CHAPTER XI.
On the 16th of February, after having added three new men to our crew, (two of them Englishmen, the third a Swede,) we hove short, and at 3 P.M. stood out of the bay. On arriving off Cape Naturaliste, some twenty miles from our place of anchorage, we sighted a sail that proved to be the barque Pamelia, which was hovering off this locality, to intercept the barque Eagle, which was to bring her third mate out, and also provisions for her consumption. Esculents she needed very much, as several of her people, the captain amongst the number, were affected by scurvy. We supplied them temporarily, and thus kept off that disease, which occasions so much terror to the seaman. She contemplated returning home in a short time, and several of her crew, whose motives I cannot fathom, not contented with a three-years’ sojourn in these waters, exchanged into the ship Lapwing, that had some twenty months more to remain. They must either have had an overweening desire to acquire money, or else there were but few attractions at home to induce them to return.
After leaving the bay, we steered to the southeast, in hopes of picking up a whale or two; but we met only with strong gales of wind, which put whaling out of the question. We then returned to the northward, and had the like success: nothing occurringto vary the sameness, day after day, but a series of heavy tempests, attended by terrific thunder and lightning. One night (the 12th of March) the scene was absolutely appalling—presenting a perfect war of the elements. In the words of an old song (than which I know of no better description):
“Now the dreadful thunder roaring,Peal on peal contending clash;On our heads fierce rain falls pouring,In our eyes blue lightnings flash.One wide water all around us,All above us one dark sky;Different deaths at once surround us—Hark! what means that dreadful cry.”
What the words “that dreadful cry” referred to in the song, the reader must imagine; in our case it was that of a shark. A monster of that species, attracted probably by his instinct, which led him to expect prey on such a night as this, swam around and around the ship; the intense darkness of the night and phosphorescent gleam of the ocean made his huge bulk show out in relief, and appear treble his real size. With a swab trailed astern, we soon got him within darting distance, and hove an iron into his carcass, which stopped his marauding forever. He was an enormous sized one, and required the united strength of half a dozen of us, after he was mortally wounded, to drag him part way from the water.
The storm did us no damage—the lightning ran over our yards and the various ironwork of the ship in a manner to terrify the boldest. The reason assigned for so few cases of injury to ships by lightning,is the number of points presented in her structure for the dispersion of the electricity. One precaution is invariably taken, that is, to remove the pump-spears, and fill their place with swabs, to prevent the iron rods acting as conductors for the electric fluid into the hold of the ship.
There is something terrifying in such a scene, that carries with it a sense of danger to the sturdiest: no matter how many such outbreaks have before been viewed by the beholder, still an indefinable fear will pervade his system. The gale is a feature to which, in his routine of life upon the ocean, the seaman becomes accustomed, and only asks for a short warning to battle with it; but there is something in the lightning that makes one feel completely at its mercy, though we know that in this as in all other perilous situations, we are under the protection of the same wise Creator.
On these grounds we were continually meeting merchantmen bound to and from the various Australian and East Indian ports, and it was a matter of congratulation to us to see that all the swiftest and best of these ships carried our own starry flag, maintaining the pre-eminence of our ship-builders in this far-off sea.
We were now thirty months from home, and as our ship was fitted at the outset to remain from home but forty, this was to be our last cruise; and home was the all-engrossing topic on every tongue, from the captain’s to the steerage boys’, all uniting in a sincere wish to return, oil or no oil. Our return, which but a short time previous had been commented upon as a vague and distant termination of a protracted voyage, was now viewed as feasibleand not very remote; and we felt ourselves considerably elevated by the mere thought, when we gammoned with ships but a short time from home, of the probation they, poor fellows, would have to go through ere they arrived at the degree of experience we had acquired on this coast. The wildest of those of our crew, who had left home on the impulse of the moment, were the most anxious to return, feeling that they had paid dear enough for their whistles.
We were now the longest out of any ship on the coast. It is an old adage, amongst whalemen, that when a year from home, on gammoning with any ship that has sailed subsequent to your own departure, you have the privilege of begging; when two years out, of stealing; and when three years, of stealing and begging too; so that we now had the right of exercising this privilege, in which there is more reality than romance. Fresh provisions are seized upon by the old residenters without ruth, as if they had the best right to them. This is seldom disputed by the owners, who, in the abundance of their sympathy, do not wait to be asked for such things, but press them for acceptance without thought of remuneration; doing as they would be done by, and setting an example worthy of imitation by more polished ones.
During the latter part of February and the month of March, we were occupied in beating around the south-west coast of New Holland, occasionally seeing land or sighting a ship to vary the monotony. Early in April we steered to the northward, the strong south-east trades being greatly in our favor. Thesewinds prevail throughout the year in this vicinity, only interrupted by fierce gales from the north-west, which, though severe throughout their duration, seldom last more than from twelve to sixteen hours. During our passage, as we emerged into the warmer latitudes, shoals of flying-fish, bonita, albacore, and dolphin were continually in sight, skipping hither and thither. The bonita and albacore remaining in attendance upon our journey for months, we occasionally caught them. Their prey being flying-fish, they are easily hooked by cutting from solder or tin a shape resembling the little creature, attaching a hook to the lower part of the solder image, and a line to the upper; the angler then perches himself upon the end of the flying jib-boom, and dangles his tackle to and fro, imitating as nearly as possible the aerial flight of the tiny creature it is intended to represent. The voracious skip-jack, or albacore, as the case may be, ever on the alert for its prey, rushes to the bait, seizes it, and is hooked for his pains. It is a pleasant sight to watch these fish whilst about the ship; their agile movements in pursuit of the flying-fish; their instinct teaching them that these are to be found in the greatest number about the vessel’s prow, which, in her onward course, disturbs them in their retreats, and forces them to seek safety in the air, on their descent from which an ever watchful enemy is prepared to meet and devour some of their number. At all times these creatures, apparently with the utmost ease, keep in advance of the ship, leaping from the water and varying their course with the direction of the vessel. As I before said, they are often caught, but are only serviceable for food whencooked with other articles, their flesh being extremely dry and insipid. I have been assured by those who have had experience of it, that long indulgence in eating them, produces scurvy of the most violent type—more than one instance of such a fact being on record.
At noon of April 20th we saw the Abrolhas’ Islands, and a reef in their vicinity known as the Turtle Dove, which, from observation, we found considerably out of the position laid down on the chart for it. Immediately on closing with the land we lowered away two boats—one of which went fishing, the other prospecting; at dark both returned, the fishing boat with several barrels of snappers, jew-fish, and gropers; the prospecting party landed on Long Island, and found it a long, narrow strip of coral reef covered with broken shells and fragments of coral cast up by the surf. A few mangroves and stunted bushes comprised the vegetation. Large numbers of birds were present, and on some portions of the island were extensive deposits of guano, though so mixed with coral and fractured portions of shells as to be unfit for the purposes of the agriculturist.
On the following day we again went in, and, carrying the boat across a narrow part of the island, we launched her again in the so-called bay, and proceeded to make soundings, by which we ascertained the feasibility of anchoring here. We also visited Middle Island, where a small mound and a head-board gave notice of the interment of a poor remnant of mortality. The board bore the inscription, “Thomas Williams, deceased April, 1851;” purportingto have been placed there by the captain of a schooner. From a person who knew something of the history of the vicinity, I learned that the deceased had been an American seaman, a colored man, who had left an American whale-ship in Freemantle, years previous; there he had married, joined the schooner and set out as one of a whaling party to the Abrolhas’; but before he had reached the scene of operations, he had fought his last battle, and been conquered by death.
On Middle Island there is a rough house erected, which has remained for many years; as also the ruins of a try works—memorials of a whaling party. The tenement is built of stone, the roof of mahogany, and, no doubt, was formerly quite a substantial building; but the north-westers that howl through the islands have made sad havoc with its fair proportions, and it is no longer tenantable.
At night we braced forward and stood out to the open ocean. On the 29th we gammoned the clipper barque Sunlight, of New Bedford, a beautiful craft, twenty-one months from home, with eight hundred and fifty barrels of oil. Her captain, a namesake of the iron-handed protector of England, was described by his crew as being a fiend incarnate—cursing, beating, and abusing every one under his command; giving them scarcely enough to eat. Poor fellows, they were glad to get hard bread, which we, touched by their relation, gave to them: this they secreted on their persons to carry aboard and make a meal of. The account of their sufferings from this monster almost exceeded belief; but as it was the same story from all grades of the members of the ship’s company,and was afterwards corroborated by the crew of another vessel, we were forced to yield credence to the tale.
On May 1st, a few minutes prior to sunset, we saw boats and a ship whaling. On nearing the scene of operations we found it to be the ship Abigail, of New Bedford, which proved to be unsuccessful. The succeeding day we again saw her boats whaling. We lowered away our own, but to no purpose. They, however, made an acquisition in the shape of an eighty barrel whale.
On the 6th we gammoned the ship Congress; she brought from home a budget of letters for us, but had delivered them over to the James Allen, in October last, supposing that the latter would see us first—they are now lost to us entirely. The Congress, it will be remembered, returned to the States since we have been on this coast, full of oil; and in the sixteen months, during which she has been from home this voyage, she has taken sixteen hundred barrels of oil, or nearly double what we have taken in three years. She is commanded by the person who acted as her mate during the last voyage.
On the 9th we saw a barque to leeward, manœuvring for whales, and evidently desirous, from her signals, of attracting our observation. On running down to her we found that she had a whale alongside, and that she was the John A. Robb, of Fair Haven, captain Baker, the same who was cast away in the barque Henry H. Crapo; her whale was a sulphur-bottom, and, as these are seldom captured, much curiosity was manifested to get a sight at him. The head was shaped like an inverted scoop; the fins andflukes resembled much those of the right whale. It has on its ridge a very small fin or hump, which serves to distinguish it from the fin-back; its jaws are furnished with black bone, but so short as to render it of little value as an article of commerce. In color its body is of a light grey, and is much longer, in proportion to its bulk, than any other fish I have seen. The blubber was about four inches thick, corrugated and arranged on the belly in great folds or rolls; it was literally covered by wounds made by the remora or sucking-fish. The whole length was eighty feet, and its yield fifty barrels—the oil commanding the same price as that of the right whale.
It is seldom this variety of the whale is disturbed by the whaleman, its extreme shyness rendering it almost an impossibility to strike it. In this instance it was shot from the ship by a bomb-lance, which, by a great chance, caused a fatal wound, disabling the fish so that he was an easy capture.
The high price of whalebone at home renders the ships on this ground, which have a large supply of it, anxious to get theirs to market ere there is a depression in price, and we being the only ship anticipating a speedy return, we are continually having it offered to us as freight. Amongst these ships is the Richard Mitchell, which narrowly escaped being driven ashore at Bunbury a few weeks ago. She had landed her captain to bargain for provisions, whilst the vessel was standing off and on, when a heavy southerly gale sprang up and stripped her of every inch of canvas. By great exertions they bent new sails, but it was not until after seventy-two hours beating thatshe was enabled to get an offing that secured her safety.
From this time up to July 4th we saw little and done less, with the single exception of lowering away for a sperm whale on June the 6th, but seeing nothing of him after we had dropped our boats. On the 4th, whilst in company with the Europa, making for the Abrolhas’ Islands, we sighted sperm whales, lowered, struck, and killed one. Previous to striking we had hoisted our ensign, which was imitated by the Europa. This signal was a bond of copartnership between the two ships during the day’s operations, each being entitled to half the proceeds of the day’s capture. The Europa did not fasten, but chased the whales to windward, in which pursuit we lost sight of her; meantime we tried out our whale and stowed it between decks, so that we would have but little trouble in giving her her half of it when we met. After some days we fell in with her, when her captain, with a generosity unusual with his profession, declined taking any part of it, assigning as a reason our long-continued bad luck; saying, that after having taken but one whale in six months, it would be too bad to deprive us of half of that.
The Europa had experienced a hard time of it since we had last seen her, meeting with several of those accidents which the vicissitudes of a seaman’s life render him ever liable to—having, in the first place, shipped a sea that went completely over her, and stove the three larboard boats almost beyond repair; then, again, having run close in towards the land in hopes of seeing us, she had been jammed between the Turtle Dove, Abrolhas’ and main land,in a gale of wind, when crowding sail to madness was their only hope; but, fortunately, a timely shift of wind enabled them to clear the main land by a hair’s breadth, and dispelled all their gloomy fears.
On the 16th both vessels stood in for the Abrolhas’ Islands, and at 9 o’clock were snugly anchored amid the cluster, of which, by ascending our tops, twenty-five different islands could be counted. As soon as our ground-tackle was secured, we struck the topsail and topgallant yards and the topgallantmasts, housed our mizzen topmast, and then unbent all the sails, except the spensers: our object being to present as little surface as possible to the action of the wind; thereby rendering our anchorage more secure. The anchorage showed coarse white sand, combined with pulverized coral and shell, which constitutes excellent holding-ground.
Not expecting the humpbacks in before the first of August, we passed the time in making excursions to the various islands of the group. We soon found a novel and exciting sport in the destruction of seals, which exist here in great numbers. These creatures bring forth their young on the land; and, this being the season in which they breed, they could at all times he seen basking in the sun, fast asleep, and quietly enjoying themselves to the full. Our method of attack was to approach as slyly as possible, and deal heavy blows on the tip of the nose, which is the most sensitive portion of their organism. If well aimed, the first blow despatches them; but, on the contrary, if you should deliver it on the shoulders, back, or quarters, it seems to produce no deleterious effect on the animal, which instantly rearsupon his hind flippers, and, with a sharp, querulous yelp, displays a set of ivories little inferior to those of the lion; however, it requires hardly any address on the part of the pursuer to avoid him. When the animal once gets into water, no matter how shallow, farther chase becomes hopeless, as it can then propel itself at a powerful rate; but while on land, though its movements are by no means slow, it is no match for a good runner.
A young seal, by the knowing ones said to be about six weeks old, was captured alive, passed into the boat, and carried aboard the ship. It seemed in no wise disconcerted, except at night when a light was placed near its eyes, whereat it became much alarmed. It showed but little timidity when caressed, and evidently considered our dog as one of its own species, so solicitous was it to form an intimacy with him; but puppy fought shy, and avoided companionship with the amphibious creature. From its docility, we anticipated keeping it for a long time; yet during the several days that it was retained, although offered both small and large fish, it would partake of no sustenance, but wandered fore and aft the decks, crying for its dam in a note not unlike that the cow-calf uses on similar occasions. We were at last reluctantly compelled to kill it—stuffing the skin for a memorial. The skins of these, known as the hair-seal variety, are of little value intrinsically; but, being easily tanned, they were very useful to us as chafing-gear for the rigging.
Some of our savants, having either themselves eaten, or having heard of other persons eating, the liver of the seal, assiduously extracted, cleaned, andcooked one. It being a young seal, the dish proved very palatable, in taste much resembling hog’s liver. All now became alert to procure a fresh supply of them; but, as it happened, the next seal pitched upon was a patriarch of the gang, whose destroyers were overjoyed indeed at the quantity yielded by their prize, and brought it aboard the ship with the air of conquerors. The cook dressed it; but, lo, and behold! the following day, most of those who had partaken of it were affected by nausea at the stomach and distressing headache—half of the number being unable to leave their berths: consequences, I opine, arising from the indigestibility of the liver, rendered tough by the animal’s great age. Since then I have been assured that this is by no means an isolated case of indisposition from the same cause.
In rambling, we found Long Island the most inviting of the group. It was scantily furnished with several varieties of low shrubs; amongst which were the native Australian gooseberry and a species of wild oats. There are also on the island several thickets of the mangrove, which, from the peculiar growth of the trees, though of only a moderate height, are almost impenetrable. This tree affords excellent fuel, and we took advantage of this by cutting and carrying away some eight or ten cords of it for firewood. Its fracture is of a light yellowish color, and the heart of it is decayed, but I cannot say whether this is owing to the bad quality of the soil, or is a natural characteristic of the wood. It is very heavy. The leaf is small, and eagerly sought for by the rabbits, which abound on the island. Several pairs of these little creatures were placed here years ago, and theyhave increased until their number is legion. Had they a supply of fresh water, they would in a short time become so much more numerous as to consume all the herbage within their reach. We seldom visited the island without bringing away half-a-dozen of them. Occasionally, in running our arms into the burrows for rabbits, we would take hold of a disgusting iguana, or get a handful of small eggs, deposited by a very diminutive variety of gull, that burrows in the ground, and there hatches its young. The whole island is excavated by these little diggers. Their eggs, almost double the size of a pigeon-egg, have a white shell, and are very excellent eating. The larger gulls lay an egg superior in size to those of our domestic hens, which are mottled, and food fit for an epicure. The shag, another variety, lays a pink egg, of goodly size, which is also equally palatable. These birds would lay on the bare ground; and, on our robbing their depositories, they would move to another island, and repeat the process. This they did four or five times, and at last either gave up in despair, or lit upon some place secure from our depredations; for we were unable to procure a further supply.
On Long Island we saw several osprey-nests, in one of which were eggs; in another, the half-fledged young of the species. The eggs were about the size of a goose-egg; but, as we had reason to think they were addled, we had no opportunity of testing their fitness for the table.
During the whole of one day we observed immense flocks of birds flying in the direction of this island, and on visiting it found the clumps of mangrovesliterally swarming with small birds about the size of a blackbird, busily engaged in building nests from the kelp which is thrown up by the surf. They seemed to take but little notice of us. We held a consultation, and finally decided that they were fit to be eaten, and, in pursuance of this resolution, began bagging them. This we found but little trouble; all that was necessary being to ascend one of the mangrove trees, and, as the birds wheeled around in circles to more nearly examine our, to them, strange appearance, knock them down left and right. In this way but very few minutes elapsed before we had sufficient for our purposes—two hundred and fifty of the little feathered bipeds being a mess for the ship’s company; and all united in deciding that they made an exceedingly savory stew. We repeated the operation often after having been initiated into their good qualities. Some idea may be formed of the number consumed, when I state that the feathers, which were saved by old Jack, weighed twenty pounds; the old salt in his green old age being determined to have a soft bed to repose his weatherworn limbs upon. To this end he had been collecting feathers during the greater part of the voyage—albatrosses, monimokes, ducks, pigeons, hawks, and whale birds, contributing each their quota to his store.
I cannot take leave of this subject without attempting to give some idea of the immense numbers of the birds. I had read of the innumerable flocks of wild pigeons which frequent our Western States, and I had seen at sea immense flocks of various birds migrating to other countries, but I had never formedan estimate that came within many removes of the actual number I here saw. I can indeed liken them to nothing else, as regards number, than a swarm of bees; their bodies obscuring the sun’s light when they passed overhead, and a stone thrown at random never failing to meet a mark.
The conchological specimens found on these islands are varied but inelegant; they comprise both descriptions of the nautilus—the true and paper varieties being found in abundance. These shells externally possess but little beauty, but on being sawn apart in a lateral direction, they present a handsome pearly arrangement contained in an air-tight apartment in the base of the shell. A small variety of the cowrie, too, is abundant. There are also periwinkles, scollops, and oysters, all three of which are excellent eating, and, therefore, were in great request with us.
Crabs are also found in great numbers, and can be had for the trouble of picking up; so that we made shift to fare pretty well during our stay here.
One of the islands to which we made several excursions, was known as Dead Man’s Island, from the fact that an encounter between the members of the crew of a Spanish ship, which was wrecked on the reef in the seventeenth century, resulted in the death of several of their number. The circumstances are these: the crew, after their vessel was stranded, made for this island, having saved provisions and other articles, amongst which was a chest of treasure. A dispute arising regarding the ownership of this treasure, from words they proceeded to blows and bloodshed, and some of them were sacrificed to their avaricious spirit. After the battle the defeated partywere banished to another island, and the cause of strife was deposited for greater security on Square Island, where, tradition says, it still remains; and many have been induced by the rumor, incited by love of gain or adventure, to toil in hopes of itséclaircissement. To this day human bones are to be seen on the surface, and had there been as good evidence of the treasure as of the struggle, no doubt our Yankee inquisitiveness and acquisitiveness would have induced some of us to have made search for it.
I can imagine no more inhospitable locality for a ship’s company to be cast away than amongst these islands. They would be unable to find any material to erect a covering for protection from the weather, unless some portions of their vessel were cast ashore—the islands themselves supplying nothing of the kind. To be sure they might manage to eke out a subsistence from the birds and fish which are so abundant at certain periods of the year; but they would be unable to exist without water in the summer season, when, for months, no rain falls. The only place where we found any fresh water was on Middle Island; and it was a mere deposit of rain, in a well dug by the whaling party who formerly made it the scene of their fishing operations.
On the 27th of July we sent off two boats from each ship to erect a look-out on an island several miles to seaward of the ship. Whilst the boats were thus engaged the crews saw humpback whales, but forebore to meddle with them, supposing them to be the pioneers of the school said to frequent these islands, and wishing to do nothing at this early date to scare them from the haunts. On their return tothe ship with this cheering intelligence, all was bustle and activity. The blubber-room was cleared out, useless casks were sent ashore, and every preparation was made to carry on whaling with the utmost spirit; but alas! for the vanity and frailty of human expectations, these were the sole and only representatives of their species that we had a sight at during our five weeks’ sojourn amongst the Abrolhas’. Things thus remained instatu quountil the 14th, when, as we began to send up spars and make preparations for our departure, the luminous idea struck somebody of sending one or more boats over to Champion Bay, to ascertain whether whales had been seen on the coast, and whether the Port Gregory whaling company had accomplished anything during the present season. In pursuance of this resolution a boat from each ship, provisioned for a week, was despatched to the main, under the conduct of the mates of the respective vessels. We started at 1 o’clock P.M. with a fair wind, and at nine the same evening made the main land, in the vicinity of a headland known as the Wizard’s Peak. In the opinion of our fourth mate, who had been here previously, we were too far to the northward, and, as the line of breakers presented no point where we could land, in pursuance of his suggestion we kept off to the southward, and continued running until midnight, when we anchored in fifteen fathoms of water, and endeavored to get some sleep; one of our number standing watch all through the night. At daybreak we resumed our course to the southward until about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when we became convinced of the incapacity of our pilot, and thought it advisable to retraceour course to the northward; the wind being ahead, we had to pull in the teeth of wind and sea. At dark we again came to anchor in fourteen fathoms of water, and passed the night in the same manner as the preceding one. At daylight, seeing nothing of the entrance, the feasibility of a return to the ship was mooted, but as our supply of water had dwindled to a gallon in both boats, we were loath to adopt this measure, except as a dernier resort; but the wind, fortunately for us, having hauled during the night, we set sail, and at nine o’clock in the morning discovered the wished for haven within a few miles of the peak we had sighted the first night—a very fortunate conclusion to our misadventure. On reflection, we could now see the dangers of our late situation. Had a gale come on from the westward we could not possibly have escaped being driven on shore; and if it had come from the eastward, even provided our boats had not been swamped, we were without a supply of water, and must have perished from thirst before we could have reached the ship.
On our landing at Champion Bay we were met upon the beach by the three magistrates of the settlement, and a large proportion of the inhabitants, who anxiously inquired if we had been wrecked. On our answering in the negative, they inquired where we were from. On our again answering, the barques Pacific and Europa, at the Abrolhas’ Islands, they evidently regarded us with suspicion—thinking that we were either mutineers or deserters, who had fabricated this story for our own purposes; and I believe that, had they dared, or even had they thought themselves the strongest party, they would haveclapped us all in limbo, until assured of the truth of the story we told. We heard whisperings as to our physical ability. The boats’ crews being picked men, they said, were a very rugged-looking set of fellows; and the fact of each man being provided with his belt and sheath-knife seemed a recommendation to their respect. Then, again, had there been any difficulty, the penal population, who are largely in the majority, would have readily joined the strangers, in hopes of being delivered by them from their penal servitude.
Our first queries were, as to whether whales had been seen in any numbers on the coast the present season. They stated, that, from some unknown cause, the whales’ food was not so plenty as it is during most years at this period. The meducæ, which exist in great quantities, or rather numbers, generally by their volume gave to the water a yellowish hue, but at present scarcely any indication of their existence was perceptible; therefore, although the whales had appeared as usual, they made but a short stay. The Port Gregory fishery had been fortunate enough, during their brief visit, to capture five of them—making quite a profitable season’s business. They took their last whale some weeks since—about the same time that we saw whales at the Abrolhas’; and I am persuaded that we were too late for the season.
On our informing them that there were no whales at the Abrolhas’ Islands, they professed much surprise, and would scarcely give credence to our intelligence; stating that, for years, every vessel which had passed these islands had borne testimony to theimmense number of whales that frequented the waters around them.
Having now progressed up towards the settlement, we found it neatly situated, although the buildings, which number about sixty, were much scattered. The herbage appears luxuriant, and the soil fertile. Many of the settlers own immense flocks of sheep and herds of bullocks; but they deprecate the system of raising stock with a view to a pecuniary return: for in the immediate vicinity of the settlement there grew, I was assured, no less than sixteen varieties of vegetable poisons, which the cattle browse, and are soon afterwards affected by spasms that result in death.
A short distance from the settlement there is an extensive copper-mine, which is the means of affording employment to most of the inhabitants. The ore is said to be very rich, and is exported to England, whence several vessels were daily expected for freights of it. This article affords their only means of commerce with foreign countries: their supplies and wool coming through, and being shipped from, Freemantle, to and from which city cutters continually ply.
The wind being unfavorable for us to return to the ship, we made up our minds to enjoy life ashore, for a day or two, as well as circumstances would allow. So, in accordance with the decree of the clerk of the weather, we took up our quarters at the only public house in the place, and were soon deep in the discussion of a dinner, consisting for the most part of fresh mutton. We had brought with us several hams, which the habitues of the house preferred to the fresh meat. We therefore had themboiled, to their as well as our own satisfaction; for while they were engaged with the bacon, we were enabled to appropriate to our ourselves the lion’s share of the other edibles, which—as our appetites had been sharpened by between sixty and seventy hours’ exposure to the bracing sea-breeze, with a spice of hard pulling—we were fully competent to dispose of.
Not feeling in the mood to cruise around much during the afternoon, the greater part of us remained about the house, wondering, from the sparsity of the landlord’s visitors, how he managed to eke out a living; but, as soon as night approached, we were convinced that he lacked not for customers, who now one after another dropped in to have a look at us, and imbibe the potations he had to dispense.
One thing is greatly in favor of this colony; that is, the government has as yet refused to grant a license for the sale of spirits in less quantities than a gallon; and, as a gallon costs two pounds sterling, (equivalent to nine dollars and eighty-eight cents of our money,) the ardent is not within the reach of everybody. During the time we remained in the place, I did not see a glass of spirits drank. Malt-liquors, comprising porter, ale, and beer, were however swallowed without regard to quality or quantity.
Here, as well as everywhere else that I have visited in these colonies, the males and females alike frequent the tap-room. They were all very hospitable, and it may be imagined how it sounded to our ears, for a matronly-looking woman, with a child held by the hand, to address us with, “What will you haveto drink, Jack?” while everybody about seemed to regard it as a matter of propriety.
At night, as there were not beds sufficient for our accommodation, we took a shake down in the dining-room, using kangaroo-skins as blankets. We had scarcely got settled, before we were rolling, pitching, and tossing, by way of a forced accompaniment to the flea-bites that were being inflicted upon us: the numbers of these pests being myriads. Although they are little heeded by those who are acclimated here and inured to their tortures, yet to us thinner-skinned gentry these fleas now proved objects of real terror. For hours, sleep was out of the question. All of us had been accustomed to considerable blood-letting aboard from the bed-bugs that always infest old ships in warm weather; but we were by no means prepared for a wholesale depletion by these vampires. At length, towards morning, we managed to gain some intermission from their attacks, and the sun had made a great portion of his daily journey ere we broke our slumbers.
After breakfast was over, we took a tramp, and found that we were not deceived in our estimate of the country. Instead of the sandy surface we had been accustomed to see in the southern sections of the colony, there was here an excellent soil, and the appearance of the crops promised an abundant harvest; while the live stock we saw were in a good condition.
The trees here embrace all the varieties of the she-oak, bankshire, mahogany, peppermint, blackberry and raspberry jam, and some little way in the interior the precious sandal-wood is found.
The houses are of stone, and neatly fashioned: mahogany being applied to all the various purposes of the architect—its great plentifulness and durability rendering it preferable to any other wood they possess.
The following day, the wind still being unfavorable and precluding our departure, the officers in charge of the expedition began to feel alarmed as to the insufficiency of their funds—the whole amount of money brought being ten pounds, or fifty dollars; this amount would not go very far towards the support of thirteen men, for any length of time, in a place where all the necessaries of life were held at an exorbitant price. Now that their suspicions had worn off as to our true character, I do not think that they would have allowed us to want; still, we did not feel inclined to depend on their charity, so we asked them if there was any work that we could perform. The only branches of business open were wood-chopping and supplying the community with fresh fish; they possessing no boats, and the snapper banks being some distance from the settlement, it is only by chance that they are enabled to indulge their appetites for them. We, on this information, held a consultation, and one party, including the two officers, shouldered axes and went into the woods, where they gave the colonials a specimen of Yankee wood-chopping; the rest of us took the boats, and, having been supplied with tackle, made their hearts glad by a display of fish superior to any they had seen for a long time.
This was a pretty specimen of occupation for gentlemen’s sons to engage in; but it only verifies ournational peculiarities: and the originator of the remark that a Yankee, with or without his jack-knife, could make a living anywhere, was not far from the truth.
The natives here, as elsewhere, are the same miserable, debased race; but are ruled by an iron hand—the early experience of the colonists forcing them to adopt severe measures to secure them against the depredations of these nomadic tribes. I was informed that little account was taken of the death of one of them, by a white man’s agency, if detected in any little peccadillo; but a few years since the whites were still more severe, shooting the natives down like dogs whenever they approached their habitations.
At nine o’clock on the morning of the 19th we bade farewell to Champion Bay, under strict surveillance of the authorities—they being fearful that we would convey away some of the prisoners. We were favored with a fair wind, and at 4 o’clock the same afternoon boarded the ship, perfectly satisfied with our jaunt. We found that during our absence changes had taken place—a Portuguese boy, whom we shipped at Flores, having exchanged, and gone aboard the Europa as steward; her former steward, a native of New York city, having received his discharge on account of inability, from sickness, to perform his duty. He is suffering from spasmodic stricture of the urethra, and goes with us to Mauritius in order to procure efficient medical aid. He lives in the forecastle, and, as well as his health permits, agrees to perform duty as a foremast hand; on arriving at Mauritius, it is optional with him either to remain ashore or go with us to the United States.
During the whole time that we lay at anchor here, the most intimate relations existed between all grades of the two ships’ companies; every day and every night we held re-unions, in which, by merriment, we strove to dispel the recollection of being so far separated from home. A boat seldom left either ship on an excursion for pleasure, without calling on the other party to see if any wished to go; and if either ship was to be kedged ahead, or her anchorage shifted, the other crew were ever ready to volunteer their assistance.
One favorite trip was to go with the boat to within a short distance of the heavy surf that broke on the reef at low water, where live shells were to be collected. These were then buried in sand, or immersed in fresh water, until the death of the animal rendered dislodging him from his shell an easy task. In this manner we cleaned them, without impairing the enamel, which so greatly enhances their beauty.
One of our last moves previous to sailing, was to stow some two hundred barrels of salt water in our after-hold, the ship being so light as to render more weight in her hold necessary to make her sea-worthy; we having put into her nothing like her carrying capacity of oil, and having eaten the principal part of the provisions, there remained but little in her to act as ballast.
Having now been from home almost our allotted period, we have exhausted almost all the original supplies. Our meat is reduced to some forty barrels, flour to ten or twelve, sugar none, molasses none, (the latter we procured a supply of from the Europa,) and our tea is so near its ultimatum that it is reservedfor special occasions, and coffee takes its place as a beverage for supper. Our boats are nearly all worthless, and now only comprise the four on the cranes—two having been disposed of to Captain Phinney, of the Europa; who likewise got all of the spare oars. We have but one respectable set of topsails and courses that can be depended upon in heavy weather, and are ill provided for a much longer stay from home. Should we take another cruise or two, the expenses of refitting would be great; and, should we then do nothing, instead of a source of profit to the owners, we would prove a burden, independent of the loss of time to ourselves. At the same time we feel loath to return with so sorry a cargo; and there are a number amongst us who are anxious and willing to risk the prospect of another six months’ or a year’s work, so as to have something due them on their return; forgetting that, although they were to land penniless, the six or twelve months thus spent at sea, if steadily devoted to some occupation ashore, would return a much larger sum.
At 11 o’clock on the morning of the 20th, we weighed our anchors with the intention of going out; but no sooner were they tripped, than the current set us down upon the Europa, which lay a cable’s length astern. All hands jumped on the taffrail and quarters, and shoving with might and main, prevented a collision. We then kedged her ahead, and, finding it impossible for us to leave until the Europa sailed, we lowered our boats and towed her into the channel. Then kedging ahead to clear the shoal, after narrowly escaping planting her stern on it, off she went in gallant style.
The Europa went out rigged as a barque. Her mizzenmast being defective, carrying sail on it would be rather hazardous; so her crossjack, mizzen topsail, and topgallant yards, were sent down, and the leg-of-mutton-shaped gaff-topsail substituted in the stead of the canvas pertaining to them.
These whaleships often undergo striking changes between the date of their leaving home and the period of their return: the captain possessing a discretionary power to pull down and build up any of his ship’s arrangements. But, woe betide him! if he does anything that results disastrously, unless he makes a good voyage (which last is the New-Bedford apology for a multitude of sins). Some old-fashioned skippers are content with leaving things as they find them; whilst those of the more modern school want their quarter-deck made clear, so that when in port a fore-and-after can be indulged in by the select assemblages who then ordinarily rendezvous aboard whalers.
By the way, I recently heard a story about a party of such visitants, who boarded the ship Twilight in King George’s Sound. Amongst them were the daughters of one of the most aristocratic families in the town. The steward of the vessel, supposing of course that they were ladies, had gone to considerable pains in preparing a collation, which the guests seemed much to enjoy. After concluding their repast, they stuffed their pockets with the cakes they were unable to eat; indeed, one went so far as to make her bosom a storehouse for provender. They then adjourned to the quarter-deck for a dance; and, as they displayed much activity during its progress,the hidden dainties were dropped: an eclaircissement which much surprised the neophytes of the ship, who were unaccustomed to such practices. The possessors were by no means disconcerted; but, re-collecting their prizes, continued the dance.
This relation of New Holland manners may by some be deemed overwrought and extravagant; but, as I have the story from most reliable authority, I can vouch for its correctness. I have seen the participants, and although, as I before said, they belonged to the first circles and affected to be aristocratic, were they arrayed in jacket and trowsers, they would make first-rate man-of-war’s men.
And now that the Abrolhas’ are dropping astern, we will contrast the present state of our feelings with what they were when we entered this channel, five weeks since. Then we were pregnant with hope: no doubt existing in our minds as to the preconceived certainty of taking several hundred barrels of oil—the only damper to our ardent expectation being the forethought of our toil in towing. The possibility of there being no whales never struck us; for we had from various testimonies of their presence put this point so far beyond all question, that if any one had started the least misgivings he would have been treated with derision. At that time, too, we firmly expected to leave directly for home on quitting the islands; having only to make a short stoppage at the Island ofSt.Helena for water. But now we had before us the unpleasant prospect of another cruise; and this still more darkened with the thought of our putting into ports, where the little we had due to us would most likely be foolishly spent. Instead of thehundreds of barrels of oil that we had anticipated to have stowed below, we had two hundred barrels of salt-water; and to counterbalance our other disappointments we had—just nothing at all. Yet, had we not made the attempt, none of us would have been satisfied; and I think the captain perfectly justified, although the result was so disastrous.
But there is no use in repining: for this was only one of the series of maladventures we experienced throughout our voyage. The season in the Bight and that on New Zealand (on both of which we had counted largely) returned us almost nothing. We had, however, solaced ourselves with the reflection that the Abrolhas’ season was yet to come; and, although we preferred the sperm oil, still we had made up our minds to be satisfied with a cargo of that of the humpback, which we were assured we could get without trouble, except hard work. And now, when this too had failed, our sheet-anchor was gone: for, if there were any who still had an idea of making a good voyage, they were hoping against hope. For us, certainly, the day had gone by; unless, indeed, when we returned, the market for oil should by some strange revulsion have become so much exhausted as to cause it to bring an almost fabulous price. Then, and then only, would any of us make pin-money enough to repay us for more than three years of a hard, wearisome life. However, as I said before, there is no use in repining. We must grin and bear it, and at the same time admit ourselves convinced of the aptness of that axiom which reads “Blessed are they who expect nothing; for they are sure not to be disappointed.”
And now, the general feeling that pervaded the ship’s company was a wish for a speedy return home: all being convinced of the inutility of a longer absence. But whether the captain would act in accordance with it remained to be seen. His mind fluctuated, with the tide of time, between these two points: to go, or not to go. This was the question which he appeared to be continually debating in his own mind. One moment, “going home” was in the ascendant; the next, all his sympathies were enlisted in favor of staying out for another cruise: points which were perhaps ultimately decided to our disadvantage.