying off
an old wide-awake hat containing five blind kittens. The anxious mother
kept me close company, much to the amusement of the toiling darkies.
All through the night the wind maintained a most unusual force, and hour
by hour the work of salvage became increasingly difficult. Every package
had to be dived for into the blackness of the hold, which was quite full
of water up to the hatch-coamings. Great torches of tarred rope, lashed
to conspicuous points, roared and flared in the gale. By their uncertain
glare the black toilers darted hither and thither with astounding energy
and a deafening incessant tumult of wild song. Every one was
mother-naked, and their ebony skins shone like those of a school of
gambolling porpoises. At each tremendous lift and heave of the doomed
vessel all hands would make a frantic rush to the side, leaping with
blood-curdling yells into the waiting droghers. But the instant it was
seen that she yet survived the shock, back they all came and attacked
the cargo with renewed vigour. At last a bigger breaker than ever came
along, rearing its hoary crest against the paling sky. Reaching the
vessel, it enwrapped her in masses of shining foam, lifting her at the
same time with such power that for half a minute she seemed all afloat.
As it receded, the ill-used hulk, as if loth to leave its embrace, slid
along the reef with a rending crash, nor stopped until all that remained
visible of her was the jibboom, pointing upward to the sky like a
warning beacon. In the whirl of weltering foam left by her sudden exit,
the droghers danced like mad things, all having been cut adrift as the
yelling crowd sprang from the sinking ship. As nothing more could
possibly be done for the present, the little fleet made sail, and stood
in towards the town with their spoil. In every conceivable and
inconceivable position the utterly wearied negroes lay about asleep,
regardless of the flying spray or such minor inconveniences as being
trampled upon by the crews. I found a snug corner out of everybody's
way, and there, cuddling my cats, I, too, fell into sweet oblivion. When
I awoke, the vessel was just taking the beach in front of the town. The
sun was only just rising, but all the population of Falmouth appeared to
be there, and intensely solicitous for our welfare. We were
immediately taken to the "hotel," only a few hundred yards away, and all
manner of creature comforts pressed upon us with kindly persistence, as
if we had been adrift for a month. Suddenly I realized that I was quite
a centre of attraction--the fact of my having rescued the kittens
appearing to appeal to all the visitors in a way that I should hardly
have believed possible. But, indeed, our reception generally was so kind
that we were all in danger of being spoiled. Within the memory of the
oldest inhabitant no wreck of such importance had occurred near the
port, and consequently, I suppose, we reaped the benefit of
long-suppressed benevolence.
[Illustration: At each tremendous lift and heave of the doomed vessel
all hands would make a frantic rush to the side.]
CHAPTER X.
ADVENTURES OF A SHIPWRECKED CREW.
The hotel to which we had been brought upon our arrival was, although
the only one in the place, far too small to stand the strain of such an
influx of visitors as we were, as far as sleeping accommodation went.
Therefore arrangements were made for our lodgment in an empty house in
town, while for all meals we were to return to the hotel. To this
sheltering place we were escorted by a delighted band of darkies, who
insisted upon carrying such traps as we possessed, and also worked like
bees to sweep and cleanse the house. Such bedding as we had was spread
upon the floor in a big front-room, and in Oriental fashion; with the
sailor's ready adaptability to circumstances, we made ourselves
comfortable. We had plenty of company, for the whole coloured population
made holiday and visited us. Few came empty handed, the majority
bringing such gifts as they thought would please us: mostly fruit,
tobacco, and rum. There was such abundance of the latter, that by
dinner-time there was a universal debauch, from which I gladly escaped.
Making my way down to the beach I found the work of salvage in full
swing, for the hull of the ship had broken apart so much that the
floatable cargo was coming ashore in great quantities. Puncheons of rum,
bundles of walking-sticks, cakes of bees-wax and innumerable cocoa-nuts
were heaped in scattered piles upon the beach, each of which was guarded
by some one, whose allies were either scouring the shores or paddling
furiously after some piece of flotsam apparently worth pursuit.
Everywhere I found friends. Such a godsend as this had not fallen to the
lot of the dusky Falmouthians before, and they were willing to recognise
even the humblest member of the crew as in some sense a benefactor. When
I got tired of roaming about the beach, I sought the hotel for something
more satisfying than fruit, and was received by the host's buxom
daughter, Marian, with great delight. She had taken charge of my hatful
of kittens, and showed me, with manifest pride, how comfortable the old
cat and her blind progeny had been made. Ungrateful puss would hardly
recognise me, her changed circumstances had made her forget old but
humble friends.
Noticing that I limped considerably, Marian inquired anxiously whether I
had cut my foot, which made me smile, since, not having worn boots for
months, my natural soles were almost as hard as tanned leather. But I
admitted that there was something hurting me a great deal, upon which
she peremptorily ordered me to sit down while she had a look. A short
search resulted in her finding the place, which she proceeded to
investigate with a needle, and presently drew therefrom a bag about as
large as a marrowfat pea, which she opened, and showed me was full of
tiny eggs. "You'se had dem chigoes mighty bad, chile," she said, "but I
gwineter put stop to 'em right now." With that she went and fetched a
tub of warm water. After bathing my feet thoroughly, she searched most
carefully for more of these pests, finding two other nests, full like
the first, of eggs, but which had caused me only a slight itching
sensation. Having removed all she could see, she made a vile compound of
tobacco-ash and kerosene, which she rubbed into the wounds, causing me
exquisite pain. It took all my fortitude to keep from screaming, and I
was unable to prevent a few big tears dropping. With many strange words
of endearment she assured me of her sympathy, but declared this heroic
treatment to be the only way of effecting a radical cure. I have no
doubt that she firmly believed in her treatment, and I must admit that
in
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