'!^vi''v;:;"!:!H^n^::ii:M.-rv'^
^'■^'';^^. i^l^M'^r iV^-'^^' ■■'-^•- ■ '
^i'-'iy:i>^'A\J\^-
Digitized by tlie Internet Arcliive
in 2008 witli funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
littp://www.arcliive.org/details/clippersliipslieilOOangeuoft
THE CLIPPER SHIP "SHEILA"
ANGEL— MASTER
First published October, 1921.
Reprinted January, 1922.
m
X
H
<
O
o
o
u
The Clipper F vo "Sheila"
ANGEL-MASTER
BY
48826
CAPTAIN W. H. ANGEL
48826
HEATH CRANTON LIMITED
9 FI^EET I^NE I.ONDON E.C.4
This Book is respectfully dedicated,
by the Author,
To Mrs. J. Ernest Tinne, of Liverpool,
the Lady who officiated at the launching
ceremony of the clipper ship '' Sheila r
t U 0
]qa
PREFACE.
The Author, a shipmaster of large and
varied experience, does not apologize for
launching this book into the literary world,
his principal aim being an endeavour to keep
alive the glorious traditions of what sea life
used to be^in the good old days of Clipper
sailing ships. These depended for their driv-
ing force on their sails only (the cheapest
by far of all means of propulsion) and the
capabilities, nerve, and discretion of the man
in command of the beautiful structure, to get
the uttermost out of the wind forces as they
came along. And it is a bold man who can
vouch that the Clipper sailing ship will not
come in to her own again for long voyages,
in competition with the increasingly enormous
expense of fuel driven hulls.
The whole of this book has been written
up by the Author from carefully kept logs,
and its accuracy can be vouched for. It also
points out that the plums of the profession
are open to all, with little or no preliminary
expense.
W. H. A.
LIST OF Ilyl^USTRATIONS.
Coolie Emigrant Ship " Sheila " , . Frontispiece
Ship " Columba " of Liverpool,
W. H. Angel, Master .. Facing page 116
Coolie Passenger on Board .. Facing page 185
CONTENTS.
Ckapter
I. Building of the ship.
II. Launching and rigging of the ship.
III. Towing to a loacHng berth in Glasgow —
Engaging ship's officers.
rV. My Darkie Cook's wedding — ^Midshipmen
apprentices join ship.
V. Introducing the Captain — ^His early strug-
gles with his chosen vocation, and his
final success.
VI. The " Sheila's " cargo for Calcutta— Lying
in the Gareloch to adjust compasses —
Sir Wm. Thomson on board with his
compass.
VII. The Pilot and the balance of the crew
come on board whilst anchored at the
" Tail of the Bank " — Heaving up
anchor to tow to sea — Shantying sea
songs.
Vni. At sea, clear of the land — Choosing and
setting watches — Description of every-
body and everything on board.
IX. An old sailor's grumble — Sailors' duties
at sea.
X. In the " Bay of Biscay, Oh " — Boarding a
derelict — First flying fish — Anecdote —
A tropical sunset.
XI. Crossing the Equator — A visit from
" Father Neptune."
XII. Chips — The victim of practical jokes —
How the captains dispense medicines
at sea.
Xni, A shark story.
XrV. Racing and passing full powered steamers.
XV. Burying the sailors' deed hort«.
Chapter
3CVI. The brave west winds come at last —
A keen race against celebrated Clipper
sailing ships — Driving the " Sheila "
heavily.
XVII. A heavy storm — Scudding before the
wind — Enormous seas.
XVIII. In the Bay of Bengal— Arriving at Cal-
cutta— Boys being stalked by a tiger.
XIX. Calcutta — Descriptive — The Hindoo Bab-
boos, etc.
XX. Towed above bridge — Opposite the burn-
ing Ghaut.
XXI. At sea once more with our Coolies, bound
for Trinidad — A tack for tack match
against two Clipper ships, in the Bay of
Bengal.
XXII. Rehgious behefs of the Coolies — Life on
board ship — Nearing the Cape of Good
Hope, and bad weather.
XXIII. Racing against the China Tea Clipper
" Cutty Sark."
XXIV. Driving the " Sheila " at utmost speed in
a gale, in the endeavour to get around
the Cape, into the S. Atlantic — Wild
work.
XXV. " Sea birds " — An alarm of man over-
board— A monster shark.
XXVI. Arrival at St. Helena — A visit to Napo-
leon's home, and grave.
XXVII. Encounter with a floating island off the
river Amazon.
XXVIII. Sighting Trinidad— Anchor fouUng the
submarine cable.
XXIX. The work done by the CooHes on the
plantations.
XXX. Disembarking the Coohes — Description of
Trinidad.
XXXI. A giant Aquarium — A coloured lady fully
rigged for conquest, a la cake-walk — ^A
local Derby day.
XXXII. Leaving Trinidad for Demerara — A fine
passage — Racing again.
Chapter
XXXIII.
XXXIV.
XXXV.
XXXVI.
XXXVII.
XXXVIII.
XXXIX.
Arriving at Demerara, discharging and
loading cargo.
Description of Demerara — ^The making of
refined sugar.
In the dense bush — A custom of the
country — A dance at a sugar plantation.
" Georgetown " Demerara municipal mar-
ket— Queer fish — Electric eels.
Negroes stowing sugar, their weird looks,
and songs.
I^eaving Demerara for Liverpool — An
electric storm — Bad weather approach-
ing— A brig in distress, put four sailors
on board, a wave having swept that
number (including their Captain) over-
board, and drowned them.
Heavy gales of wind on approaching the
land, and running up the channel —
Crossing Liverpool bar — Arriving in the
river Mersey—" AND SO ENDS THE
VOYAGE."
CHAPTER I.
" Build me straight, Ojworthy Master,
Staunch and strong, a goodly ve««el.
That shall laugh at ell disaster.
And with wave and whirlwind wxeatle."
— LONGFKI,M)W.
On the 27th January, 1877, there was
launched from the building yard of Messrs.
Chas. Connell & Co., Whiteinch, Glasgow, the
Clipper full rigged ship " Sheila," built to the
order of Messrs. Sandbach, Tinne & Co., of
Liverpool. Her dimensions were as follows :
Length over all 258 feet, beam 37 feet, depth
of hold 23 feet, 1,600 tons burthen. She was
built on order for the special trade of carrymg
Indian Coohe agricultural labourers to work
on the sugar plantations of the West Indies.
The CooHes were recruited in India, and
shipped from Calcutta, under strict Govern-
ment supervision— in all that title conveys—
and were indentured to estates at Demerara,
Trinidad, or any other place where they may
be required.
The orders to the builders of the ship
were, that no expense was to be spared, and
in the modelling, everything was to give place
to speed— that was to be the first consider-
ation, because in conveying upward of six
hundred CooHes, besides the crew, even a day
saved on the passage was a great consider-
ation in cost of food. So injunctions were
given to Messrs. Connell (already celebrated
12 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
for building some of the fastest Tea Clippers)
to design a ship, to excel in that respect all
they had ever done before ; and after con-
sultations, and the submitting of many
designs and models to the firm in Uverpool,
one was accepted, and the order was given!
The ship was to be built of the best Gart-
sherrie iron, and of the highest equipment.
And so was turned out the most costly
ship of her size that was ever launched,
fitted with steam for all purposes except
propulsion— winches, windlass, condensors,
and cooking ranges.
^ She was also to be extremely heavily
rigged as regards masts, yards, booms, and
sails, the injunction was to give her as much
as she could carry with a margin of safety.
Her iron lowermasts and topmasts were in one
piece, and were enormous spars specially
strengthened inside with extra angle irons,
and heavily strapped outside ; and together
with topgallantmasts, royals, and skysail-
masts, stood one hundred and eighty-seven
feet above her decks. Her yards on the
mainmast and foremast were interchangeable,
as to the yards and sails, except the courses,'
owing to their different shapes.
The main and fore yards were ninety feet
in length, and the other yards in proportion ;
m fact she was rigged equal to a ship twenty-
five per cent, bigger, to get the speed out of
her. Also to that end, she carried every
imaginable extra sail as auxiHaries, "stud-
ding-sails" lower, topmast, topgallant, and
royal, each side, flying jibboom, balloon
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 13
sails, ringtails, and wind-savers of queer
names ; and when all were on, as per sail
plan, she spread eight thousand, four hun-
dred and ninety seven yards of canvas.
Her deck fittings were a very large poop,
with main saloon, and two beautiful after
cabins, fitted with large air ports ; eight side
cabins in the saloon, complete bathroom ;
and in front of the poop, on the port side,
was the chief officer's room, the second officer's
on the starboard side, steward's pantry and
berth in the middle, and entering out of the
saloon, were stairs and companion way to give
access to the poop. The whole of the cabins
were handsomely furnished and upholstered
in maroon plush velvet, with damask cur-
tains, and all the floors covered with Brussels
carpet — in the main saloon this was laid over
linoleum. • TIV*-
The table appointments were very^^jlP^^ <y.
plete, with a full set of the best electro-p^t^^^ %
cutlery, china and glass, all supplied b}>^t]^^^ >
builders without stint. ^ta '^
On the deck, she had topgallant fore- ^'®
castle, for starboard and port watches of the
crew. There was a very large house amid-
ships, fitted fore end starboard side, to
accommodate the midshipmen-apprentices ;
on the port side, cook's galley and berth,
aft of that, carpenters, sailmakers, boatswain
and engine-drivers' berths and workshops,
next came a large cooking-room, fitted with
special steam cooking requirements for the
coolies, and the after end of the house was
occupied by the main boiler, engine, and
14 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
condenser. Further aft on the deck^by itself,
was a large hospital.
She carried six large lifeboats, a pinnace,
a gig, and no end of life-buoys.
The windlass and winches were all worked
by steam ; and on her cutwater bow was a
beautifully carved female figure-head, a strik-
ing likeness of, and intended to represent,
Mrs. J. E. Tinne.
CHAPTER II.
" Then the Master, with a gesture of command,
Waved his hand, and at the word,
Loud and sudden, there was heard.
All around them, and below.
The sound of hammers, blow on blow.
Knocking away the shores and spurt.
She starts — And see — she stirs I
She starts — she moves — she seems to feel
The thrill of life along her keel.
And spuming with her feet the ground.
With one exultant, joyous bound.
She leaps into the ocean's arms."
— LovcntiAOW.
The official ceremony of christening the ship
was performed by Mrs. J. Ernest Tinne, wife
of a member of the firm, from a platform
erected under the bows of the ship. A bottle
of port wine was suspended from the bow of
the ship on deck, with streamers of blue,
white, and blue ribbon (the colours of the
house flag) ; and on a signal being given as the
dog shores were knocked away and the vessel
commenced to glide down the ways, she
threw the bottle against the bows and broke
it, saying : " Success to the * Sheila,' " and
one of the most beautiful models that was
ever built took the waters of the Clyde, a
veritable yacht in appearance. There was a
goodly company on the platform, amongst
them being Mr. and Mrs. Tinne, Mr. Chas.
Connell, the Captain and Mrs. Angel, and
representatives of the builders.
The launch was very pretty, and most
16 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
successful. It was somewhat of a gala day
on the Clyde, as it coincided with the launch-
ing on the opposite side of the river, of the
" Nelson " and " Northampton ", two of our
most powerful battleships of the day. The
tug-boat in attendance then towed the
" Sheila " to the quay under the shears, to
take on board her masts and yards ; and
after the usual ceremony and speeches in the
builders' private office, the company dis-
persed.
The ship's name " Sheila " was derived
from the name of the heroine in William
Black's novel "The Princess of Thule," a
book much in vogue about that time. It
also fitted in with the names of the firm's
ships, the final letter of which ended in A.
The " Sheila " was designed on the com-
bined lines and models of the celebrated tea
clippers, "Sir Launcelot," "Thermopylae,"
" Taeping," " John R. Worcester," " Cutty
Sark," " Duke of Abercorn," " Ailsa," and
" Jura," so the " Sheila " ought to be able
to move along. The " Ailsa," a composite,
and the " Jura ", an iron ship, had previously
been built by Messrs. Connell for the firm,
and proved exceedingly fast as coolie carriers ;
now the order was to build the " Sheila,"
and the " Brenda ", and excel these two
former ships — an acknowledged difficult job,
but the builders were put on their mettle,
and given carte-blanche.
But in the coolie carrying trade, as the
ships are Indian Government controlled,
they do not leave port in fleets, as did the
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 17
tea clippers from China, but usually only one
or two at a time, so that there is not so much
public excitement in their competitive pas-
sages. Private persons are not interested in
their cargo ventures to give them publicity ;
but as a fact the very fastest of the tea
clippers, being built with a view of cargo
carrying, could not compete with the coolie
carrying ships for all round speed. Cargo
capacity with them was only a secondary
consideration.
B
CHAPTER III.
" If you require a particular type of anything, and
cannot obtain it ready made, you must perforce
evolve it, build it to your requirements — and pay
for it."
The writer, of the firm's composite Barque
" Mora," lately home from a Japan voyage,
was early sent to Glasgow, to superintend the
building and equipment of the ship ; and
let me say here in passing, and for myself,
the job was no sinecure. It was supposed
to be considered a great honour that I should
be picked out and chosen from amongst all
the other captains of the firm, although I was
not the senior for promotion. Well, perhaps
it was an honour — let it stand at that — but
I earned all the honour. In the first place
in Glasgow and on the Clyde in the winter
time, to be out in all its vagaries of weather,
was no great catch ; for when it wasn't rain-
ing, it would be snowing, and sometimes both
together, with a temperature below zero and
a gale of wind thrown in as well. And in my
job there could be no shirking ; I had to be
on the spot to see to everything all day, and
write full reports to the owners, which took
up all my evenings, and woe to me if I omitted
anything or made an error. I have even
now the correspondence, as I always took
press copies of my letters, and sometimes I
look at them — and smile. Those blessed
clerks in the lyiverpool office seemed to have
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 19
but little else to do save worry me with their
" potty " letters ; I sometimes thought they
detailed one especially for the job.
After the launch, the hull having been
towed under the shears, I engaged my three
executive officers to assist me regarding the
rigging — a most important job, as the two
previous ships launched, after sailing, had
been towed back to the Clyde dismasted,
before they were clear of the Channel, and
they were not nearly so heavily rigged pro-
portionately as the " Sheila."
There was one good rule (and a very good
rule too) with the firm. It was a somewhat
difficult job for an outsider to get an appoint-
ment with them as Captain ; but having
obtained it, you were trusted, and on the
other side they held you responsible in every-
thing. They neither directly nor indirectly
interfered with you in your choice of officers
or crew, and would not allow the marine
superintendent even to interfere in that
direction ; so all the officers and crew knew
that the Captain was Master.
For my chief officer I engaged Mr. George
Caie, of Aberdeen, a man about my own age ;
he was late of the ship " St. Enoch ", and
left that ship to pass as master. He was a
splendid officer, in the strictest acceptation
of that term ; he was in after life for many
years a Captain in the Allan line of steamers,
but he has told me since he always kept a soft
place in his heart for the " Sheila."
For my second officer I had Edward
Drake, of Liverpool, as third officer Samuel
20 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
Hearn, of Dartmourh (late of the ship " Brit-
tish Navy "). Both of the latter officers had
sailed with me before, and that is a sufficient
character, as I also was somewhat hard to
please.
Their first duty was to satisfy them-
selves with everything as to the rigging and
gear, not to be afraid to criticise, and call my
attention to anything doubtful ; it was of the
first importance to see that the eyes of the
rigging were driven well down on to the mast-
heads, and well set up, and that everything
supplied by the builders and sub-contractors,
was in accordance with the specification, and
of the highest quality.
When the masts were stepped and yards
aloft, we towed up the Clyde to her loading
berth in Bridgetown, Glasgow, decorated
with flags, rainbow fashion ; and when all the
items of the specifications were on board,
we were paid an official visit from the firm's
marine superintendent. Captain Harrison,
from Liverpool, and Mr. Connell. Now, I
must say here in passing, that the specifi-
cation we had to work from of requisitions
from the contractors was a compendious
work, undertaken by the owners in Liverpool ;
and was the result of experience gained from a
great number of former transactions of like
nature, also hints given by others of like
experience. It was especially the work of
Captain Harrison, and was supposed to ex-
haust all the requirements both as to items,
quality and quantity. But the old gentleman
in his dry old way was a bit fond of leg-
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 21
pulling, so he first asked Mr. Caie, if there
was anything omitted or short of require-
ments. No, he didn't think there was any-
thing omitted, but he would like to have three
more " shufSes " if you please. " Three more
shuffles ? " repeats Captain Harrison, " you
mean three more shovels, don't you ? "
" Yes, sir, shuffles," again said Caie. " Don't
you mean shovels ? " " Yes, shuffles," said
Caie ; and so they went on. At last Captain
Harrison gave up the contest and laughed.
After he had gone, Caie turned to the second
officer, Drake, and asked : " Why did Captain
Harrison laugh like that ? "
" Enough to make anybody laugh, to
hear you two sparring like that." " But
why ? " said Caie. " Because you said to
Captain Harrison you would like three more
shuffles, meaning shovels." " Yes, I know,
I did say shuffles," and Drake also laughed.
On the passage Caie would often come out
with " but why did Captain Harrison laugh? ' '
until one day I took him in hand and asked
him to spell the two words which he did,
and replied : "I can see it now." But I am
not so sure.
Captain Harrison also tried a dig at me
with, " Now, Capt'n Angel, is there anything
more you would like, that the specification
does not cover ? "
" Yes," I replied, " I should like to have
a branding-iron with the ship's name on it."
" Humph ! " said the old gentleman. I
got that iron — and, enpassant, him also . . .
22 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
and that omission was inserted in future
specifications.
Messrs. Connell had a dupHcate ship to
the " Sheila " (to be called the " Brenda ")
building in the same yard, to be launched three
months later ; so up to the time of my leaving
Glasgow I had also to look after that one,
in the interest of the firm.
CHAPTER IV.
My Darkik Cook's Wedding.
On moving ship to Glasgow to load, I sent
to Liverpool for my steward, and cook, to
join up — both " black men," the steward,
James, born in Jamaica, and the cook a
Barbadian. Both had sailed with me for the
last five years and were very faithful.
The following is what Captain Harrison
relates of a conversation he had with my cook
in Liverpool.
" Ah, Cook, I hear that you are going to
re-join your old Captain in his new ship."
" Yes, sah, no can leave Capt'n Angel."
" And is it true. Cook, you have just been
married ? "
'* Yes, sah, last Saturday."
" And who is the bride. Cook ? I have
heard she is a white girl ? "
" Yes, sah, she is a white girl. Her
mother, sah, is a very respectable woman,
sah, she sell fish in Cleveland market, sah.
We kept the wedding up in style, sah ; was
married in St. Michael's Church, Pitt Street ;
wife dressed in white with bridal veil and
bunch of flowers. Had four coaches. De
company invited was four coloured ladies,
and three white women ; three coloured
genl'mens and four white chaps. Had a big
spread after the ceremony in the house ; lots
to eat and drink. Capt'n Angel he gave me
24 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
four bottles of port wine, and the steward
he gave me plenty of rum, and then there was
beer.
After the dinner, sah, when the things
were cleared away, the ladies commenced to
sing, and one coloured lady she sang a beauti-
ful song, all about a — a — a blue bird — ^was it
about a blue bird ? or about a blue fish
a-wriggling on the hook ? It was all right at
first, sah, quite all right, until the white
chaps drank the rum and pitched into the
wine that was intended for de ladies and
drank that ; then they started in and mixed
their drinks by going for de beer. Then they
wanted to kiss all round, and wanted to
kiss the bride. I wasn't going to stand that,
so I egspostulated, and I wanted to put one
white chap out of the window into the street ;
but unfortunately we was in a back room, so
he went into the court, and — and cussed.
So I had to call in a policeman, as the other
white trash interfered ; so I put 'em all out.
Except that, sah, everything passed off all
right, sah."
Also there now joined seven apprentice-
midshipmen (first voyagers), Thorn, Mac-
kenzie, Weldon, Gardener, Wilson, Tanner
and Beresford, bound to the firm for four
years. Their people paid a premium for them,
which was returned to the boys in two years
as pay.
Now, as I wish this book to appeal to all
boys that have the call of the sea in their
blood as I had, before I describe my experi-
ences, and to point out that the terrors of a
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA " 25
sea life, as sometimes depicted in so-called
sea novels, are as a rule very much over-
drawn. There are hardships incidental ; but
what cares a courageous boy for that ? I
did not ! There are the compensations of a
glorious sea life, and the visits to places all
over the world to make up for it ; and that
latter is what principally drew me to a sea
life. I think on my two voyages to Venice I
explored every Church, Palace and public
building in the place, and the same with all
the other places I went to in my voyaging.
Now, my boys were good average young-
sters, no collymodels amongst them ; they
were kept well to their work, and did it well,
and were taught their profession to fit them
to become officers in due time. They were
berthed in a deck cabin by themselves, but
in all else fared the same as the crew, which
was not bad, as the firm's ships were noted
for being supplied with the best provisions
and stores that money could buy. The only
difference made was, the men were allowed
frequent tots of rum — the boys never. Their
duties now were to help get all the stores,
provisions, etc., on board, to check with the
boatswain, steward and cook, and to see that
all the items of the specifications in those
departments were duly carried out. That
kept them busy to start with, besides giving
them an insight into all things connected
with a ship and her fitments — a truly com-
pendious affair — but they all worked like
Trojans.
CHAPTER V,
" And I have loved thee, Ocean ! and my joy
Of youthful sports was on thy breast to be
Borne, like bubbles onward ; from a boy
I wanton'd with thy breakers, they to me
Were a delight ; and if the freshening sea
Made them a terror, 'twas a pleasing fear,"
Byron.
Now, as I have introduced a lot of others to
the readers I had better finish by introducing
the Captain of this proud ship, prefacing my
remarks by illustrating what determination
can do, when you keep a goal in view.
I was born in Plymouth, a younger son
of — at that time — a large family ; my father
was a shipmaster owning his late command,
who had sold out and retired from the sea.
He gave me a good education at two schools,
Glanvilles, and Rattenbury's (old Plymoth-
ians will remember them). At the time of
which I am writing, from various causes,
our once large family was reduced to only a
sister and myself ; and both my father and
mother did all they could do, in their endeav-
our to dissuade me from going to sea. My
mother, especially, grieved when she saw that
I was bent on going ; they would put me to
anything if I would otherwise choose. But
no ! it was evident that the salt sea blood of
my ancestors on both sides of the family was
in my veins, and I was never happier than
when I was assuredly risking my life in boats,
small craft, or in fact anything that would
THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEII.A " 27
float. I wasn't particular, and many a mess
I got into. My poor mother, in her pride
in her only surviving boy, used to dress me
up in Eton jacket, white trousers, and tall
silk hat. One Sunday I was sent off to school
in that rig — but I preferred the joy of going to
" Marrow-bone sHp," where a Quebec timber
ship had been discharging, to tread timber
(if you know what that means) . In doing so,
however, a plaguey baulk turned over with
me and let me down, one arm to the shoulder
and one leg to the hip, into the black mud ;
and in falling, my blessed hat jerked off my
head and got jambed. After that was re-
trieved and a scrape down in general, I had
to walk for over a mile to m.y home through
some of the prmcipal streets of Plymouth —
and on a Sunday, too ! That is only a sample
of my escapades. ... I deserved and ought
to have had a good thrashing, but do you
think that they would thrash me, or touch
me in anger ? Oh, dear, no ; they had a
better method than that for subduing me ;
but that was a climax — it even had a sobering
effect upon me. ... So I took a stool in a
merchant's office as junior clerk, but I
grieved — grieved — and fretted over it ; and
the only thing that kept me alive was the
frequent times I could get away to my be-
loved boats. But I was watched all the time ;
and in the end my father took a passive view
of the matter and told my mother that she
had better consent to my taking up with a
sea life, " To keep me from getting drowned,"
as he put it. He wouldn't positively help me
28 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII^A "
by getting me bound apprentice, in the hope
that a voyage or two roughing it would
disillusion me, and make me more amenable.
But as the sequel will prove, it did not ; and I
must here say that in all my after life, I never
met with anything but loving kindness from
them. Their home was my home, in its truest
sense, until in due time I started in that line
myself. Also, that I never cost them one
penny piece from that time onward.
Now, to commence. My first venture
on my own was as " Cook and ordinary sea-
man combined " in a collier schooner in the
coasting trade, at eleven shillings per month
wages. I had to work the cargo, as well as
cook, in port ; and keep regular watch and
watch at sea. I stood that from mere stub-
bornness lor several short voyages, that it
should not be said that I funked it. I must
say not for the love of that sort of thing.
But the end came when an old sailor, who had
been in the craft for more than fifteen years,
went for me, and gave me a rope-ending —
because, as he said, I had wilfully knocked
the bottom out of his favourite saucepan,
that was in the craft when he joined her.
Anyway, and otherwise, the job wasn't good
enough ; so I left.
Next I shipped on board another craft as
O.S. at ONE POUND a month; and at
Dort, (Holland), on a Sunday whilst visiting
a farm, I was given some milk to drink, with
the result that I was nearly brought down to
death's door with an attack of typhoid fever.
The Captain, with his limited means, was
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 29
most kind, and got me home to Plymouth
somehow. I had a near call, but slowly re-
covered under my mother's care ; and in my
convalescence I studied hard under Mr.
Merrifield (one of his first pupils) and mastered
the theory of navigation and nautical as-
tronomy thoroughly — in fact, towards the
end, I was paid and taught it to the students
at the Academy. But it was " not good
enough," though that period of studying was a
splendid thing for me ; and I always fancy
that having had such a sickness, the brain
was clearer and more receptive — anyway, I
seemed to grasp all the problems with the
greatest ease, and what I learned at that time,
was of the greatest use to me in after life.
After leaving Merrifield's, I made two
voyages to Venice in a Cornish schooner, at
twenty-five shillings a month ; then two
voyages to South America as A.B. in a brig,
but that also was " not good enough."
So at nineteen, having by this time
completed my four years' sea time, I passed
in Plymouth as second mate, and went to
London to look for a berth—" THE WORLD
MINE OYSTER." I first got a berth as third
ofiicer in the ship " Phoebe Dunbar," but
for two reasons, did not go to sea in her ;
one was, it seemed I got the berth through
an agency (or they said they were agents),
who wanted me to pay a commission, which I
would not and could not do, another and more
determining factor being that, as third officer
in those days, time served in that capacity
did not count for passing. So, ' ' it wasn't good
30 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
enough," I left again and joined as second
mate the " Primula," a large barque bound
for Adelaide, South Australia, with a general
cargo. On the coast she loaded wool and
copper dross bound for London ; but on the
passage, when about half way between New
Zealand and Cape Horn, we collided with an
iceberg, smashing in our port bow from the
covering board down. Fortunately the worst
of the damage was above water, but we had a
narrow escape from sinking, as tons and tons
of ice came on board over the bows and slid
along the deck.
The accident occurred just as the watch
was being relieved at midnight, and it was as
dark as Erebus. All hands commenced to
discharge, and to throw the bales of wool over-
board out of the fore hatch, and w^e did not
stop until we had so disposed of more than
one thousand bales, and about fifty tons of
copper dross. This brought the ship well up
by the head out of the water ; fortunately it
was an unusually fine spell of weather for
the locality. We were able, with a great
amount of risk, to rig a stage over the side
and caulk the worst places with wool, nailing
canvas patches over as we proceeded ; and
we succeeded at the end in nailing a tar-
paulin, heavily thrummed with wool, over
all, with battens over all again, we should
have liked to do m.ore, but our supply of
nails gave out, although we robbed Peter to
pay Paul. The ship was leaking heavily all
the time. In discharging all out of the fore
end, we had brought the ship ten feet by the
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 31
stern ; and as we could not attempt to steer
or manage the ship in such trim, we had to
take the wool out of the right aft, and re-stow
it right forward, which was all of a job to do.
In the end we had to be content with a trim
of four feet by the stern, and twenty-five
days after the accident, we limped into
Taicuhano Bay, a port in Southern Chili, at
the time used principally as a station for
Yankee whalers. It was a narrow escape
for the " Primula," and all on board her, as
for one thing we never sighted a craft aU the
way between Australia and Taicuhano. We
never saw a bit of ice before or after the
iceberg we collided with — and we didn't see
even that one, as the collision occurred at
black mid-night, as I have said ; but we had
undoubted evidence in the immense blocks
of ice on the main deck in the morning. In
Taicuhano Bay we remained a long time
effecting repairs, which were at best only
temporary, as the local means were very
limited ; we had to charter a sailing cutter
and send her to Valparaiso for timber, etc.,
and had to ask assistance from the whaling
ship's coopers before the job was completed.
After re-stowing the cargo, we left, and finally
reached L^ondon in just over a twelve months'
voyage.
Then at twenty I passed as first mate at
Plymouth, and going one voyage to the West
Indies in a brig as chief, and two voyages to
Brazils, I thus completed my twelve months'
time, so I again passed at Plymouth — this
time as Master at twenty-one.
32 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
And now I was fairly on my legs, and
ready and willing to take command of any
old thing that offered for a start.
My first chance was to take charge of the
brig "Maid of the Mill," lying in Pickle
Herring tier in London river and take her
to Cardiff with a cargo of moulding sand.
From that port I made a voyage to Bari,
Gallipoli, and Taranto in Italy, and back to
Hull with a cargo of olive oil. She was an
ugly, leaky old craft, but never mind — she
was my first command, and I was proud of
her. But the end came, as all things do :
one of the big Wilson S.S.s fell foul of us
when docking in Hull, and did considerable
damage ; they held a survey and paid a lump
sum by way of compensation. The repairs
ought to have been effected in Hull, but no,
the orders to me were to effect temporary
repairs in Hull and bring the vessel round to
Cardiff, as she had run off her class, and it
could all be done together. In endeavouring
to get the old craft to Cardiff where she be-
longed, via Brest with coals, she leaked so
badly on the passage that the crew mutinied,
and forced me to put into Dover, where the
coals were sold and the voyage abandoned.
We then took in chalk as ballast, engaged a
crew of runners, and tried again ; the worst
of it was, that while in harbour she made no
water, but when at sea labouring, she leaked
as badly as ever. We got along to within
twenty miles of Lundy Island, saw the light,
when we were caught in a hard South East
gale, and the old craft leaked terribly ; the
THE CXIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 33
pumps could not keep the water down;
finally it rose above the skin forward, and
we had to bail with buckets as well as pump.
But it was of no avail, the water got amongst
the chalk — ^which was mostly mud in the
first place — and shifted the whole lot, which
went swish, swashing in the hold, and I had
to keep the ship dead before the wind to
prevent her capsizing, which she was very
much inclined to do. And so, helplessly, we
drifted across the Irish Sea, without sighting
a solitary craft to help us in our distress. I
was endeavouring all I knew how, to man-
oeuvre so as to make Queenstown ; but every
time I shifted the helm to that effect, over
she would go, my liquid cargo would surge
out of the main hatch-way, and we would
have an awful job to get her once more off
before the wind. At last we sighted the land
of the old Head of Kinsale, right ahead, and
we let go both anchors, which dragged, and
finally landed the ship on the rocks, not far
from the lighthouse, a helpless wreck. We
managed to save our lives in the boat, by
landing in Courtmasherry bay — and so ends
that voyage.
But it was a narrow escape, and as all
this experience occurred from the 16th to the
18th of January, all hands on deck all the
time, in bitterly cold weather, we were all
wet, cold and miserable.
My next command was the brig " Souv-
enir " ; in her I went twice to Brazils — a
somewhat better craft than my last, but not
too much to boast about. I had a lot of
C
34 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA "
trouble with her ; she was badly found in
gear, made up with odds and ends for cheap-
ness sake. My principal bother was, that all
her lower rigging of rope had been condemned
(you may depend because it was thoroughly
worn out) and replaced with wire, but the fore-
topmast and topgallant backstays were still
of rope, and not yet condemnable in the
owner's eyes, who declared thai they had to
remain. The consequences were that in strong
winds — ^the wire lower rigging being, as is
the nature of wire, not so stretchable as rope —
I lost a foretopmast every passage regularly,
and got quite drilled by the frequency of it.
But finally, in running up the Bristol Channel
bound to Cardiff, just as I was rounding
Lavarnock Head in a squall, down came a
foretopmast again ; and on landing I came
across the owner and gave him a piece of my
mind, which he did not like. He did not give
me the push — ^but I left. It was " not good
enough."
Then I took command of the Barque
" John Peile," loading in Glasgow for Callao,
(getting on, you see) ; a good little craft,
but we had a bad time of it off Cape Horn,
being driven back three times. After we
got back to the point the second time, it
turned out a beautiful day, the 25th of June —
the northern midsummer day, but mid- winter
there ; the sun did not rise until 11 a.m. and
set again at 1 p.m., but it was a glorious full
moon. We had a light wind from, the north,
right off the land, and smooth sea, so we luffed
up close to Cape Horn point at noon, and
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 35
fired rifle bullets clean at the rock, at not
more than two hundred feet distance ; we
could hear them pinging as they struck.
There are not many that can say they have
had a like experience in the dead of a Cape
Horn winter. On our homeward passage,
we were o:ff the pitch of the Cape on Christmas
Day — ^six months afterwards — we had fine
weather, as far as that goes, and passed within
a mile then, but there was a heavy sea run-
ning ; then we had the midnight sun in all its
glory, and it was well up above the horizon at
midnight.
But on the outward passage I am men-
tioning, after passing the Horn so pleasantly,
we were not out of the woods so easily after
all.
The next day we again got a slap in the
face. It blew heavily from the N.N.W.,
which soon brought us down to storm canvas
head reaching, and with the current against
us, once more we sighted Staten Island before
we stopped. Such it is off the Horn. Finally,
after it had been blowing a gale for several
days, with the usual enormous sea, about ten
o'clock at night the wind suddenly shifted to
S.B., a strong gale but a fair wind. I was not
going to miss a chance like this presented, to
make westing after the rebuffs we had lately
experienced, so we squared away. We at first
had on only the two lower topsails and fore
topmast staysail, so now, I thought, I could
set the foresail ; but the N.W. sea was very-
heavy from the late gale, and she went into it
head on — Good Oh ! — ^putting her bows clean
36 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
under to the foremast. All hands were on the
poop, so we could not see what was going on
at that end ; all slept aft that night, as it
was dangerous to go forward ; but when the
morning came and the combers of the head
sea had given place to the S.E. sea that was
now running with us, the men went again to
their quarters, and found that in driving so
hard into the head sea, she had started the
overhang cutwater. The head rails had
evidently been carried away, and the figure
head of " John Peile " was looking aft at an
angle of forty-five degrees, or just tucked
under the starboard cat-head, and in that
condition it had to remain until we arrived
back home in Liverpool, as all the means we
could apply could not straighten it again,
unless we cut the heavy bolts that held all
the cut- water together. She looked very
quaint for the rest of the voyage, but it was
no harm to the ship, so that was all right.
But the S.E. wind carried us round the
cape and en route to Callao we passed close
to Juan Fernandez, the reputed home of
Robinson Qm^oo.— which it was not, by a
long way.
After discharging at Callao I found
myself in a bit of a fix. It was just at the
time when the Chincia Island guano deposit
had pinched out, and there were upwards of
one thousand large ships lying at anchor in the
various ports waiting for the Peruvian Govern-
ment to shift their gear to the Gunappe
Islands. As is usual, they took their own time
about it ; and as no one would charter me,
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 37
I was at first afraid I should perforce have
to take in ballast, and sail across the Pacific
to the Phillipine Islands seeking a cargo, or
as an alternative round the Horn again to
Barbadoes. Several vessels had individually
done the both, but that spelled ruin financi-
ally. However, I was saved for a better fate.
I went to Lima to consult my agent, when he
introduced me to a German merchant, with
whom I made up a bargain — and a good one
too for me — that I was to proceed to four
ports to the north of Callao — ^Malabrigo,
Pacasmayo, Huanchaco, and Cheripe — and
take on board a cargo of chancaca sugar, etc.,
originally destined for Valparaiso (but the
market there was down) ; I was to keep it on
board for a lump sum per month, and if on
completion of loading I had not by that time
received orders to the contrary, I was to
proceed to Liverpool, at a further lump sum.
The latter eventuated. This German, it was
said, had been reading a book, where it had
been prophesied that an immense tidal wave
was going to sweep along the northern
Peruvian coast on a certain date and drown
all the land ; he was afraid for his sugar, and
he wanted it shipped so that he could cover
the risk by insurance, which was the reason
he chartered me, as being the smallest ship
available. Very kind of him indeed ; but
anyway it made for me a good paying freight,
when otherwise it would have spelled ruin,
as I have already said. Chancaca, as it was
shipped at that time, was queer stuff ; it was
large cakes of sugar baked ag hard as toffee,
38 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
about one hundred and fifty pounds in weight,
and very sweet. We shipped it practically in
bulk.
It was the first cargo imported into
Iviverpool in that state, and the Customs made
no end of fuss about it — something about
illegal package. Their red tape books said that
sugar was only to be imported into the United
Kingdom in barrels, boxes or bags, and that
the bags were not to exceed a certain weight ;
there was no mention of bulk, so in the end the
only way that they would allow it to be
landed was that the whole cargo had to be
bagged in the hold and roughly weighed there,
so that the bags should not exceed the maxi-
mum weight allowed.
My crew all the way home had a high old
time — it seemed as if they mostly fed on
toffee. It was amusing to see them come aft
to the wheel with their monkey jacket pockets
full of nice little knobs. " For thou canst
not muzzle the ox, etc."
I arrived home in Liverpool in the
" John Peile " in March, 1870, and when the
cargo was discharged I left that ship. Again —
" not good enough."
Immediately after, I joined the employ
of Messrs. Sandbach, Tinne, & Co.— GOOD
ENOUGH THIS TIME— by taking command
of their barque, " Hesper " in the Demerara
trade, vice Captain Robb, remaining behind
in Liverpool to take command of a large ship
the firm had purchased on passage to arrive
in London. But the ship on going up the
Channel struck on the Verne sand, and was
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 39
so seriously damaged the firm would not take
delivery ; so when I arrived back in Liverpool
I was superseded again by Captain Robb. The
firm expressed themselves as sorry that they
had no other craft available to offer me ; but
about a week afterwards they asked me if I
would take command of the " Christabel,"
to oblige friends of theirs — ^Messrs. R. Glad-
stone & Co. — for one voyage to Demerara,
to allow the Captain to remain home a voyage,
he being ill. This I did ; and as a coincidence
I left Liverpool just one week later than the
" Hesper," but we arrived at Demerara side
by side. When I landed in the " Hesper's "
boat the good folks in Georgetown stared,
and wanted to know if both of us were Cap-
tains of the " Hesper."
On my arrival back again in Liverpool
on New Year's Day, I was again superseded
by Captain Martin, and I was now properly
out of a berth. But I was rather glad of a
rest, as I had led rather a strenuous life to
date ; and there was another good and suffi-
cient reason — I had married on arrival home
in the " John Peile " from Peru. But I soon
got a nomination through Captain Paton, one
of the managers of the P.S.N. Co.'s Mail
Steamers, as a junior officer to commence —
the usual thing in those days ; I must wait
my turn, and in the m^eanwhile it was a
sine-que-non that I must pass and obtain a
steam certificate through the Board of Trade.
This I did ; but in the meantime a chance
came along again to go back in Sandbach,
Tinne & Co.'s employ, in command of their
40 THE ClylPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
celebrated old ship " Sandbach " in the
Demerara trade. I did not hesitate, as going
into steam in a junior capacity after being so
long in command was — once again — " not
good enough."
I remained in command of the " Sand-
bach " until that wonderful old frigate-built
ship attained fifty years of age, and became
also obsolete owing to her great draught of
water for crossing Demerara bar. In her
younger days, they used to send off lighters
to complete her loading whilst at anchor near
the bar lightship, ten miles to sea, but the
present low range of freights prohibited that.
But although fifty years old, she was
still sound and good. The firm from a senti-
mental point of view, would not sell, but
handed her over to Messrs. Clover & Clayton,
of Birkenhead, to be broken up, and a lot
of her remains were given to interested parties
as mementoes, and by the recipients made
into souvenirs. She was a fully rigged frigate
build ship, the same style of craft as the school
ship " Conway," moored in the Mersey — only
of course, a toy comparatively as to size,
being only four hundred and thirty-five
tons register, or six hundred tons burthen.
In her palmy days she was one of the grand
ships of the Mersey, carried a letter of marque
and was armed, and manned to take care of
herself against all and sundry, sea-rovers,
buccaneers, pirates, and King's enemies gener-
ally. It is said that she was the first ship to be
fitted with, and to trust entirely to chain
cables, instead of rope hawsers ; she was con-
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 41
sequently fitted with a windlass, instead of a
capstan and messengers, and was also the first
ship fitted with iron caps to her masts and
bowsprit. She must have been a dandy in
those good old days. It is historical that the
bells of St. Nicholas church were rung when
she arrived back safe in the Princes dock ;
and in Demerara she was equally honoured,
in that a representation of the old ship is
perpetuated on their postage stamps.
From the " Sandbach " I was appointed
to the command of the composite barque
" Mora," a fine craft, in which I made four
voyages to Demerara and a long one to Japan
loaded with locomotives, and iron railway
bridgework — a nasty cargo to handle. I had
to discharge at several ports (some of them
non-treaty) and as the whole cargo was inex-
tricably mixed, the irony used to be that
the portion required, at whichever port I
happened to be, was most usually buried under
most of the other cargo ; we had consequently
to fill up the decks to get at what was wanted.
I was glad to see the last of that cargo, and
get back to Yokohama again, where I loaded
a cargo of tea for New York, and from that
port loaded a cargo of cotton for Liverpool.
This chapter of retrospect brings my
history up to the date of the " Sheila." Let
me say here and now, that I may not be
charged with blowing my own trumpet too
mucib, I have merely stated facts, and I
leave the reader to judge me. I had no
influential friends to push me on. But I got
there all the same.
42 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
And you can trust a hardbitten Liverpool
marine superintendent, to find out quickly,
the capabilities or otherwise of any Captain,
and to make short shift of him if in any way
deficient. They require men of sterling value
to work their ships, from a profit point of view
as merchantmen ; to that end it is dividends,
dividends, with no sentimentality about the
matter, and if a man is allowed to stay on
and makes long service, it is because they see
his value to them. And that is all. Further,
amongst Liverpool shipowners there is this
Camaradirie, if you offend one, you offend
the whole, no written characters are given,
so say good-bye to Liverpool, that is, so far as
anything worth while is concerned.
For myself, I had a good sound nautical
education, a receptive memory, and was a
teetotaller and non-smoker, though broad-
minded as to both. I was an abstainer simply
because I didn't like either. But I was a
voracious reader, reading any and every sort
of book that came to hand ; it is all good
education, and educational books are the
best of all.
I was superseded in my command of the
" Mora " by my chief officer Mr. Yarker
(on my recommendation). That was another
good trait of the firm ; although as I have
already stated, they never interfered wdth their
Captains in their choice of officers, they
required the Captains to send home a report
of their officers on a printed form after every
passage, which w^as registered in the head
office. On my leaving the " Mora " for
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 48
Glasgow, our Mr. Mackenzie, the firm's
master cooper, a noted jokist, made this pun
upon our surnames when we had a parting
shake of the hand as I was leaving the old
ship for the new one : " Oh, no Mora'n
Angel— Mora Yarker."
CHAPTER VI.
The " Sheila's " Cargo.
" Whosoever commands the Sea, oommands the trad»,
"Whosoever commands the trade of the world.
Commands the riches of the world,
And consequently the world itself."
Sir Walter Rai^eigh — 1 6th Century.
The " Sheila " was chartered by Messrs.
Kerr, Newton & Co. to load a general " Dry
goods cargo " at Glasgow for Calcutta, on a
guaranteed dead weight carrying capacity.
That was a mistake the powers that be made
in Liverpool. You cannot have it both ways ;
a clipper built ship to make her a clipper,
must have her under body cut away into a
great rise of floor, like a racing yacht, with a
sharp bow and clean run, to induce speed,
against the alternative flat bottom, bluff bow,
and thick run, of a weight carrier.
The " Sheila " was the former, and as the
definition of a Glasgow " dry goods cargo "
resolves itself into a cargo mostly composed
of pig iron and bricks, there was no difficulty
in putting the ship down in the water. I was
entirely in the dark as to how to dispose the
weights (I found by experience, and to my
sorrow, the weights were placed a long way
too low) that wanted to test the sailing quali-
ties and weatherliness of the ship to the ut-
most, and how she would stand driving ;
en passant, experience proved that she could
stand driving better than I anticipated.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 45
The ship having been loaded down to her
marks, and having from time to time, as" I
came across good men, engaged a carpenter,
boatswain, engineer, and sailmaker, we left
Glasgow at noon on Saturday, the 4th of
March, and towed to the Gareloch to adjust
compasses, Lord Kelvin, then Sir William
Thomson, Scotland's grand old man, was
with us, accompanied by his assistant ; we
being the first ship fitted with his celebrated
compass, he wished to adjust it himself. It
was late in the afternoon before the ship was
moored, so he did nothing that day ; but
the next day being Sunday and very fine
weather, he kept himself very busy with all
sorts of scientific instruments he had brought
with him, and his attendant man, Malcolm,
also very busy with the chronometer times
for his various problems.
Of course it goes without saying, the
intercourse we had with Sir William was an
intellectual treat. He was most kind, and
patiently explained everything we wanted to
know, in those two long evenings he spent
with us on board the " Sheila " ; he especially
delighted to talk on steller subjects to the
ladies on board (my wife and Mrs. Caie the
chief officer's wife) . Of course on electric and
magnetic subjects he was profoundly learned ;
he said that those elements were as yet com-
paratively speaking unknown quantities —
you had to conceive what you wanted electri-
city to do, set to, and compel that element to
respond, and then harness it, and so long as
you dared it, there was no finality. Also, as
46 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
to the world ; given a crucible big enough,
and acid sufficient, the whole world could be
resolved back again into its former constituent
gasses, as the world was in its making, and as
other worlds are now in the making. Of
course you may be sure, with an enquiring
mind like mine, I made all possible use of my
chance ; Sir William, like all really great men,
from a domestic point of view, was delightful
company, full of fun and repartee, and I only
wished that he had been making the voyage
with me.
On the next day, Monday, the serious
business of swinging the ship to adjust the
compasses, by the aid of a tug, and a compass
fixed on a tripod on shore, was proceeded with;
and when finished we towed out of the loch
and anchored off the Tail of the Bank, Green-
ock, to await our crew. Sir William pointed
out his schooner yacht at her winter moorings
in Roseneath Bay ; he said he had enjoyed
himself on board, it being a great holiday for
him. On leaving he presented me with an
Azimuth mirror, worth five pounds, his
latest invention, but he cautioned me that
he had not yet protected it by patent, so I
was not to show it to anyone until I v/as at sea.
As soon as the anchor was dropped at 3 p.m.,
a boat was seen pulHng hard for the ship
from the direction of Greenock, containing his
nephew, in a great state of excitement. Sir
William was due to deliver an important
lecture at Edinburgh that evening, so at the
last the farewell was a hurried one. I have
often wondered if he got to Edinburgh from
Greenock in time.
THE GI.IPPBR SHIP " SHABIL " 47
Arrangements had been made on board
to accommodate the first Berthon collapsible
boat, twenty-eight feet in length, but as it did
not arrive in time, it was put on board the
" Jura," another of the firm's ships.
Whilst at the Tail of the Bank, Mr.
Connell and his draughtsman, paid us a visit
of inspection ; he said how satisfied he was
with all we had done, and gave us a final
caution about looking well to the rigging
and lanyards. I pointed out to him the lot
of tackles and strops in readiness. On a
question arising of steam versus sail as a
means of propulsion, he said that it would take
engines of two hundred and fifty nominal
horse power to drive the " Sheila " ten knots,
three hundred horse power for thirteen knots,
three hundred and seventy-five horse power
for fifteen knots, and four hundred horse power
for sixteen knots. He also said, " She is a
ship of the best ; you have no throttle valve,
as in a steamer, but give it to her for all she is
worth, and act with judgment all the while.
Any fool can drive a ship until he drove the
spars out of her ; give her as much as she can
carry with safety, and save the spars to make
a passage with."
The time now came for the Mate to say
good-bye to his wife, and she landed with
Mr. Connell at Greenock. My wife, making
the voyage with me, remained on board. We
were to sail, all being well, in the morning.
CHAPTER VII.
"Is she not beautiful ? reposing there.
On her own shadow, with her white wings fvurled,
Moveless, as in the sunny air.
Rests the meek swan, in her own quiet world.
Is she not beautiful ? Her graceful bow.
Triumphant rising o'er the enamoured tides,
That glittering in the noon-day sunbeam now
Just leap and die, along her poUshed sides."
— CarrinGTon.
Ai,i, that day in the Gareloch, and the Tail
of the Bank, the " Sheila " was again gaily-
decorated with flags from flying jibboom-end
to spanker-boom end, over the mast heads,
the house flag (blue, white, blue, vertical)
went to fore truck, a position of honour as
being one of the fleet of I^iverpooi's senior
shipowners ; burgee to main truck ; M.M.S.A.
(Captains) to mizzen ; and ensign to spanker
gaff. No yacht ever looked more beautiful
riding at anchor.
The balance of our crew, the sailors,
were due to arrive by the S.S. " Princess
Royal," from Liverpool at 5 a.m. the next
day. I preferred I^iverpool men to sail with
me, and my instructions to Captain Harrison
were to engage if possible men who had sailed
in the firm's ships before, and any that had
sailed with me, for preference, also to get a
few good shanty men, as nothing so conduces
to good temper, and go, as a good old sea
shanty. In this book I am going to intro-
duce a few of the best that were sung on board
THE CLIPPER SHIP '' SHEILA " 49
the " Sheila " ; it is now only on sailing
ships that such can be heard and both are
rapidly dying out — and a great pity it is —
and my wish is to contribute such as I re-
member to this volume.
It was a rule when any of Sandbach,
Tinne's ships in Liverpool were ready to
engage men, to put a notice to that effect on a
board in the rigging several days beforehand,
and we had no difficulty at any time in
getting the pick of men. The chief officer
took that job on, and held the applicants'
last discharge in trust. And let me say en
passant, I deny the cry of the decadence of the
Briton as a sailor. There is no better man
in the world, if you take the trouble to find
him, and when found treat him as a man ;
but if you do not, and otherwise fill your
forecastles with a heterogenous crowd of
mixed breeds of foreigners and riff-raff, can
you expect a self-respecting Englishman to
consort with such scum ? I always treated
my so-called common sailors as potential
officers doing their time, and there is no
nursery equal to a sea training in a sailing
ship to fit a man for any position of executive
rank in a steamer. He learns nerve, which is
of the first importance, quickness in emer-
gencies, and endurance ; steamship owners
know it (or their marine superintendants
do) , hence the larger companies using a sailing
ship of their own as a training college for
cadets and junior officers, and incidentally
crews as well.
Regarding the slipshod way that used to
D
50 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA "
prevail of engaging crews, and sighting them
only for the first time at the shipping office.
A lusty, big, and apparently good sailor man
holding a V.G. discharge of recent date
would present himself, and be engaged and
sign on ; but on mustering the crew, most
likely after the ship had been towed to sea
from the dock, the men coming on board too
drunk to do it before, a miserable specimen
would turn up and answer to the name, that
was not the man you engaged, but some one
personating him ; (a boarding-master's dead-
beat, as it used to be called).
It was said of a noted Paradise Street
boarding house keeper, that in his back yard
he had a bullock's horn and a ship's wheel
fixed up, and used to instruct his men in the
use of the latter, and get them to walk round
the horn, so that if they were asked, they
could truly say " they " had been round the
Horn more than once, and could do their
trick at the wheel. It was a " trick " right
enough.
On Tuesday the 7th of ]\Iarch, thirty-
eight days after being launched, at 5.30 a.m.,
the steamer, with my crew of sailors, came
alongside, there were fifteen able seamen,
which together with the crew I already had on
board made thirty-two in all ; good, lusty
men, the pick of lyiverpool ; some had sailed
with me before, and most of them in ships of
the firm. The crew of riggers who had already
had a good breakfast and a parting tot of
rum, now went on board the " Princess
Royal " for Glasgow, giving us a lusty cheer
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 51
from the steamer as they left, to which we all
responded. The cook had a heavy breakfast
of beefsteak, onions, and the inevitable boiled
potatoes ready for all hands ; and at 7 o'clock
the tug-boat " Tay " came alongside. We
up anchor by steam windlass and hauled
down the " Blue Peter." The new crew were
shantying in fine style. " Hurrah, we're out-
ward bound," and " Unmooring " as if they
meant it.
Shanty : " Outward Bound."
At the Princes dock we bid adieu to lovely Kate and
pretty Sue ;
Our anchor's weighed, and our sails unfurled,
And we're bound to plough the watery world,
And say we're outward bound. . . . Hurrah, we're
outward bound.
The wind it blows from East-North East,
Our ship she sails twelve knots at least.
Our roaring guns we'll well supply.
And while we have powder we'll never say die.
And say we're outward bound. . . . Hurrah, we're
outward bound.
And when we get to Malibar,
Or some other pt^rt not quite so far.
Our Captain will our wants supply ;
And while we've got grub we will never say die.
And say we're outward bound. . . . Hurrah, we're
outward bound.
Then at last our Captain comes on board.
Our sails are bent, we're manned and stored.
The Blue Peter is hoisted at the fore,
Good-bye to the girls we'll see no more,
And say we're outward bound. . . . Hurrah, we're
outward bound.
52 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
One day the man on the look-out
Proclaims a sail, with a joyful shout.
Can you make her out ? I think I can.
She's the Calcutta pilot brig standing out from the land.
Hurrah, we're outward bound. . . . Hurrah, we're
outward bound.
Now, when we get back to the Princes dock,
The pretty girls will come down in a flock.
One to the others you'll hear them say,
" Oh, here comes Jack, with his ten months' pay.
For I see he's homeward bound," etc.
And when we get to the Cat and Bell,
It's there they've got good liquor to sell.
In comes old Doyle with a smile.
Saying, " Drink, my boys, it's worth your while,
For I see you're homeward bound," etc.
But when the money's all spent.
And there's none to be borrowed, and none to be lent.
In comes old Doyle with a frown,
Saying, " Get up, Jack, let John sit down.
For I see you're outward bound," etc.
Then poor old Jack must understand
There's ships in the dock that's wanting hands.
So he goes to sea as he did before,
And says good-bye to his native shore,
For you see he's outward bound, etc. Chorus.
Shanty : " Unmooring."
" All hands on board," our boatswain cries.
His voice Hke thunder roaring ;
" All hands on board," his mates reply,
'Tis the signal for unmooring.
Then your windlass man, heave your anchor up, and
belay.
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 53
Chorus :
And we'll think of those girls when we're far — far —
away;
And we'll think of those girls when we're far — ^far —
away.
" Go, loose your topsails," next he cries,
" Topgallant sails, and courses,
Your jibs and royals see all clear.
Haul home those sheets, my hearties.
With a brisk and pleasant gale,
We will crowd on all our sail."
Chorus.
" Your anchor's a-peak," now he cries,
" Vast heaving, lads, vast heaving.
Your cat, and fish, now overhaul.
Your windlass nimbly leaving.
Then take heed to your boatswain's call.
And walk away with that cat fall."
Chorus.
Farewell to friends, farewell to foes,
Farewell to dear relations ;
We're bound across the ocean blue,
Bound for foreign stations.
While we cross the raging main.
Old England's flag we will maintain.
Chorus.
I had engaged the tug to tow the
" Sheila " right out of the Channel to the
Tuskar, two hundred and sixty-three miles
away, or at differential rates, if towage was
dispensed with short of that distance ; I
also had a Channel pilot to assist me until
I got clear out into blue water.
54 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
The wind on leaving was S. W. dead ahead
for going down Channel, but fine weather,
so to start with we had no sail on, and I
feared we were in for the long tow ; but when
Hearing Lamlash, fifty-two miles from Green-
och, it drew more to the N.W., so I thought
that I would set a sail or two to assist the tug.
We had only set the lower topsails and two
staysails, not thinking yet about the tug,
when we heard shouting and cries of distress,
with just a suspicion of expletives, and on
looking, we found that the tug boat, instead
of being ahead of us towing, was broad oS
on our port quarter, with the tow rope con-
necting, sagging and skipping in the water
in a great loop between us. We were sailing
faster than the capabilities of the tug to
keep ahead of us, and instead of being towed
we were towing the tug. !
The " Sheila " was showing off thus early.
After doing a deep think, I made up my mind
to drop the tug and set sail, and pull the tow
rope on board, which is quite a job with the
ship going through the water. The usual
thing is in such procedure for the tug to assist,
by keeping ahead and gradually slacking
back, but in this case they let all go on board
the tug and cleared out.
So I set all plain sail, my crew shantying
in grand style, " Good-bye, fare you well,"
and proceeded down the Channel. The wind
held good all the time at N.W., a pleasant
breeze and clear weather.
THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHEIIvA " 55
Shanty : " Good-Bye, Farb You Wei^i,."
O, fare you well, I wish you well. Good-bye, fare you
well ; good-bye, fare you well.
Fare you well, my pretty youug girls ; hoorah, my boys,
we're outward bound.
Don't you hear our old man say,
" We're outward bound this very day ? "
Chorus.
So we're outward bound, and I hear the sound.
So heave up on your capstan, and make it spin round.
Chorus.
Our anchor's weighed, and our sails are set.
And the girls we are leaving we leave with regret.
Chorus.
She's a flash clipper ship, and bound for to go ;
You girls let go her tow rope, you cannot say no.
Chorus.
In actual practice a good shanty man is
one who can, and does, improvise to suit the
occasion.
We let go the tug off Lamlash at 10 a.m. ;
at 4 p.m. we were off South Rock Lightship —
seventy-three miles ; at 8 p.m., off Baily —
one hundred and forty-one miles ; 4 a.m. off
Blackwater Lightship — one hundred and nine-
ty miles ; at 6 a.m. off Tuskar — two hundred
and eight miles ; and at 8 a.m. put the pilot
on board the Conibeg Lightship, two hundred
and twenty-nine miles from Lamlash. It
was a very lucky send off for me, to get thus
so expeditiously out of the narrows of the
Channel ; and after passing Blackwater I
reduced sail, as I did not want to reach the
Conibeg before daylight, to get rid of my pilot.
CHAPTER VIII.
" How beautiful she is ! How fair
She lies within those arms, that press
Her form with many a soft caress.
Of tenderness and watchful care."
" Sail forth into the sea, O ship,
Through wind and wave right onward steer."
— LONGFEI,I,OW.
W'E took our departure at 10 a.m. from the
Conibeg, twenty miles N.W. of us ; and as we
were clear of the land, and the hands had been
on deck all night and wanted a sleep, we pro-
ceeded to pick for watches. The starboard
watch is for the Captain, the port for the
mate ; the carpenter, engineer, sailmaker,
steward and the cook, keep no watch and are
called in sailor's lingo " Idlers." The boat-
swain also keeps no watch, but is supposed to
be always on watch night and day ; he gets
his sleep when he can — he looks after that —
and he is likened to the marines' breeches
on board a war-ship, belonging to all hands.
The chief mate has the first call for his
watch, and as the name is called, his man
steps to port ; the Captain calls, and his man
steps to starboard, and so on until the watch
is chosen. The Captain then makes his
little speech, and the men reply with a cheer ;
the steward pipes all hands " Grog O ! ", the
men respond by \^dping their lips -with the
back of their hands ; and the starboard watch
goes off duty for the afternoon and " turn
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 57
in '* — the expression " going to bed " is never
heard at sea.
The watches are four hours on deck, and
four hours off, until 4 p.m., when there is a
so-called dog-watch of two hours until 6
p.m. and another from 6 to 8 p.m. ; this is
done to alter the time of the watches, as
otherwise the crew would be on watch always
at the same hours.
After the choosing of the watches, the
starboard watch takes the starboard side of
the forecastle, and the port watch the other
side ; the forecastle is divided lengthwise for
that purpose, with a separate door in the front
of the forecastle on to the main deck.
Next comes the turn of the " midshipmen-
apprentices " which hereafter in this book
will be called " the boys," which is the generic
name applicable.
The Captain, like the boatswain, keeps
no general watch, but the starboard watch is
his, and his deputy is the second officer. The
chief officer has the port watch, and is assisted
by the third officer the boys are apportioned
between the two watches, with the odd man
in the second mate's watch, and it was an
imperative order, that at least one of the boys
was to be always on the poop night or day in
their watch, and in the day-time in harbour.
The chief mate's domain is the forecastle
and all that pertains thereto — bowsprit, fore-
mast, etc. ; the second mate has the poop,
main and mizzen-mast, and is assisted by the
third mate. The boatswain has a general
supervision over all, which is no sinecure, as
58 THE CXIPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
he is responsible for the gear alow and aloft,
looks to the rigging, and chafing gear, super-
intending all work, and reports defects im-
mediately to the officer of the watch.
There was also on board quite a farmyard
full of the feathered tribe, a beautiful and
intelligent retriever dog " Mora," a favourite
cat of the Captain's wife, " Lisa Jane," and a
wee piggy dubbed " Dennis " by the men.
The pig soon became a general favourite and
grew amazingly, and was the cleanest of
animals and very fastidious. The men soon
trained it, and it was quite amusing to witness
the performances they would put him through;
obstacle races was his forte, and if ever any
animal expressed enjoyment by responding
to the fun, that pig did. Occasionally,
though, he would on his part carry his ideas
of fun a bit too far for the men, especially
when his depraved appetite prompted him to
make a meal of an oil-skin coat and sou'-
wester ; he would try his teeth on a stray
boot if not watched, and Slushie (the cook),
would have to watch or his galley would get
raided. He was also extremely partial to
crunching up and eating coal — a kind of
condiment it seemed to piggy.
Mora and the cat attached themselves
to the Captain's wife. At times they were
very jealous of each other, especially the cat,
and many a scratched nose poor Mora had
to endure ; his intelligent eyes used to look
with such sorrow at the cat, such times as he
knew he dared not retaliate. Poor old Mora,
a splendid dog on deck, but he did not like
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHBILA " 59
bad weather a bit. At such times he was sent
below into the saloon. The Brussels carpet
having been taken up, only the linoleum was
left on the floor, and as the ship rolled from
side to side (and she did roll a bit at times ! !)
the poor old dog would always endeavour to
climb to the higher side of the saloon ; just
as he had accomplished it, it would become
too steep, and notwithstanding poor old Mora
trying to dig his claws desperately into the
linoleum, always he would go to leeward with
a bang, I have often wondered what a dog's
private thoughts are about such d foolish-
ness ; he probably blames somebody. In
the end we had to shut him into a side cabin,
and he didn't like that a bit.
Shanty : " Across the Western Ocean."
O, the times are hard, and the wages low,
O Sheila, whar you bound to ?
The rocky mountains is my home,
Across the Western Ocean.
The land of promise there you'll see,
O Sheila, whar you bound to ?
I'm bound across that Western sea,
To join the Irish army.
To Liverpool I'll take my way,
O Sheila, whar you bound to ?
To Iviverpool, that Yankee school
Across the Western Ocean,
There's Liverpool Pat, with his tall box hat,
O Sheila, whar you bound to ?
And Yankee Jack, the packet rat.
Across the Western Ocean.
Beware these packet rats, I say,
O Sheila, whar you bound to ?
They'll steal your money and clothes away.
Across the Western Ocean.
'For Chorus repeat the first verse after each.
CHAPTER IX.
" Morn on the waters — and purple and bright.
Burst on the billows the flushings of light.
O'er the glad waves like a child of the sun,
See the tall vessel goes gallantly on.
Pull to the breeze she unbosoms her sail.
And her pennons stream onward, like hope in the gale."
Hervey.
Now, before I proceed further on my voyage,
I wish to get oS a little grumble. I am a
sailor and a descendant of a race of sailors,
and as they used to express it of my kind in
olden times, every hair on my head is a rope-
yarn, and every drop of my blood is Stock-
holm tar.
Why do people, even those who ought
to know better, misuse the expression " sail-
or," and " sailing " ? Surely that only applys
to sails, and sailing ships, and not steamers
and other craft with mechanical propulsion,
which carry no sails. You hear people say,
" I am going for a sail," when they intend a
trip in a steamer ; or, again, it is announced
tha a certain steamer is going to " sail " on a
certain date — even advertisements so state
it ; and in seaports, Institutions exhibit
flaring notices, " all sailors in port are wel-
come." Why not state it correctly and sub-
stitute the words " leaving " and " seamen "
when applicable ?
And that is not all. In the matter of
ignorance of shipping and nautical matters
painters of shipping make laughable blunders,
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 61
and the higher the grade of artist, the more
palpable the errors. Even the great English
artist Turner in his celebrated picture of
" The Fighting Temeraire " — hung in pride
of place in the National Gallery, London —
depicts her as being towed, with no tow rope
attached at all, besides other errors offensive
to the nautical eye.
But now to my voyage. At thirty-three
years of age, with the history I have already
outUned, I found myself in command of one
of the proudest sailing ships that was ever
built, of which I had superintended the
building, and saw almost every plate put in
her. She was a perfect structure. I had, as I
have pointed out, no adventitious aids to
promotion, and I say that the same road is
open to all beginners of a sea life, if they will
keep the object in view, and pursue it to the
end.
Now there is another thing : the ship
and her master — the one insentient, and the
other sentient — must be animate in her
master. The feeling must be that intuitively
they are one ; he commands her, and the
ship obeys. Never mind what sudden emer-
gency arises, he must have a ready nerve,
and never for a second's space lose it, grasping
everything as it arises, and act upon his
instincts. There is one particular thing about
the master : he is a lone, solitary man in a
crowd ; he never asks advice, or seeks it from
his subordinates — he should be above all that
— and of himself must grasp all the moods
and changes in the mighty el^*^ents, of
62 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
which otherwise he would be the sport. In
fact, in great emergencies at sea, no time is
allowed for consultation, hence the training
in self-reliance.
Being now fully at sea, out of sight of the
land, with all plain sail set, I will proceed with
my sea log. Although I hope to make a fast
passage to Calcutta, wonders in that direction
cannot be attained in a sailing ship however
smart she may be, unless the winds, her only
means of propulsion, are propitious. From
that point of view the steamers get the pull
of us ; they steer a straight course, indepen-
dent of the direction of the wind, and in calms
they ramp along ; but in those vicissitudes
lies the real charm of a smart sailer — it breaks
monotony.
So in the first place, after losing sight
of the land, the wind drew ahead for three
days, a very light wind, and overcast, with no
observation of the sun to be had to ascertain
our position.
The first duty obtaining on board ship
after clearing the Channel outward bound,
is to unshackle the chain cables from the
anchors, after securing them on the topgallant
forecastle, and stow the cables in the lockers.
Also to send aloft all studding sail booms on
the yards, and reeve the gear ready for fair
winds. The driver, and carpenter (otherwise
" Chips ") are busy making Scotchmen —
(why do they call them Scotchmen ?) — of
sheet iron, or wood, to put on the rigging to
prevent chafing by ropes or chains touching
the rigging, a goodly number being required.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 63
On the 11th we got an observation at
noon, Lat. 43. 3N. Long. 12. 41. W. ; the
wind a little more favourable. The next day
with a fresh S.E. wind we made two hundred
and ninety-five knots ; the rigging was begin-
ning to stretch, so the following day, being
fine, we tightened up the lanyards on the
starboard side, and put the ship about on the
starboard tack to tighten up the other side.
Fresh breeze before we finished, so we ex-
perimented a bit as to the ship's capabilities
in staying, and wearing, under various can-
vasses, a very necessary precaution. I found
her rather difiicult in both operations. In
staying she came up in the wind fast enough,
but hung in stays, and unless very carefully
watched and handled, was liable to make a
stern board, fall off, and not go round on the
other tack. That was owing to her being
built so fine aft ; directly her hull felt the
influence of the sails aback, she ran astern —
lesson No. 1. In trying her for wearing,
the result was not so bad, but even in that
manoeuvre she ran a long way to leeward
before she got on the other tack — lesson
No. 2. It was all right, but it was as well to
know it ; she wanted plenty of sea room and
to be handled boldly.
We apportioned crews to the various
boats, and commenced the instruction of the
boys in knotting and splicing, under the boat-
swain, who initiated them into their various
duties. One of these is keeping the ship's
time, by striking the small bell hung at the
break of the poop every half hour ; one stroke
64 THE CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHEILA "
for 12.30, two strokes for 1 o'clock, 3 strokes
for 1 .30, and so on until 4 o'clock, when it is
eight strokes in doubles — or eight bells as it is
called — and so on round the clock. The time
on the ship is constantly altering, as the
ship alters her longitude by going east or
west from Greenwich.
Whatever order is given on shipboard
must be responded to in the actual words as
given, to prevent misunderstanding ; " aye,
aye, sir," is never allowed. As to the boys,
every assistance is given them to learn their
profession, but the boys must be appreciative
and respond, if not, the executive officers
have no time to bother.
Shanty : " Bound for The Rio Grande."
Oh say, was you ev-er in Ri-o Grande, 0-yovi Ri-o ?
It's there that the riv-er runs down golden sand,
For I'm bound to the Ri-o Gtande, and a-way you Ri-o.
Chorus.
O — you Ri-o, sing fare you well, my bonny young girls,
For I'm bound to the Rio Grande.
Now you Iviverpool ladies, we'd have you to know,
O — you — Ri-o,
We're bound to the South'ard, so girls let us g-o.
For I'm bound to the Ri-o Grand-e.
So I'll pack up my donk-ey, and get under wa-y.
The girls we are leav-ing can take our half pa-y.
We'-U sell aU our cargo, for su-gar and ru-m,
And get back to you a-gain 'fore Christ-mas shall
come.
And good-bye, fare you we-11, you ladies of tow-n,
We've left you enough to bu-y a sil-k gown.
Chorus after each verse.
CHAPTER X.
" In thk Bay of Biscay O."
To the 18th March in latitude 26 N., longitude
25 W., nothing of importance had occurred.
We sighted a number of ships of all sorts going
our way, and had passed every one of them,
and not taking long about it ; nothing we
had met with yet was a competitor to try our
metal.
At noon we sighted an object ahead, and
bringing it nearly alongside, found it was the
hull of a small wooden craft, probably a
schooner. There was about twelve feet of the
stern of her sticking straight out of the water,
the rest of the hull being down under the
sea ; she was evidently kept afloat by the air
confined in the after end. I concluded that
she had been a cod-fish carrier. A lot of weed,
mostly Sargasso, was all around. As she was
certainly a danger to navigators I sent the
carpenter away in a boat to bore auger holes
in her to let the air out. She had been aban-
doned a long time, as there was a lot of
barnacles and weeds on her ; she had evi-
dently been in trouble first, as she had been
jury rigged. The boat brought back several
nice small blocks that would come in handy ;
on the stern was painted her name, " Sophia "
of St. John's, New Foundland. Of course
there was no trace of her crew, and I hoped
that they had been saved long ago.
K
66 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
This day we passed quite a number of
" nautilus," or, as the sailors call them
" Portuguese Men of War," looking very
pretty on the water, with their translucent
sails up. The boys were very curious about
them as they were the first they had seen ;
and a few days later in a lower latitude, they
were delighted to bring aft a couple of fine
flying fish (after first cutting off the wings,
which they kept as mementoes) for Mrs.
Angel's breakfast. The fish had flown on
board in the night, and were about eight,
inches long ; they tasted much like pollock.
Afterwards, their flying aboard was a frequent
occurrence ; the bows of the ship starts them
out of the sea, and at night they are attracted
to their doom by the ship's Hghts. In the
day time quite a lot are to be seen at times,
flying and skipping over the sea to escape
from their many enemies — dolphins, alber-
core, and bonita in the sea, and various gulls
above. They are a very plentiful fish in all
tropical seas. The native coloured fishermen
of the West Indies (especially Barbadoes)
catch them in great quantities with a special
net they have — a primitive-looking thing,
but very efiicacious as the result proves.
A sailor, home from his voyage, began
telling his old mother of the wonders he had
seen in his travels — how that in Jamaica
there were mountains of sugar, and rivers of
rum, and that once in weighing anchor in the
Red Sea, he had hooked up a wheel of
Pharoah's chariot ; then, his imagination
failing, he began telling her about the flying
THE CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHEII.A " 67
fish and what they did. This last, however,
was too much for the old lady's credulity,
and she stopped him. " No, no, Johnny boy,
you are carrying it on too far. Flying fish,
indeed ! What next ? About the mountains
of sugar and the rivers of rum, that may be all
right, as I know that sugar and rum do come
from Jamaica ; and it may be all true about
Pharoah's chariot wheel, for of course the
Bible tells us he was lost in the Red Sea. But
no, no, Johnny, I can't believe that about
fish flying. You will tell me next perhaps
that you have seen pigs flying. Flying fish
indeed ! "
On the 19th in I^at. 23' N., I^ong. 26 W,.
wind N.E. and fine, we were entering the
region of the N.E. trade winds. We set all
our studding sails on the port side — fore-
lower, topmast, and topgallantmast — and car-
ried them until the 23rd, in lyat. 4' N., and
lyong. 26' W., when the trade wind failed us.
We had entered the region called the Dol-
drums, a debatable space of sea, lying between
the N.E. and S.E. trade winds, where you
have to endure winds and squalls from all
quarters, lots of calms, and rain in torrents,
with a blistering sort of heat that tans the
skin — for it is a fact, never mind how you are
exposed to its rays, the sun does not tan the
skin so much as the influence of a cloudy,
overcast sky.
The doldrums latitudes are very tedious
to get through, and advantage of every oppor-
tunity must be taken to make southing
Some dull sailers have been detained for three
68 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
or four weeks at a time, before they could get
through ; and I have noticed, when in com-
pany with a dull sailer, that they are the worst
for trying, whereas they should be the most
persevering. As I have said before, it is
tedious and vexatious ; you most times seem
somehow to be on the wrong tack ; but with
the " Sheila " we would allow none of that,
around she would have to come instantly
the wind headed us, if it was half a dozen
times in a watch. She was a marvellous ship
to move along in almost a calm ; when other
ships would lose steering way, she would
move along doing six or eight knots and with
even a very light breeze would respond up to
ten knots. We crossed the Equator in Long.
28' 6" W. on the 25th March, eighteen days
out from the Tail of the Bank — very good
considering that up till then we had had no
chance of trying our speed. All the time it
had been light winds and fine weather — still
very nice and enjoyable for the Captain's wife,
who made a capital sailor, untroubled by
mal de mere, and who by now thoroughly
appreciated the splendid accommodation the
ship provided, and was happy with Mora, and
lyisa Jane.
There is one thing — and a magnificent
thing at that — the tropical region we were
then passing through provides. Have my
readers ever witnessed a tropical sunset ?
If not they have missed one of the most
glorious sights ever presented to human gaze
by nature. The heart must be obdurate
indeed, void of all feeling, aye, and of all
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 69
reverence, if it is not melted and softened.
One is apparently looking into heaven itself —
more so than is depicted by the rhapsodies of
St. John the Divine in the Book of Revela-
tions, who perhaps got his inspiration from
some such scene. I have stood entranced for
about an hour before sunset, gazing at that
orb sinking through a mass of resplendant
clouds, opening up a vista so sublime, that a
pen fails to describe the scene in words. All
colours were depicted, glorious buildings,
beings, and landscapes presented in perspec-
tive ; and as the light of day gradually failed,
it would catch the heart with longings and
regrets, until the fuller darkness would blot
all out.
CHAPTER XI.
Father Neptune's Visit.
" How cheery are the Mariners,
Those lovers of the sea,
Their hearts are Uke its yeasty waves.
As bounding and as free.
They whistle when the storm-bird wheels
In circles round the mast,
And sing when deep in foam the ship
Plows onward to the blast."
— Park B en j amen.
And now having reached the equator, there
was a time-honoured ceremony to be ob-
served. Of course I was cognizant of what
was going to occur, but I stipulated that
there should be no rough play to injure any-
one.
So at 4 p.m., all hands being on deck,
there was a hail from over the bows : " Sheila,
ahoy ! Is the Captain on board ? " I an-
swered, " Aye, aye." Then there came up
from apparently out of the sea, a gigantic
figure with a trident, and a crown on his head
made up of seaweed, with the addition of a
lot of barnacles. He was wearing an immense
beard reaching to the deck, made of manilla
rope-yarn, also freely embelHshed with sea-
weed and barnacles, and a nondescript gar-
ment reaching below the knees, also covered
with the same in tufts.
This was Father Neptune without a
doubt. He was accompanied by his wife,
Amphitrite, dressed in like manner only with
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 71
a longer skirt and train as became her
modesty. The train was held up by accom-
panying nymphs ; after them came the
barber with his shaving utensils, an inverted
polished copper saucepan with the handle in
front on his head, and a piece of white cloth
over his face with eyeholes cut lancet shape,
ascending-wise, and edged with red cloth,
giving the whole frontispiece a weird look,
to say the least of it.
I could guess at once that they got the
sargasso weed and barnacles from the wreck.
They all came lumbering along the deck
singing " Reuben Rantzau," until they got
to the break of the poop ; then they hailed
again and were replied to, and asked their
business. Father Neptune answered that he
had received despatches sent down to his
locker, that a new ship answering to the name
of " Sheila " had invaded his domains, and on
board of her were several neophites, who had
never before entered the realms over which
he held sway — and here he gave a sly glance
at the Captain's wife — they must accordingly
be initiated into the mysteries of " the most
ancient Guild of Zoophites of the Sea," etc.,
etc.
Whilst all this bye-play was going on,
his attendants had rigged up a studding sail
by the corners and sides, on the main deck
in front of the poop, and filled it with water
from the force pump. It made a splendid
bath, fifteen feet long, ten feet broad, and
five feet deep.
All the boys and one A.B. were the
72 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
Neophites. Father Neptune would read their
names out of his book, and they would be
brought to the bar, one by one, previously
being blindfolded. The barber would be
ready for them. Neptune asked their names,
birthplace, religion, and anything else he
thought of, making beheve to enter their
answers in his book. Then, their faces being
lathered with some frothy concoction made
up in a bucket, he continued plying the boys
with questions, to put them off their guard ;
so if one opened his mouth, in would go the
brush, but it was not often he would catch
my boys like that, never mind what device
was tried— they knew too much. The shaving
proper proceeded with a piece of wood made
to represent a razor ; then, as a finale, they
— all the time seated on a cross bar — ^were
tipped head over heels into the bath, for
them to flounder about and enjoy the fun and
chaff the others as they came along. That
was the procedure for the whole of them, and
they enjoyed it all hilariously — especially at
the last. The barber was laughing uproari-
ously at them, when three or four got out of
the bath and before he knew what they were
after, bundled him in despite his struggles.
They held him under the water, sat on him,
until he yelled that he was drowning, and
promptly they caught liim nicely in his ample
mouth with his shaving brush. In his strug-
gles his disguise being torn off it was disclosed
that he was my redoubtable cook. We all
enjoyed the fun ; for myself I ached with
laughter.
THE CivIPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA " 73
I bought off my wife with an extra tot of
rum all round, and the day finished up with a
concert of shanties and songs.
Several of my crew I found had musical
instruments of sorts, and could play quite
well ; so they enjoyed themselves and were a
happy lot. The bath, with the thermometer
in the air standing at 85° to 90° and the sea
water at 85°, was no punishment, but rather a
treat.
Shanty : " Reuben Rantzau."
Solo " Hurrah .... for Reuben Rantzau ! "
Chorus " Rantzau .... boys .... Rantzau."
Solo " Hurrah for Reuben .... Rantzau ! "
Chorus " Rantzau .... boys .... Rantzau."
Solo " Rantzau was .... no ... . sailor,"
Chorus " Rantzau .... boys .... Rantzau."
Solo " Rantzau .... was a . . . . tailor."
Chorus " Rantzau .... boys .... Rantzau."
Solo " Rantzau . . . joined . . . the . . . Beauty,
And did not know his . . . duty."
N.B. — If not wanted, the chorus is left out
of the rest.
Solo " The skipper was a dandy,
And was too fond of brandy."
Solo " He called Rantzau a lubber.
And made him eat whale blubber."
Solo " ' The Beauty ' was a whaler,
Rantzau was no sailor."
Solo " They set him holystoning.
And cared not for his groaning."
74 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
Solo " They gave him lashes twenty.
Nineteen more than plenty."
Solo " Reuben Rantzau fainted,
His back with oil was painted."
Solo " They gave him cake and whisky,
Which made him rather frisky."
Solo " They made him the best sailor,
Sailing in that whaler."
Solo " They put him navigating.
And gave him extra rating."
Solo " Rantzau now is skipper
Of a China chpper."
Solo " Rantzau was a tailor,
Now he is a sailor."
This is a good hoisting shanty.
Sai,i,y Brown.
Solo " I love a maid across the water,"
Chorus " Aye, aye, roll and go."
Solo " She is Sal herself, yet SalUe's daughter."
Chorus " Spend my money on Sally Brown."
Solo " Seven long years I courted Sally,"
Chorus " Aye, aye, roll and go."
Solo " She called me Boy and Dilly Dally,"
Chorus " Spend my money on Sally Brown."
Solo " Seven long years and she wouldn't marry,"
Chorus " Aye, aye, roll and go."
Solo " And I no longer cared to tarry."
Chorus " Spend my money on Sally Brown."
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 75
Solo " So I courted Sal, her only daughter,"
Chorus " Aye, aye, roll and go."
Solo " For her I sail upon the water,"
Chorus " Spend my money on Sally Brown."
Solo " Sally's teeth are white and pearly,"
Chorus " Aye, aye, roll and go."
Solo " Her eyes are blue, her hair is curly,"
Chorus " Spend my money on Sally Brown."
Solo " The sweetest flower of the valley,"
Chorus " Aye, aye, roll and go."
Solo " Is my dear girl, my pretty Sally,"
Chorus " Spend my money on Sally Brown."
This is a good capstan shanty.
" Stormalong " is another good old-time shanty —
one (rf the best, when accompanied by a violin.
Shanty : " Stormalong."
Solo " O'Storm-y-he is dead and gone,
Chorus To my way you Storm-a-long,
Ay — ay — ay — ay, Mister Storm-a-loag."
Solo " We'll dig his grave with a silver spade,
And lower him down with a golden chain."
Chorus.
Solo " I wish I was old Stormy 's son,
He would build me a ship of a thousand ton."
Chorus.
Solo " I'd fill her up with Demerara rum,
And all my sheUbacks they should have some."
Chorus.
Solo " But old Stormy 's dead and gone to rest,
Of all the sailors he was the best."
Chorus.
CHAPTERIXII.
" O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea.
Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free,
Par as the breeze can bear, the billows foam,
Survey our Empire, and behold our home."
— Byron.
On crossing the line the S.B. trade winds fell
very light and tended a long way south, but
we struggled down to Lat. 15' S., Long.
37' W., by the 1st April, then it fell a glassy
calm. There was not a breath of wind for
twenty-four hours, and for the first time the
" Sheila " lost way on her ; with a current
running north one knot per hour, we were
actually twenty miles further north than the
day before by observation.
Our old chips was the first victim of
1st April. He was a Welsh man from Welsh
Wales, a good-tempered old sort, and as fond
of a joke as anyone, if it was intended for a
joke. But that day he was a bit off colour,
having had a touch of colony fever in a late
voyage to the river Congo, which recurs, so
was lying down for a bit. The watch was at
work setting up the rigging again, when by
order of the officer of the watch one of the
boys rushed into his berth shouting : " Chips,
Chips, you are wanted up on the mainmast
head. Come as quickly as you can ; the fid
of the maintopmast has nearly worked out,
and they are afraid that the topmast and all
the rest of it will come down by the run, if
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA " 77
the fid comes out. Come as quickly as you
can with your biggest maul."
Poor old Chips hurried out of his berth
along the deck and up the rigging, loaded with
his great hammer, only to find when he got
to the top, what he ought to have remembered
before ; the mast had no fidded topmast, the
lowermast and topmast being one continuous
piece. You can fancy poor old Chips's glare
as he came down that rigging. Again poor
old Chips — he was at no time a match to
cope with the youngsters practical jokes.
And another time — and I may as well
tell it now as later when it occurred — there
was a joke at the second officer's, Mr. Drake's,
expense. Poor old Chips, as I have said,
was frequently laid up with his attacks ; this
time he had been off duty for several days,
but we all thought he was getting over it again.
I had been physicking him out of the medicine-
chest supplies. Now, as a guide to the dis-
pensing of medicines supplied to ships, all the
bottles, etc., are numbered, and a correspond-
ing number is also in the book supplied, with
a diagnosis of symptoms, and the dose applic-
able. It used to be said of the small craft,
brigs, schooners, etc., that in olden time
traded to such places as the Mediterranean,
matters frequently happened thus : The
steward would report to the Captain, " Bob
(the A.B.) is ill, sir, and wants some m-edi-
cine." " What is the matter with him ? "
" His old complaint, sir, says he has pains in
his innards again." " Ah," says the Captain'
book in hand, " give him forty drops of
78 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
No. 3, and forty drops of No. 5, in two ounces
of water." " No. 3 and 5 bottles are empty,
sir." " Empty, eh ? Nos. 3 and 5 are 8 ;
give him a dose of No. 8." " You let No. 8
fall off the table last time and it smashed,
sir." " Smashed ! " " Oh, well, give him a
double dose of No. 4 ; I see there is plenty of
that stuff in the bottle." . . . Also the univer-
sal specific used to be, two spoonsfuls of
Epsom Salts in half a pannican-full of water,
even if a man had broken his leg. And the
sailor would recover all the same. It has
been also said of a noted druggist in a seaport-
town, that a sailor came into his shop with
a bottle to be filled with a lotion. ... It was
handed back to the sailor across the counter
with a demand for a shilling. The sailor
produced a penny and left the shop in haste.
By the time the druggist wormed his way
from behind his counter to the street, the
sailor was a long distance away, and past
chasing. So the druggist gave it up, with a
consoling remark, " Never mind you rascal,
I've made a half-penny out of you after all."
But to resume. One dog watch, Mr.
Drake was in his berth writing up his log
(for by my orders both chief and second did
that) when Hearn knocked, and opened his
door with the remark : " Poor old Chips !
I didn't think it would turn out like that."
" Eh ! What ! " said Drake, " dead ? "
Out he rushed on deck, and calling Weldon,
and Gardener to follow, made away for the
carpenter's berth, arriving there very quietly.
" Here, you boys," he whispered, " get hold
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 79
of that tool chest, and take it aft, or else some
of the men will be raiding the contents." He
then told them to send along two more boys
to take away more of Chips's effects. Chips
was l5dng in the upper bunk, with his face
to the side, so he put his hand on him and
apostropliising thus said — " Poor old Chips!
I didn't think you would die like this ! "
when Chips turned over on his other side
and looked at Drake, saying : " Whateffer
do you mean ? " " Oh, lor ! " said Drake.
" Why, aren't you dead ? " — and fled out
on the main deck and aft, looking for poor
innocent Hearn, who declared (and rightly
too) he never said that Chips was dead. It
was a long time before Chips got on the right
side of that joke, but he laughed at it with
the rest of them in the end ; the more so, as
he said that the joke scared away, and cured
his complaint. He was a good one on a new
ship, and was the most clever man I ever
had for turning out all sorts of fancy work.
CHAPTER XIII.
A Shark Story.
After crossing the equator we caught quite
a lot of fish, albercore, bonita, and dolphin
mostly. They are all of the mackerel family
as to species, only immensely larger. Some
we caught by baited hook and line, and others
by graining ; they look more beautiful in the
sea than on deck, especially the dolphin, and I
cautioned the men about eating them, as
sometimes evil effects arise, but there were
none in our case.
But there was one nasty looking 1: uc
shark in attendance, accompanied b> a
number of beautifully striped pilot fish, who
keep just ahead of the shark, only a few teet
away from his mouth, and it is one of the
sea's mysteries why the shark never attempts
to molest them. We baited a hook with a
pound lump of pork, which they are particu-
larly partial to. (It is said to be the nearest
approach to human flesh in taste, so comment
is superfluous) . But he was very shy of it for
a long time ; he would swim up close to it,
smell it, and swerve away. Meanwhile we
grained at different times three of his pilot
fish ; they are about as large as a medium
sized mackerel and good eating. Whether
the shark had had a good feed or not lately,
I do not know, but he would go away out of
sight for hours and then come back. Once he
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHElIvA "81
caught at the hook gingerly and sucked away-
half the pork, and went away all night ;
but the next morning he was back again,
gleaming up at us with his cruel-looking eyes.
We rebaited and tried the hook again ;
he turned over, belly up and went for it at
once. We had him — ^yes — but only hooked ;
he backed astern, gave a heavy kick with his
tail, sending the water flying, and was off.
When we pulled the hook in we found a piece
from his jaw adhering, and thought that
would be enough for Mr. Shark ; but no,
there he was, and closer up even than before.
So we rebaited, and as soon as the hook
touched the water he went for it, with an
apparent snarl, and swallowed the lot this
time. We got a block on the spanker boom
end, through which we put the rope, and a
whole excited crowd, tailed on to hoist him
on board ; we got him well out of the water,
towards the taffrail, and I could nearly touch
him, when down he goes flopoh into the sea
again. On examining, we found that his
weight had straightened out the hook, and of
course it slipped. We thought that treatment
would surely finish the job, but no ; we took
the remains of the pork that was left from our
previous endeavours, and throwing it over
board he suddenly appeared, apparently out
of nowhere, turned over and snapped up the
lot.
So we got the driver and his forge under-
way, and in record time — ^with no end of
assistants — made a barbed hook out of heavy
steel, with a two foot length of chain attached.
F
82 THE ClylPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
We were ready for him again, and he was
ready for us — and waiting. The persistent
wretch went for the bait again with a wicked
gleam in his eyes, as if he winked at us in de-
rision ; but this time the hook held good, and
we pulled him on to the poop, and from there
to the main deck. He was a monster, fifteen
feet in length — a very Patriarch. He had a
bad time of it from the sailors, who have an
undying hatred of all the shark family ; and
no wonder, for what chance would a poor
fellow have in the sea with the likes of that
about ? I have seen many cau.ght, but never
one that had such treatment in the sea as
that one had ; at any rate it goes to prove
that they can have no feeling of pain.
We also harpooned a good sized por-
poise ; that and shark fiesh is passably good
eating — for those who like it. Sailors are
queer fellows, and appreciate a change of diet,
so a lot was made into a mess which they
called " hash-my-gandy," baked and eaten.
CHAPTER XIV.
" A wet sheet and a flowing sea,
A wind that follows fast,
And fills the white and rust'ling sail.
And bends the 'gallant mast.
And bends the 'gallant mast, my boys,
While like the Eagle free,
Away the good ship flies and leaves
Old England on the lee."
— A. Cunningham.
After the shark episode, a light breeze sprang
up and again we were going seven knots closed
hauled on a wind. At noon we sighted a ship
ahead going the same way, and came up with
her at 2 p.m. ; she was the wooden ship
" Morning Star," a one time celebrated
Clipper packet ship, from Liverpool bound to
Calcutta forty-five days out. The " Sheila "
was then out thirty- two. Then I had an
experience of what the " Sheila " could do in
light airs of winds. We were going seven
knots ; I was speaking to the Captain of the
" Morning Star " from his lee beam, when he
shouted : " L,ook out, my ship is falling off
and will be on top of you ! " I jumped ; as
he had said, he was nearly on top of us. His
ship had lost steerage way, and was not mov-
ing through the water, owing to the lightness
of the wind, and we were slipping along at
seven knots. In an hour we had left him out
of sight astern. Lands-folk may say, what
harm could happen even if the two ships did
come together in a calm ? Harm indeed,
incalculable ; for although the sea in a calm
84 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA "
seems motionless, there is nearly always an
undulation, as if the ocean was a sleeping
bosom, and you would find it so if two big
ships came together — they would grind no
end before they got clear.
Next day we passed the ship "St. Mon-
an," London for Calcutta, forty- two days
out ; and the barque " Craigmullen," London
for New Zealand, fifty days out ; also spoke
the ship " Rooparell " by word of mouth,
Grimsby for Negapatam, forty-seven days
out ; and signalled Mr. Caie's old ship " St.
Enoch," forty days out from London for
Melbourne. There was quite a fleet of ships
steering in our direction during those two
days ; we passed them all with ease, and
some of them were noted clippers.
On the 5th of April we passed between
the islands of Trinidada, and Martin Vas,
belonging to Brazil ; uninhabited except for a
pest of land crabs, and those disgusting things
swarm over everything, and everybody, mak-
ing life in such places truly not worth living.
Tfis is a group, amongst others, that is
assigned as a place where the notorious pirate,
Captain Ividd, buried some of his ill-gotten
treasures of jewels, gold, and silver of fabu-
lous value. Old sailors used to deUght in
singing such doleful ballads as —
O . . . my name is Captain Kidd . . .
As I sailed ... as I sailed . . .
O . . . my name is Captain Kidd . . .
As I sailed , . .
Many wicked things I did . . .
And God's laws I did forbid . . .
As I sailed ..." etc., etc., etc.
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 85
For a day after passing Trinidada the
breeze was a little better, then another half
day of calms befell. Up to now, since we left
Glasgow, we had been short of sufficient wind
to try the capabilities of the ship, and a small
row boat would have been safe in any of the
seas we had encountered so far. But I was
not going to be deluded into thinking, but
that I should soon get all the wind I wanted,
and perhaps more sea than was agreeable, as
we got down south, and began to make easting.
On the 7th, in I,at. 25 S., I,ong. 40 W.
a better breeze came from E.S.E., but still
light — too light. We had several sail in
company, and a Lamport & Holt's S.S. came
up with us from astern, bound to Monte
Video. We had every sail that we could put
on the ship, including studding-sails and wind
savers (in sailors' parlance), everywhere a
little that could help along ; she must have
looked a beautiful sight as viewed from the
steamer. He passed us close (in fact I saw
he edged to us) ; there were several passengers
on deck, the ladies waved their handkerchiefs
and my wife responded. I knew the Captain
by repute, he had served his time in the Com-
pany's ships ; he was showing off to his
passengers a bit of swank against a " wind
jammer." As he passed he impudently held
up an end of a rope and shook it, signifying
" shall we give you a tow ? " and I daresay he
strutted a bit over his coffee-grinder craft ;
he was going ten or eleven knots, we were
only going eight at the time, so he soon went
out of sight ahead.
86 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
That night the wind increased and drew
more to the eastward. We had to take in
some of our Hghter kites, going twelve knots ;
on the 9th we had as much wind as we we
could carry all plain sail to, going fifteen
knots good — we did that and sometimes a bit
better even, all night. At day break, from
the masthead, we caught sight of the Lam-
port & Holt's S.S. right ahead, eight miles
away ; I could see that at 7 a.m. he altered
his helm to keep away from us, but I was after
him, he had sighted us too late to escape, and
I expect his officer of the morning watch got
a wigging for not calling the Captain as soon
as they caught sight of us overhauling them.
At 8 a.m. we were abeam of her, less than a
quarter of a mile away, and passed her like a
race-horse ; at 10 o'clock she was out of sight
astern — and do you think the rope's end was
forgotten ? The steamer was going about
twelve knots — her capacity ; the " Sheila "
nearly sixteen knots, and that not her capacity,
as I had means afterwards of finding out.
As the day wore on the wind went a little
more to the N.E., and as we were a long way
to the westward for the Lat., we hauled up a
little bit — as much as we dared with the
crowd of canvas we were now carrying, for
we were at last giving the ship " Beans,"
although the wind was not free enough to get
the best out of her. Too much on a wind, and
the masts wanted watching ; the upper ones
were bending like whip sticks, and the rigging
was getting very slack again, so we had to
exercise caution with our bravery, but every-
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 87
thing held on good. We had up to now been
pressed badly to the westward and to leeward
of our course, as I have said, to be in the lane
of the River Plate Steamers ; and now with
this splendid breeze I was testing what the
" Sheila " was like from all points. Too stiff,
I found, no amount of pressing could make
her heel over — the effects of the Glasgow
" dry goods cargo " stowed too low down in
the hold.
At noon going fifteen knots, we sighted
a S.S. on our port bow five miles away, going
the same course as ourselves, or steering a
little more westerly — so by that was a bit
freer of the wind — and closing down on us.
She was a P.S.N. Co. craft, and a big one,
Barque rigged carrying sails, which were also
crowded on her ; she was bound to Valparaiso,
through the Magellan straits. Now came the
tug of war. He was steaming full speed as
well ; he tried conclusions with us, and we
with him. He closed with us, and tried to
cross our bows from port to starboard, but
we would not let him ; he tried it time after
time, by running by our side, only a few
fathoms away, but we well out-sailed him.
Finally, after an exciting race, he dropped
astern — had to — ported his helm and con-
tinued his course ; it was his place, being a
steamer, to get out of my way. But I did not
show a rope's end to him ; I saluted him by
dipping my ensign, to which he responded.
CHAPTER XV.
" Oh ! you can't go wrong in a nautical song.
If you sing yoe, ho, lads, oh ! "
On the 10th of April, the wind fell light again.
It was very fine weather, and at the 4 p.m.
dog watch, my sailors went in for another
frolic. They had dragged aft to the break of
the poop a nondescript looking animal, made
up to represent a dead horse ; some were
sitting astride, whipping and beating it all
along the decks, and it was being pulled by
all interested, singing their whole repertory
of songs and shanties. The principal one,
and which was the key to the meaning of
the ceremony was :
" Poor old Man . . . your horse is dead . . .
And it's say so . . . And it's hoped so . . .
Poor old man. . . .
I think I heard our old man say . . .
That our dead horse is up to-day . . .
And it's say so . . . And it's hoped so. . . .
Poor ... Old Man.
And from now our wives will . . . draw half pay . . .
And it's say so. . . And it's hoped so . . .
Poor ... Old Man.
For this to them is white stocking day,
And it's say so. . . . And it's hoped so . . .
Poor ... Old Man. . . Etc., etc.
This shanty lends itself greatly to im-
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 89
provising ; and it is instructive to keep your
ears pricked up and listen and learn, for such
improvisations, what your crew think in
general, on board, of your officers, and your-
self in particular.
The meaning of the present ceremony is,
when the crew join on, they are given a
month's advance of their wages, which they
have to work out ; this the sailors dub their
" dead horse." The month being now up,
hence the ceremony and celebration. At the
end the old horse is thrown overboard, and
round upon round of cheers are given —
which of course earns a tot of rum.
Meanwhile, and by now, my boys, and
the whole crew had shaken themselves down
to their various duties and stations, and all bid
fair to make a happy ship. They all seemed
willing, and in their several ways were as
proud of the ship as I was myself, especially
when she was giving a licking to competitors.
No persuasion was needed to get them to help
in that direction — just a little sweat up on
this halyard, or a pull on that brace, and they
jumped to do it.
My boys thus early were getting quite
useful ; they were proud to be sent aloft to
loosen or furl the lighter sails, such as the
sky-sail, royals, or lighter staysails, and
generally help the men whilst aloft.
My wife at first was much disturbed at
night by the officers of the watch, tramp,
tramp, tramping on the poop deck over her
head. I had to tell her she would have to get
used to that, as they were keeping watch, and
90 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
had to keep an eye on everything. She got
so used to it in the end, that if they suddenly
stopped it would wake her — and she would
wake me. Oh, she was sure that something
was wrong ; had I not better go on deck and
see ? It was of no use my telling her that
they were instructed — as she already knew —
to stamp on the deck if they wanted me, so
to pacify her I had to go.
In these ships there was no stint of food,
and the best of food at that — none of the
hard salt horse that formerly prevailed.
There was nothing weighed except small stores
and that was done mainly to keep an account
of expenditure. The only deprivation from
the boys' point of view was, there was neither
butter nor milk, but the former was made
up in beef and pork at all meals. Sometimes
I would instruct the steward to let them have
a few raisins for their Sunday duff, out of my
own private stores ; that was greatly appre-
ciated— baked in a shallow tin it was ir-
reverently called " spotted dog." Occasion-
ally, though, boys being boys, they used to
delight to watch the steward, and when they
thought they had a chance, to raid his pantiy
for jam tarts and such likes. One day there
was a rumpus, for the old steward had caught
Thorn, and was giving him a talking to as
well as a shaking in his pantry. Thorne was
innocence personified, and was volubly ex-
plaining his presence within the sacred pre-
cints of the private pantry ; but evidently
without convincing the steward, who above
the din kept saying : " Torn, I don't care
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 91
what your f adder is ; Torn, 3^ou are a tief,"
and so on until I quelled the disturbance.
Thorn's father was a retired naval officer ;
Gardener was a ward in Chancery ; Wilson's
father was connected in some way with the
Cunard line ; Tanner's, I think, was a York-
shire maltster — or else it was Douglas' ;
Beresford was a scion of the Waterford family.
I shall speak of him again on arrival in Cal-
cutta ; and Weldon came of a great Irish
family, and was great of himself, with a
raucous, throaty voice out of keeping with his
fifteen years of age. I was in the lyiverpool
office when I was asked into the owner's
private room (The Court of Green Carpet).
There were two strange gentlemen in the room
speaking to Mr. Tinne, both dressed up in
great Irish friese overcoats. Mr. Tinne intro-
duced them to me (or the other way about),
and said that one of them was an apprentice
for the " Sheila " ; I stepped forward to
shake hands with my new boy, and mistook
the father for the son. The father was big,
but the son was bigger ; they laughed, but
the mistake was excusable.
Mr. Caie had Weldon and Wilson in his
watch. Partly for instruction he used to send
one or other of the boys to I^ord Kelvin's
compass on the top of the hospital — which
although the nearest house to the poop was a
considerable distance away — to compare that
standard one, with the one in the binnacle on
the poop, that is used for steering. When
ready, Mr. Caie would call out : " How's her
head, Weldon ? South west by south half
92 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
south, it should be." But Weldon's voice
being so thick and raucous, we could not
make out a word he said, and the more he
shouted the worse he made of it. Then Mr.
Caie would say : " Confound that boy —
here you, Wilson, you go and tell me."
Wilson was the smallest boy of the lot, but
his treble voice came as clear as a bell.
But they were good boys all, very willing,
and responded cheerfully to the training they
got to fit them for future officers ; my own
officers were very patient with them, and
the only discipline they got, that I allowed,
was to masthead them for a stated time, and
when they got big enough, put them at the lee
wheel. The steering wheel was a very large
one, over six feet in diameter ; one of half the
size would have done for the " Sheila," as
she steered very easily, and could be de-
pended on, which was a blessii^ej
The following is another ditty the old
time sailor used to hold forth on, and it speaks
for itself.
" OivD Horse."
" Old horse, old horse . . . what brought you here ?
From Castletown to Portland pier . . .
I've carted stone for many a year,
TiU killed by blows, and sore abuse,
They salt me down for sailors' use."
" The sailors they do me despise.
They turn me over and d my eyes,
They eat my meat, and pick my bones.
And pitch the rest to Davy Jones."
And another which says : —
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 93
Betwixt the mainmast and the pumps,
My body Hes cut up in salt jimks ;
If you don't believe my story to be true,
Just go to the harness cask and you'll find my shoe."
In those days the sailors used to carve
snuff-boxes and such Hke out of pieces of the
so-called beef that was rationed out to them,
and specimens of such used to be exhibited in
the windows of a celebrated public house in
Paradise Street, Liverpool, " The Steer Inn,"
its sign representing a sailor at a steering
wheel, hence the title. Another celebrated
public house in the same street was called the
" Dew Drop Inn "... I can remember
when in that long street there were more
public houses than all the other shops and
houses put together ; and of the latter most
were sailors' boarding-house, etc., — mostly
etc.— and every facility was given to poor
Jack on his arrival, to get rid of his hard
earned pay, in the shortest time possible.
For it was—" Get up Jack, let John sit down,
for you see he's homeward bound."
And one of the standing jokes amongst
the sailors (told at sea, used to be), that at
first after being paid off with a good round
sum of money, he would be given the use of
the best bedroom, and the good-looking maid
of the house would knock at the door in the
morning and call out " Mr. John, Mr. John."
" Well, what is it," would be the reply.
" What will you have for breakfast this
morning, Mr. John, a herring or an egg," and
the boarding master would kindly respond to
his greeting ; but later, when the money was
94 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
all spent, the response to his good morning
would be, " Good-morning my .... Go and
look for a ship," and another homeward-
bound John would be given the best bedroom.
It was hard times in ships fore-castles
in those days, I must admit ; weevily bis-
cuits, flour, pease, and rice, and leaky wooden
ships, badly found in sails, and gear, whilst the
idea seemed to be with the ship's officers of
those days to work the men nearly to death,
whether necessary or not. Sundays or week-
days, it made no difference to them ; the
men were kept hard at it, even in their day
watch below. And it used to run like this —
" Six days shalt thou work, and do all thou
art able. On the seventh, holystone the
decks, and chip the cable."
So what wonder, when the tension was
relieved, that poor mercantile Jack did shake
a loose leg when he had the chance on shore ?
CHAPTER XVI.
" Borne upon the ocean's foam.
Far from native land and home.
Midnight curtain, dense with wrath.
Brooding o'er our ventrous path.
Yet should wildest tempest swell.
Be Thou near, and all is well.
Saviour, on the stormy sea.
Let us find repose in Thee."
— L. H. SlGOURKEY.
On the 13tli of April we were in Ivat. 39 S.
lyong. 18 W. Fine weather and light winds
again, but we were now approaching the
region of what is called " The brave west
winds for running the easting down." We
ought to have had more wind than we have
had. We had not had much luck in that
direction so far, but now it looked at last as if
a change was coming. The glass had been
steadily falling, and there was quite a large
S.W. swell on, making the " Sheila " roll
heavily, and banging the sails, it reminded me
of my schooner days, when the Captain used
to say, " Every shake's a shilHng."
So to prepare, we had a general super-
vision, tightening up the rigging, and lan-
yards, and looking well to all the chafing gear,
leaving nothing to chance, as I knew by ex-
perience that when the brave weather did
come, it was likely to come with a rush. Up
to this date so fine had been the weather,
we had never had occasion to take in the sky-
sail for too much wind, and we were thirty »
96 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA "
seven days out — quite remarkable. But now
we fell in with quite a large fleet of homeward-
bound, around the Horn craft, of all sorts of
rigs. Some with no sails set above their
topsails, others had their topgallantsails set,
and some showed effects of bad weather down
south, in loss of bulwarks, and spars. We
signalled the ships " Tintern Abbey " and
" Borrowdale," from San Francisco, who
reported very heavy gales, and high seas,
from N.B. and N.W. around the Falkland
Islands, and had a lot of damage.
There were four large ships going our
way, all under comparatively easy sail. The
passenger liner "Hesperus" 1,777 tons, 47
days out from I/ondon, bound for Melbourne,
a most beautiful looking ship, in splendid
trim. The others were the ships " Thomas
Stephens," the American ship " Nancy Pen-
dleton," and a ship flying a Dutch ensign.
Now commenced a race, that put them all
on their mettle. As I have stated, they were
sailing under easy canvas at first, that was
nothing higher than a main topgallant-sail
above their top-sails.
We first sighted the " Hesperus " and
the " Thomas Stephens " about six miles
ahead of us, and a Httle on our port bow, the
other two ships came in sight later on in the
day. The wind by this time was in sufiicient
quantity to satisfy us, the " Sheila " had all
sail on to the skysail, with the wind on the
port quarter, and was going a good 16 knots.
When they saw us coming after them, both of
the ships put on more sail, and had great
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 97
difficulty in doing so owing to the high wind.
The " Hesperus " lost her mizzen and fore
royals in the process, and the " Thomas
Stephens " a middle staysail, but we passed
the both of them, the " Hesperus " close to,
and the passengers gave us a cheer and waved
their handkerchiefs frantically.
The " Thomas Stephens " was by then a-
bout two miles ahead, and was seemingly sail-
ing faster than the " Hesperus ", but we were
after him. As I have said, we started with all
on to the skysail, and if you will believe me
" that w^as quite enough." But my crew and
officers by this time were quite excited with
the contest and wanted to do more. So I gave
orders to set the port foretopmast studding-
sail, and to be very careful about it. They
managed to set it all right, after a fashion,
(stopping the whole sail up length-wise first) ;
but when set it was neither high enough up
by the head, nor far enough out by the sheet
to do much good, but we all hurrahed, and
felt good in our hearts, especially when we
passed the " Thomas Stephens," and we had
all overhauled and passed the Yankee and
the Dutchman. The Yankee was making
shocking bad steering of it, a fine looking
wooden ship, with her white cotton sails,
but we gave her a wide berth. Now as to
our British competitors, we were contesting
against two of the most celebrated clippers
of the day. Well I think, for me to be quite
fair to them, they might have had a better
chance against the " Sheila " if they had
started the race mth the corresponding sails
G
98 THE CWPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
we had on, but we steadily and persistently
outsailed them by about two knots an hour,
and we soon lost sight of them astern — and
then took in the studding sail.
That was the commencement of our
big run to make easting in the brave westerly
winds, or gales rather. The first sails to be
taken in were the higher staysails, and the
balloon jib ; they were big ones, made large
under my direction, my argument being that if
they could be set at all, she could carry them
big.
You may depend I was watching carefully
before I took them in ; the masts were bend-
ing to the enormous pressure, and the stays
sagging. Towards night we had perforce to
take in the skysail, the fore and mizzen royals,
and a couple more staysails, and as the ship
was now nearly running before the wind, the
jibs were not doing any duty, so we took
them in. " We were in for it now." With all
the wind we wanted, and plenty more com-
ing up behind. . . . And the Captain was
smiling at last. . . . There was a high follow-
ing sea, and the " Sheila " lumped it in
merrily.
That day we did 328 knots to noon
but it was not a full day, as we only com-
menced to run heavily the evening before.
We intend to do better than that if this
glorious west wind will hold, and I was going
to take it out of the " Sheila " for all she was
worth.
Next day at noon we sighted Gough
Island ahead — a mighty rock of an island
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 99
sticking right out of the sea. We passed it
to the south of us half a mile off ; there was a
brigantine lying hove-to to leeward of the
island, I expect in attendance, as seals fre-
quent it. We were going at our tremendous
best at that time, and I can imagine what
they thought of us on board ; we were going
seventeen knots, when the heavier winds
would strike us, and we had on the sails for
those heavier winds — ^when the gusts would
pass she would slow down to about fourteen
knots for a while. Anyway, we made three
hundred and forty-eight knots that day.
On the 15th we had to take in the main
royal, and fore and mizzen topgallantsails,
to save the spars and yards for another day.
We were going sixteen knots all that day.
With an enormous sea running, the " Sheila "
was making bad weather of it ; too deep and
too stiff, the decks were continually full of
water from rail to rail, careering along the
deck and banging heavily against the front
of the poop, and at times overtopping that
obstruction to its course. But she was steering
beautifully ; a child could do it as far as the
strength required. I was afraid, though, of
the front of the poop giving away to the
pressure, so we managed to rig a breakwater
with spars and deals to protect it ; a risky
job, but we did it, with a liberal number of
abrasions and healing balm of tots of rum.
I was glad, though, when the job was finished,
as some of my fellows were nearly drowned ;
they hung on like limpets to a rock, when the
seas would cover them, and come up blowing.
100 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEIIvA "
But I was for carrying all the sails the spars
would bear, and I did not want to be beaten
by the seas coming on board. We made three
hundred and sixty knots that day.
On the 16th we managed to make a Httle
more sail, the seas running so-called moun-
tains high, but more regular. We had to
make, and take in sail, several times on the
17th, but we were giving it to her good.
" Roaring 40's, indeed," we made another
three hundred and sixty knots this day, and
passed the meridian of Cape of Good Hope in
lyat. 45 S., forty daj^s out from the Clyde.
On the 18th we made about the same,
or three hundred and fifty eight knots ; and
on the 19th we capped the lot, although the
wind was lessening. We clapped on all sail,
even to the port fore topmast studding sail,
and I believe at times she went twenty laiots
that day.
Anyway, she made by observation three
hundred and sixty-six knots, or an average
of three hundred and fifty-three knots a day
for six consecutive days. That was going it —
yes, but it took some doing. As you may
think, I was on watch all the time, night and
day, for in such stress, the least mismanage-
ment, or error of judgment, would be fatal —
" Tory done, one time," as the West India
niggers say.
I suppose I did get a wink of sleep occa-
sionally ; if so it was behind the dodger
lashed to the mizzen rigging. The mates
afterwards said that I did, so it must be true ;
I don't know — only that I was utterly done
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 101
up. But I was young, and the excitement
kept me going, and I was soon quite fit again
and ready for another bout. I was made by
my wife to take plenty of food — the steward
saw that I took it, and so reported to her.
In the foregoing I have only told of the
bare facts of the distances run day by day ;
the thoughts and experiences in accomplishing
it are almost past description, as they varied
minute by minute, hour by hour, and day
by day.
But there is a wonderful fascination in
watching a noble ship, sail driven to her
utmost speed, in a driving gale of wind, and
the most enormous seas in the whole world of
waters ; watching her, as a more than usually
high sea comes towering down on her, with
its crest breaking and tumbling in a mass of
dangerous foam. There lies the most danger,
in those breaking crests. They can only be
avoided by careful steering, and as it were,
tooling the ship along. See her now, as one
towers up following her ; up goes her stern
until the crest arrives and passes, with a
liberal donation of sea tumbling over the
rails to career along the deck — a small ocean,
sufficient to float a coasting schooner ; then
down goes the bow with a plunge at an angle
of thirty degrees, and apparently goes strug-
gling up the other side. This is only faintly
describing what happens when the sea is a
regular following one, but often there is that
awful cross sea to contend with (a relict of
gales from other directions), which, as the
ship rises on to its crests, seems to be en-
102 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
deavouring to twist and curl her to destruc-
tion.
And then, almost equal in thrill, is
watching the strain on the sails and spars,
and in the great ocean highway down south,
this goes on, seemingly, for ever.
We were now in Lat. 44'' South, and Long.
33.30 E. In six days we had travelled two
thousand, one hundred and eighteen knots
through the water, by good observations.
Now a nautical knot, or mile, differs from a
land mile ; the nautical mile, or knot, is six
thousand and eighty feet, as against a land
mile of five thousand, two hundred and eighty
feet, so our travelling, if it had been com-
puted in land miles would be two thousand,
four hundred and thirty-nine miles, or an
average of four hundred and nine miles per
day. I should like to know if that record has
ever been beaten by any craft, whose only
means of propulsion was by sails. I doubt
it — notwithstanding the claims put forward
in that direction by Captains of ships in
Maury's journal of voyages to Australia in the
gold rush days of the '40 's. I had that book
with me on board. Anyway, I had a magnifi-
cent clipper ship built all for speed under my
feet, and everything good and new about her ;
and by this time well-tried. We had given
her all the canvas and pressure that her masts
and yards would stand, and nothing gave
out ; I had the vessel as it were in the palm of
my hand, to do as I liked with her, and a fair
chance to do it, for there was next to nothing
to fear in the way of coming across vessels
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 103
bound in the opposite direction — a terror
sometimes by night. This sea is the great
highway to the East, and all are bound east ;
the only risk of collision was the chance of
running into another ship's stern, proceeding
the same way, but not going so fast. We
had sighted only three ships in the run, and
those in the night time. One we did give a
pretty close shave to — that is why I have
mentioned the risk ; we must have been sail-
ing about double his speed. One of the others,
I think, was the " Tweed," as she had a very
long poop, and was carrying passengers bound
for Melbourne ; she set a few extra sails to try
conclusions with us, but we soon dropped her
out of sight astern. We were bowling along
sixteen and a half knots with all sails set,
and a topmast studding sail. The latter I
must admit was a bit of swank, and just as
we got abeam of her the halyard block on the
topsail yard arm broke from the strop. The
whole business came down on the run, and
also broke the yard and boom ; that was just
at daybreak, so she had a full sight of it, and I
daresay commented thereon freely.
As you may expect, during all that six
days' run, every soul on board was on the
qui-vive. The crew on watch were for emer-
gency sake located in the hospital house,
ready for instant call ; they were all right
and comfortable there, as they had the bogey
fire lit, and the place was used generally for
drying their wet clothes. The boys were on
the poop with the officer of the watch, " a
stand-by man " the lee side of the wheel,
and tiller relieving tackles rove.
104 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
My wife had a nervous time in the saloon,
with only poor old Mora and I/isa Jane for
company, but the steward was at all times
within call, and she gave no trouble. But it
was the first time in her life she had experi-
enced such a time, and when it moderated
somewhat, and I brought her on deck to
witness the waves, she was truly astonished,
as these seas have a clear fetch of the ocean
all the way from Cape Horn to Australia.
Since passing Gough Island, I had been
taking a restricted great circle track, to save
longitudinal distance, so we were running
along the parallel of 50' S.
CHAPTER XVII.
" what care the mariner for gales ?
There's music in their roar.
When wide the berth along the lee,
And leagues of room before
Ltt billows toss to mountain's height,
Or sink to chasms low,
The vessel stout, will ride them out.
Nor reel beneath the blow."
P. BENJAMIN.
We had about two days of moderate weather
after the run, with the wind unsteady in
direction, but it enabled us to examine and
look into matters. We had done no damage,
bar the studdingsail gear, and that does not
count. We wedged up the spars composing
the breakwater and altered it a bit, making it
ascend from the main deck to break of poop
at an angle of 30 degrees ; the seas when they
raced along the main deck coming in contact
with the breakv/ater would rush up pell-mell
on to the poop, not conducing to our comfort
thereon, but we had to put up with that, and I
am convinced that it saved the front.
The ship, as I have said before, was loaded
too deep and badly loaded at that ; the
rolling seas as they overtook her poured over
the iron bulwarks in enormous volumes,
rushing in and out the relieving ports. The
latter were a source of anxiety to me (especi-
ally when my men were at work the first time
erecting the breakwater) ; they were four
feet square, and if a man should lose his
holdfast, and be flung in their direction with
106 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
the sea and the roll, out he would go into the
sea with never a chance of rescue. So the
first thing I did was to get Chips to make
gratings and fix them securely. But one
peculiarity of the ship was the seas used to
come on board mostly to the after part of the
main deck, or from abeam the main-house to
aft, and so to the poop ; the deck at the fore
end would be quite dry — good for the crew !
When I asked the boys how they got on
in their quarters, Gardener answered, with
his aristocratic voice : " Oh, sir, my bunk is
in a complete state of moisture," and that
expression stuck. Poor boys !
One bad thing happened. We had a three
thousand gallon main drinking water tank
in the lower hold connected to the main deck
by a lead pipe and brass flange with screw top,
which, being removed, a pump was attached.
The third officer, after drawing the water the
last time, had neglected to screw the flange
tight enough ; so salt water got down and
filled it, and rendered the fresh water in the
tank unfit for use. There was about two
thousand gallons of water in it, and the only
other water we had, was a small two hundred
gallon tank in connection with the galley,
which was supplied from the main one, and a
little in the four hundred gallon condenser
tank. We had only about three hundred
gallons of water in all, and it would have been
a serious matter for us, but very fortunately
we were fitted — as a coolie carrying ship —
with an exceptionally heavy condenser, so
we had to get that under weigh and replenish.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 107
Well, to resume, on the 22nd, just as I
was thinking of edging my way up to the
northward to get into fine weather again, the
weather changed and looked ominous, with
the glass very unsteady and jumping badly.
The next day, out of a clear unclouded sky
and brilliant sunshine, suddenly, with a terrific
squall, the sea all around was a mass of foam
and spoondrift. It came on to blow a gale
of hurricane violence, and was soon accom-
panied by an awful cross sea running from
North to East ; the worst wind was East —
our course being E.N.E., it was a dead head
wind for us.
I knew we were in for a bad time, but I
was fortunately prepared for it, under re-
duced canvas. I took sails off to main and
fore lower topsails, fore stay-sail, and storm
main stay-sail, and brought the ship to the
wind on the port tack, hove to, to ride out the
gale. But the seas were awful, pouring on
board this time fore and aft, in such immense
volumes as to be of the utmost danger. I
feared that my decks would be swept of
everything on it, and she flung herself up to
windward into the sea so terribly I was afraid
also that I should be dismasted. The seas by
now were making a clean breach right over
the ship, and the wind getting worse, if
possible, with a very low barometer, 28.6.
Fortunately only the day before, not being
satisfied with the berths assigned to the boats
on the skids, I had them stowed bottom up-
wards and as close together as they would
stow amidships ; and I assuredly believe,
108 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
if that had not been done, I should have lost
them especially those on the after skids ;
as it was, the seas would come down ker-
wallop on them.
Night was coming on, I knew I could
trust the ship to scud well if I could only dare
to hard up, but it was a perilous thing to do,
and wanted a lot of nerve and handling to put
the ship into the trough of such a sea as was
then running. I was a very anxious man, I
can tell you, before I made up my mind ;
but if ever a man was, to quote a saying,
literally " between the Devil and the deep
blue sea," I was that man. I was in desperate
extremity, not knowing what might happen ;
but even a risk was better than lying passive,
for a ship lying to is peculiarly helpless. On
board practically you can do nothing but
wait with patience on events, and also I never
liked the idea of lying to.
Everybody was at his station, hands at
the braces ; even if it meant getting nearly
drowned, they were told to hang on. Watch-
ing my chance, which was a long time coming,
in the interval of the breaking seas and a big
one that had just tumbled on board, we shifted
the helm hard up, and set the reefed foresail
simultaneously. FeeHng its effect her head
commenced to pay off beautifully, when the
chain tack snapped with the tremendous
weight of the wind ; the weather clew of the
sail flew up in the air, and thrashed and
thrashed itself to destruction ; finally about
one third of the sail left bodily, and took to
itself a flight which apparently coilld only end
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 1C9
when it fouled the South Pole. My men did
all they could to save it without avail, but
happily the rope fore sheet held good, so we
had about half the sail to leeward " goose-
winged " (and it was a brand new No. 1
canvas foresail, only bent ten days). The
loss of the weather side of the sail affected her
a bit, but she paid off ; but in doing so she
shipped an awful sea, assuredly the heaviest
weight of water I have ever seen fall on a
sliip's deck in my life. She was full from
end to end, and it made her reel and stagger,
but like a thing of life she shook herself free,
and stood up to her punishment nobly. My
men at the braces got the full benefit of it,
but as I told them at the first they had to
stick it, as their job was to follow with the
after yards as the ship paid off before the
wind, and when off before it to square the
fore yard. But nobody was hurt — ^well, not
much !
When she was dead before the mnd we
took in the foresail and jib and all the sail
we then had on was the lower topsail and a
small fore topmast staysail. The wind was
still blowing a hurricane with an enormous
sea, but she behaved better than whilst lying
to. The seas were making a clean breach
over everything, poop and all occasionally ;
we were scudding N.W, — that is, opposite
to our course, and just then I did not admire
the sailing qualities of the " Sheila," as this
losing ground would have to be made up.
But there was one comfort, I knew by the
very violence of the wind it would the sooner
no THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
spend itself out ; already it had shifted to the
S E., and at 8 p.m. it flew into the South with
rain and hail. But it seemed to blow even
harder ; the sea all around was a mass of
foam, and the force of the wind so great it
would take and flatten off the heads of the
waves. Everybody on deck had to hold on
for dear life. The sky was clear again, and a
strong moon showing was of the utmost
comfort in our misery.
We were now scudding North, so not
losing so much ground ; at 4 a.m. the wind
went into S.W. and seemed to lessen in
force, the glass being on the upward ten-
dency, so at 6 a.m. I tried to bring the ship
a little more to the Eastward on her course.
This we succeeded in doing by careful steer-
ing ; but we soon shipped an awful sea
over her starboard 'midships, which came
rushing along the main deck with irresistible
fury, and in spite of our boasted breakwater,
smashed it and stove in the starboard front
of the poop, gutting out the second oflicer's
cabin, also the sail locker. Poor Drake was
in his bunk at the time, and arrived on deck
not through his doorway, but through one
of the broken panels. Though that side of
the breakwater was smashed, I think it broke
the heaviest force of the sea and so saved a
worse disaster. The water got into the main
saloon and did a lot of damage to stores, and
the Captain's effects — and a bit scared the
Captain's wife, whilst everything was all afloat
in the cabins. I had enough of the experiment
of hauling the ship up to her course, so I kept
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 111
her away again ; but towards mid-day the
wind and sea lessened decidedly, the wind
went more westerly so once more we
steered our proper course. But it was some
time before we could enlarge on our sails,
as we were now ruiming into a head sea
from the gale. It was an awful time, and
undoubtedly proved disastrous to several
ships. On my arrival in port I read in the
" Shipping Gazette " amongst other missing
ships, the names of the " Rooparell," and
" Saint Enoch," both of whom we spoke on
the 3rd of April, the first by word of mouth,
and the latter by signals, and just as we were
keeping off before the wind we saw a large
ship about two miles off our port beam ;
she was decidedly in difficulties, and had lost
her fore topgallant mast and bowsprit. My
mates told me afterwards that some of her
yards were void of canvas. She seemed to be
taking the weather even worse than we were,
and also that she had made a signal to us,
but they had refrained from reporting it, as
they did not want to distract my attention.
Well, poor fellows, in any case, however des-
perate their plight might have been about
that time, I could have done nothing, so
great was my own need in that awful weather.
I heard afterwards that it was one of the
gales so greatly dreaded off the South African
coast when they " come home," which is a
local coUoquaHsm at Algoa Bay, Mossel Bay,
East London, and other southern ports,
when they do a lot of damage, principally
by the heavy seas.
112 THE CUPPER SHIP "SHEILA"
Off this dreaded Cape of " Good Hope,"
ships encounter the heaviest and most danger-
ous seas in the world — especially if you are
caught just S.E. of the Agulhas bank, as it
falls into deep water. The seas there are
deep and short, as I once found to my cost
in the " Mora." The ship was in very light
trim, loaded with tea, from Japan bound to
New York ; she was caught in just such
another gale as this, and nearly stood on
end in the short seas, which broke on board,
over the bows and stern together.
There was a lot of controversy as to the
actual height of waves ; the expression " the
seas ran mountains high " is often made use
of, but it is not so in fact. The actual height
of waves has been variously measured ; some
observers have claimed to have seen them
over one hundred feet high, but from twenty
to fifty feet is the average. The breadth of a
wave is calculated at fifteen times its height,
thus a wave four feet high is sixty feet broad ;
the inclination of the sides of the Vv^ave varies,
however, with the force of the wind, and with
the force of the secondary vibrations in the
water, which may interfere with the primary
ones.
The travelling or speed of the waves is
only apparent. It is like the motion of the
wind over a field of ripening corn, or like the
motion in a length of cloth shaken up and
down. Floating objects on the waves do not
change their relative positions ; the danger
arises from the rollers and the breaking and
tumbling of the wind driven crests. The
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 113
weight is prodigious ; Stephenson calculated
that the sea dashing against the Bell Rock
lighthouse had a force of seventeen tons for
every square yard.
If the actual height of the waves was as
much as some people imagine, it would be bad
for a lot of low-lying coral islands, that come
to the surface sheer up from the deepest
depths of the ocean ; they would be com-
pletely wave swept. But it is a grand sight,
notwithstanding, to witness the giant rollers
between Cape Horn and Australia. Even in a
calm sea (and by-the-bye, that is the most
comfortable time to see them) from the crest
of one wave to the crest of another is from
one to two miles, travelling at the rate of
fifty miles an hour. That sort of sea is not
to be dreaded ; it is the turbulent waves,
and in the lurching of the ship into them, the
water borne fabric is seemingly pitched bodily
from wave to wave with nothing but void
between.
After the storm, or rather cyclone,
abated, we made all sail again as soon as it
was possible. We resumed our passage,
and soon turned north out of the high lati-
tudes.
We had one more storm in Lat. 10. 30. S.,
Long. 83. 35 E. in the heart of the S.E. trades.
At 6 a.m. we were engaged in crowding on all
studding sails, as the wind was S.S.E. with an
average high barometer 30' 20", when the
weather suddenly broke up with a sulky look-
ing squall, which was quickly succeeded by a
gale. We took in sail after sail as quickly as
H
114 THE CUPPER SHIP "SHEILA"
all hands could manage it, commencing with
the kites first ; and finally once again she
was scudding before the wind, with only the
main lower topsail and fore topmast staysail
on her, as on the former occasion.
We were now in for a proper tail end of a
typhoon. What, luck we were having, to be
sure. The sea was breaking right over the
ship fore and aft — and this time raining a
deluge. The density of the rain made one
gasp for breath, almost like being under
water ; but it kept the tops of the waves
from breaking somewhat, and we did no
damage this time, as we kept the ship dead
before it, which ever way the wind revolved.
The third officer, Hearne, was by my side
aft of the binnacle, on the port side of the
poop. We had hold of the skylight gratings,
but he must have relaxed his hold ; anyway,
a sea came on board over the taffrail and
swept him clean along the poop. The helms-
man shouted to me, " Mr. Hearne is over-
board, sir ; " and in his horror he lost his
presence of mind by dashing away from the
wheel, fell himself, and was washed along.
I was just in time to catch hold of the wheel
and steady the ship, so preventing her from
broaching to, which would have been fatal
in such a gale and sea. It was 11 p.m. and as
dark as Erebus at the time, and raining no
end. The first I knew was the helmsman
came back ; I would not let him catch hold
of the wheel, but sent him to fetch another
man and find out about Mr. Hearne. He
came back with a man (which he did not
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA " 115
like), and said that Mr. Hearne had been
washed the whole length of the poop and
down the ladder on to the main deck ; he
was badly bruised, but with no bones broken,
though he was picked up in an insensible
condition, having struck something with his
head, en route.
I have mentioned before, a lot of trouble
to me was caused by the ship having two
hundred tons too much pig iron as cargo.
I have frequently been asked w^hy, in the
circumstances, did I not jettison ? Well,
there was more than one reason why I did
not. First, it was against my grain ever to do
such a thing ; again, I thought of the character
the ship would get, and I always hoped that if
I got clear of this particular gale, it would be
the last. I was running towards a finer
weather latitude, as it ought to have been,
lyastly and principally I thought of the danger
there would be in the taking off the hatches to
get at the cargo — a matter of sheer impossi-
biUty with the seas that continually swept
the decks in the height of the storms, and I
firmly believe many a ship has been lost in
this way.
CHAPTER 'XVIII.
The^ Bay of Bbngai,.
We reached the equator in the Indian Ocean
on the 20th of May, in Long. 82 E., and after-
wards got into fine weather — in fact too fine
to please the Captain ; the wind was very-
light with plenty of calms. The sailors also
were light-hearted again, and there were
concerts every evening and shanties on the
slightest provocation. All hands were now
busy cleaning, and varnishing teakwood touch-
ing up paint, and tarring rigging ready for
port ; " messing," my wife called it as it was
being done, but she admitted it was worth it
all when it was finished, especially when all
the holystoning of the decks completed the
job.
On the 25th we sighted the Indian land
(very low), also seeing the Black or Jughernaut
Pagoda, a prominent landmark ; and the
next day came up with a Calcutta Pilot brig,
and took on board Mr. Lindguist as pilot,
his apprentice pilot, and a native servant,
while I also engaged the tug " Hunsdon."
The " Sheila " had thus made a seventy-nine
days' passage from the Clyde. Further, we
overtook and passed this day (to finish the
job) the ships " British Navy " (my third
officer's (Hearne) last ship), and the barque
" Whittingham " bound to Calcutta ; both
vessels sailed from Liverpool on the day the
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEH^A " 117
" Sheila " was launched, so we had beaten
them thirty-eight days on the passage — not
bad!
The last week coming up the Bay of
Bengal the temperature rose steadily day
after day, and on arrival stood at 95° ; it was
very oppressive also, with a damp feeling,
and altogether very trying to those not used
to it. We rigged up a splendid punkah in the
saloon as a comfort for Mrs. Angel, who was
feeling the heat very badly. She was never-
theless charmed with her first introduction to
tropical scenery, and foliage, as it unfolded
itself to the gaze on the banks of the Hooghly
or Ganges — the dense vegetation and graceful
looking palm trees. But she did not appre-
ciate the (to her) wild looking natives, Babboo
runners from Calcutta, who tumbled on
board at Diamond harbour. They made her
quite scared at first, as they were almost in a
state of accustomed nudity ; she had not
been used to that sort of scenery, or kind of
Ufe.
At anchor in Saugor roads, the first
shelter at the head of the Bay of Bengal, at
the sea entrance of the river, and the swamp-
like Sunderbunds, was a large American
built wooden ship, the " Star of England,"
which had been there about fifteen months,
owing, I believe, to some sort of trouble
amongst the owners at home. The Captain
used at times to land at the Sunderbunds,
tiger hunting, the land about here being
infested with the brutes. One day he landed
about two miles to the north of the lighthouse,
118 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA "
and went into the jungle, leaving his two boys
on the beach with the boat to wait for him.
But the boys, boy like, thought that to pass
away the time they would do a little stalking
on their own ; and in doing it, were stalked
instead by a tiger. They ran for all they were
worth back to the beach and their boat, which
they had just time and thought to turn bottom
up and get under, when the tiger was along-
side. He could not get at the boys who kept
heeling the boat over whichever side their
enemy approached ; who would have won
in the end is only conjectural, but fortunately
their predicament was seen from the light-
house by the keepers. They pot-shotted at
the tiger, did not bag it that time, but drove
it off. Tigers, although so fierce at times,
are timid at others ; and fortunately for the
boys, this one hesitated to leave the gloom
of the jungle for the open beach just long
enough to let the boys get a start, whilst they
did the right thing — if they had attempted to
launch the boat the tiger would have bagged
them for sure.
The head of the Bay of Bengal is a delta
cut into numerous rivers and creeks to let
out the waters of the Ganges through its
tributaries, and from the Brahmapootra on
the east to the Hooghly rivers on the west,
extends to about two hundred and thirty
miles. The so-called land of the Sunderbunds
reaches back some forty miles or more, cov-
ered with dense bush and worthless trees ;
the land looks cultivateable, but it would be
impracticable to do so, for if a cyclone comes
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII<A " 119
along, it is liable to inundation by the sea ;
in normal times it is only a few feet above
tidal level, and some land is always swampy.
It runs out into tongues of sand, and this is
significant ; on nearly every one of those
tongues of land, just back out of reach of the
sea waves, the Government have built shelter
houses for any that are ship-wrecked, con-
taining, beside essentials to maintain life,
notices in several languages, not to attempt to
penetrate inland, notwithstanding hearing
cocks crowing, for this might mean only the
presence of fowls that have escaped from their
owners further inland.
The whole land is infested with wild
beasts and venomous snakes, not the least
amongst the latter being water snakes, for
they are all poisonous, and are known to
climb up the chain cables of ships riding
at anchor and appear on deck. There are
also scorpions, tarantulas, enormous spiders,
ants of innumerable species — although the
smallest not the less annoying — alligators
and sharks in the water, and mosquitoes,
gnats, and bats, etc. in the air, so that you
can see the Sunderbunds is not a delectable
paradise.
The alligators are frequently found close
to Calcutta, and as one of the acts of religion
of the Hindoos is apparently to end life by
drowning in the holy Ganges, and also to
consign the bodies of their dear departed to the
said holy river, the alligator gets many a free
meal. But speaking for myself, I wish the
people who so consign the dead bodies to the
120 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
river would so contrive, that those bodies
would steer clear of ships' moorings ; for it is
a disagreeable job to clear them away —
especially when they are truly ripe.
Now, as we had arrived at our destin-
ation, all the sails were furled harbour fash-
ion, the sailors shantying at their task.
Shanty : " So Early in the Morning."
Chorus. Hoorah . . . and up she ri . . . ses, Hoorah
and up she ri . . . ses.
Hoo . . . rah and up she ri . . . ses, So early
in the morning.
Solo. What shall we do with a drunk ... en
sail ... or,
What shall we do with a drunk ... en
sail ... or ?
Chorus.
Solo. What shall we do with a drunk ... en
sail ... or.
So early in the morn . . . ing ?
Chorus.
Solo. Put him in the cala . . . boosh, until he gets
so . . . ber ;
Put him in the cala . . . boosh until he gets
sober.
Chorus.
Solo. Put him in the cala . . . boosh until he gets
sober,
So early in the morn . , . ing.
Chorus.
Shanty : " Johnny Boker."
Solo. O . . . do my John . . . yBoke , . . r, come
rock and roll me o . . . ver.
Chorus. O ... do my John . . . y Boker . . . do . . o
THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEII.A " 121
And the following goes fine in bunting
up a square sail. The leading shanty man
is never at a loss in improvisation, as the
time and occasion calls for it.
Shanty : " Paddy Doyle."
To . . . my , . . way ... a ... y ... ay ... ah . .
We'll . . . pay . . . Paddy . . . Doyle . . . for . . .
Ms . . . boots.
Repeated.
CHAPTER XIX.
The Source of the Ganges.
" None has seen its secret fountain,
But on the top of Mouris mountair
Which rises o'er the hills of earth,
la light and doud it has its mortal birth."
— R. SouTHBY.
The scenery of the river Hooghly is not very
interesting until after passing Diamond har-
bour, when the elevation of the land rises a
little and shows signs of cultivation. Then
you pass numerous native villages, and on
approaching Garden reach, large jute and
cotton factories in full work, whilst on the
starboard side further up is the King of Oude's
palace, or rather a congeries of large villas
surroimded by a wall. One of the largest of
the villas was dedicated to a huge colony of
pigeons ; the keepers cleaned out the house
twice a day, and that operation was in pro-
gress as we passed. There seemed to be
thousands of birds, all obeying the motions
of a baton wielded by a man on a balcony ;
it was a very interesting sight to see the birds
on the wing swirl, twist, rise and fall in
unison, and when the baton dropped the
whole mass of birds streamed like a liquid
into the small open windows. It greatly
amused my wife. The King of Oude was kept
there a political prisoner on parole, a remin-
iscence of the mutiny ; an easy restriction,
especially in the number of his wives.
THE CIvIPPKR SHIP " SHEII.A " 123
We discharged our cargo at the jetties,
and towed down and moored off the Eden
gardens in-shore berth, Strand (Maidan) to
put up our coolie fittings, and await the
opening of the season, on the 1st of September.
It was interdicted for sailing ships to leave
Calcutta before that date, to avoid, if possible,
bad weather in the Bay of Bengal and off the
Cape of Good Hope, so we had to make our-
selves as comfortable as possible here for over
three months, and it gave us plenty of time
to explore the neighbourhood.
But first, owing to the great heat — which yV'
most times even at midnight and in houses ^«^
built to resist it, would cause the thermometer o
to register 100° — the ship was now covered
in all over with canvas awnings, doubled on
the poop and forecastle. Also I moved my
wife ashore at the invitation of a kind friend,
to a beautiful house in the Chowringie road,
one of the best in Calcutta. My host was a
Government official filling a high position,
so we were of all people very fortunate in
having such a friend. The houses in Calcutta
are built with very thick stone walls and all
chunam — or as you would call it, with con-
crete floors — the former heat resisting as far
as possible, and the latter to frustrate the
ants, which otherwise would soon make a
meal of a wooden floor. All the furniture,
except that which is made of a special ant-
resisting wood, is stood with the legs in
receptacles of water.
The menage is carried on thus : Chota
hazra, or little breakfast, consisting of a cup
124 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEII.A "
of cocoa or tea brought to your bedside by a
native servant at six o'clock ; then a second
breakfast which is a very substantial meal of
many courses, after which the gentlemen of the
household depart for their business ; they
have tiffin at one o'clock in their offices,
and come home in the evening after a ride in
their carriages, to a mighty dinner at eight
o'clock.
The houses, shops and offices, in the hot
season of the S.W. monsoon, are specially
protected from the heat by cus-cus, a species
of rushes, in bundles, placed on top and out-
side the doors, which are constantly kept
wet, if the doors have to be used. Inside
immense punkahs are constantly being swung
by coolies ; in later years electric fans were
introduced, but they are not nearly so
efficacious.
In private houses it seems as if the outer
doors are kept hermetically sealed in the day
time, and the punkah kept going day and
night. But from five to eight o'clock in the
evenings is the great time in Calcutta, for
then the rank and fashion, and everybody that
can, turn out in his own carriage, with Indian
coachmen and Syces, they seemed to try
how they could outdo one another in splen-
dour and ostentation, as they drove up and
down the Strand in full view of the " Sheila."
There is without doubt no place in all
the world to equal Calcutta in that respect.
Here would come a great Indian Prince with
his retinue ; then a Rajah ; a Zemindar ;
a Parsee ; a high class Babboo, dressed all
THE CLIPPER vSHIP " SHEILA " 125
in white, with a wonderfully made turban ;
then the " King of Oude," and a small army
with him — -all these in native dress. It was
simply past describing, as each was dis-
tinctive. Then would appear the Viceroy of
India, and his semi-regal staff ; next the
Governor General — all must not be outdone
by the grandest, representing, as they do,
the British Raj. Then the Merchant Princes
of India ; high Government officials ; lesser
officials ; prosperous European merchants,
the quieter residents, and visitors to India ;
it was an endless procession, miles in length.
All, with the exception of the natives (who,
when their caste forbids, do not show the
females of their households), were accom-
panied by ladies dressed in the highest fashion.
My wife either went with our friends
in their carriage, or with me in mine. This
sort of show goes on every evening, but more
especially when the Viceroy and his court
is in residence in Calcutta ; this is only on
rare occasions in the S.W. monsoon, as most
times in the hot season the court is held at
Simla.
I have mentioned that one of my boys
was named Beresford ; he was of the family
of De-la-poer. In the Viceroy's entourage was
a cousin. Lord Marcus Beresford, to whom
the boy had letters of introduction, so he
asked leave to go to Government House. On
his being ushered in, he said, his cousin was
very nice and kind to him — " I should say
he was " — told him to come again, and on his
leaving " passed him a family joke," and a
126 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
present of fifty rupees. The boy returned
back on board delighted, and got Mr. Caie
to grant leave for the day to the other boys,
six of them.
That evening they all appeared in the
grand procession, on top of an antiquated
leather hung four horse coach, and lorded it
with the best. You can depend upon it,
Beresford was at the reins (I was going to say
" at the helm "), with the coachman and
syce stowed away inside. They were the
observed of all, including their Captain ; but
I was really highly amused at the young
rascals, and as they were most decidedly
enjoying themselves, I had not the heart to
mar their fun, and feigned not to see them.
But in such goings on, the rupees were soon
melted.
One of the institutions on the river is the
native bum-boat, selling all kinds of fruit,
such a^ the boys had never before seen or
eaten — guavas, mangoes, sapodillas, man-
gosteens, and of course bananas, oranges,
with a lot of other sorts.
We had to caution the boys against
eating to excess, and happily there were no ill
effects. But their bunks were a sight with the
mixtures ; for bunks are used as receptacles
for all manner of things. I used to give them
at times a little money ; but I found out that
some had rather too much, sent to them, either
direct from kind and indulgent aunts and
parents, or through me. But I drew the
line when the remittance took the shape of
enclosing in the letter to me, five shillings
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 127
worth of English penny postage stamps for
the dear nephew, or son — as if they were
worth anything in India ! — and would I, etc.
We also allowed the boys to interchange
visits with boys in other ships, and mutually
got up nice concerts ; they had also great
times on board with the native jugglers,
whose performances are very clever, consider-
ing the limited and primitive properties.
But we had, in their own interest, to
keep a tight hand on the boys in the matter
of shore leave in Calcutta, for Calcutta, aye,
and other Indian and Eastern seaports, have
an evil repute. It is a deep reproach to our
Government that it, not tacitly, but openly,
allows sinks of debauchery and prostitution
to flaunt itself in a quarter in Calcutta as-
signed to them. These licenced brothels,
named " the German barracks " are, as its
name implies, carried on by Germans, who
systematically address letters of invitation
to new comers ; and the wording of the letters
is cleverly insiduous. They were sent to my
boys and officers by name.
We took frequent excursions by carriage
about Calcutta, that great city of palaces,
and visited the famous Bazaars, Radah,
and Burrah, exploring all the mysteries of the
stalls, and making frequent purchases. When
you can cope with the native seller's cunning,
you find that he will at first ask five or six
times as much as he will eventually let you
have his goods for — and then he has done
you !
I have spent as long time as a week of
128 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
daily calls, in the endeavour to beat down a
seller to my offer. I got it in the end. He
would come down a little every day, with
hands clasped and uplifted. He would go
down on his knees and kiss your boots if you
would let him, protesting all the time ; but
when all this by-play was over, and you had
got what you had been bargaining for, he
would salaam, Burrah Sahib, washing his
hands with imaginary soap, and invisible
water, with the slightest little twinkle in his
eye — for after all you may be sure that he has
done you ; you are not his equal at that kind
of game.
And the smells ! Not that the natives
are dirty — far from it — but there is that
indescribable penetrating scent, most dis-
tressing to new-comers, that can only be
summed up as Eastern, and which in a little
while you seem not to notice. In all the
bazaars or native shop selling quarters it is
their fashion that the various goods and
commodities are strictly kept to their own
quarter, thus if you want to buy boots, there
is the boot quarter where all the stalls sell
boots and nothing else. It is the same with
clothing, brass ware, jewellery, curiosities,
food, etc. The stall holders, when they see
you coming, start up from their recumbent
positions, chattering to you most vociferously
as you endeavour to pass. It is an amusing
experience.
The only bazaar that in any way departs
from the general rule is the most celebrated
in the world — the " Radah Bazaar." It is a
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 129
most cosmopolitan affair, got up decidedly to
sell everything to the world at large, and the
British in particular. Here is the land of the
obsequious shop-keeper, yclept " Hindoo Bab-
boo." As the song runs :
The Bengalee Baboo.
I very good Bengalee Babboo,
In Calcutta a long time e-stop ;
Ram Jam Tundah Ghose my name ;
In Radah Bazaar I keep it e-shop.
Very good Hindoo, smoke my hookah, (native pipe)
Eat my dhall-hat every day ; (pan-cake)
Night time come, make plenty poojah, (fun)
Hear Nauch-wallah on tom-tom play. (dancing girls).
Chorus.
Kautch-per-wanee, good time coming ; (never mind)
Sing Britannia rules the waves.
Jolly good-e-feUow, go home in the morning —
Babboo how he can make slaves.
(2).
Sub Sahah logue, come my shop look now (stop sir)
Very good thing got, you shall see.
Not money want-it, give long credit.
Then Sahab pay me plenty rupee,
Come inside ... I very poor man, Sahab ;
Something buy from me, I pray —
Bito — I tell you what thing got now, (sit down)
I sell " you " very cheap to-day.
Chorus.
(3).
I got pens, Belattee sabon, (Foreign)
Overland paper, hair-pins too,
Pencils got, and very good watch guard,
Pocket knife . . . (Rodgers) I e-speak-ee true.
130 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
Macassar oil, and very good key-ring,
Sola topee, one rupee ;
Cashmere shawl, second-hand portmanteau,
Guava jelly, and Assam tea.
Chorus.
(4).
I make very fine shirt for you, Sahab ;
NiUen front . . . see . . . proper fit.
Four rupees each, nillen very dear, Sahab ;
One rupee buy very small bit ;
Coat and trousers, I give too, now ;
You send pattern, I very well make.
Better than Belattee durzie ; (tailor)
I . . . how can make one mistake ?
Chorus.
(5).
Bye and bye make very long journey,
Cross Kalla-panee I shall go, (black-water)
In Balattee country travel,
There I make one very big show,
Everybody give nice presents, read big books.
Then long time think ;
Little time make good ci\il servant.
Eat beef-steak, and sinipkin drink, (champagne)
Chorus.
(6).
I then come back to Calcutta,
Not keep shop . . . how then can do ?
Famine relief . . . give five rupees . . . then,
Everybody say . . . What kind Hindoo 1
Then some great man give me lesson.
All day long in chair I sit,
Keep nice carriage, get member of council.
Star of India, then must get.
Chorus.
(7).
Last week I get invitation,
First-class ball, must go and see,
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 131
I then put on very best cuprah, (clothes)
Everybody . . . look at me.
Plenty of lights, very good tamasha ; (entertainment)
All night long make music play,
Smoke cigars, drink plenty of simpkin ;
Not go home 'til break of day.
Chorus.
(8).
Then Sahab say . . . Come, Babboo . . . dance now,
Very fine gallop this for you ;
I say . . . No . . . excuse me . . . sir,
That bobbery for me can't do.
'Spose I want dance, hire nautch-wallahs (dancing girls)
Give five rupees, and plenty get.
I think gentlemen must be mad,
Make nonsense jump up and down like that.
Chorus.
(9).
Then vSahab say : Babboo, take supper.
I say yes, of course must do.
Young Bengal must have his Khannah, (food)
Eat mutton chop, and Irish-e stew.
Every Sahab he then turn waiter.
Hand 'round plate in foolish manner ;
I say . . . ahra . . . you got kitmitgar, (waiter)
Why not make him bring the khannah.
Chorus.
(10).
Every Sahab then wait on lady ;
Of course I can-not do less.
Then I upset two, three custard,
Spoil one lady's new silk dress.
Mem-Sahab then get very grossa,
Tell me quick . . . Jow . . . you leave the place (gp)
Called me then, one stupid guddah, (fool)
Mustard pot throw in my face.
Chorus.
132 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
(11).
When Mem-Sahab see I first-class Babboo,
She say, excuse, I make mistake ;
Then Sahabs say. Come . . . Babboo . . . drink now
Very good punch for you I make.
Then we all sat down together.
Make sing-song 'till dayHght come,
Take plenty pegs, get Httle mudwallah, (drunk)
Then in Palkee must go home. (chair carried
by cooHes)
Chorus.
" Note." — Belattee means foreign country, or England.
Anglicized into BUghty. — D. Carson.
And then the nights of that great city ;
when the orb of heaven would sink out of sight
under the horizon, and the temperature would
begin to be bearable, and Hfe also to be worth
living.
The ship was moored abreast the cele-
brated " Eden Gardens," a favourite resort
of the higher class white residents, and their
children, the latter in charge of Ayahs in
their picturesque costumes. In the evenings,
when the trees would be lit up with innumer-
able fairy lights it looked like what its name
represented ; and on its lake were two boats,
" Adam " and " Eve," which were a joy to
the children. A first class military band
played every evening until eight o'clock,
when all the pedestrians gradually cleared
out, going home to dinner.
One day we drove to the beautiful
Zoological Gardens, kept in splendid order ;
on another day we took the carriage over the
not beautiful bridge of boats — a disgraceful
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 133
structure over a dirty river, but the only
means of communication between Calcutta
and its opposite shore at Howrah — and took
a long drive down the river bank to the
Botanical Gardens at ShaHmar. There we
found a truly wonderful assemblage of plant
life of tropical growth, in fact everything that
could grow in the tropics is shown in be-
wildering profusion ; it is beyond my pen to
describe a tithe.
The Curator asked, " How would you
like to see our hothouse with its collection of
ferns, and cactus grown under artificial
heat ? " " Hot house ? " I said. " Could
an3''thing in plant life live in a climate hotter
than this, with the thermometer standing at
from 97 to 100 degrees in the shade ? "
" Come and see," was the reply. " As
to ferns, in some species or another they are
found all over the world, each indigenous to its
locality, and when submitted to more warmth
and moisture, they improve and develop
wonderfully."
In this case, in the Shalimar hot-house,
under terrific heat and moisture, the ferns
were amazing ; and it was the same with the
cactus ; most extraordinary and comical
most of those looked, calculated to raise a
laugh from anybody that had any risible
faculty about him. But in going through, we
had to make a run for it, for fear of collapse ;
it would never do for new-comers, but we
were getting seasoned, and were all dressed
in tropical fashion. But, phew ! however
they can get even the natives to^take on^a
job like that is surprising.
134 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
After a very interesting visit we started
on our homeward journey, and when about
two miles on our way were caught in a rain
storm, a " north-easter " so called, preceded
by a dust storm. And such dust ! People in
carriages have to close everything up tight,
and it is the same in the houses. Fortunately,
in the dust storms the temperature comes
down by the run. The rain, when it arrived,
was accompanied by heavy thunder and
Hghtning, and came down in a deluge ; in a
short time the land, being quite flat, was
inundated, and the flood rose steadily, until
first the axles were under water, then the body
of the carriage, and finally the occupants had
to pull their legs up on to the seats. A little
more and we should have been all afloat,
horses and all ; we could do nothing but stick
it. It was a reminiscence of the water in the
saloon of the " Sheila " in our storm, but for
choice I would prefer to be here anyhow. The
poor villagers as we passed them were in
comical plight, with all their goods and chat-
tels drifting away along the roads ; but
happily for them, their usual clothing being
of the scantiest, a wet through was no dis-
comfort. As we drove along, the weather
cleared, the water subsided, and it only made
us wet through — and late for dinner.
CHAPTER XX.
In the middle of July we broke out of tier,
towed above bridge, and moored off the
Government Salt Golah's at Sulkea. The
import of salt into India is a Government
monopoly and subject to a heavy duty, so it is
bonded in warehouses, unless the duty is paid
ex ship.
The two ships that were moored in the
tiers with us also left, bound for London.
They were the " Greata " and " Red Gaunt-
lett." We chaffingly told them that we
should look out for them at sea when we left.
Later on in this tale you can read the sequel.
At Sulkea we were moored for several
days right opposite the Hindoo burning
ghaut, which place had a great and peculiar
attraction for my second officer, Mr. Drake.
The burning of the dead bodies takes place
in the evenings as soon as it is dark ; Drake
would perch himself up in the tops, and from
time to time we on deck could hear that he
was getting excited — muttering and growling
and shouting that the wretches were burning
live people. He declared that he could dis-
tinctly see the victims sit up on the pyre,
and then the attendants would hit them on
the head with a billet of wood, and make them
lie down again. Poor Drake said that he
could hear them supplicating, and the atten-
dants swearing ; anyway, whether the atten-
dants did or did not, we could distinctly hear
136 THE CLIPPER SHIP "SHEILA"
Drake swearing, which was against all the
rules of the ship. All that Drake said he
saw or heard was sheer imagination, but,
nevertheless, it was a gruesome sight, and I
was not sorry when we went into the graving
dock to examine and paint the " Sheila's "
bottom, which is done at the builder's ex-
pense in a new ship. The Ghauts are landing
steps on the river bank, and some are very
imposing structures.
Having finished with the graving dock,
we again moved down the river and moored
in our old berth, opposite the Eden Gardens,
to load. We took on board as cargo one
thousand tons of upland rice, called mooghy
by the natives, quite a dark coloured cereal ;
the Indians much prefer it, as being more
nutritious than the white rice used in England,
which is lowland or swamp rice.
As the flat plain lands have been inun-
dated in the rainy season, and the waters are
subsiding, just sufficiently to allow of wading
in the mud up to the knees, the sowers, male
and female, with a basket of rice seed (called
paddy) slung from their necks, scatter the
seeds on the water ; it immediately sinks,
and in a few days germinates, giving rise to
the Biblical expression, " Cast thy bread upon
the waters, and it shall return to thee after
many days." Rice is the staple article of
food in the East for many millions of people,
and is their bread. Casting the seed, as I
have described it, is necessarily a wasteful
method, and a lot of after thinning out has
to be done ; it is now mostly sown in plots,
THE CUPPER vSHIP "SHEILA" 37
and when the land just shows above water
and is ready, it is transplanted by hand, plant
by plant — a nice muddy job, and the trans-
planters, male and female, go back to the
primitive nature costume of the Garden of
Eden, without the superfluous fig leaf.
Our carpenter and his helpers had been
very hard at work. They had repaired the
sea damage to the front of the poop, put up
all the Coolie fittings on the 'tween decks,
and the latrines on the main deck, and
generally got the ship ready for her living
cargo. When completed it showed up the
advantage of the " Sheila " over the old type
of Coolie carrying ships, that were not built
for the express purpose, but adapted to it —
somehow.
The 'tween decks were the full length
and beam of the ship, viz., two hundred and
forty-five feet long, thirty-eight feet beam,
and seven feet high, with no obstructions
whatever, save central iron stanchions to
support the main deck, and the masts, lower-
hold ventilators and pumps ; there were no
'tween deck hatch coamings even, those
having been sacrificed to general utility, so
all the hatches were caulked down level with
the deck, with the exception of those neces-
sary to get at the reserve water and stores.
We had on board three thousand, six
hundred gallons of water, in ninety tanks,
three thousand in main tanks, eighty-five
tons of coal, and two hundred tons of mis-
cellaneous provisions, so that the ship when
laden had about one thousand, three hundred
138 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
and fifty tons weight on board. Nice sailing
trim for me to see what I could do this time,
to get the speed that was in the ship out of
her, and not to swamp her as I did so fre-
quently on the passage from Glasgow with
those " dry goods."
Before dropping down the river to the
coolie embarkation depot at Garden Reach I
gave my men general leave for the day. They
all had had occasional leave from time to time,
but this was special, to attend a native
Babboo's wedding. They were to bring their
own music — "And they did!" Hearn went
with them, and he describes the Tamasha.
The native taste for music is peculiar to
European ears. The more din and discord,
bang and clash, as much of the big drum, or
tom-tom, as strenuous arms and hands can
get out of those instruments of torture, the
more the applause. Hearn said his crew
worked at it like Trojans.
They had a procession through the
native quarters, largely representative. The
poor little bride and the fat Babboo husband
were stowed away in a big resplendant
palanquin, carried shoulder high by bearers,
who, in their peculiar swinging gait, seemed
to grunt out, " Heavy beggar, heavy beggar,
let him drop, let him drop, heugh ! " The
whole tag-rag of the neighbourhood was after
them yelling and shrieking. Our men were
treated as honoured condescending guests,
and given plenty to eat and drink ; Ileam
said they would never forget their experience,
at times they didn't quite know what would
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 139
happen next, and at the end were glad to
get out of it. I spoke to my own particular
Babboo about it next day, but he only laughed
and said it was all right ; it was their way, a
little bit too much " mud-wallah," he sup-
posed— mud-wallah being the native equiva-
lent for getting drunk.
And now came the time of worry and
trial for me. I had for the last fortnight,
seemingly, to be everywhere all at once,
examining stores, attending endless surveys
of all sorts. There were miles of Government
red tape, enactments, and exactions, meeting
you in the face every way you turned. I was
continually rushing from one end of Calcutta
to the other — in my carriage fortunately — and
that with the thermometer 100 degrees in the
shade. You could not call it taking things
coolly.
Happily everything comes to an end,
and on the 28th of August, all things being
ready, we dropped out of tier down the river,
and moored alongside the debarkation depot.
Dr. Chapman, senior medical officer, came
on board with his luggage and took up his
quarters. He had arrived from London
about a week before, and had been in atten-
dance at the depot.
On the 30th of August we embarked our
quota of Coolie emigrants, four hundred and
twenty-one men, one hundred and twenty
women, and eighty-five children, making
six hundred and twenty-six souls in all.
There were two native doctors, Gug Mahon
as senior, and Essen Mitter as junior. We
140 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIyA "
had also stowed on board five hundred head
of various poultry, forty sheep, four pigs,
and a Bramah cow owned by Essen Mitter,
to take as a present to the priest at Trinidad.
He had taken a bull and cow on a former
voyage, but the cow had died en route. The
Bramah breed of cattle are never killed by
the high caste Hindoo, but are considered
sacred, and as such are worshipped.
At daybreak on the morning after the
embarkation, the tug " Bombay " towed us
away down the river from where we had
anchored off the depot the evening before.
My men once more lustily gave voice to their
shanties, as the anchors came up from the
mud of the river, glad at the prospect of once
more getting into the purer and cooler atmos-
phere of the bay of Bengal. In the afternoon
we anchored off Fultah point, owing to lack
of water to cross a bar until midnight, when,
it being a moonlight night, we weighed anchor
again and proceeded. As a rule the pilots
object to move in the river Hooghly in the
dark ; it is a very dangerous river to navigate,
the sand banks are constantly shifting, and
consequently the pilots are guided by land-
marks which have to be constantly attended
to.
Shanty : " So Handy My Giri<s."
(1).
So hand . . . y . . . my girls, so hand . . . y
Why can't you be so hand . . . y
O . . . hand . . . y, my girls, so hand . . . y.
THE CUPPER SHIP "SHEILA" 141
(2).
For we are outward bound, you . . . know ;
Hand . . . y, my girls, so hand . . . y.
O ... up aloft that yard must go . . .
Hand . . . y, my girls, so hand . . . y.
(3).
Yes, up aloft that yard must ... go,
O . . . hand . . . y, my girls, so hand . . . y ;
For Mister Mate he's told . . . us so . . .
So hand . . . y, my girls, so hand . . . y.
Shanty : " Whiskey."
O whiskey is the life of man . . . O whisk . . . ey,
John . . . nie ;
I'll drink whisk . . . ey when I can . . . O whisk . . .
ey John . , . nie.
Whisk . , . ey is the life of man, O whisk . . . ey,
John ... nie
I'll drink whisk . . . ey from an old tin can. . . *
O whisk . . , ey, John ... nie
Whisk . . . ey gave me this broken noee. O whisk . . . ey
John . . . nie.:
O whisk . . . eymademepawnmydothee. O whisk...
ey, John .... nie.
Whisk . . . ey here and Whisk . . . ey there. . .
O Whisk . . . ey for my John . . . nie.
Shanty : " Poor Paddy Works on the Railway."
O in eighteen hundred and for . . . ty one
My cor . . . du . . . roy breeches I put ... on.
Chorus. To work up ... on the rail . . . way, . . .
the rail . . . way, . . , the rail . . . way.
I'm weary of the rail . . . way, . . . the
rail . . . way. . . .
142 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
Solo. In eighteen hundred and fort . . . y . . .
two . . .
I did not know what I should do. . . .
Chorus.
Solo. In eighteen hundred and fort . . . y . , ,
three
I sailed away across the . . . sea. . . .
Chorus.
Solo. In eighteen hundred and fort . . . your . . .
I landed on Columbia's . . . shore. . . .
Chorus.
Solo. In eighteen hundred and fort . . . y . . .
five ....
When Daniel O'Connell was . . . a . . . live.
Chorus.
Solo. In eighteen hundred and fort . . . y . . .
six . . .
I knocked off work, and carried . . . bricks.
Chorus.
In eighteen hundred and fort . . . y . . .
seven . . .
Poor Paddy was thinking of . . . going to
heaven, . . .
Chorus.
A very good hoisting shanty — plenty of go in it.
CHAPTER XXI.
Head the ship for England,
Shake out every saU,
BUthe leap the bUlows,
Merry sings the gale.
Captain work the reckoning.
How many knots to-day ?
Round the world, and home again,
That's the sailors' way.
— W. Cunningham.
On the 1st of September at 4 a.m., we let go
the tug, and set all sail off the buoy at the tail
of the bank (Gasper Channel). The pilot
had left us previously, so we were again at
sea and on our passage. With an augmented
crew — ^now forty-five all told — and with the
CooHes, doctors, etc., we had a total of six
hundred and seventy-five souls on board.
My additional crew I had picked up as
opportunity occurred in Calcutta ; they looked
all right, but I could see that they were not
so good as my old crew, and that could not
be expected — ^unless you get men that have
been left behind, say, through being in
hospital, those which you pick up, as a rule,
have been in some trouble, or they would not
be so stranded.
We spread the " Sheila's " wings once
more ; though this time loaded under my
personal supervision, I was sorry to find we
were trimmed by the head, and drawing
sixteen feet aft, and seventeen feet, nine
144 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
inclies forward, but I hoped as the heavy
stores (coal and water) got used up, she
would come into better trim.
We had a competitor to tackle in the
" Lhassa." She was about our own size,
a new ship also, belonging to an opposition
line, and bound with Coolies for Demerara.
She was considered a smart ship, and also
expected to beat the " Sheila " — so the
Captain was instructed. She was about five
miles ahead of us, with every stitch of canvas
on her that she could carry ; she got away
from us the previous night, as her pilot did
not anchor, while ours did, being timid.
Also we had in company the clipper ships
" Battle Abbey," " Golden Fleece " and "City
of Ningpo " — all three noted ships for speed ;
so we were in for it to start with, as all three
of their Captains had been boasting.
The wind and weather on leaving was a
moderate S.W. monsoon, hazy with a souther-
ly swell ; at night a bit better breeze. At
daybreak next morning the " Battle Abbey "
and the "Golden Fleece" were hull down
astern, so they were disposed of. There was
no sign of the " Lhassah " ; I think she must
have gone around in the night on the port
tack, as the wind being dead ahead, with a
strong northerly current, it was as well on one
tack as the other ; or perhaps, I concluded,
he did not want to keep our company, and
try conclusions with us thus early in the game.
The " City of Ningpo " stuck to us for two
days, the wind being very light, only going
about eight knots ; but on the wind freshening
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 145
to twelve knots, we passed and dropped her
out of sight astern.
It was a God-send to leave Calcutta in
the S.W. monsoon with all that number of
Coolies on board, and have a few days of fine
weather to start with, so as to get the poor
wretches accustomed to their new surround-
ings, and ease up the sea-sickness, which
otherwise they would have to endure. On
subsequent voyages, leaving at the same date,
I have been towed from the Sandheads to sea
in a veritable gale of wind ; the tug towing
us bows under against the heavy head seas.
You can imagine what an experience it must
be in such circumstances ; before the tug
lets go the rope, one has to make sail to keep
the ship from being driven back, and as fast
as possible, press on all the canvas the ship
can stagger under, to get sea room, as it is all a
maze of sandbanks to leeward. So you can
imagine how I appreciated my present bit of
luck. But we were to get it later on.
On the 4th we got down to lyat. 17' N.,
I^ong. 86 E., when the wind freshened, at
first from S.W. We were in the monsoon,
and the usual weather was on us — a strong
gale drawing into South, heavy squalls of
wind, rain, and a turbulent sea (hatefully short
and choppy). From now onwards, we had an
exciting time, and we put the " Sheila "
on her mettle. It was thrash, thrash, thrash,
tack for tack, to make southing. We had to
give her every inch of canvas she could stagger
under, grudgingly taking in sail by sail, as
the weather got too bad, and gleefully giving
J
146 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
it to her whenever there was a chance. We
would tack as often as there was any advan-
tage in doing so — night or day, watch below,
or watch on deck — making good use of my
double crew, and though I wore them out,
they never whimpered, but entered fully into
it, specially when they could sing out " Sail
in sight, right ahead, sir; going same way; "
and we caught up and passed her.
Sometimes in beating down the Bay of
Bengal, against the south-west monsoon, in
the squalls the wind will fly into N.W. and
blow harder than before for an hour or two ;
on such occasions, if you are able to stand it,
it will give you a chance to steer due south,
and is taken full advantage of. But this
time we had no such luck ; the wind kept
persistently at south, with an occasional
veering to S.W. — especially when nearing the
Andaman Island group. Their proximity was
not comforting, as they are extremely dan-
gerous to approach on the west side, and we
often had to make a losing tack to keep clear
of them ; but we did not sight them, being
always nearest to them when on the star-
board tack at nigh ttime — ^which again
was not comforting.
Three days before leaving Calcutta, the
ships " Reigate " and " Crossbill "—both into
my agents — left ; and on shaking hands with
me on parting, their Captains chaffingly said
they wished they were going to leave on the
tame tide as the " Sheila " (very safe to say
that, as they knew the date we were going
so leave), as they also would give me a
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEHvA " 147
dressing down with their ships. We kept a
good look out for them, you may depend,
but it was a forlorn hope, and we had many a
disappointment. But on the 10th at 10.30
a.m. we fell in with the pair of them, about
seven miles ahead of us. " Dressing down,
indeed ! " They caught sight of the " Sheila "
tearing after them, and crowded on all the sail
they dared in the gale that was blowing ;
but at 12.30 we had passed the " Reigate "
close to leeward of us, lying well over and
nearly burying herself under the pressure of
her sails. The " Crossbill " was then two
miles ahead, and a bit to windward, close
hauled ; and he kept it so in his attempt to
keep me from passing him to windward, so I
had in sailor's parlance, to go in for a luffing
match, and pinch the " Sheila " up ; but as
I luffed, he luffed, and so it went on. I fre-
quently got as near as a hundred yards from
him, but always to leeward, so he kept me from
passing, and we would drop back. But at last
in dropping back, I caught a fluke of wind,
or something, and came up like a race-horse,
passing him to windward two hundred yards
off — and in the passing becalmed his sails.
When she dropped astern and caught the
wind again in a heavy gust, her big boom jib
blew into tatters ; and I believe it sprung her
main-topgallantmast and yard, as he reduced
sail rapidly. On looking round, we found that
in our luffing match with the " Crossbill "
the " Reigate " had forged ahead again, and
was now five miles away, two points on our
port bow. We were soon after him again ;
148 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
he tried to escape by tacking, crossing our
bows three miles ahead. But he was not to be
allowed to get clear of us that way, and after-
wards to boast that he had passed the pair of
us, and perhaps not state under what cir-
cumstances he had managed to do it. So as
he tacked, we tacked ; and it was a game
that we could play at better than he could,
as my men had been so well drilled, and were
quite excited at the contest. It was blowing
and raining all the time, with a nasty sea
running ; we were carrying nothing above
the main and fore top-gallant-sails, with the
mizzen top-gallant-sail furled, and it was as
much as we could do to hold on to what we
had. But in two hours of this sort of work we
crossed his bows on the starboard tack, close
to, and gained the victory ; the second time,
as we passed him, he, like the " Crosshill,"
took in sail and eased down, and we soon
dropped him out of sight astern.
That kind of racing game is very exciting
whilst in progress ; mind, it is big powerful
ships we are dealing with here, and not yachts
in a regatta — mere to3''s in comparison, that
are built entirely as racing machines.
On the 16th we beat down the Bay, out
of the monsoon limits in Lat. 7' N. Long.
92 E. and a hard beat it was — not a slant
in our favour from first to last. Now we
entered the doldrum region again, between
the monsoon and the S.E. trades ; calms,
squalls from all points, and copious rains.
Here one of the male Coolies attempted suicide
by jumping overboard ; we rescued him by
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 149
lifeboat, and on enquiry found the cause
assigned was jealousy.
On the 19th several waterspouts were
about, and a big one crossed our bows, rather
closer than was comfortable. It was a weird
looking phenomenon ; some of the water fell
on our decks, but happily not to do any harm,
as it is quite possible. The suction and
hissing noise attendant is very curious.
On the 20th we crossed the equator in
Long. 89 E. and entered the S.E. trade winds
on the 23rd ; light wind, fine weather, and
smooth seas. We had b^^" this time got the
coolies well in hand ; and from being a rather
poor emaciated-looking lot of creatures on
embarkation, under the influence of care,
and the best of food, they were already putting
on flesh.
The doctor and his assistants looked well
after that ; the food was supplied at the cost
of the ship, and doctors were paid at the port
of delivery for all the souls they delivered
alive. The English doctor, being senior (that
is, he had made at least five voyages in the
trade) got paid a guinea per head, with a first
class passage provided by mail steamer from
England to Calcutta, and on the completion
of the voyage a first class passage back to
England by mail. He had his meals at the
Captain's table ; and it was stipulated that
he had to be supplied with a pint of good wine,
and a quart bottle of ale or stout daily,
with good well-fed poultry for dinner on at
least five days a week. Also he had charge of
unlimited brandy and rum as medical stores ;
150 THE CI^IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A1"
so if he had been so minded he need not have
done badly ! Of course we all fed equally well,
and that accounts for the large number of
poultry of sorts we started with ; we had a
multitude of dishes on the table, equal to a
first class hotel on shore.
The coolies had their own cooks, in strict
accordance with their caste or faith, though
caste is in a great measure broken by the mere
fact of their leaving India and coming to sea
or calle pannee, as they name it. They con-
sumed a great quantity of rice and curry,
which they mixed fresh from ingredients we
supplied ; a much appreciated meal was
a curry of boiled rice and fresh mutton, or in
lieu thereof tinned mutton (of which we
carried a large quantity), or preserved fish.
On three days a week they each had three, or
sometimes four, chupatties for dinner in lieu
of rice ; a chupatty is a pancake made of
flour and ghee (a native butter) baked on
immense steam heated iron plates — fancy
making two thousand and upward of those !
Then they were given kedgeree of fish, and
lots of various vegetables, pumpkins, potatoes,
shalots, etc. They had two good meals a
day, and if they were at all seedy, or off
colour, special treatment and food — plenty
of port wine, extract of beef, chicken broth,
condensed milk, and a host of good things,
so they ought to have been fit. The ship also
supplied clothing, which at first did not
amount to much — about three yards of
calico for the males, and five yards for the
females, as the latter draped their one gar-
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 151
ment over the shoulder, right or left ; but
when getting in the vicinity of the Cape of
Good Hope, a large woollen blanket as extra
precaution against the cold was served out
to all of them.
For the first six or seven weeks out there
are always a number of cases which give the
doctors a good deal of anxiety. The trouble
is caused chiefly by the unaccustomed food,
and too much of it ; their stomachs, and their
forebears' stomachs for many generations,
have not been used to such stimulating food.
This continues from about forty-five to fifty
days on an average — or until the ship is about
due to arrive at St. Helena — but from there
onwards for the rest of the passage they pick
up wonderfully, and veritably, like the fat
boy in Pickwick, " they wisibly swell,"
finally arriving in port in the pink of con-
dition, fit to go at once to the plantations.
In that relation lies the advantage of a sailing
ship over a steamer ; the steamer, if she is
a full powered one, beats the sailing ship by
just the last fifteen to twenty days, which is
the most critical time ; and usually on arrival
has to send a large contingent of her coolies
to hospital for treatment, where they do not
get treated or looked after so well as on board
ship.
The oversea carrying of coolies was in
accordance with an exact system, arrived at
by experience. To every one hundred adults
four sirdars and four topases are appointed ;
the former acting as police, the latter being
responsible for general cleanliness. At the
152 THE CUPPER SHIP "SHEILA"
completion of the voyage, they were given a
special gratuit}^ for good behaviour and gener-
al fitness in carrying out their assigned duties.
That is the answer to the question, " How
did you guard against possible treachery,
with so many native Indians on board ? "
It was the sirdars who saw to that ; also —
for our hold on the countless millions of our
subjects in the Indian Empire was largely due
to a native characteristic — that if three men
plot together, there is generally a race be-
tween two of them to give the other one away.
We looked to the sirdars and topases, of
whom we had forty-eight on board, to pre-
vent quarrelling or plotting mischief, and the
coolies were encouraged to keep themselves
amused in their own fashion. This mostly
resolved itself into tum, tum, tumming on
their small drums — the same sort of affair
that I have described in the doings at the
Babboo's wedding. The tunes they get out
of those tom-toms, to European ears, is most
dreary, tuneless, and monotonous ; but the
natives at times work themselves up to a high
pitch of excitement — dangerously so, as we
had bitter experience in the Mutiny. It is
said, and with truth, you can always fathom
the thoughts of the native mind by listening
to the performers on their tom-toms, and
then act accordingly.
The coolies for mustering purposes were
cleared out of the 'tween decks three times a
day when the weather was fine ; if not fine,
they were rounded up at one end of the
'tween decks and counted.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 153
Their assigned quarters were, unmarried
females right aft, married and children amid-
ships, and unmarried males right forward.
They all slept in bunks raised eighteen inches
above the deck, and twice a day all the decks
were holystoned with " prayer books " and
fine sand. Every fortnight whitewash and
disinfectants were liberally used, and the
whole ship was kept spotlessly clean.
CHAPTER XXII.
' We abuse without limit the heretic one.
While he bends to the image, or Icneels to the sun ;
We must interfere with all other men's creeds.
From the Brahmin's white bull to the Catholic's beads.
But heaven, like Rome, may have many a road
That leads us direct to the wished-for abode.
And a wise exhortation, in Christians' prayers.
Would be — " Trouble your heads with your own affairs."
— E. Cook.
The emigrants were of mixed religions, and
truly pious. There were no professing Chris-
tians among them, and after a large experi-
ence all over the world, I say, why should
there be ? The so-ealled Christians I have
come in contact with are so only in a per-
functory sense, through early training. And
as for missionaries, I do not believe in them —
and that is " That." They interfere too
much, and have been the cause of endless
friction with the governments of the countries
they intrude in ; they are discourteous in the
mere fact of their interference with an estab-
lished religion, perhaps as good as their own,
and oft times better ; and when they are
hurt, they squeal and cry out for reprisa s.
I think there is a big field open for some of
those native, priests to come home here as
missionaries, for we are grand object lessons
at the present time.
The coolies on board professed Brah-
minism, Mahometism, Confucianism, and were
all very devout, believing sincerely in the
faith as taught to them. They were a pattern
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHBILA " 155
in this to our unctuous, bumptious, so-called
Christians ; nothing, neither time nor place,
will prevent the Hindoo or Mahometan at
certain hours, from going down on his knees
and, as I have said, devoutly praying to whom
he thinks it is right to pray to, in the open
streets, or the roadside, or on shipboard.
It is a sight to make one pause and think,
when you see the poor coolie stop working —
say, at discharging coals, for which he only
gets in our money value, four pence half-
penny a day — and bow his head in prayer
for ten or fifteen minutes. Do you not think
he believes in whom he is praying to ? Surely
then, he should not be disturbed or dis-
couraged— until such time as we can point to
our own so-called horney-handed sons of toil
doing likewise.
In contrast to such simple worship, pay
a visit, as I have, to Calcutta's great cathe-
dral— and I am mentioning that place only as
an illustration. On entering, that which first
catches your attention is the great number of
heavy punkahs hung from the roof, swing,
swish, swish, swish in unison ; the motive
power being supplied by the Hindoo punkah-
wallah, or coolie, at the end of the aisles,
who crouched on his haunches against the
wall, is pulling and slackening a rope. There
is the highly paid European choir, singers and
soloists, and the grand organ ; not much
simplicity about all that — it seemed to me all
form and formality. On leaving the church,
you have to assemble under an immense
portico for a kind of church parade, and
156 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
witness the carriages constantly arriving,
taking up their occupants and departing in an
endless stream ; if you are not ready as your
carriage comes abreast the steps, it has to pass
on, and you have to wait its next appearance.
Yes, I may hear some say, but have you not
heard of the bigotry, intolerance, and awful
cruelty by those simple worshippers you
mention, to those not of their faith ? Yes,
all right, but are the speakers cognisant of our
own history ? When stones are being flung
about, whose glass windows are likely to be
broken ? Experience as a sailor perhaps
makes me speak somewhat bitterly on the
subject ; but all I ask is for a little more
charity — and an open mind. All rehgion is
superstition, and faith ; there is nothing
proven.
But this theme is not getting along with
the voyage, which is the main purpose of this
book.
So far, we had been saiHng through the
Indian Ocean in very beautiful weather, but
sailing close hauled to the wind on the port
tack. The wind was a long way too far south,
and we were not lying our true course ; so
could only carry our ordinary sails — no kites
or studding-sails. On the 30th of September
we sighted the island of Rodorigues, in Lat.
20 S., Long. 63' 20" E.— a small island belong-
ing to England — and another waterspout,
but this one well clear of us. We saw also a
stray albatross. We had some baffling winds
from here — not bad weather, but approaching
thereto, with the barometer low (30-26) and
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 157
jumping — and a heavy southerly swell de-
noting bad weather down that way. On the
3rd of October we were close to the islands
of Mauritius, and Reunion ; in fact I had to
tack ship to clear them. It is most unusual
for vessels to be so deflected from their course
as to sight these islands coming from so far
east as the Bay of Bengal, but such was our
luck. There was plenty of thunder and
lightning about, but no rain, and I was a bit
anxious, as this position is notorious for
cyclones of awful destructive violence, and
they had not had one for some time. The
saying is about these parts (as it is in Japan
about earthquakes), if they do not coine
along frequent and regular, they are afraid
that something is going to happen ; however,
as you may depend, I was taking advantage
of every opportunity to get along, and could
do no more.
But it was a break up of the fine weather.
That is the worst trait of a clipper ship ;
when you are enjoying a fine weather region,
she will not stop in it long enough, like a dull
sailer. And now we had quite a spell of
bafHing winds and weather to the parallel of
the south end of Madagascar, with heavy
sulky squalls, in which we broke — in three
different squalls — main and fore topgallant
yards, and flying jibboom, but without losing
the sails. After that we had again a v/eek of
fine weather, but a very heavy head sea, indi-
cating bad weather off the Cape of Good Hope
— something for us to look forward to !
Up to this date we have had three deaths
158 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
amongst the coolies — all through stomach
complaints — and three births, a very good
average so far, and no signs of epidemic.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Ax Calcutta several of my boys and crew had
possessed themselves of various kinds of
musical instruments. Consequently we had
quite a band on board, and on every available
opportunity they got up concert parties,
singing playing and dancing. Two of my
boys, Wilson, and Gardener, had been taught
the violin in their school days ; and the
doctor, an accomplished musician, was de-
lighted with his class of pupils. I encouraged
them all I knew, as it conduced to a good
ship's company, and made the men happy
and contented. For, being a coolie ship,
a lot of exceptional things had to be done,
and some were nasty and disagreeable. One
thing was the scrubbing all the upper deck,
poop, etc., every morning at 4 a.m., and
squeejeing them dry by 6 o'clock, ready for
the coolies ; and frequently at night times
there would be rows with the coolies for their
dirty habits amongst the coils of rope on deck.
But as regards musical instruments, the
violin looks an innocent enough thing to
handle, with not many strings to learn to
play, but poor Mr. Caie used to find that it
was not so easy as it looked. Under the
doctor's tuition he worked hard at it, but the
faculty was not in him, I suppose ; still, he
was a persevering beggar, and stuck at it.
Being a Scotsman his learning piece was of
course " Highland Laddie," and he would go
scraping at that piece for hours, getting no
160 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
further ahead than the eternal " Highland
I^addie — 'E'eland laddie-heuch," etc., until
he would get upon our nerves, and I would
send a boy to him with " my compHments."
Perhaps, under very careful coaching he
might get a little further ahead, say, a bar or
two ; but if again left to himself he would get
stuck as before. Still, he was happy, and he
used to believe that if he could not get ahead
as a learner, he was a dab hand with the
baton as a conductor.
Since crossing the equator we had seen
very few ships coming our way ; we saw
them coming up from down south bound to
Indian ports, and three, a long way to leeward
(like ourselves) near Mauritius, but too far
off to signal. I was in hopes of coming across
some of the homeward bound Australian
clippers to have a try with them, but began
to be afraid there was very little chance of
that, until I got into the vicinity of the Cape.
We had been taking advantage lately
of the fine weather to get everything about
the ship, her gear and rigging, in good order
for a probable tussle to get around the Cape
into the South Atlantic. A lot depends
upon the ability of the ship to carry on sails
to the last extremity ; and one complaint
I had to make against the ship's outfit was
that the chain supplied for halyards, ties,
and sheets, was not to be depended on. It
kept breaking, and it was through that cause
I had lately lost the two top-gallant yards
and flying-jibboom ; so where a larger size
could be rove we were doing so.
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 161
But now came along a competitor in the
" Cutty Sark," Captain Wallace, from Wham-
poa (China) bound for New York, with
general cargo, mostly tea. She first appeared
at daybreak, about five miles away on our
port bow, ahead of us, with the same sail on
that we had — that was, nothing higher than
the three top-gallant-sails, as it had been
very squally in the night. We set the royals,
and most of the stay-sails, and were after
her ; she did the same, and as we increased
sail, she followed sail for sail, until we both
had all plain canvas on the ships. She seemed
to hold her own for a long time, and also it
was problematical which ship was going the
faster ; but anyway, it was a pretty race,
although not in the best of weather for it,
being far too squally. We had frequently to
stand by the royal halyards, and pull down the
higher stay-sails, which we set again directly
the squall would pass. We were going a good
sixteen knots at times, with the lee rail under,
but when the squalls would ease up, slow
down to twelve knots ; we were close hauled
to the wind, two points off our course, so not
at our best. However, in the afternoon we
had closed up to the " Cutty " within speaking
distance ; the Captain said that he was going
to call at St. Helena, and would report that
the " Sheila " was coming along after him ! ! !
The next morning she was still in sight, but
six miles astern. But, anyhow, she was the
nearest competitor to tying us up we had
come across yet ; I should have liked to do a
bit of hard running with her in company.
K
162 THE CivIPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
Shanty : " Blow the Man Down."
Solo. O blow the man down . . . Bui . . .lies,
blow the man down.
Chorus. Way . . . ay . . . blow the man down. . . .
O . . . Blow the man down in Liver . . .
pool town. . . . Give a man time . . .
to blow the man down,
(2).
As I was a . . . walk . . . ing down Paradise . . .
Street . . .
A saucy young . . . Bobby I hap . . . pened to . . .
meet.
Chorus.
(3).
Says he . . . you're ... a Black . . . bailer by the
cut of your hair.
I know you're a Black . . . bailer by the clothes you
wear.
Chorus.
(4).
You've sailed in a pack . . , et that flies the Black . . .
ball,
You've robbed some poor Dutch . . . man of boots
clothes and all.
Chorus.
(5).
O Bobby . . . O Bobby . . . you do me great . . .
wrong . . .
'm . . . a Sandbach Tinne sailor man . . . just home
. . . from Hong Kong.
Chorus.
Shanty : " Blow . . . Boys . . . Blow."
Oh . . . blow my boys. ... I long to hear you . . .
Blow . . . boys . . . blow ;
Oh blow . . . my boys. ... I long to hear you . ..
Blow my bul . . . ly boys, blow. . . .
THE CUPPER SHIP "SHEILA" 163
Shanty : " A . . . Roving."
Solo. In Amsterdam there lived a maid. . . . Mark
well what I do say. . . .
In Am . . . ster . . . dam there lived a
maid . . . And she was mistress of her
trade.
I'll go no more . . . a . . . rov . . . ing
with you, fair . , . maid. . . .
Chorus. A rov . . . ing ... a rov . . . ing
Since roving's been my ruin, ....
I'll go no more a rov . . . ing . . . with you,
fair . . . maid. . . .
Solo. I put my arm a , . , round her waist. . . .
Mark well what I do say,
I put my arm a . . . round her waist. . . .
Says she, " Young man, you're in great
haste."
I'll go no more a ro . . . ving . . , with you
fair maid. . . .
Chorus. A . . . . roving . , . a . . . rov . . . ing.
Since rov . . . ing's been my ruin,
I'll go no more a rov . . . ing with you, fair
.... maid. . . .
CHAPTER XXIV.
"Away, away, what nectar spray she flings about her bow.
What diamonds flash in every splash that drips upon my brow.
She knows she bears a soul that dares, and loves the dark rough
sea;
More sail ! I say, let, let her fly. This is the hour for me. "
— E. Cook,
And now we were fast approaching that point
which has aptly been called the " Cape of
Storms," otherwise " Good Hope." On the
8th we sighted the highlands at the back of the
coast of Natal, sixty miles away, which we
closed to five miles, where we had every indi-
cation of bad weather ahead of us in the
nature of a tremendous heavy breaking sea
from the S.K. to S.W. and West. There was
quite a large fleet of craft of various sizes and
rigs in company, dodging under the land for
shelter ; some a bit crippled as if they had run
back, after a tussle, and all under storm can-
vas. It was not looking very appetising for
me yet. I signalled some of them ; they all
reported very heavy weather off the Cape,
and hard battering, and I knew that they
must have had it so, by the seas from that
direction we had experienced. Well, anyway,
the winds that caused that sea must have
passed ; so we cracked on all the sail we
could carry, and in company with three fine
ships, " Accrington," " Star of Greece," and
" City of Madrid " we kept on. I fancy one
other ship a long way astern of us, but coming
along, was the " Cutty Sark."
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 165
On the 11th of October we got down to
Lat. 35 10. S., Long. 29 E. or off the Algoa
bay coast, which, however, was not in sight.
The winds were mostly West to N.W. (against
us) ; but although blowing hard, with an
enormous sea, we pressed on, still in company
with the three ships I have mentioned, but
the one we thought may have been the
" Cutty " was not to be seen. We had a very
dirty time that day, and the coolies were
ordered off the main deck. The other three
ships tacked to get under the shelter of the
land, and we lost sight of them — they had
had enough. I stood on to make the best of
it, as all the time I was putting the ship
nearer to the AguUias current. When at
4 p.m. the wind flew into S.E. and South,
a fair to a leading wind (wind, do I call it ! ! —
dub it a gale, and a hard one). Here was a
piece of luck, to get round the Cape, and I
was not going to neglect the chance, so I put
the " Sheila " to it once more for all she
was worth. It had been blowing a gale from
the N.W. previously to the shift of wind,
with the Agulhas stream sea on, and it is
only those who have experienced it can under-
stand what that term can convey ; there can-
not be anything worse — short, deep, and
choppy, the sea seems to come up from the
deeper depths in sudden lumps, and fling
great masses on board at you in seeming
derision. Before the shift of wind we had
reduced our canvas down to nothing higher
than our top sails, and I had been thinking
of further reducing by reefing the upper top-
166 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
sails and furling the main-sail — the wind
being dead ahead there was less than nothing
to be gained by forcing, and the only object
in view was to watch for a chance of the wind
favouring us ; and now it had come, and
with it our chance.
We had to go easy a bit at first when we
squared away, for our bows were going into
the head seas of the previous gale right under.
It was a wondrous sight to see the new wind
comb off the top of the old wind's waves, and
dash them in the new direction ; and although
we had a hard job to set them, being now
running before the wind, as soon as practical
we set the three top-gallant-sails, and the
main-royal over, also the main and mizzen
stay-sails, the wind having southerned a bit.
And now there followed the wildest time
of my life. The ship fairly staggered at
times under the press of the sail, going all
seventeen knots as an average. The only
easing she got was with the helm. The ship
would seem to squirm as she rose on the top
of a sea, and the rudder would give out an
ominous vibrating rattle, but she was steering
as usual, as easy as a boat. It was a wonderful
trait, and of the utmost importance to me,
as I knew what I could do with the ship if
the spars and gear would hold on. She was
answering to every spoke of the wheel, and
nothing gave out. The wind, although heavy,
was constant ; no squalls — or perhaps it was
all squall — and for the most of the time a
three to five knots an hour Agulhas current
in our favour. We never budged tack, or
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 167
sheet, all that night ; if we had attempted it,
we should have lost them sail by sail — they
would have been blown to tatters in the
process, before they could have been secured,
and it would have been the same had I at-
tempted to make more sail.
That night the " Sheila " scudded before
it like a veritable thing of life. It was only a
matter of whether we could hold her to it.
We took not much water on deck, after the
sea became true to the wind, and she was in
better trim than on our outward passage
from Glasgow with that cargo of " dry
goods " ; but the sprays and spoondrift
covered everything ; there was no rain,
but up aloft our top-gallant-sails and royals
were completely wetted by the drift, not-
withstanding they were so high up.
At daybreak it was a wild sight we
looked out on. We passed quite a large fleet
of vessels in the early morning, and during
the following day, all jogging along in our
direction, and most under easy canvas ; none
with anything higher than their top-sails.
We passed them all as if they were at anchor,
the " Sheila " flying past them ; they per-
haps thought I was the " Flying Dutchman."
I heard afterwards that some of them had
been detained off the Cape, four and five
weeks, by persistent head winds and bad
weather, and that that was the first time the
wind had changed to the S.E. I could guess
that was so, as we had experienced heavy
head seas all the way through the Indian
Ocean ; and knowing that, was my principal
168 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
reason for taking all advantage of the slant
to get around the Cape — more especially as
the prevaiHng winds off there are from the
westerly quarter, nine months out of the
twelve.
By observation we had made a run of
three hundred and ninety-four knots through
the water in the twenty-four hours, and there
must be added to that seventy-two knots of a
current in our favour (Agulhas stream), which,
turning knots into miles, makes a total of five
hundred and thirty-six land miles over the
ground, and it put us into Lat. 35. 20. S.,
I/ong. 19. E., or only thirty miles to the east-
ward of the parallel of Cape Point, which we
passed at 2 p.m. in sight, thirty miles due
north, forty-one days out from Calcutta.
I doubt if my last day's work has ever
been exceeded by a sailing ship. I can't see
how it could be, for no ship could be pressed
for so long with more sail, without carrying
something away. The ship and all her gear
was new, and by now well tried ; and I saw
to it, by careful handling of the beautiful
structure I had control of, she should give
up to me the most she was capable of doing.
She had, as I have said many times, splendid
steering qualities, that could be depended on.
I have been in ships where everything else
was fair, but when pressed to run, they steered
so badly, as to be dangerous ; and they
would run up to a certain speed, but beyond
that they would have to be hove to, to pre-
vent broaching. Another characteristic of the
" Sheila " was, there was no limit, seemingly,
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA " 169
to the speed you could get out of her, if
you could and did put canvas on her to get
it out — except what that canvas could stand
without bursting, and the spars could stand
in the matter of strain. There it is, where
nerve and judgment comes in ; how far to go
with safety. Some ships attain a limit of
speed, and nothing you can do will get more
out of them, steering or no steering, they
have attained " Top Notch."
My wife told me afterwards that she
spent an anxious time in her cabin with poor
Mora and her cat for company ; she had
never a wink of sleep, and said she felt at
times as if the ship was being shot along.
As to dear old Dr. Chapman — he used to be
very fond of amusing the cooHe children with
clockwork mechanical toys, and on last being
used, the mechanism of all of them (and he
had quite a number) got stuck ; but in the
violent jerking of the ship, they fell off the
shelves where he had placed them, and as
they careered along the saloon floor, in the
heavy rolling of the ship, the works got
loosened and they all started off to dance and
go through their several performaces. The
poor old gentleman scrambled after them on
all fours, and was awfully afraid I should be
vexed and " think things " if in the midst
of it I should suddenly come into the saloon,
with those things going on and he on his
knees — and I came down occasionally from
the poop to study the weather glass, and
reassure my wife.
Next morning I asked the doctor what he
thought of the " Sheila " now. All I got out
170 THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHEII.A "
of him by way of answer was : " Hobbery,
bobbery old craft ; she is not like the old
' Jorawhar,' " (his previous ship for several
voyages — ^she had been a steamer converted
into a sailing ship). " Well, doctor," I
answered, " you can now boast that you never
before travelled at sea so fast in your life."
But that fact did not comfort him. He was a
dear old gentleman, and it goes without say-
ing a hint from him, or what would have
been worse, an official letter of complaint,
that he would have entered in his log-book
that what I was doing was injurious to his
coolies, would have squashed me an^^ time ;
but he did neither the one nor the other.
He was too old on the other hand, to enter
into the zest of the racing, but I noticed that
without any hint from me (which of course I
dared not give myself) , he gave instructions
to his subordinates to take all precautions
with the coolies ; he could see by the pre-
parations and the look of the weather, what
we were in for.
The ship and her gear, as I have said,
took no injury ; but in my cabin on a shelf,
and over my two chronometers, amongst
others, were four very large books, Maur^'-'s
" Physical Geography of the Sea," Hors-
burgh's " Directory," Nories' " Epitome,"
and a " Nautical Almanack." They came
down, one after the other, like sledge ham-
mers on the top of my two chronometers !
A nice job for me now taking lyunars, to find
out if any injury had been done to their rating,
or time keeping qualities (and I don't flatter
myself) . I moved that shelf, you may depend.
CHAPTER XXV.
" It is the midnight hour, the beauteous sea,
Calm as the cloudless heaven, the heaven discloses.
While many a sparkling star in quiet glee.
Far down within the watery sky, reposes.
As if the Ocean's heart were stirred
With inward life."
— J. WlI,SON.
And now we are around the Cape, " rolling
down to St. Helena," as the sailors sing in one
of their shanties ; every mile run is a mile
nearer fine weather, and the S.B. trades again.
The wind took off in the afternoon of the
12th, and went into the West again with
rain, finally veering into its old quarter, N.W.
It was dirty looking weather, with a falling
glass ; but I was around the Cape, though I
had only just saved it with good luck. There
was another thing, that which would have
been a head wind a little further back and
off the Cape coast, now at least enabled me
to make Northing. I wondered if some of
those vessels I passed under such snug sail
got round for some time longer, and I con-
gratulated myself for pressing on the " Sheila"
for all she was worth when the chance came.
We had now a day or two of adverse
winds, once sighting the coast of Africa,
off Saldanha Bay, and had to tack off shore,
But on the 16th we got as far as I^at. 30. S.,
lyong. 10. E. and into beautiful weather again,
studding sails of all kinds set once more ;
but the wind was very light and the sea
172 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA "
smooth, but with us the everlasting rolling
westerly swell all the way from Cape Horn.
There is no finer thrill in life's experience
than the consciousness of man's superiority
and control over nature's elements ; taking
full use of a destructive force for your own
purpose, making it your servant and sub-
servient to you, and never allowing it to
become your master. And in a sailing ship,
under skilful management, backed up with a
whole-hearted service of those on board, you
have all this, and can work your will.
I have not hitherto said much about the
sea birds. It is said of them, as it is of poor
relations, they are aways apparent. At any
rate the birds are apparent enough about here
in astonishing numbers — the Albatross, that
majestic king of all south sea birds, Molihawks,
Petrels, and Cape Pigeons by the hundreds,
besides a host of other sorts. The Cape
Pigeon is a beautiful bird, and is ubiquitous —
the first to appear and the last to leave ;
they will attach themselves individually to a
ship, and follow her for thousands of miles,
or until the weather gets too warm for them ;
they will apparently disappear for a day or
two, and then a missing one turns up again.
We had an instance of that this passage.
A Cape Pigeon appeared and followed us
from off the Rodridgues Islands the other
side of the Cape ; it had an injured leg and
could not tuck it up under its wing in flying,
but it stuck straight down. It was conse-
quently made a pet of by the ship's company,
and it knew it, for in the early mornings it
THE CivIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 173
would fly in over the ship's taffrail and cry out
to be fed. But in the stormy night and the
heavy sea running off the Cape, it did not
turn up the next day, so we thought that we
had shaken it off by outrunning it, and that
it had attached itself to some other ship. But
no, it was soon in attendance again, and
clamouring to be fed. Is that the homing
instinct ? Perhaps, but, also, a ship is their
great feeder, and we had lots of food for them.
Albatrosses are huge birds ; they will soar
for miles on end, with never a move of their
great wings. They are easily caught with a
baited hook, but I rather objected, or at
any did not encourage their capture, as they
are no good except for their feathers. The
sailors make tobacco pouches of the skin of
their feet. One we caught had a twelve foot
spread of wings, and that was not the largest.
"vVe also caught another monster man-
eating shark. This one, when pulled on deck,
disgorged from her stomach twenty-four
young ones about the size of mackerel, which,
when placed in a deck tub of sea water, swam
about in quite a lively manner, and amused
the children immensely. The parent shark
has the faculty of so sheltering her progeny ;
fancy a cold-blooded cannibal like a shark
having that instinct — that, and the immunity
ot the pilot fish from being devoured by the
voracious beast, passes comprehension.
The coolies and their children were all
about now ; they also knew that all the bad
weather had passed, and got quite fat and
sleek. We had only two more deaths to
174 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
report, and two births, so now as to the
number of souls we are equal, as when we left
Calcutta.
Dr. Capman was quite happy, too,
as he saw ahead of him a prosperous report
and a corresponding number of guineas. He
had an amusing habit, at which I could not
help smiling. Of course in dealing direct
with the coolies, you have to acquire rather
more than a smattering of the native ver-
nacular ; the doctor, whenever he spoke in the
native language, would nearly always repeat
what he said in English, thus : nichy-jow —
go below ; tuum-jeb-deda — show me j^our
tongue ; jeldi-carow — make haste ; suh-a-
carow — stop a bit — and so on.
Poor Chunder had great trouble and
anxiety in looking after his Zehu or sacred
cow. It never prospered from the start, and
did not take to sea life, notwithstanding all
the attention and special diet it got. It was a
standing joke, for, as the vessel approached
the cold weather of the Cape, Chunder fairly
fitted it out with a complete suit of clothes,
made of blanketing. Its food was mostly
gram, lentils, and hay, and I daresay helped
out by medical comforts, so called. However,
he managed to get it round the Cape, and
was in great hopes of getting it as far as
St. Helena, to procure a supply of green food,
which was the general verdict of what it
lacked, when my officers and boys got to
chaffing, and told him (which was quite
correct) that the animal was starving for
want of green grass instead of dry hay, and
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 175
advised him to ask the driver, who was handy
man at various trades, to make it a pair of
green spectacles, so that when the hay was
put down for it, she would think it was nice
green grass and eat it with avidity. Chunder,
good fellow, did not mind ; and it was a
comical sight to see the poor beast dressed up
in its habihments, supplemented by an im-
mense pair of spectacles, and all hands en-
deavouring to coax it to eat. But notwith-
standing all that, the poor cow died all the
same, and nearly in sight of St. Helena. The
two native doctors took all the chaff in good
part — if the cow did not — they were broad-
minded enough for that, and laughed as
heartily as the rest.
Before arriving at St. Helena we had one
very special entertainment, commencing with
a learned lecture by the doctor on " the eye."
To assist this, at the last killing of a sheep
for the cooHes (which was several days before)
one of the eyes was kept for demonstrating
purposes. It was high and even smelly,
as it was placed on the table ; but the doctor
was seemingly oblivious of that fact, if all
the rest were not, and held forth in grand
style. The audience was very orderly, and
by exemplary attention earned a tot of rum,
by my orders. Pheugh ! After the lecture
came the concert, and general entertainment,
programmes were prepared this time, and
reserve seats provided.
On the 17th an alarm of man overboard
was raised. We were always prepared for
that ; and on the crew and coolies excitedly
176 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
pointing to a black looking object in the water
some two miles astern, without hesitation a
lifeboat was lowered from the davits and sent
away. Meanwhile all hands were called to
back the main-yards and at the same time
all the studding-sails had to come in. By the
time all this was done, the boat was nearly
out of sight astern from the look-out at the
mast-head, and we had to send two of the
boys up on the sky sail yard as a lookout,
for we were drifting all the time badly to
leeward. I was very anxious and afraid to
tack ship to beat back to them, for fear I
should confuse the officer in charge of the
boat ; but I knew — and was comforted there-
by— that the ship could be seen by him (being
a bigger object) even after we had lost sight
of the boat. However, after I had taken off a
lot more sail and further lessened the drift,
I was relieved to see the boat come in sight
again from the deck. Meanwhile we had
mustered all the coolies on deck, to try to
ascertain who was missing, when the boat
came alongside and reported that they had
picked up one of our small deck tubs that
someone had carelessly thrown overboard —
hence the alarm ! Oh no ! no one owned up to
doing it. My boat's crew were a little bit off
temper, for the sweat was pouring off them in
streams when they returned ; it is laborious
work pulHng a heavy lifeboat in the tropics.
And then we had another job for all hands to
set all sail again. As bad luck would have it,
on the next day about the same hour, the cat,
I^isa Jane, fell overboard. She was very fond
THE CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHEILA " 177
of promenading around the poop on top of
the fife rail ; this time Mora made a playful
jump at her, and the poor old cat slipped and
was gone. Well, I couldn't risk sending away
the boat again after yesterday's experience.
The risk was too great, for if the least accident
should happen even to the excited coolies on
deck, I should get the blame, and be sneered
at, about stopping the ship and all to rescue
a cat. So that was the end of Lisa Jane, to the
great grief of my wife ; and Mora was under a
cloud.
Up to the 18th we had experienced light
fine S.B. trades, running dead before the wind
with all sails set, and all the studding-sails,
wind savers, and " quiffs " we could carry on
both sides. But now the wind increased,
and drew more easterly with squalls ; so we
took in all the port studding-sails, etc., but
held on to those on the starboard side.
The doctor had it up his sleeve for me
for his Cape experience, so about 2 p.m.,
my wife told me afterwards, he came down
into the saloon quite excited, and said to her :
" Come on deck quickly and see a bit of fun
the studding-sails are all going to be blown
away, yards, booms and all. All hands are
trying to get them in, and can't manage it
quick enough."
He was partly right. The wind had
headed, and was blowing a fresh gale ; we
had to point the yards forward, and in trying
to get in the fore-topgallant studding sail,
the sheet had stranded in the block at the
studding-sail boom end, and the only way to
I.
178 THE CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHKIIvA "
save the sail was to send hands aloft on the
upper top-sail yard to rig the boom in. This
they succeeded in doing ; meanwhile, snap
went the topmast studding-sail boom, caused
by the yards being braced too far forward.
The sheet could not support the boom with
the strength of the wind. But we saved the
sails, and a new boom was rigged and sails
set again in the evening. The losses of booms
do not count, and we had quite a supply.
But what vexed me most was, we were
in company with the ship " Torrens " from
Adelaide for I^ondon with passengers ; she
was commanded by a namesake of mine, and
was supposed to be quite a clipper also. We
had been slowly catching her up all day, and
would have been abeam of her in another
half-hour, and I wanted to speak with
the Captain, but the accident let her
get a start again. I could not catch
sight of her in the night, although
I knew I must have passed her, and there
was no sign of her in the morning. As we
were steering the same course, I could only
put it down, " One more to the ' Sheila.' "
On the evening of the 20th of October
we sighted the island of St. Helena right
ahead, seventy miles away. The sight was a
relief to me, as I had had trouble with my
chronometers after the accident, and a busy
time constantly taking lunar observations.
I had found, and corrected the rate ; the
ship's chronometer from previously losing one
second a day, altered to gaining five seconds
a day, and my own chronometer from losing
THK CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHE:iI,A " 179
one second a day, to gaining nine seconds a
day. It was a large alteration, though nothing
alarming as long as you knew it. But taking
lunars are nice bits of figuring — " an exact
science in practice."
CHAPTER XXVI.
" He who of old would rend the oak
Dreamed not of the rebound ;
Chained by the trunk, he vainly broke —
Alone . . , how looked he 'round ?
Thine evil deeds are writ in gore,
Nor written thus in vain ;
Thy trivunphs tell of fame no more,
Or deepen every stain.
Then haste thee to thy sullen isle.
And gaze upon the sea,
That element may meet thy smile,
It ne'er was ruled by thee." -'*'
— Byron.
We anchored in St. James roadstead, St.
Helena, at daybreak on the 21st of October,
having been hove to the most of the night
before to windward of the Island, in company
with a lot of vessels of all rigs and sizes. We
had evidently caught up to a batch that had
rounded the Cape before we did ; some re-
ported dreadful weather, and that they had
been five and six weeks detained off the Cape.
At anchor within hail of us, arrived that
morning, were the ships " Red Gauntlet "
and the " Greata," that were in the tier with
us in Calcutta, and sailed forty-five days
before us. Captain Guthrie of the " Red
Gauntlet " wanted to know if the " Sheila "
had come overland — he was sure that we had
not come round the Cape ; poor fellow, he was
extremely ill with dysentery, and was landed
in hospital, and I believe died soon afterwards.
THE CIvIPPKR SHIP " SHEILA " 181
We had made a fifty days' passage, they
ninety-five, and yet I was not pleased at mine,
as several times we had experienced hard
luck where I ought to have had better. There
was no sign of the " Cutty Sark," so I re-
ported that he was " coming along " ; I
should have liked to have seen him in the
breeze we had coming round the Cape.
There was one other coolie craft in the
Bay — a French barque from Pondicherry
(Bay of Bengal), a French settlement just
south of Madras ; she was bound for Guada-
loupe, West Indies, and had made one
hundred and ten days' passage. The coolie
ships when they arrive here take precedence
over all other craft for stores, and cause quite
an excitement on shore, so we were busy all
day on board, to be ready to sail in the even-
ing. There was no sign of the " lyhassah "
the coolie ship that left Calcutta with us,
bound to Demerara.
After breakfast my wife and I landed to
see the sights of St. Helena. Jamestown, the
capital, was soon exhausted. They could not
tempt us to mount up their thousand steps
as a short cut to the hills, but after an early
lunch at the agent's, we chartered their
immense lumbering old coach, and its pair of
horses. Surely it was the same that Napoleon
had — I do not include the horses, though even
that looked possible — but anyhow we started
off in style, with a gentleman resident in the
Island as a guide, to explore the Island, and
visit I/ongwood, and Napoleon's first burial
place.
182 THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
The ascent up the hills were as steep as
the two poor horses could negotiate. We
left Jamestown in brilliant sunshine with a
cloudless sky, but as we mounted up we
entered a region of mist and wet fog, which,
occasionally clearing, enabled us to view the
scenery for a short time ; then the fog would
come down again and blot all out. This was
not very cheerful, and we seemed to be
travelling for miles and miles on end. But
in the midst of it, we heard strange voices
ahead of the horses, and found that we had
at last arrived at a sort of farmhouse. The
farmer's wife brought out for sale some
beautiful looking one pound pats of butter,
made up in the same form that was so familiar
to us in Devonshire ; I bought up all her
stock, both of butter and eggs, and a quantity
of clotted cream, made Devonshire fashion.
And we Devon folk ! — ^it was a treat, and I
guess the good people of Jamestown went
short of butter and eggs on our account that
week.
On leaving the farm, the road descended
somewhat, and we soon after arrived at Long-
wood, where we were shown over by a kindly
little man in French military uniform. We
saw all that was to be seen of what had been
Napoleon the Great's prison ; the place the
bed occupied where he died is reverently
railed off, and the very few relics that have
been left in the island were shown to us.
These are very few indeed, as all were supposed
to have been taken to France years ago. The
weather by now being beautifully clear, we
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 183
had a good look round, and out over the
ocean. One reaHsed then how that great
man's heart must have been seared, standing
on that very spot !
We then drove a short distance down
the valley to the grove, where is situated
the grave in which Napoleon was first buried.
It was humble looking enough — just a mound
of earth planted all over with geraniums,
and surrounded with breast-high iron railings
presenting an enormous contrast to the
Mausoleum at the Invalides in Paris, which
we had also seen. The place was well looked
after by French custodians. After buying
some local and commemorative picture post
cards, and collecting flowers, geranium leaves,
and a twig of the famous weeping willow,
we bade farewell, and drove back to town
and to the agent's house for dinner. The
lady of the house had provided what she
thought would be a special treat for my wife
and me, coming from off a long voyage, a
roast leg of mutton, and a pair of fowls. I
could manage all right — trust me ! — but the
lady kept looking at my wife, who was not
clearing her plate of the good things pro-
vided, but almost making her meal, and a
hearty one at that, from bread and butter
and watercress. She asked : "Do you not
care for the mutton or the fowl ? " " Oh,
yes," replied my wife, " but this butter is a
far greater treat — Devonshire butter and
baker's bread." She was properly fed up on
board with mutton and fowls, ducks, and
geese, either one or the other being pre-
184 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA "
sented at eveiry meal. This our hostess had
not thought about ; and somehow our steward
could never master the mystery or knack of
making bread as good as shore-made bread.
Our hostess also said that she had been
trying in our absence to get us some butter,
but lately the country farmers had not brought
much to market. We were amused at that
remark about " country farmers " in a tiny
little dot of an island like St. Helena, whose
greatest length does not exceed 10| miles,
with a breadth of 6^ miles, while 7/lOths is
bare barren rock ; its nearest neighbour.
Ascension Island, is seven hundred and sixty
miles away, and the coast of Africa is one
thousand, one hundred and forty miles off.
But Islanders always talk, and think like
that ; it is all a question of environment.
The Island is, perhaps, the most noted
in the world. It is of volcanic formation,
and rises to a height of one thousand, eight
hundred feet above the sea, at a short distance
away appearing as black as coal. But it is
cut up into numerous ravines, of varying
sizes, and wherever there is a cleft in the
rocks, however small, where earth can settle,
is extremely fertile. From the sea it presents
a remarkable appearance by showing huge
clusters of vividly red geraniums, and in other
places masses of white arum Hlies, all growing
wild, with very fine flowers, but here named
inelegantly " yam-stocks," a generic name
for the Islanders. The island produces an
abundance of vegetables, and immense quan-
tities of wild watercress, wherever there is
THE ClylPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA " 185
running water — which also seems plentiful.
There seems only one staple industry, the
growing and preparation of flax. The princi-
ple business of the Islanders is supplying the
wants of passing ships ; which, alas for them,
through the opening of the Suez Canal, and
the rapidly superseding of the saiHng ship by
steamers, presents a poor outlook for their
future.
Amongst our coolie passengers (she paid
her own passage money down), was a fine
looking woman about forty years of age.
She had returned to India from Trinidad,
having completed her term entitling her to a
free passage. She got the name among us of
the " Queen of Sheba." She had made quite
a considerable fortune in the island, partly
by judicious marriages, and partly in her
widowhoods, and as a trader, for as such she
had a natural inclination ; but in time a long
ing came over her to return to the land of her
birth, but a short experience was enough for
her. The priests got hold of her, and required
her to do heavy penance, and pay a lot of
money to get back her caste, which she had
lost by leaving India ; but she declined to buy
the goods at the price asked, and came with
us again, her expression and verdict on the
subject being, " India only fit place for
coolie." She made a corner in fresh fish at
St. Helena by buying up all the fishermen's
catch for the day, as a treat for the coolies
on board.
The lady was a sight to look at when
she was fully dressed, according to her ideas.
186 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
For one thing slie was loaded with jewellery
all over her person — immensely heavy silver
bracelets from the elbows to the shoulder,
also from the wrists to the elbows on both
arms ; similar from ankles to knees ; a kind
of diadem on the forehead ; a lot of rings of
all sorts on her toes and her fingers ; a
pendant nose ring ; and the ear-lobes were
pierced with holes big enough to admit bottle
corks, which were the customary adornment
at ordinary times, but in cases of ceremony,
the holes were decorated in the same manner
as the rest of her person. Of course, I have
not described the rest of her wearing apparel,
but I believe she did have some on — must
have had, or I should have noticed the de-
ficiency ; but being a mere man I must plead
inabiHty to describe the intricacies of ladies'
apparel. Anyhow, you may depend on it,
she was in the height of fashion.
By dusk I had settled up all my shore
business, and took boat for the ship. We
hove up anchor, set all sail, and the island
soon faded from view, my sailors cheerily
singing.
Shanty : " Rolling Home."
Call all hands to man the capstan.
See the ca-ble runs down clear,
Heave away, and with a will, boys.
For old England we will steer.
And we'll sing in joy-ful chorus,
In the watches of the night,
And we'll sight the shores of Eng-land,
When the grey dawn brings the light.
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHBII.A " 187
Chorus.
Rolliiig home, roll-ing home,
Rolling home, across the sea,
Rolling home to dear old England,
Rolling home, dear land, to thee.
Up aloft, amid the rigging,
Blows the loud exulting gale ;
Ivike a bird's outstretched pinions.
Spreads on high each swelling sail ;
And the wild waves, cleft behind us.
Seem to murmur as they flow,
" There are loving hearts that wait you.
In the land to which you go."
Chorus.
Many thousand miles behind us.
Many thousand miles before,
Ancient ocean heaves to waft us
To the well-remembered shore.
Cheer up. Jack, bright smiles await you.
From the fairest of the fair.
And her loving eyes will greet you
With kind welcome every-where.
Chorus.
Shanty : " Hawl Away, Jo."
Solo. A . . . way, hawl a . . . way, . . . O hawl
a . . . way to ge . . . ther ;
Chorus. A . . . way, hawl a . . . way, O hawl a . . .
way, Jo.
Solo. O, once I had an Irish gal, and she was fat
and lazy.
Chorus. A . . . way, hawl a . . . way, O hawl a . . .
way, Jo.
188 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
Solo. But now I've got a nigger one, she nearly
drives me crazy.
Chorus. A . . . way, hawl a . . . way, . . . O hawl
a . . . way, Jo,
Solo. King Ivouis was the king of France before the
Revolution.
Chorus. A . . . way, hawl a . . . way, . . . O hawl
a . . , way, Jo.
Solo. The people cut his head off, which spoiled
his constitution.
Chorus. A . . . way, . . . hawl a . . . way, . . . O
hawl a . . . way, Jo.
CHAPTER XXVII.
" Majestic o'er the sparkling tide,
See the tall vessel sail.
With swelling wings in shadowy pride,
A swau before the gale. "
— J. Montgomery.
We were now sailing dead before the wind —
that is, with only one mast of square sails
drawing, the others being becalmed to lee-
ward. So we took in all the sails on the
mizzen-mast and most from off the fore-mast,
and spread everything we could carry on the
main-mast, from the sky-sail downwards.
We set all studding-sails on both sides,
spreading a lot of canvas that way ; and
wherever we could put a windsaver, we did
so. We could have raised another sail over
the sky-sail, a moon-raker, but take it for
all in all, the extra help that it would have
given was not worth the expenditure of rope
for halyards, sheets, and clewlines, to reach so
high as the sky sail-mast for so short a run ;
moreover, it would have been a nasty,
dangerous sail to handle if caught in a squall
at night, and even in these so-called placid
seas, squalls at times arise with startling
suddenness, as witness my experience on the
18th.
Eight days after leaving St. Helena we
sighted the remarkable looking small island
of Fernando do Noronha. It bears E.N.E.
from Cape San Rocque, on the N.E. coast of
Brazil, from which it is distant two hundred
190 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEII^A "
miles. It presents a singular appearance
from the sea ; it is lofty of itself, but nearly
in the centre there rises a pinnacle mountain
eight hundred feet higher, very like a church
steeple. The island was used chiefly as a
convict establishment by the government of
Brazil, to whom it belongs.
We were running down off the north coast
of South America, but well out of sight of
land, to get steadier winds, as we were again
approaching the doldrum region, and also to
obtain any advantage from a westerly current
that prevails about here, but which at times
is very erratic. So now we had to be cautious,
as the wind here flies in all and any direction.
All studding-sails were therefore taken in ;
but our present experience was one of light
winds and dense cloudy weather.
At daybreak on the 2nd November the
look-out man on the forecastle shouted out,
" Land O ! — right ahead ", followed by,
" lyand on both bows, and breakers ahead " —
a sufficiently alarming cry. The officer on
watch stamped the deck over my berth and
shouted down the companion hatch. I was
on deck in a second. The helm was put hard
down, and the ship brought close hauled on
the starboard tack in record time, all the
watch trimming the yards as she came up in
the wind, the deck coolies helping at the
braces ; for at an alarming cry like that, it is
a case for no hesitation. The ship slid away
quickly from the so-called land and breakers,
and cleared the obstruction, although I be-
lieve we touched some of it.
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEUvA " 191
And now for the elucidation — by my
reckoning we were one hundred miles clear
to the north of any land hereabouts, but it
does not do to take any chances at sea, as we
are all liable to error, but in this case my
reckoning was quite correct. What we had
nearly come in contact with was a great mass
of detritus and floating forest, eroded from
the banks of the great river Amazon. By
observation at noon we were one hundred and
forty miles to sea of that river's mouth, but
the ocean all round us was a reddish muddy-
looking colour, and the sea water tasted
merely brackish. The floating island was five
or six miles in circumference, and quite
twenty feet high, covered by all manner of
trees, great and small, some quite upright
and high. When we knew what it was, we
kept away and stood back quite close to
leeward of it. It is a well-known phenomenon,
and in the direction books a caution is given
never to attempt to land to examine any-
thing, as all kinds of venomous reptiles, and
even wild beasts, are known to lurk amongst
the undergrowth, and they are savage with
hunger. Of course, as time goes on and the
restless sea eats into it, it breaks up piece by
piece, the floating trees being eventually
stranded on the Guiana coast, or one or the
other of the West India Islands, with the
westerly drift of the current, whilst the
occupants are drowned in detail.
The river Amazon is the largest and most
amazing river in the world. It is navigable
by large ocean-going vessels for over three
192 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEHvA "
thousand miles from its mouth to Iquitos ;
and with a Httle assistance from the engineer
to build a lock or two above that place, they
might go two thousand miles further, and
when trade in the upper reaches develops
that will be done. But it wants to be handled
by a non-Iyatin race. With all due respects
to him — ^where he can claim respect — the
Portuguese Brazilian is a lazy, shiftless beggar.
His motto is " never do to-day that which you
can put off until to-morrow." On my first
voyage to Pernambuco as master, I kept
constantly hearing the BraziUes saying,
" Mannanah, mannanah " ; it seemed to be
all over the place. I asked a British resident
what that expression meant, and he laughed.
" Oh, have you heard that already ? " he said.
' ' Mannanah means to-morrow. ' '
To give some conception of the immensity
of the Amazon, it is enough to say, that its
mouth at the Atlantic, from Cape Magsary
on the east, to Cape do Norte on the west, is
one hundred and forty-five miles wide —
" some river ! "
CHAPTER XXVIII.
" Foiir years on board a merchanttaan,
He sailed a growing lad,
And all the Isles of Western Ind.,
In endless summer clad.
He knew from pastoral St. Luce
To palmy Trinidad."
— H. D. MoiR.
Life on board a coolie carrying ship differs
a little from that on an ordinary ship, chiefly
because the coolies entailed extra work. They
were given the whole of the main and poop
decks for their use from 6 a.m. till dusk ; the
forecastle was reserved for the crew, and
there most of the work was done ; the poop
was for the women and children only.
Hot coffee was served out at 6 a.m. to
the watch on deck ; at the same time the so-
called " idlers " came on deck to their several
duties, being called at 5.30. The steward
served out to the cook the stores for the day
for the use of the crew, and nothing being
stinted the allowance fixed by the Board of
Trade was largely augmented when required.
The strict allowance per day was one and
three-quarters pounds beef each, with
the alternative of one and a quarter pounds
of pork, and half a pound of flour, with the
alternative of one-third of a pint of split peas,
or half a pound or rice ; small stores were
issued once a week, and comprised per man,
one pound of sugar, one pint of molasses (or
marmalade, as long as that kept good and
M
194 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
otherwise held out), one ounce of tea, two
ounces coffee, a pannican full of pickles, or
vinegar, and a sufficiency of mustard and salt.
It was compulsory to issue lime or lemon
juice, as an anti-scorbutic, ten days after
leaving port, even if a supply of vegetables
was given. Tinned beef or mutton was some-
times issued as a substitute for salt meat ;
as long as they lasted, there was also a supply
of potatoes, other vegetables, and salt fish ;
the biscuits were ad-lib. The bread barge
was replenished when wanted, and the cook
allowed anybody that cared to make up
hashes, which he baked for them. Sunday
was always a baked duff day. S.T. & Co.'s
ships carried a generous supply of rum on
board for the use of the crew, at the Captain's
discretion ; and although an abstainer myself,
as I have already explained, I have nothing
but admiration for a drop — or as the sailors
term it " tot " — of rum, after severe exposure
in a storm, when it would be impossible to get
anything hot. Three quarts of water is the
ordinary allowance per day, but it was ad-Hb.
with us.
The third officer served out his cooUe
stores under the supervision of the native
doctors to the kitmagars ; and the small stores
were multitudinous, especially those for curry
making — turmeric, chillies, black-peppers,
coriander-seed, mustard-seed, garlic, tama-
rinds, etc. All these had to be ground up by
the coolies with mullars supplied for the pur-
pose, and the rice, dholh — lentils, you would
call them — winnowed before being cooked.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 195
After breakfast at 8 a.m. the watch below
came on deck to reHeve those going off watch,
and the business of the day commenced. The
sail-maker always found plenty to do in his
department, chiefly on the sails, sometimes
effecting altrations or repairs, and in slack
times mat making ; in busy times he was
assisted by whomsoever could wield a sail
needle, and by some of the boys. The car-
penter— " Chips " — was always a busy man
from morning to night, doing something for
the ship ; and if a yard or any spar had to be
replaced, it had to be done in the shortest
possible time, and as many as could crowd
around were requisitioned, night and day,
until the job was finished. The boatswain,
too, was always at it, serving, parselling,
knotting, splicing, and mending ; and with
him always were sure to be the boys as willing
helpers, with their eyes and ears wide open,
accompanying him all over the ship and up
aloft, putting on chafing gear, loosening,
furhng, or reefing sails. Their poor mothers
(or maiden aunts) would have shuddered if
they had seen them at times. But they were
all taught never to relax hold with one hand
before they had gripped fast something safe
with the other ; never to trust to a reef-
point, or a ratline ; always to turn round and
face the object as they are descending, and
especially never to throw anything overboard
to windward — except hot water, or ashes —
for obvious reasons. The Driver, or engineer,
when the coolies were on board, had the time
of his Ufe, being in charge of, and responsible
196 THE CIvIPPER SHIP "SHEILA "
for, all the steam for cooking, chupatty plates,
and condensing water, besides the steam
winches when required.
Saturday afternoons were reserved to the
men as a general washing and mending day,
and no work was done on Sundays, except
when absolutely necessary.
The coolies were treated as passengers,
in the strictest sense that term applies ; they
were never asked to help in anything in con-
nection with the ship, and were not allowed to
go higher than the deck or loll about the ship's
rails.
CHAPTER XXIX.
" The ocean in his eager course
Proclaims his restless sway ;
His billows roll from pole to pole.
And who may bid them stay ?
The myriad sands upon the shore
Have never couuted been.
Whilst many a glist'ning planet gleams
That eye hath never seen."
—J. I. Stuart.
On the 12th of November we sighted Cape
Galera, N.K. point of the Island of Trinidad.
It had been almost a drifting match for more
than a week ; the wind had been so light, it
almost amounted to a calm at times, but
luckily we had a prevailing strong current in
our favour. We had to anchor in Macaripe
Bay for the night, off the north coast of the
island, it being dangerous to attempt to get
through the Bocas entrances in the dark,
owing to lack of wind, and the eddying
currents that prevailed ; there is no place
when you are in the narrows to anchor, to
prevent going alongside the rocks — the depth
of water is too great, there being one hundred
fathoms sheer alongside the rocks.
The next morning at 4 a.m. we commen-
ced to heave up the anchor, and as bad luck
would have it, we brought up the telegraph
cable as well. We had a nasty job to clear it ;
fortunately for the cable it was the shore end,
and very big, or else the weight of the ship
with all her sails aback would have broken it.
Another irony was, a nice breeze had sprung
198 THE CivIPPKR SHIP *' SHEII.A "
up. I was vexed, I can tell you ; I tried all
manoeuvres and means to clear the anchor,
but the cable would not keep still long enough
— or rather the ship would not. We tried
under-running the cable with a wire rope, but
that proved a failure; also to capsize the
anchor — ditto, and nearly lost two of my men
on that job. It was the backed sails that
caused the difficulty. The anchor with the
cable on it would be out on end, and jumping
like a mad thing ; and as the ship would
break her sheer and make a wild drive towards
the land, with the strain that was on the cable,
the whole of the parcelling and serving would
slather off to the bare vdre. Then the ship
would drive off on the other tack, by our
checking the yards in our endeavour to steady
her, and with a like result. Anyway, we were
playing old mischief with the cable, short of
breaking it. So, finally, I had to clew up all
the sails, and pull the cable close up to the
bows above the hawse pipes, cat the anchor,
and let slip the cable. There were no cable
marks on the shore, so I was all right as to
blame, " but an angry man was the Captain."
I reported the matter to the authorities when
I arrived, and they told me that the cable was
a new one, only laid three days, and the cable
ship was still at sea ; their man at the shore
station had not reported loss of spark, and
that being so, it must have been all right.
At 6 a.m. we set all sail again, and at
7 o'clock entered the Grand Bocas, betw^een
the Island of Chacachacara and the mainland
of Venezuela, and commenced beating up the
THE CivIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 199
Gulf of Paria towards Port of Spain, our
destination. It took us until 4 p.m. to do it,
although the distance is only some fifteen
miles, having again calms and light airs of
wind to finish with.
But we were in time to receive official
visits from the port and emigration authorities
as they could see us approaching all day. We
found on enquiry that we were the first
arrival from India with coolies for the season —
seventy-four days on the passage. The
" Ivhassah " bound for Demerara had not
arrived, although we passed Demerara Light-
ship eight days before ; we found afterwards
that we had beaten her thirteen days.
The authorities had a right to keep the
coolies on board the ship, or at a depot —
" the five islands " — about three miles down
the gulf for ten days, at the ship's expense.
They said for medical inspection — not quar-
antine, as if they had suggested that, they
could not themselves have passed freely
to and fro the islands. In reality it was to give
them time to allot the coolies to the estates,
free of expense to themselves. The pro-
cedure was, those estates that required coolies
would first make requisition to the authorities
for a stated number, against which they had
to deposit so much money ; then they would
be allowed so many from each ship as she
debarked them — men, women and children,
proportionately.
The coolies were consequently indentured
to a particular estate for five years, of two
hundred and eighty days, of nine hours.
200 THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHKIIvA "
After serving this, they can re-engage them-
selves as free labourers ; and after ten years'
service, which they had to make up on the
above basis and which on an average took
fourteen years to do in the colony, they were
entitled to a free passage back to the part of
India they were recruited from. That was
absolutely at their discretion, or they could
claim their passage money back, or take a free
grant of ten acres of crownlands, and become
free to do as they liked. Some took the cash,
and went to various occupations, many
becoming highly prosperous and rich. In
their places of origin in the agricultural dis-
tricts of India their pay only averaged from
one to three annas a day (that is in English
equivalent, three half-pence to four pence
halfpenny per day) and feed themselves ;
in the West Indies, when on the estates, their
pay commenced at twelve pence half penny
per day and all found, for the first two years —
after which their emoluments rose much
higher on a sliding scale — and they were also
provided with free quarters, doctor, and
hospital.
Their wages were paid to them in English
silver coins, which they promptly put out of
circulation by melting them into personal
ornaments of all kinds, such as I have des-
cribed in mentioning the rig- out of the
" Queen of Sheba." It is one of the grievances
of the government that owing to this they
have constantly to import silver coins to keep
pace with the loss ; and some of the wealthier
class of coolies go even one better by melting
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 201
down the gold coinage, and turning it into
elaborate heavy rings set with valuable
stones.
The estates in past times, have tried all
expedients to obtain suitable labourers. It
goes without argument that it is impossible
for white men to work in the open in such
terrific heat as obtains in the fields in this
chmate ; his life would be a short one if he
tried it. The aboriginal races of tropical
America are impossible ; nothing can induce
them willingly to take up any kind of labour ;
they will not work, and if one attempts to
make them, they sulk and die — they are
children of nature. African negroes, kept as
slaves, were first class working material ;
but when the great scheme of manumission
set in, and they were made free — the pro-
moters of that made one mistake, at any rate
— the sugar estates were practically ruined.
They were often situated a long distance
apart, in the back lands, wherever the soil and
position were adapted for cultivation ; and
the freed negro would not stop on them, pre-
ferring to live in towns and large villages.
He had nothing to fear as to satisfying his
wants, for in a country like the West Indies,
and Guiana, it is impossible for a man to
starve ; Nature is kind, and the indigenous
food growing wild all around in abundance,
is easily sufficient to sustain life. It is only
when the ex-slave or his descendants wants a
few dollars for other purposes that the planter
can induce him to work as a free labourer ;
and if he obliges by coming to-day, he is not
202 THE CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHEII.A "
to be depended on to come to-morrow not-
withstanding his promises — he gets so easily
sick, you know, fever, they call it.
The sugar crop is most risky and tricky.
It must be cut at a particular stage of its
growth, for the saving of the feather head,
which is the future cane in embryo ; and
this has to be planted at once in a prepared
plot of vacant land on the estate. Also, when
the cane is cut, it must be taken to the crush-
ing mills in a very few hours, if not, the whole
crop is spoiled by turning sour. The negro
is a good hand, and to the fore at the cutting
stage, as he is extremely partial to that succu-
lent dainty ; but the labour of carrying is
another tale.
The importation of coolies from China
was first tried after the negro failure. I
believe they worked all right, but were
troublesome, owing to their well-known vices.
They preferred also to be traders, small
agriculturists, or shopkeepers. The China
over which we had control was of ver^^ limited
area, and the coolies were mostly town work-
ers, and slum at that.
Then the present system of Indian coolies
was adopted, and it met with great success.
The coolies being at all times on the estates,
they were of course dependable, and worked
well and cheerfully. A stringent law looked
well after their interests. Never mind what
provocation is received, it is a penal offence
for anyone to ill-use a coolie ; the Home
Government-appointed Protector of Immi-
grants looks after that. A stipendiary magis-
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 203
trate visits all the estates periodically, and
metes out even handed justice . . . and it is
complained leans more often to the coolie's
side than to the other ; that is as may be, but
it goes to show that the coolie has his rights
and means of redress if aggrieved.
In the early '70's the Home Government
sent out to Guiana, and the West Indies
generally, a commission of enquiry as to
coolie matters, under a Mr. De Vries. When
all and everything connected with a coolie
had passed under a severe review, the planters
came out very well in the report stage ; only a
few recommendations were made, but like all
government reports it is too voluminous for
me to cite. In adopting the recommenda-
tions, the planters declare they did more
harm than good — and I agree with them.
CHAPTER XXX.
Disembarking the C001.1ES.
On the 17th of November, we disembarked
our cooHes, and we were all complimented
on their fine condition by the authorities.
We landed four hundred and twenty men,
one hundred and twenty women, and eighty-
four children and infants, making six hundred
and twenty-four souls in all ; or an aggregate
of only two less than was embarked at Cal-
cutta. They were sent to the depot at Five
Islands, together with Dr. Chapman, the
two native doctors, and Mr. Hearn, my third
officer, who was detailed from the first to be
entirely at the command of the doctor. We
had to send to the islands provisions, lan-
terns, candles, medical stores, etc., for seven
days.
On leaving, my crew awoke the echoes
by giving them no end of cheers, and several
rousing shanties. The coolies, at the start of
the voyage could not make out what that
kind of singing meant, it being so strange to
their ears ; but towards the end, it was amus-
ing to hear their attempts to join in. They
never accomplished it — the melodies were
not Eastern enough for them ; even in that,
it is as Kipling puts it, " East is East, and
West is West, and never the twain shall
meet." We were all sorry at the last to part
with our living freight, and as I stood at the
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 205
gangway I felt for the moment a kind of
" superior being " in a way ; for as they
passed, they all put their hands to their fore-
heads, bowed low, and said : " Salaam,
burrah Sahib." Although I had been ship-
mates with them for so long, I did not recog-
nise one half of them ; there was an illusive-
ness about their general features, like the
Chinese, that is hard to define.
There were even some affecting sights
among my crew, notably, my nigger steward.
He was chaffed about his saying that he
would like to marry one of the girls. " But,
steward, surely you would not care to marry
one of them ? — you a Christian ! Why,
they are heathens ! "
" Well, yes, that is so," he replied, " but
before I married her, I would Christianize her
first, and baptise her up a bit." Needless to
say, the steward's ambition did not eventuate.
I have not hitherto said anything as to the
personal appearance of these coolies ; al-
though they differed greatly in colour, varying
from black to light brunettes, their features,
as a rule, were most pleasing, and amongst
them were some beautiful girls, with long,
straight and abundant hair.
The coolies being landed, the crew were
kept busy clearing up ship, with the carpenter
hard at work taking down all the coolie fit-
tings. On leaving Trinidad, I had instruc-
tions to proceed to Bemerara with the balance
of my rice cargo, after discharging four hun-
dred tons in this port, which would leave me
with six hundred tons to form ballast for the
206 THE CIJPPKR SHIP " SHEILA "
passage. At Demerara we were to load sugar
and rum for lyiverpool.
Now I liad a little leisure to take my wife
sight-seeing over this magnificent island,
where I had many friends of former voyages.
Trinidad is the southernmost island of the
West Indies, and in many respects the most
favoured. Although it is well within the N.E.
trade wind zone, it is just sufficiently near
the equator to be outside the influence of the
devastating hurricanes. Those who have
seen, and worse still experienced, their effects,
will grant this is an enormous advantage ; for
when a hurricane comes, it is not wind you
experience ; it is phenomenon in the form of
wind, as lightning is a form of fire, with all
the destructive nature of both these ele-
ments. Another advantage of the position is,
it has the most commodious harbour in the
world, formed by the Gulf of Paria, a water
space eighty miles from north to south, and
forty miles from east to west, perfectly land-
locked, and with easy anchorage depth.
Every ship in the world cotdd ride at anchor
clear of one another, and not a danger, ex-
cepting that in the Bocas entrances at the
north of the gulf ; and that danger is only the
liability of sailing ships getting suddenly
becalmed, and at the mercy of the currents,
which might then drag them through the
smaller Bocases.
The only blight is that all the west coast
is Venezuelan ; and although without doubt,
it is the most valuable land in the world,
teeming with natural productions and precious
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 207
metals, that government, " dog in the
manger " style, will do nothing themselves,
and makes it impossible for anybody else to
exploit the country. In fact, at the time of
which I am writing, they would not allow
even surveying or exploring.
Trinidad was discovered by Columbus
on his third voyage, on the 31st July, 1499.
He had determined to name the first land he
should see after the blessed Trinity. " It
is passing strange how pious those Spaniards
were. ' ' He found the island peopled by a race
of Indians with fairer complexions than any
he had hitherto seen ; people of good stature,
well made, and of graceful bearing, with much
and smooth hair. The Chief he first saw wore
a tunic of coloured cotton, and on his head a
beautifully worked handkerchief, so fine in
texture it looked like silk. They carried
square bucklers, the first Columbus had seen
in the new world, and bows and arrows, with
which they made feeble efforts to drive off
the Spaniards, who had landed seeking water.
Thenceforward a story of endless misery
to these happy, harmless creatures arose. A
certain Cacique, so goes the tale, took from
off Columbus's head a cap, and replaced it
with a circlet of gold which he himself wore.
Alas for him ! That fatal present of gold
brought down on them enemies more ruthless
than the Caribs of the northern islands, who
had a habit of coming down in their canoes
and carrying off the gentle islanders to eat
at their leisure, first fattening them up like
cattle, after the fashion which Defoe has
208 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHBII.A "
depicted iji " Robinson Crusoe." The island
that Defoe depicts is most certainly intended
for the island of Tobago, lying to the north of
Trinidad, and most certainly not Juan Fer-
nandez, which is round Cape Horn in the
South Pacific. Man Friday had undoubtedly
been kidnapped from Trinidad. All that
Defoe speaks of (and he was always most
exact and particular in his descriptions) as
pertaining to Crusoe's Island, its indigenous
fruits, trees, palms, etc., does not apply to
Juan Fernandez, which is situated in Lat.
33. 45'. S. in the Pacific, a long way outside
the tropics, and possessed of rather a cold
climate even for that latitude. It is also a
tiny island comparatively, alone by itself
three hundred miles off the mainland of
South America, and it is most improbable
that canoes could locate it in the way des-
cribed. Tobago, on the other hand, is a
beautiful, luxuriant island, with an area of
one hundred and fourteen square miles,
and is only eighteen miles to the north of
Trinidad. Even the geographical features
as depicted in the book can there be identified,
and it is indeed strange how such a palpable
error should have been perpetuated.
When the West India Islands were first
visited by Columbus, he identified six dis-
tinct races of natives, calling themselves,
as far as he could make out, Jaios, Arwacas,
Salvayos, Nepoivs, Carinepagotes and Caribs.
All except the latter were kindly unsuspecting
children of nature, but the Caribs were the
Ishmaels, the terror of all the other tribes.
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 209
and inveterate cannibals ; hence the visita-
tion at his island as described by Crusoe.
There was one terrible advantage the
Spaniards and the later Europeans held over
these poor natives — i.e., their firearms, which
they freely made use of, shooting and terroriz-
ing them all. The Spaniards found no gold
in Trinidad ; there is none in the island.
What gold the natives possessed at Colum-
bus's first visit came from the mainland of
South America, where there is plenty. Never-
theless they served the gentle aboriginals
most cruelly, as was their wont, taking them
into slavery ; and the history of the Indians
of Trinidad for the next century is one long
tale of rapine and cruelty.
In 1595 the island was visited by Sir
Robert Dudderley in the British war ship
" Bear," accompanied by the " Whelp," and
two small craft, named the " Frisking " and
" Earwig." They came straight from Cape
Blanco in Africa, expecting to fall in with
Raleigh ; not doing so, after re-victualling,
they sailed away north on the 12th of March,
to hold up and plunder Spanish ships of
what they had plundered, and had a great
old time of it. But they left Trinidad too
soon by a few days, for on the 22nd of March,
Raleigh and his fleet reached the island.
But I must pass more lightly over the
vicissitudes of this most lovely island ; they
rightly belong to the historian, in any case
are somewhat controversial. Let me finish
by saying that it has been a British Crown
Colony, after successively belonging to Spain,
N
210 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHBIIyA "
France, and Holland, since 1766 ; of the two
former owners, there are many indications,
and people, whilst Spain has left her mark
in that the capital city is called " Port of
Spain."
Of the aboriginal inhabitants, there is
left not a trace. The few that did survive
the unkindly attentions of the first inter-
lopers have long since made their way across
the dragon's mouth entrance at the south end
of the island, on to the vast mainland, with
its impenetrable forests.
The " Sheila " was lying at anchor
close to the beautiful city of Port of Spain,
which disputes with the rest of the capital
cities of the West Indies the cognomen of
being the most beautiful — but that is not
for me to decide. It is splendidly situated ;
its suburbs rising from the level, to the hills
at the back, give it a most picturesque
appearance, whilst the sloping situation is
good for its drainage, which necessity is sadly
lacking in some tropical places. The city
contains many fine churches and buildings,
both official and private ; and the place is
kept in good order, and clean, as there is an
abundant supply of water from the high hills
at the back, supplemented by a copious rain-
fall at times that comes down in enormous
volumes through the rather steep streets,
which have correspondingly big channels
to carry it off into the bay.
This rainfall is somewhat of a phenomen-
on when it comes, but is very obliging, in so
much as that you know it is going to fall at a
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 211
certain hour, when the weather will again be
as beautiful as it was before. In the morning
the sun will arise out of a cloudless sky ;
or perhaps a few innocent-looking, white
flecky trade wind clouds will be about, giving
promise of a beautiful day. But about 11
a.m. — " What is that ? " — someone has appar-
ently dropped a single large drop of water on
your head, out of nowhere. You look up —
there is not a cloud about — then where did
that water come from ? But on looking to the
northern mountains, there is the indubitable
" table cloth," a la Table Mountain, Cape
Town, creeping down where it was cloudless
just before and after that, for about two
hours, it rains/. Do you call it rain ? — better
say deluge, and have done with it. If you
happen to be on one side of the street, it is
impossible to cross to the other until it has
abated ; if you attempt it, you are liable
to be swept ofF your feet, and sent down the
ample gullies. I crossed it once — but in a
cart, and then the shower was not quite such
a bad one. In the afternoon and evening the
weather will be normal. The cause is easily
found in the swing of the sun as it reaches its
meridian, condensing the moisture of the
clouds as they pass the high mountains ; it is
a blessing in disguise, and makes for no one's
discomfort, as it is known and prepared for.
My boys were very interested even at the
boat landing place ; for a feature there was a
very fine grove of almond trees, at that time
in full bearing. There were also cocoanut
palms without end, always in bearing ; and,
212 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
close by, gardens full of bananas, plantains,
guavas, avogada pears, sapodillas, and man-
gosteens. The Trinidad oranges are noted ;
and, in fact, the island is not surpassed in
tropical fruits and verdure by any other
place in the world. En passant, there is no
possible comparison in the luscious taste of
fully sun-ripened fruit eaten at once, against
that of fruit which is shipped away, and
consumed in a northern country.
We paid a visit to the celebrated botani-
cal gardens in the outskirts of the city. It
surpassed the one at " Shalimar " in so much
that the latter is a wondrous exhibition of hot
tropical growth only, made more wonderful
by heat forcing ; this one did not carry that
idea to such a degree, but nevertheless ex-
celled in that the gardens being continued up
the mountains into a cooler temperature than
normal, it had a larger range than Calcutta.
Here is produced, and in the greatest abun-
dance, every known variety of fruit, flower,
and spice — in fact everything grown that can
be made use of by man either for profit or to
administer to his sense of pleasure. The sight
of the orchids is a wonder in itself. There
was one tree that took the fancy of my wife
(I suppose it aroused her housewifely qualities)
bearing bunches of a wonderful resemblance
to strings of tallow candles, wicks and all —
the sort that in former days used to be sold
in country grocers' shops and called " long
sixteens." An enquiring mind could easily
spend a week in the gardens. There was one
drawback to those not used to it ; the perfume
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 213
of the garden was lovely, but at times seemed
rather overpowering ; also the pollen was a
bit trying to the lungs. On leaving we were
loaded up by the kindly curator and his
attendants. These splendid gardens have a
utilitarian purpose other than for mere show,
and are deserving of all praise for showing
how to naturalise and hybridize plant life
all over the world, and borrow and lend for
the world's benefit.
Another day we paid a visit by boat,
and remained the night, at a great friend's
plantation, Quessa valley, on the old Macaripe
road, which was built as a mail road in the old
Falmouth sailing packet days to save the
delay of the Brig beating up the bay. It was
a six mile pull. The plantation belonged to a
Mr. Tucker, an Exeter born man ; he had
recently erected a new house (on stilts, as is
the fashion in this country), his old house
l3ang too far back in the high bush. His
present house was a typical planter's bunga-
low, most commodious, built of wood with a
shingle roof. The stilts are eight feet high,
to make the most of the ventilation that is
so necessary in the tropics ; most houses in
the West Indies are built in this style. They
are approached by a flight of wide steps on to
an extensive verandah, which is such a
feature that it constitutes a house outside a
house ; the house proper has a central corridor
lit by windows at each end, and rooms each
side, and the whole building can be extended
as required.
Mr. Tucker was delighted to welcome us ;
214 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
he knew that we had arrived, as he had seen
the ship passing up the bay. He would not
let my wife walk up to the house, which was
two miles up the road, so we waited for his
carriage to be sent for ; and as his people
were at the boat landing fishing, we were much
interested in the proceedings, which I will
describe later on.
The principal cultivation on his estate
consisted of cocoa, and coco nuts. Do not
confuse the similar sounding names, for they
are not a bit alike ; in fact the growers do not
know the former by that name — the right
name is Cacao.
Whilst on this subject I may as well
describe how the coconut trees were raised.
First the ubiquitous Chinaman would come
along ; he wanted a bit of land to cultivate
on the cheap, and so interviewed the Boss.
Yes ! Off they went to the so-called virgin
bush to peg out a section. The Chinaman had
to clear that land — and it wants some clearing,
I can tell you ; if anyone knows what clearing
tropical virgin primeval undergrowth means,
he will concede the Chinaman had all his
work cut out. But he would do it cheerfully
and well ; no one in the world can better
him — when he is working for himself. Now
his aim was to bring his wife and progeny,
erect his " little grey home in the west,"
and grow amazing crops of what in Trinidad
was called " ground provisions " — salads, cu-
cumbers, okrahs, varieties of yams, sweet
potatoes, and one hundred and one other
tilings, for sale in the market.
THE CivIPPER SHIP "SHEILA" 215
Now for the other side of the coin. For
the use of the land he had to plant so many
coco nuts, so many feet apart, the said nuts
supplied by the Boss ; to tend them carefully
for three years, keeping all the land clear of
weeds ; and then he gave that up to the Boss,
cleared for himself another section, and went
on as before — thus he paid no actual rent.
From the time the seed nut is planted it
takes from eight to ten years before the tree
gets to full bearing. It is only fair to say that
the Boss reserves to himself the right of ter-
minating the possession of the ground at the
expiry of any of the unwritten leases ; but
you can see to whom the advantage belonged
in the long run. When the trees came into
bearing their fruit belonged to the Boss.
Also, as they grow big they would present
too much shade for the Chinaman to grow
things under them successfully. The China-
man was also of the utmost use to the planter
as a pruner, and as collector of the ripe fruit,
and was paid a good wage for the work.
The cacoa tree can only be brought to
perfection when grown under shade trees,
and in moist heat. The shade trees were a
beautiful sight. In this island they were the
forest-like " Bois Immortelle," bearing a huge
scarlet flower ; and this, when in full bearing,
presented the appearance of the whole forest
being ablaze, and the perfume was lovely.
The cacoa planter's life is an ideal one, and I
felt at times I should have liked to give up
sea life and go in for it ; but amongst other
things, my wife did not see eye to eye with
216 THEICLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
me. I daresay she would have been right
in the end, for it would have been rather
monotonous for a lady, cut off from accus-
tomed society, " The world forgetting, by the
world forgot " ; it is different if you are born
and bred in the colony. We spent a very
pleasant evening with Mr. Tucker and his
family, enjoying his balcony ; and finished it
up with a dance till the small hours of the
next morning.
In the morning we had a good old West
Indian breakfast, a plentiful supply of fresh
fish caught in the bay. The evening before
my wife had been most interested in the
modus operandi of their capture by throw
nets. First a fisherman, standing on a pro-
jecting jetty flimsily built on bamboo piles
for the purpose, would throw into the water a
handful of (in this case) rice, but other grain
was sometimes used to draw the fish together.
His assistant had ready a circular net that
would spread fifteen or twenty feet, weighted
at the edges with pieces of lead ; by a dex-
terous throw its whole circumference fell
in the water and quickly reached bottom.
On being drawn up the weighted edges came
together and the whole formed a pocket, very
few fish escaping when once in. The choicest
are then taken home to form the basis of
the breakfast ; the favourites were a species
of sea trout, and a large transparent fish of the
smelt variety. We also collected a good
supply of succulent, toothsome oysters, picking
them off the trees ; and to be able to say that
she had done so, my wife picked a large
quantity herself.
THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHEILA " 217
The other things on the table which
were novelties to Europeans, were cassava
bread, a variety of yams of sorts, some boiled,
some roasted, and lovely fresh made curry,
served with boiled rice. For drink we had
freshly grown and freshly made coffee, and
cocoa picked from the estate, making most
delicious beverages. There was ordinary
bread and butter, and — what never seemed
to be absent from a West Indian planter's
breakfast table — roast plantains, and salt
cod fish. The local grace on the latter
comestible was, " Plantain and salt fish is
the staff of the land. Those that don't like
them, may starve and be — sugared."
Whilst at Macaripe, I walked to the bay
on the north coast of the Island facing the
Caribbean Sea, to the shore end of the cable
I had fouled. The j^oung electrician in charge
was being lodged in Mr. Tucker's bungalow,
whilst the new cable was being laid ; he said
he guessed we had fouled the cable when he
saw our procedure, and had signalled to us,
but we did not see it, and if we had it would
not have helped us. He showed us his re-
flecting mirror with its wondrous spark
dancing about, indicating that for its full
length the cable was working all right. It
was another scientific invention of Lord
Kelvin, and the instrument was graduated to
a scale so exact that if there should be a break
in the continuity of current, it would indicate
the distance away on the deep ocean's bed.
CHAPTER XXXI.
' The ship was at rest in the tranquil bay.
Unmoved by a ripple — undimmed by a cloud ;
The winds were asleep, and her broad sails lay
As still and as white as a winding shroud.
She was a fair and beautiful thing.
With the waters around her, all peaceful and bright,
Ready for speed as a wild bird's wing.
Graceful in quiet — 'mid glory and Ught."
— E. Cook.
In the evening, with the ladies of Macaripe,
we all rowed back to the ship. In going up
the bay there was one never ending scene of
interest — " Stop the boat and look down
through the sea." The clearness of the in
tensely blue water shows up the sea bottom
of white sand and corals, even at one hundred
feet depth, and in lesser depths one can see
quite distinctly. There is also a strange
illusion, that at, say, fifty feet depth the
water so reflects the bottom that it is hard
to believe it is more than twenty feet deep ;
so at a lesser depth it is like a gigantic ac-
quarium, a panorama of life — and such life !
Fish great and small ; crabs of all sorts, and
some queer looking ones at that ; lobsters
also, and shrimps in many varieties, some
vieing with the lobsters for size. All darting
in and out of the coral formations, which
seemed really to be formed by nature into
caves and grottoes for their sole use, and as
lairs and shelters from their devouring
enemies.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 219
But what an existence ! Some fish
seem as if their only raison d'etre is to be
swallowed alive by a fellow fish, even not
excepting one of his own species. Look at
them down below. In an effort evidently to
escape a palpable fate, some are striped in all
colours, some spotted, some iridescent — all
made that way to be able to hide themselves
in their surroundings from their abundant
enemies, who seek and approach their prey
mostly from a horizontal direction. Fortu-
nately for their survival, few look at them as
we do, from the vertical.
As the boat slowly drifts along the sur-
face of the bay, the bottom seems crowded
with fish of all sorts, who seem to know in-
stinctively they have nothing to fear from us,
even as fishermen. Some even inquisitively
leave the bottom and approach the boat to
dart after any crumbs that are thrown in the
water, ravenously swallowing them. The
varieties are past numbering or describing.
But again, what an existence ! — it is the old.
old saying paraphrased, not " dog bite dog,"
but " fish eat fish."
Now they are feeding passably quiet,
with again perhaps, just a suspicious eye cast
around watching their neighbours. But look,
here comes a disturber of the whole family of
fishes — an ugly looking sprawling ray spread-
ing about five feet, and a sting-ray at that ;
see everything scuttles away and gives him a
clear berth, for if he only touches a fish with
his antenae, it is bad for that poor fish. Then
a sneaking hammer-headed shark comes on
220 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
the scene, and the objectionable ray clears
out for him. Finally, a horrible giant octopus
appears, and all hands clear away from that
devil fish, with his paralysing tentacles and
voracious appetite. For he is the monarch of
them all, great and small, an ugly, disgusting-
looking beast. And that is the kind of life
led in the under world, surrounded with
beauty unimaginable. On the sea floor,
crawling about, are live shell fish of all sorts,
truly marvellous in their shape, colouring, and
convolutions ; and the sea anemonies,
amongst the most beautiful of God's created
things, and the so-called sea-weeds, again
in beauty out-run all description.
" But call us not weeds — ^we are flowers of the sea ;
For lovely and bright, and gay-tinted are we,
And quite independent of sunshine or showers.
Then call us not weeds — ^we are Ocean's gay flowers."
We reached the " Sheila " about 9 in the
evening. The ladies of the party enjoyed the
trip, and my boys also — their messmates were
quite envious, but I promised them a turn
before we left beautiful Trinidad.
In my absence my officers and crew had
been very busy painting the ship outside.
I don't know if I have mentioned that she
had a chequered streak (black and white)
around her, called in sailors' parlance
" painted ports ; " the starboard watch paint
and look after the starboard side, and the port
watch the port side, and there is a great good-
tempered rivalry which side turns out the best
work. On board ship there is a surprising
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 221
amount of painting to be done, and conse-
quently consumption of material on masts,
yards, bulwarks, and hull, and all iron work
down in the hold. In the " Sheila " there
was a great amount of bright teak work to be
thoroughly cleaned and coated with the best
copal varnish ; the bulwark's inside was
grain- work, w"hich was carefully attended to,
and it grieved our hearts to see the mischief
that was done to it, where the latrines had
been erected. But it had all to be made as
good as new, and we accomplished it in the
end, and the " Sheila " again looked as when
she left Glasgow.
The Macaripe ladies enjoyed their stay
on board, it was as great a novelty to them
as Macaripe was to all of us. My darkie
steward and cook next morning put on the
table a breakfast which they tried to make
excel the one we had at the plantation, the
fame of which had travelled by aid of the
boys ; and as they had ample ingredients on
board to draw from, all praised and appre-
ciated their efforts.
After breakfast we landed at " Port of
Spain " with the alternate crew of boys in the
boat, to see the sights. The greatest of all
from the human standpoint, was the full-
blooded negroes, male and female. As a whole
they were here, as physically perfect as
human beings can be. The women especially.
Their training, and habit of carrying heavy
weights of all sorts poised on their heads from
early childhood, gives them a perfect carriage,
their chests well out. How they did it was
222 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
a puzzle, but they would poise a round-
bottomed earthen-ware pitcher full of water,
a little one-sided for preference, on their
woolly heads and nonchalently march through
a crowd, elbowing their way even, without
spilling a drop. It was a mystery of mysteries
" but they did it."
And when there was a town gala-day
{or Festa) to call in the country ladies from
their homes miles away, through the dusty
roads, tramping along with their dress skirt,
as a sailor would say, " brailed up " tight
above their most ample hips; no shoes on,
but affording a liberal display af fine bare
legs, as they drew near the outskirts of the
town. There was a large clean stone by the
wayside ; one wonders was it placed there
for the purpose ? and my lady would stop
and prepare. First she would produce from a
receptacle (though sometimes she could not)
a pair of stockings, then a pair of most gaudy
patent-leather French made high top boots
with tassles — of a size to fit her ample feet —
or a size or two smaller for preference ; then a
struggle to get them on commenced ; it was
" hold on good tags," which as a rule they
did not, " hold on good uppers ", and then
stand upright. In her exertions, fortunately,
she couldn't get red in the face, but there was
a conscious pride in her as she looked down.
Never mind the cramp ; the tops of the boots
it was that took her fancy. They might be
coloured fawn, yellow, brown, green, or red,
and adorned with coloured tassels front and
back. Next she would arrange a gaudy
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 223
bandanna head-dress, or perhaps a Paris-
model hat. And last scene of all — let go the
reef points and brails, and shake out the dress
all round. Her gorgeous, very full made print
dress trailed a yard or two behind her, but
well up in front, " to show her boots " and —
tout-ensemble — my lady was out for conquest
as she strutted towards the town, with fawn
coloured gloves on, and a green and red
striped sunshade open, to protect her com-
plexion, and with that inimitable and peculiar
swinging gait of hers, a la cake walk. And
her shiney black face, and sparkling eyes
aglow with excitement " and pleasure in
anticipation," "when she meets the beaux."
I am not describing all this to deride, far
from it ; I have stated what I have often
seen, and what was a common sight all over
the West Indies.
The negro women, by some happy faculty
in them, are notably more inclined to work
than their men folk — whom they maintain as
often as not ; but they are very fond of
dressing up to vie with, and if possible, out-
shine one another. It has been said that the
first thing noticeable on landing on the wharf
in Port of Spain, is the multitude of coloured
men who are doing nothing ; it is not that
they have taken an hour's holiday to see the
passengers land from the mail steamer, if it is
mail day — no, you will find them in the same
place to-morrow and the next day. They
stand idle in the market-place, not because
they have not been hired, but rather because
they do not wish to be hired, being able to
224 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHBII.A "
live, like the lyazzaroni of Naples, on mid-
shipmen's half pay — " nothing a day and find
yourself." You are told that there are eight
thousand human beings in Port of Spain
alone, without visible means of support, and
you congratulate Port of Spain on being such
an Elysium that people can live there — not
without eating, for everyone you pass is
eating something or other all day long — but
without working.
The fact is that they will eat as much and
more than an European, if they can obtain
it ; but they can do well without food, and
feed as do the lyazzaroni, on mere heat and
light. The best substitute for a dinner is a
sleep under a south wall in the blazing sun —
and there are plenty of south walls in Port of
Spain, and plenty of blazing sun. But if the
negro does not work, who supplies him with
food that, anyway, he must eat occasionally ?
He cannot exist all the time by eating the
sun's heat, and statistics do not say that he
steals — well, not too much. A gentleman in
passing a negro's hut about dinner time,
noticed a decided smell of turkey roasting ;
the coloured " gen'lman " was home, and
lounging against the doorpost to keep it
upright, and the following dialogue ensued :
" Well, Sam, turkey for dinner to-day ? "
" Yes, sail ; and I will give you the history
of that there turkey. That turkey, sah, took
to roosting on my back fence for this last
three nights, sah, and dis mamin' I seized him
for de rent — Good marnin', sah ! "
I wonder how much sugar cane is planted
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 225
extra to make up for loss, as in the season
they all seem to be chewing that delectable
food, and the plantation fences are not very
formidable. As to bananas, that one fruit
alone contains all the proteids necessary to
sustain life, and it is here in profusion, and
of the right sort — the fig banana, a truly
delicious fruit, that will not bear the length
of time necessary to convey it to Europe ;
that which we get in England is not the true
banana, but one of the species of plantain,
and that even is cut in an unripe state for
export.
One of the reasons of the reluctance of the
male negroes for work lies with their coloured
helpmates ; they work, and work hard and
well, and if they are content — hands off, let
them alone, and it is as well. The West
Indian coloured population are very sharp
in repartee, and in a battle of wits you are
likely to be beaten, and badly so. As a rule
they are good-tempered and can take a joke
and give one back, and laugh — and have you
ever seen a negro laugh ? When jokes are
intended as such, they laugh — but there is
no race alive that can be so contemptuously
insulting as a truly angry negro ; and they
can be dangerous, too, not caring a rap for
consequences.
Our time in Port of Spain was now rapidly
drawing to a close. We paid a farewell visit
to the depot at Five Islands, and saw the de-
barkation of several batches of immigrants
to their future homes on the plantations.
They all again salaamed the " Burrah Sahib "
o
226 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "'
and his " Mem Sahib," and if allowed would
go on their knees with their foreheads to the
ground. Poor souls, an utterly different
world was about to open to them. I again
scanned their faces, after my experience on
their leaving the ship ; no, I could not call
to recollection the features of one half of
them.
On our last day on shore at the invitation
of our Macaripe friends we went to the races,
a great local and West Indian event. They
showed real sport, with splendid race horses,
some being brought from the other islands,
and Guiana, as tliis island is chosen as the
general racing rendezvous. Horse racing was
not my forte — ships racing being more in my
line — but I enjoyed the excitement ; and it
was a sight to witness the evident enjoyment
of the well-dressed crowd in attendance.
Everybody was present from the Governor
and his suite, with their ladies, and in grad-
ations all the principal inhabitants of the
island and visitors downwards ; all resplen-
dant — and the ladies' dresses ! — no use asking
me to describe them — I'm only a mere man.
But they had got it all on, you may be sure.
Our party made up a sweepstake for a
goodly sum. They allowed my wife to choose
her horse, and she chose the one with the
prettiest name — " Village Belle," supposed
by the knowing ones to be a rank outsider.
There was great excitement within our party
on the grand stand, and amazement amongst
the others, when the youngest son of our
host kept shouting excitedly : " Village Belle !
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 227
Village Belle ! Mrs. Angel's Village Belle
leads — Village Belle wins — hurrah ! " It was
the Derby of the races, and the mare was bred
and owned by a Coolie (who had long ago
concluded his contract on the estates), and
who was seated on the grand stand not far
from the Governor of the crown colony.
Our ship was now looking exceedingly
nice and clean. My crew had done well ;
and it was my rule, as I have before stated,
whilst in port, to encourage the men by letting
them have shore leave, half a watch at a
time, with a little money to spend, and it was
very seldom I was given cause to regret it,
and then only in individual cases. I always
remembered, in dealing with my crews, my
own yearnings when I formerly occupied their
present positions ; for I also entered sea life
by coming on board through the hawse-pipes.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Come list to our song as we dance along.
And scatter our music gay.
As we plunge and splash with a jovial dash,
And reel 'neath the glist'ning spray.
As we curve and spin, now out, now in.
And eddy, and toss, and roar,
Now high, now low, now fast, now slow.
Away to the furthermost shore.
Ye-ho, ye-ho, who so merry as we ?
We waves of the stirring deep ;
We banish dull care from our briny air,
No sorrow's dark thought we keep.
See, yonder our pride, our stately ship-bride.
Like a bright seagull on the wing ;
Whatever betide, we cling to her side.
While crested white laurels we fling,
To lie and remain where her sweeping train
May leave its proud track behind ;
Then high our refrain we roll back again.
To echo and swell on the wind.
Ye-ho, ye-ho, who so merry as we ?
We waves of the stirring deep ;
We banish dull care from our briny air.
No sorrow's dark thought we keep.
— J. I. STUARt.
On the 25th of November we hove the anchor
up short at noon. All the morning the ship
had been gaily decorated with flags, rainbow
fashion, whilst we were receiving visits from
town friends. We now pulled the flags down,
with the exception of the ensign at the mizzen
peak, S.T. and Co.'s house flag at the fore
truck, M.M.S.A. Club flag at the main truck,
and the flag (G) of the commercial code,
at the mizzen. This last is used as a private
flag, signifying that the Captain is on board,
when flown in harbour, and is attended to by
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 229
the poop middle on watch, whose other duty-
is to watch approaching boats, acquainting
the officer in charge as they near the gangway.
We had been waiting all the morning for a
breeze to start with, as it had been a flat
calm since dawn ; it came along fine at noon,
with the swing of the sun, and looked good
and lasting. So we set all sail, tripped our
anchor, and at 2 p.m. passed out of the Grand
Bocas into the open Caribean sea, passing
Macaripe en route, where our friends had
mustered to give us a farewell wave of their
handkerchiefs ; they had also sent off a boat
with a present of beautiful fruit and the
morning's catch of fish, an unexpected but
not the less welcome gift.
And now out of the Gulf of Paria, and
in the open Caribean sea, I had two alter-
native routes before me. I could either beat
up to Demerara in the channel between
Tobago and Trinidad against the N.E. trade
winds and a three knot adverse current, or
stand boldly to the northward close hauled
to the wind, passing to leeward of the lesser
Antilles, and seek an opening between the
islands, where the current would be much less,
than beating sufficiently to windward to fetch
our destination on the port tack. Each route
has its champions ; I chose the latter, as
giving me the most sea room.
Before leaving, I had asked Captains of
coasters just arrived from Demerara as to
wind prospects ; they all said that I should
get as much wind as I wanted. It was now
N.E. fresh breeze and fine, and we started at
230 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
twelve and a half knots easily ; at 6 p.m. we
sighted Grenada, three points on our star-
board bow, thirty-two miles away, and at
10 p.m. the south end of Point Saline was
abeam fifteen miles off, but it was too dark
to describe the island. At noon on the 26th
our position was I,at. 14' 55" N., I^ong. 62' 30"
W. — seventy-five miles due west from Cape
St. Martin, Martinique, but out of sight of all
land. We tacked ship, and at 5 p.m. St.
lyucia bore east, thirty-five miles ; we again
tacked ship, and at 8 p.m. Port Royal Bay,
Martinique, bore east, twenty miles off. All
that night we made short tacks to windward
between Dominica and Martinique ; all right
— but it was an intensely dark night, though
luckily with no haze. There were no shore
lights that were any good to us, but we kept
our reaches, as a rule, until we caught sight
of breakers ahead, and then down helm smart-
ly and tacked.
This passage was also a trial as to the
stiffness of the " Sheila " in ballast trim under
sail in a fresh breeze. On leaving Trinidad
our draft of water was a little less than twelve
feet mean, and I was a little cautious and
anxious at first as to her stiffness to stand
upright to a strong wind, with her lofty spars,
enormous yards, and heavy rig in general ;
but she stood up to it as stiff as a church (in a
manner of speaking) with six hundred tons of
rice on board. I had in reserve, in case of
necessity, empty water tanks of one htmdred
and fifty tons capacity in the lower hold,
which I could have filled with sea water if
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 231
necessary ; but I was reluctant to do that
except if the need arose, as they would have
to be all pumped out again on arrival in
Demerara by hand pumps, a work of time.
As we had passed in the night, succes-
sively, the islands of Grenadines, St. Vincent,
St. Lucia, and Dominica, we could not dis-
cern them ; but they are all rugged and
mountainous, but the cultivatable land, being,
however, very fertile, they produce in abun-
dance all tropical fruits, etc.
In beating to windward in the eighteen
miles passage between Martinique and Domi-
nica, and on a very dark night, all hands were
kept on deck to work the ship ; we first took
in the lighter stay-sails and jibs, and furled
the cross- jack, reducing thus the speed to
eleven knots. At 11 p.m. Cachacrow Point,
Dominica, bore E.N.E. six miles ; we tacked
ship, and at 1 a.m. on the 27th, Cape Martin
bore South, four miles. We tacked again,
and stood to the eastward of Martinique,
steering a large course for Barbadoes, one
hundred and fifteen miles distant, with all
the plain sail we could crack on her once more ;
and in a spanking trade wind breeze the good
little " Sheila " was showing her heels again.
And the watch was sent below.
At 2 p.m. we sighted the north point of
Barbadoes, distant fourteen miles right ahead;
we could have weathered the island easily,
but we kept on the lee side, half a mile off,
or just clear of the outer shipping lying at
anchor off Bridgetown. At 3 p.m. we hoisted
our Ensign at the peak, and Sandbach Par-
232 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
ker's house flag at the fore (the Barbadians
would all know it), and with a nice check on
the yards, and a glorious breeze, amounting
to a fresh gale, we passed the island in sight
of everything, going fifteen and a half knots
an hour, with not a movement in the "Sheila "
(excepting her speed through the water) as
being to leeward of the island and so close up,
the sea was very smooth. In an hour the
island was out of sight astern. I heard after-
wards the " Barbadians " were quite excited
at seeing us swank by their little island.
We had done remarkably well thus far,
and the " Sheila " had proved herself good
and true in beating dead to windward, and as
handy as a racing yacht, overcoming both
wind and current. Is it not truly exhilarating
to be in command of such a perfect specimen
of naval architecture ; your heart lifts to the
joy of it, and there is no mechanical excite-
ment equal to it in all the world.
After passing Barbadoes, we had three
hundred and eighty miles in front of us to
make Demerara bar lightship, lying ten miles
off the land. So now we set the taff-rail patent
log ; it was the first time it had been used
except for rate checking purposes. We had to
pay out seventy fathoms of stray line to keep
the log from skipping, as we were going so
fast. After passing the island the wind
freshened somewhat in squalls, but still a
glorious trade breeze ; and now it was as
much as we could do to hold on to our lighter
stay-sails, and balloon jib. The wind was
now about two points free, so we were going
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHBIIyA " 233
ramping full. The " Sheila " was lying well
down to it under the pressure of her canvas,
the hull taking every pound of weight it was
capable of carrying ; but there was nothing
to be afraid of — my only concern was about
the holding capacity of my spars and gear,
for she was now dancing along, averaging a
good sixteen and a half knots.
From here to the Guiana coast we had to
steer about a point to windward, to counter-
act the current on the weather side, setting us
to leeward (and the strength was erratic).
The Guiana coast is one of the worst in the
world to make direct from the blue ocean, it is
so low, and shallows off the land to a great
distance, there being only twenty feet of water
twenty miles off in places, so it needs cautious
approach.
A long way ahead of us, " hull down," we
sighted two barques bound our way, and this
race was a very interesting one. First we
saw from our masthead one barque chase and
pass the other one quite close ; then we came
along, and quickly passed the defeated barque,
which was fiying the American ensign. She
was a Boston ice ship, bound for Demerara,
staggering under all sail, and going for all she
was worth. Then we were after the other,
going at her utmost speed — about thirteen
knots — and making no end of a fuss about it.
She proved to be the "Delaware," one of
Messrs. Perot's American Barques ; a regular
trader with provisions between Baltimore
and Demerara — the firm has an office in
Demerara. It was a beautiful race as we
234 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHBII.A "
came up with her ; the " Sheila " was sailing
sixteen knots, and we passed through her lee,
which is a test. I was not going to give him a
chance of a luffing match like the one I had
in the Bay of Bengal ; her Captain tried to
luff me, but it was no go — I was up to that.
His old craft had the beating of her life, and
it is said for the first time. There was quite a
fleet under Messrs. Perot's flag, all beautifully
modelled craft, carrying light cargoes, and
built like the " Sheila " for speed. They
always made for Barbadoes as a landfall on
their southern passage, to make sure (as I
was endeavouring to do) , that they should not
be caught to leeward of the lightship, which
would be an awful misfortune, as the current
there at times attains a velocity of four miles
an hour. That has been the bad luck of
many a poor unfortunate skipper, who has
had a weary time of it beating back. And
frequently, as Paddy would say, the first land
you see off Demerara, would be the ships lying
at anchor off Georgetown. The land is down
under.
The wind fell considerably lighter after
sunset, but it was a glorious night, and we
were still going twelve knots ; at noon on the
28th by observation, we were in I<at. 9' 10" N.,
Ivong. 57' 40" W., or one hundred and forty-
five miles N. by E. of the bar lightship. I
now found myself a bit to windward of my
anticipated position, having encountered only
two knots of westerly current, so kept the
ship away a bit, steering due south, and at
midnight sighted the bar light right ahead,
THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHEILA " 235
three and a half days from Trinidad. Not
bad — and it served to show what the "Sheila "
could do if the winds were propitious in
strength. For, as my journal shows, it took
me seven days to run before the wind from
the parallel of Demerara to Trinidad with the
coolies, so paltry was the wind — when there
was any.
The bar at Demerara has only eleven
feet on it at low water springs, with about
eight feet rise to high water. Our arrival
coincided with the neaps ; it was high water
at 4 a.m. ; so we backed the main yards at
1 a.m., and roused out the pilot from the light-
ship, stood off on the starboard tack for half
an hour, then 'bout ship, and ran bang for the
bar, which is composed of soft mud. At
3 a.m. we crossed it without a stop, and
anchored in the river close off Messrs.
Sandbach, Parker & Co., stelling, for the
office staff to have a good look at us after
their Chota Hazra in the morning.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
" Believe not what the landsmen say,
Who tempt with doubts thy constant mind ;
They tell thee, sailors, when away,
In every port a mistress find.
Yes, yes, beUeve them, when they tell thee so.
For thou art present wheresoe'er I go."
—J. Gay.
Georgetown, Demerara — I salute you as my
second home ; or, as you so often see in
English boarding-house visitors' book, " a
home from home." For whilst in other ships
belonging to the firm I was so frequently here
on my voyages, and spent on an average twice
the length of time in Demerara that I did in
my home in I^iverpool, so that I knew every-
body, and everybody knew me. I found the
people approachable, kindly, and beyond
everything hospitable, and they showed me
many kindnesses. Their city of Georgetown,
once so dreaded, and even dubbed the " white
man's grave," has been rendered one of the
healthiest cities in the tropics by strict atten-
tion to sanitary hygiene. It is also beautifully
planned, and the villa residences, built of
decorated wood painted and on stilts as in
Trinidad, are very commodious and pictur-
esque ; most of them standing well back in
lovely gardens, and all with the universal
balconies and verandahs, they have such a
" cared-for " look.
The churches and public buildings cannot
be excelled anywhere in the West Indies.
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 237
They are mostly built, as to the framework, of
green-heart, as are the towers and church
steeples ; the wo jd is plentiful here, and is
practically everlasting.
The streets are of enormous width. The
principal one, has a main trench in the centre,
which drains the land ; it is kept clean and
the banks are planted with choice flowers,
whilst in the water are aquatic plants,
notably the Victoria Regia, with its enormous
saucer-like leaves floating on the surface,
and the monster wax-like flowers.
The land of Georgetown lies below the
level of high water, as is most all of Guiana,
but flooding is kept out by a series of im-
pervious dykes, as in Holland ; the Dutch,
when they were masters of all Guiana, were
the originators of the scheme, copying their
own home land (and using slave labour). In
the dykes are placed automatic shutters, here
called cokers ; as the tide ebbs in the river,
below the drainage trench level, the pressure
of the land water, opens them bit by bit,
letting out the superfluous water, and on the
river water rising with the flood, they auto-
matically close.
My cargo of rice was badly wanted, and
a shore gang commenced discharging it at
once into coasting craft. Some was destined
for Barbadoes, and the Windward Islands ;
only about three hundred tons was landed at
Georgetown. I was informed that nearly all
my cargo for Liverpool was ready, but any-
how, I knew that they could not discharge
and load the " Sheila " in less than a week,
238 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHElIvA "
which would be necessary to catch the coming
springs ; j?o I was to be there for three weeks —
until the springs following.
It only occupied a few days alongside
Messrs. vSandbach, Parker's stelling, to which
we were moored, to discharge our rice, and
land our four hundred gallon water tanks,
sixty-six in number. These s tellings are a
feature of Demerara river ; they are extensive
wharves built out over the river banks, on
large baulks of greenJieart — timber piles
driven into the mud — and decked over.
Even the offices and warehouses are built on
them ; but the latter thus built have this
peculiar disadvantage : the enterprising negro
in his narrow, native-made canoe has been
known to worm himself between the piles
and under the flooring of the rice store, prick
the bags with a cutlass, and so has stolen off
with many a load.
Whilst lying alongside the stelling the
" Sheila " was visited by crowds of George-
towners, from the Governor of British Guiana,
and members of the Court of Policy, to the
townsfolk of all degrees. For was she not
" one of our ships," belonging to the port ?
She was very much admired by all, and was
gaily decorated all the time with flags, and
there was lavish hospitality in the saloon by
the Captain.
After finishing discharging we dropped
off into the river, and made ready to take
in cargo. And now I got a Uttle bit of my own
back ; as I had in time past been served,
now I was serving others. The first to come
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 239
along-side to put cargo into us, was the
Company's ship " Fairlie," Captain Plant,
loaded and ready to go to sea, v/ith eight
hundred and fifty tons of sugar and rum.
1 was to take it all out of her— ras the big
Coolie ship must not be detained ! I had
before time been served like that in the
" Sandbach," twice running, one voyage,
causing my detention in Demerara over three
months. On this occasion Captain Plant did
not mind — in fact rather liked it — as his
residence was in Georgetown ; and also he
was not over anxious to encounter a winter
passage in the western ocean, unless forced to.
All estate produce for shipment came to
Demerara by water, in large, shallow, flat-
bottomed punts (some with sails) able to
carry sixty to eighty hogsheads of sugar of a
ton weight each ; they were manned by two
or three negroes who were very expert, and
went a long way up and down the coast and
river.
The less one says about the river the
better. It is a very dirty looking stream,
almost black at times, principally owing to
the leaves of dye wood trees, very non-
buoyant, and supposed to be even poisonous.
The banks are low, but fringed by high trees,
and you have to travel a long way up inland
before the shore rises to any extent.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
On the invitation of Mr. L<orimer, attorney
and manager, of the plantation " Wales ",
we rowed up the river to that estate — one of
the models of the colony. Everything in
connection with it was of the most modern
type and highest class. It was situated fifteen
miles up the river on the west side, belonging
to the Gladstone family. When I commanded
their barquentine " Christabel " (I being lent
for a voyage, as I have already stated, by
S.T. & Co.) I had taken out as cargo an
entirely new set of machinery of the most
perfect description — ^vacuum pans, centri-
fugals, and concentrators — and he wanted to
show me how it worked, and, incidentally, the
whole process of sugar-making, from the cane
fields to the finished product.
All the talk of the planters at that time
was of the unfair competition of the German,
Austrian, and French systems of granting
bounties, or cartels, to their manufacturers
of beet-root sugars, with the deliberate inten-
tion of ruining the cane industries. They
contended, that the home government should
insist, by treaty, on their removal ; or, as an
alternative, impose a duty on the import in
favour of our own cane-growing colonies.
Their view was that on equal terms the West
India sugar grower could hold his own. But
no, the home government was afraid of the
election cry that would be raised of " dear
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHKII.A " 241
sugar " ; and so a valuable British industry,
employing many thousands of hands in home
refineries and in the colonies, was allowed to
languish, stop, and go to ruin, in order that
the consumers at home might get their sugar
a penny a pound cheaper, and to placate a lot
of thankless foreigners.
The refining of the sugar on the estates
where it was grown, instead of sending it home
in a raw state, was an expedient having the
advantages of cheap labour, a greater yield of
rum from the bye-products, and a smaller
weight for export, thus saving somewhat on
freight.
The cane, when ripe, is like to a jointed
bamboo, or rather a big grass, of from one
to two inches in diameter, and from ten to
fourteen feet in length. But instead of, like
the bamboo, having a thick rind with a hollow
in the centre, the sugar cane has a softer
rind — ^yellow, green, purple, or striped, accord-
ing to the variety — and the interior is a pith,
containing the juice.
Guiana, although it has a rainy and a dry
season is, owing to its irrigation facilities,
independent of that providence ; but still it
has its time of great cuttings. The reaping
season having arrived, the labourers go into
the immense fields — there is no difficult^^ as
I have said before, to get negroes when wanted,
to attend to this class of work — and with a
cutlass, or as some call it, matchet, cut the cane
close down by hand with a single stroke.
The next operation is to carry the canes
to the factory by punts, through the main
P
242 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEIIvA "
drainage canal. All Guiana estates are
intersected by canals and cross cuts, which
are of great use for irrigation, or drainage,
and all have a system of backwaters which
render the use of roads unnecessary. When
the punts with their loads arrive at the crush-
ing mills, all available labour springs upon
the canes (for no time must be lost), and
throws them upon an endless band, somewhat
like a moving staircase, which carries a con-
tinuous stream of canes high up into the
jaws of the mills in a tumbling, irregular
cascade.
Now comes the most impressive part of
the whole process of sugar making. The
mills consist of massive iron rollers, from six
to seven feet in length, by three to four in
diameter, driven by powerful engines, which,
in some estates, work as many as twelve to
sixteen rollers. They seize the stream of
canes, and grind them until the refuse (called
liiegass) emerges i*n a pulverised condition ;
this is wetted en route with water to get out all
possible sugar, and it then leaves the last
set of rollers quite dry. The megass is then
loaded into immense baskets (as the stuff is
very light), raised on the head of coolies
(mostly women) carried up an incline plank
and tipped into a hopper, from which, with an
occasional shovel of coals the boiler fires are
fed.
The next process in sugar making is to
purify the juice as much as possible, as it now
presents the appearance of a dirty, greenish-
yellow, turgid, foaming liquid It is collected
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA " 243
into cisterns as it runs from the mills, and
represents over ninety per cent, of the sugar
of the cane, but it requires much treatment
before it can be made to yield up its sugar
in the form of crystals. Milk of lime is some-
times used, or, on some estates, the gaseous
product of burning sulphur is now pumped
in. To complete this stage of the process, heat
is applied, the juice being passed through
cylinders fitted with tubes heated by steam ;
and as it is pumped through these vessels it is
gradually raised to the boiling point. From
the juice heaters, it is delivered into settling
tanks for one or two hours, then the im-
purities sink to the bottom, and a clear green-
ish coloured liquid remains. This is now
ready for the process of concentration, and
crystillisation. The top liquor is carefully
drawn off into other receptacles, the impurities
re-subsided, and the clear liquor added to that
first drawn off. As the mud-like mass of
impurities still remaining contains much
sugar, this is forced through the presses,
consisting of iron frames over which coarse
cloth is stretched, so as to form a series of
compartments and as one fills with the solid
matter, the clear juice escapes through the
cloth into the others from which it is drawn
off.
The cane juice has now been separated as
far as possible from its impurities, but before
any attempt can be made to separate the
sugar from the juice, it has to be concen-
trated to syrup.
This means that upward of seventy-five
244 THE CI.IPPKR SHIP " SHEII.A "
per cent, of its bulk has to be boiled off — by
an ingenious application of the principle that
the boiling point of water varies with the air
pressure to which it is subjected. An appara-
tus is used which consists of three or four
vessels joined together, the last one being
connected with an air pump to produce a
vacuum. In this apparatus steam is ad-
mitted to the heating chamber of the first
vessel, and the vapour from it is used to boil
the juice in the third, and so on, the steam
being thus as it were used three times over.
The juice has now been concentrated to
a brownish-green syrup, and is ready for the
crystallising process. This is carried out in
what are known as vacuum pans, in which a
pressure consistant with a low boiling tem-
perature is maintained by means of an air
pump. The low boiling temperature is of the
greatest advantage in the process, in as much
as the high temperature at which the non-
centrated syrup boils in the open is destructive
of sugar, and acts against the formation of
crystals ; this can be seen by comparison of
the old raw " muscavado," or moist sugar,
with modern crystals.
A vacuum pan is made of brass and is a
costly affair. It is an upright cylindrical
vessel with a dome-shaped top ; a large pipe
connects the body of the vessel with a con-
denser, from which connections lead to the
air pump. The bottom of the pan is cone-
shaped, with a valve door at the lower point
to permit of the easier discharge of the solid
contents. In the lower part of the body of the
THE CLIPPER SHIP '' SHEILA " 245
pan, and in the cone-shaped bottom, are coils
which are charged with steam w^hen the pan
is working ; the thick syrup is drawn into the
pan at the out-set in considerable quantities,
and boiled down until fine crystals appear.
This stage of the process is very carefully
watched, the operator testing the condition
of the contents of the pan from time to time
by introducing through a special nozzle a
" proof stick," so contrived that a sample
of the juice can be drawn without disturbing
the vacuum. The syrup is carefully added
in small quantities as soon as the crystals
appear ; in this way no fresh formation of
cr^^stals takes place, but as the boiling goes
on the sugar from the moving syrup is de-
posited on the original crystals, which grow
in size accordingly. The vacuum pan is thus
gradually filled with a mixture of crystals
and original, or " mother " liquor ; the latter,
when separated from the crystals, is knov/n as
molasses.
The next step in the process of sugar
making is to separate the crystaL Trom the
molasses, and this quick and beautiful oper-
ation is done by means of centrifugal force.
The machine for this purpose, measuring three
or four feet in diameter and two or three feet
in depth, consists of a cylinder made of brass,
with closed bottom and finely perforated
sides, wdiich is suspended by a spindle in such
a manner that the cylinder, or " basket," can
be made to revolve at a speed of from ten to
twelve hundred revolutions per minute, ac-
cording to its diameter.
246 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
The mixture of crystals and molasses is
run into the basket until it is half full, and
then the machine is set in motion. The mix-
ture is thrown against the sides of the " bas-
ket " as the machine revolves, and the mo-
lasses forced through the perforations ; while
the crystals, being unable to pass through, are
left in the form of a layer against the wall of
the basket. And now comes a wrinkle to
those who use Demerara sugar. Left alone
at the stage I have described, it is a straw
colour, or a shade darker even than that ;
but it can now be " washed " (as it is called)
even quite white — but at a great loss of its
sweetening qualities — by clearing the crystals
from the side of the basket into the middle,
adding a sufficiency of water (or introducing
steam) and setting the machine in motion
again for a few minutes, or until the desired
colour is obtained. When the process is
concluded the bottom of the basket is opened
and the contents discharged into a truck
running beneath the machine, which conveys
the sugar to the stores.
In the molasses there is still a large
quantity of sugar, which can be recovered by
subjecting it to further concentration in the
vacuum pan, and treatment in vessels called
crystallisers, viz., large horizontal cylindrical
tanks fitted with slowly revolving arms. The
process adopted is to take a certain amount
of pure syrup and form " grains " or crystals
in the pan, as in the first stage of the syrup
sugar ; and then, instead of adding more
syrup, to add molasses, when the whole is
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 247
run into the crystalliser, the arms keeping the
mass in motion. The combined motion and
cooHng cause a separation of the sugar, which
is deposited on the crystals already formed.
In from three to four hours the mass is ready
for treatment in the centrifugals, and a sugar
obtained which admits of being mixed with
the finest product.
Of the bye-product of sugar-molasses,
there is still a large percentage left after all
the processes I have enumerated. This, after
being diluted with water to a certain weak-
ness, is largely distilled into rum on the
estates, and shipped to Europe and America
in enormous quantities, at a usual strength
of forty per cent over-proof.
We all spent a most interesting visit
to the works with the manager and his over-
seers. I had seen the process of sugar making
as a looker-on before, but that falls far short
of every process being shown and explained
to you, commencing with the raw cane, and
finishing with a high-class table sugar, con-
taining as it does ninety-five per cent, pure
sucrose. On passing out of the works, the
manager pointed to a brass plate, rivetted into
the side of the vacuum pan, with " Christabel
Angel," and the date in raised letters and
figures on it — so I have left my name in the
colony anyhow.
CHAPTER XXXV.
In the Dense Bush.
After luncheon we proceeded higher up the
river to plantation " Glasgow " for two pur-
poses, which will be seen in due course. It lies
at the entrance of the Communey Creek, and is
one of the farthest up plantations on the west
bank. The cultivation here is of a mixed
variety, sugar, cotton, and cocoa. On the
way up the river the banks were very inter-
esting. As the river narrowed the water was
somewhat clearer, but still a brandy colour ;
and was perfectly fresh. The whole of the
country on each side was densely wooded with
high bush trees, teemingwith birds, monkeys,
and green parrots by the hundreds, and the
land swarming with insect life. We pro-
ceeded some miles up the creek, when the
dense trees met overhead, obscuring the light,
and we could go no further with our boat
The monkeys were in swarms ; the grinning,
chattering beggars were following us over-
head, jumping from tree to tree, as if ques-
tioning our right to be in their domain.
We had with us a gentleman, owner of one
of the west coast estates, as well as the man-
ager of " Glasgow " plantation ; and the
reason we were so far up the creek was, it
formed the head waters of his and other
owners' main irrigation canals (and had to bfr
surveyed from time to time). Although the
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 249
creek was only about one hundred feet wide,
the water was fifty feet in depth. The tem-
perature in the river before we entered the
creek was about 90° in the shade ; but under
the trees it felt quite temperate in com-
parison, though rather oppressive. To get
cool water to drink, a large empty bottle was
weighted sufficiently to sink it, a cork with a
trigging line attached, was put in tight,
and the bottle put over the side and sunk
to the bottom ; it was then pulled up a yard
or two, the cork trigged out, and the bottle
drawn up. The contents tasted to us like
iced water, and very sweet.
There is a saying among the Demerara
folk that if you eat Labah and drink bush
water, you will never leave the colony, or if
you do leave, the delicious memory will
entice you back again. The Labah is a small
wild animal of the pig tribe.
Whilst up the creek waiting until the
two gentlemen had completed their survey,
three of my boys landed on the south bank,
as they said, on an exploring expedition.
They had each a matchet, which they had
obtained from " Wales " plantation, to en-
deavour to cut their way through as they
went ; also they were in hopes of capturing a
monkey, or a parrot at least. Trust either
of that pair to be caught ! As one of them
had his watch with him, I told them not to
penetrate further than would take them an
hour, and then turn back. I had no fear of
los'ng them, as if they did not turn up to time,
their trail could easily be found in that dense
250 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
jungle. They came back all right, and quite
satisfied that they had had quite enough of
bush ranging. They had to chop, chop all the
way ; not a foot of clear ground— a perfect
labyrinth of supple jack, vines, and thorns —
and all the ground swarming in ants, beetles,
and centipedes. No monkey, no parrot. My
other two boys with me were better pleased
in the delicious cool bath they enjoyed in the
creek ; but even in that, a good look out
must be kept against " Johnny Alligator " ;
so you see this country is not altogether
Eden-like.
By this time our friends had come back
from their survey, which they had prose-
cuted in a native canoe, and we pulled down
the creek and river in the cool of the evening
to " Wales." One of the sights on the east
side of the river, nearly opposite " Glasgow,"
is a somewhat sad one. All the land on both
sides of the river that is primeval, or lapsed
from cultivation from whatever cause, is
densely covered with forest growth, the trees
rise to a great height, though looking at it
from a distance it all appears level as a field
of ripe corn ; but here, in one place, about
two miles in from the river, towering up in
solitary grandeur like a lone sentinel, is a
single tree, said to be one hundred and fifty
feet high — a splendid specimen of the Mora,
growing out of the top of an abandoned
estate factory chimney, formerly called " Gar-
den of Eden." This, in the slave times, was a
highly prosperous sugar plantation ; it is now
actually unapproachable, except you cut your
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHElIvA " 251
way to it foot by foot. It is a typical example
of wiiat happened to a lot of valuable estates,
on the emancipation of the negro slaves.
We arrived back to plantation " Wales "
in time for early dinner, and to get ready for
the evening ; for this was their " At Home "
day and " long evening," held once a month.
Before I explain what that means, I must
describe a custom of the country. There
were no hotels or rest houses, outside the
towns proper ; therefore if any white people
for either pleasure or business, were in the
country districts, and it got near a meal time,
the quite proper thing to do was to stop at
one of the manager's houses of an estate. . . .
As the traveller entered the precincts, it was
quite likely that no one would observe him —
the servants very probably were doing a
siesta, and the manager at that hour might be
miles away at a distant end of the estate — but
that did not matter, the matter was to find
the house servants, and the visitor knew where
they were stowed. The rest went without
saying ; the servants knew and never asked
questions. They set the table and brought
forward the ubiquitos " buck pot," which con-
tained all manner of good things in the shape
of meats and poultry, and the Indian native
made cazzarette. This is a fluid of molasses-
like consistency and colour, made by the
natives expressing the juice out of the wild
cassava — (a species of yam), and really the
plant that arrowroot is made from. Cazzar-
ette has the notable quality of rendering tough
meat tender, beside imparting an appetising
252 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
flavour. The pot — black and also of native
make — was fireproof to a high degree ; it was
always kept replenished, and brought to the
boiling point every day, whether the contents
were to be used or not, thus keeping it sweet,
and some families prided themselves that the
pot had never been emptied for years and
years, although always used from. Of course
the buck pot was supplemented by delicious
roasted plantains, yams, cassava bread, plain
bread, and crackers, and if you gave the cook
time, he would prove himself a master in the
art of producing spatch-cock. He would catch
a fowl, pluck it, split it open lengthways, give
it a peculiar tangle twist, griddle it, and put it
before you on the table, cooked to a turn —
time occupied, fifteen minutes. When you
had satisfied your wants, you went on your
way rejoicing, saying to the servants : " Tell
your master so and so called." The master,
in his peregrinations abroad, was glad of
being served likewise.
Now to return to plantation " Wales."
This was the day — or night rather — of their
long dance, another institution of the estates.
Mr. Lorimer's family at home consisted of
himself, his wife, and two daughters. About
nine the company commenced to arrive —
ladies and gentlemen on horse-back, by gig,
and by boat, from the surrounding plantations
far and near, and even from Georgetown ;
and I never saw any party so thoroughly out
to enjoy themselves as those present. It was
dance after dance, interrupted only by music
and singing ; then dancing again, on a perfect
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 253
floor of polished hard woods, with bountiful
refreshments at a buffet, plenty of ice, and
so-called " long drinks " and pockethand-
kerchiefs at a premium ! It was a merry,
good-tempered party, all out to get as much
enjoyment as possible ; and all this in a
temperature of 90° ! The party — of about
fifty — flagged out very reluctantly between
four and five in the morning, and after a very
early breakfast as many as my boat would
hold returned with me to Georgetown.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
" Oh, naughty, naughty Clara, how could you serve me so ?
I'll go to Demerara, if you tell me to go.
I'll sail across the ocean, I'll go far o'er the seas.
If you'll tell me to go, my dear, I'll do just as you please."
Of all the cities in the world, there was not
one that could vie with Georgetown, Demera-
ra, in the gradations of colour of the human
faces you met in the streets. They ranged
from the blackest of black negroes — the sort
that if a piece of burnt cork were rubbed on
their faces would leave a white mark — and on
and on through seemingly endless gradations
of black and yellow, until you came to quite
white — apparently, but still even then there
might be a mixture of Portuguese and
blacks, ad infinitum, with many albinos in
between ; then the coolies, and some of them
were as near black as makes no odds, grading
to white again. The Portuguese, mostly
from Madeira and the islands, abounded in
the colony, chiefly as small shopkeepers, and
they are naturally swarthy ; then there were
Dutch, Americans, and British, (English,
Irish, and Scotch — Scotch mostly) and the
aboriginals. There were five principal tribes
of Indians in Guiana, very similar to those I
have described in Trinidad — all much of a
muchness. They lived in small hamlets,
consisting of a few huts, always in the forest
and near a river or creek ; their huts were
miserable affairs, and their principal furniture
THK CLIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 255
a hammock, of which they made good use.
Their food was plentiful in a wild state, and
they were celebrated for their poison-tipped
arrows, which they used indiscriminately
against man, beast, bird, and fish.
They had no public religion. They ack-
nowledged two superior beings — a good one
and a bad one ; they prayed to the latter not
to hurt them, and were of the opinion that the
former was too good to do them an injury.
In this colony they were certainly an
indulged race, and no other country except
England would allow what they did. They
would come down the river from the far
interior in their canoes, whole families of
them — their generic name is " Bucks " —
children of nature dressed in almost Adamite
costumes. For appearances sake only, the
adult male had slung from a string around his
loins a piece (not too big) of native made cloth;
his spouse the same, if possible not quite so
ample, and his elder children " dressed " the
same as ma. Thus they stalked through the
streets of the city at their own sweet will,
entering any house they thought fit so to
honour ; and housewives, when they were
about, took precautions by carefully securing
the front door that there should be no right
of entry. Sometimes a laughable sight was
witnessed, as although they came not over-
burdened with clothes, as I have just said,
they were not averse to receiving presents of
same ; and if you gave the Boss a pair of
trousers, he would, as like as not, carefully^
separate the bifurcated part in twain, and
256 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHKIIvA "
giving one leg to his better half to don, adorn
himself with the other. Or perhaps in his
original state he would be given a high silk
hat, and a paper collar. I don't suppose
really he felt quite comfortable, over-bur-
dened with so much unaccustomed clothes —
but pride makes one suffer a lot ! These
natives came to Georgetown to barter grass
hammocks and woven baskets, at making
which they were very clever ; they were made
of the same species of wild grass that is used
in the making of Panama hats, only coarser,
and although very light, were waterproof.
They also brought " cassarette," which I have
previously mentioned, parrots, monkeys, and
such curios as bows and arrows ; they were
very fond of rum — if they could get it — but
there was a rigid penal ordinance against
anyone found guilty with supplying them
with intoxicants.
The natives were of the same breed as
those I have described in Trinidad, but I
should think rather more debased. Efforts
had frequently been made to civilise them.
Some have been taken when quite young,
sent to Europe to school, and domesticated
in European families, with an idea that such
treatment would be the best means of civilis-
ing them ; as a result it frequently happened
that the education and domesticity proved
only the thinnest veneer, and when the lad
was sent back to his tribe, he, in a very short
time, was seen minus his clothes, and re-
turned to the state of his forefathers.
As an example : I brought out from
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 257
England in the " Hesper," a cabin passenger,
a native chief's son, who had been sent as a
boy of thirteen to a school in Edinburgh. He
remained there, and in a superior Scotch
family, six years ; and on my arrival he was
met in Georgetown by the agent of the Abori-
ginal Protection Society. He was sent by
them, with instructions, back to his tribe
in the interior, loaded with lots of presents
(that was all right) ; but on my next voyage
to Demerara, there was my late passenger in a
native canoe, supplying me with dunnage
wood, his European clothes all to rags and
tatters. I put questions to him, but could get
no sensible answers. On subsequent voyages
I asked about him, and I saw him once after-
wards, gone " back to nature," in so far as his
clothes and appearance showed. I was told by
interested parties, " Oh, he is a moral set-
back." Comment is superfluous.
One of the sights of Georgetown was its
municipal market, built on a stelling pro-
jecting over the river bank as usual. High
market was held from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., and
between those hours it was a very busy scene,
crowded with buyers and sellers, very vocifer-
ous, and creating a regular babel. Fish, flesh,
fowl, and vegetables of wondrous sorts, and
fruit of every known tropical variety was
there. On the arrival of the Boston ice ship,
there were also temperate zone fruits and food
in abundance. But it was with the fish I must
dwell awhile, for some of the varieties brought
to market were uncanny-looking objects ;
although they all might be good to eat, some
Q
258 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
did not look it. There was one fish in parti-
cular— and I suppose it must have been
scarce also, by the fuss they made, as they
sent round the city crier when they had one
to sell. Oh, that crier — he was a beauty ;
especially about the facial opening, a not
unworthy competitor of the fish he was em-
ployed to advertise. He went into the streets
shouting for all he was worth, and the whole
capacity of his lungs : " Jew fish in de
market." The fish is one of the ugliest that is
made, I should say ; a kind of a cousin a long
way removed to the monk fish, that is some-
times caught in the English Channel — and
she's a beauty ! It seems all head and mouth.
The one in the market would weigh about
two hundred pounds, and was sold by weight
to eager buyers. Next in ugliness were giant
squid ; octopuses, sun fish, eels of all sorts —
even the electric variety. All were sold, for
what was unsaleable to regular buyers, was
bought up by the Chinaman, who will mess
up and eat anything that even remotely had
Hfe.
Those funny repulsive fish, the electric
eels, were very plentiful in some of the creeks
and bends of the upper Essequibo (which con-
nects with the Demerara river), and were
most dangerous to anyone, or anything they
touched ; they have frequently been known to
kill a horse with the shock only. In wading
or swimming across a river, a human being
who received a shock had no chance, being
instantly paralysed, and without immediate
help would drown.
THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEII.A " 259
In Virtue's chemist shop in town, one
used to be kept in a large tank of water. I
was in the shop one morning with my steward,
and the trick is, to insidiously lead a person to
look into the tank ; the eel lying perdu amongst
the rockery, a very convenient stick is at
hand, oh yes, which the enquiring mind uses
to stir up the fish. Then — hey presto ! — a
shout of suffering ; but the proprietor is
always at such a time close by with a hand
in a rubber glove to break contact. " Hullo,
steward," I said, " did em bite ? " " No,
sah, him no bite — him kick ! "
On the extensive mud banks of the river
there were swarms of another extraordinary
fish, called " Four-eyes " — ridiculous little
things, four to five inches long, which, when
startled at anything, instead of diving to the
bottom like ordinary sensible fish, seemed
possessed with the idea that they would be
safer in the air, or on the land, and would
accordingly jump over each other, scramble
out, and flop about upon the mud with their
goggle eyes projecting — in fact do anything
but behave like decent fish. The name of
stargazer has been given them, and they
looked upon the whole, somewhat like a grey
mullet, with large blunt heads, out of which
stood, almost like horns, the eyes from which
they took their name. At a first glance the
fish appeared to possess four distinct eyes,
but on a further look you could see that each
of those organs was divided across the middle,
and apparently separated into two distinct
portions. These strange specialised eyes —
260 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
so the Guiana-folk believed — the fish used by-
halves. With the lower halves they could see
through the water, with the upper halves
through the air, and possessing this quaint
privilege they aspired to be a terrestrial
animal, emulating presumably the alligator,
and trying to take their walks upon the mud,
but without their prototypes advantage of
flippers. They were comical looking things
anyway. Walking on the river bank you
would come across a group of black dots, in
pairs, peering out of the mud. As you ap-
proached, they would leap up and prove
themselves to belong to a party of " Four-
eyes " which would run — there is no other
word so apt — down the bank, and dash into
the river, but the moment they thought you
had disappeared, and all was safe for them,
back they would run again up the bank, and
begin staring at the sky once again.
He who sees " Four-eyes " for the first
time without laughing, must be devoid of the
risible faculty — and in need of treatment.
Also there is another denizen, that makes
its habitat on the river mud banks, seemingly
by choice : a small bird somewhat like a
swallow, or martin, with a sharp note, calling
all the time, " Kis-ka-dee, Kis-ka-dee," as
plain as language can make it, and to add to
the eternal night noises, don't forget the bull-
frogs in the main drain trenches, he will make
himself heard anyway.
Then there was the so-called " Calling
Crab ", another ridiculous animal, or crus-
tacean rather. They always abounded, but
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 261
mostly outside the river (is it through in-
herited instinct) , as they would have no chance
of existence on the river banks, through being
hunted by the blacks for food. I must ask the
reader to picture a moderate sized crab, the
front of whose shell is very broad, and almost
straight, with a groove along it, in which lie
right and left his two eyes, each with a stalk
half as long as the breadth of the shell, and
rooted in the centre so that the crab, when at
rest carries his eyes like two epaulettes, an
arrangement which gives him the advantage
of a look all around for possible enemies.
But it was when he saw an enemy, actual, or
potential, that the fun commenced. Then
the eye-stalks would jump upright side by
side, like a pair of little lighthouses, and
survey the field of battle in a fashion utterly
ludicrous.
Moreover, as if he were not comical
enough even thus, he was, as it were, a small
man gifted with one arm of Hercules, and
the other of a pigmy. One of the claw arms
had dwindled to a mere nothing, and was not
to be seen, while along the whole front of his
shell lay folded one mighty arm, on which he
put his trust. With that arm, when danger
appeared, he would beckon the enemy to
" come on," and with such wild defiance
that he gained the name of " The Calling
Laughable." He was, as might be guessed,
a shrewd fighter, holding his long arm across
his body, and fencing and biting therewith
swiftly and sharply enough. Moreover, he was
a respectable animal, with a wife, and took
262 THE CIvIPPBR SHIP " SHBII.A '
care of her. To see him in his glory, I was
told, he should be watched sitting in the
mouth of his burrow (his spouse packed
safely behind him inside), beckoning defiance
and proclaiming to all passers-by the treasure
he protects, challenging them all to molest it.
All these things, puzzles of the universe,
must give us pause. We human beings
assume that our brain is so much more devel-
oped, and all creatures around us in the world
so inferior to us, that we do not give credit
to the " Economy of Nature," that endows
even the humblest of God's created things
with instincts far surpassing those allotted to
us ; otherwise in it we might recognise the
truism of the survival of the fittest.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Ai^L the time we were enjoying the bounteous
hospitality of our friends in Georgetown, and
on the estates, all of whom I hold in undying
gratitude. Never an evening went by but
someone's hospitable doors were open to us ;
and the singing, especially on " Scotch nights"
at Scotch folk's homes, was a generous treat.
The good ship " Sheila " was taking on
board her cargo, and I always made a point
of supervising the stowage, especially the rum.
By orders of the firm, the Captains of their
ships were made responsible (and had to pay,
too) for any damage done to rum casks through
bad stowage ; on the other hand, to minimize
that risk, I gave instructions that if any casks
coming on board from estates showed signs
of damage or leakage, they were to be held
back for my survey, and at my discretion
skipped into new casks sent on board from
the town cooperage. Very often the town
cask would not hold within a gallon or two of
what had been contained in the original cask ;
we were then supposed either to waste the
surplus rum on the deck, to run into the
scuppers en route to the river, or send it
ashore to the Custom House. Had I chosen
the latter course the officials would not thank
us (and had so expressed themselves, pri-
vately) for the bother we were giving them,
and in the next place I should have had the
worry of filHng up no end of forms, and attend-
264 THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
ing personally at the Customs ; so we had a
third alternative — rum shrub, and milk punch,
made out of forty per cent, over-proof rum.
My steward was a professional at the making ;
and they tell me, the result was very nice in
hot water on cold nights in winter.
The Captains, being made responsible
for stowage, have the privilege of employing
who they mind to as stevedore. My old man
was redoubtable, by name Douglas ; he was
one of the blackest specimens of nigger, but a
good one, and he brought his own gang of
stowers. We hoisted the cargo on deck with
our engine and lowered it to him in the hold.
The niggers were all notable singers, and in
jack-screwing heavy hogsheads of sugar a ton
weight, in the wings, or under the 'tween decks
aft in the run, they had their own shanties,
in rythmic time, and tune, screwing and
singing, " Whar you been, Abram, whar yo
been so long ? Ebery time I turn in the bed,
I take the pillow for you — ew — ew." And
again another, " Sweet Evilina — dear Evilina
— My lub for you, can never, never die — ie " ;
and many which I forget now.
It was comic to see that black mass of
perspiring humanity, a long way aft in the
run of the lower hold, almost dark (for lights
were not allowed owing to so much rum being
about), with their great eyes rolHng and
bHnking at you, carroling forth such ditties.
It presented a glimpse of the nether regions,
in more ways than one ; for the heat where
they were working was terrific, and the smells
in the ill-ventilated hold of the mixture of
THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 265
sugar and rum fumes, overpowering to those
not used to it.
Certainly in my experience, I must with-
draw a little of the strictures I have placed
on the Trinidad coloured men, for standing
idle in the market place, and praying that no
man will hire them, in favour of their con-
freres in Demerara. I expect the same criti-
cism may prevail in the country districts (I
have heard so) ; but the labourers on board
ship in Demerara worked well under their
own Boss, and in the terrific heat that pre-
vailed in the ship's hold no other human
beings could compete. But they also in their
times of relaxation with their women folk,
enjoyed life in their own way of thinking to
the full, apeing the white folks — aye, and sur-
passing them. Did you visit them in their
homes on gala days, there was nothing in life
that could come up to a " dignity ball," or a
cake walk ; and laughable as it might be to
" white folks " — it was not advisable, though,
to let them see you laugh — they treated the
latter from a very serious point of view, ap-
pointing judges who were very fair and im-
partial in their verdicts, and the victor was
very proud of having " taken the cake."
The ball was another affair, carried on with
the utmost zest, and a corresponding ex-
penditure of required perfume.
Our time in Demerara was now drawing
to a close, as the ship was rapidly completing
her cargo. She could carry more, but I had
to stop her loading when her draught got to
eighteen feet, on account of the shallowness of
266 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEIIvA "
the bar. We had on board about one thou-
sand five hundred and fifty tons of sugar and
rum, and fifty tons of annatto, the latter being
used for colouring cheese, and such like.
On the 20th of December we unmoored
and dropped down to the mouth of the river ;
the pilot apprehended there would be a poor
spring tide, with a bare eighteen feet on the
shallows. My sailors were raising their voices
singing their shanties, as now we were really
" homeward bound." As I have said, my
original crew that I left the Clyde with, were
an exceptionally good lot of men ; I could do
anything with them, and they would obey my
officers or myself with alacrity and cheerful-
ness, never mind what the order was — but
this on dit, I had been as them myself one
time, and I would never ask any man, or allow
him to be asked by others, to do anything I
could not do myself. But the lot of extra men
I shipped in Calcutta in accordance with
government requirements, were of a different
sort, and if they had dared, would have caused
trouble ; but they were very firmly handled —
if you know what that means on shipboard —
some of them I left in jail in Trinidad, and the
balance I paid off in Demerara. So now our
present crew were as per original ; and they
were as glad to get rid of their late shipmates
as I was.
On the morning of the 21st, one of Messrs.
Sproston's paddle wheel steamers came along
side. They are very shallow draft steamers,
used for carrying passengers and merchandise
up and down the Essequibo river, and are not
THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEILA " 267
tugs, by a long way. We passed our two
tow ropes on board entirely, only retaining
the ends on board our ship, made fast to the
bits on the starboard and port bows. The
tug was short up under our bows with our
hawsers made fast to the bollards on his star-
board and port sponsons, and about one
hundred fathoms of hawser from each coiled
along his deck. (I am particular in describing
this to prepare the reader for what follows).
As soon as the anchor was off the bottom,
the tug started off with the ship, full speed for
the bar, one hour before high water ; but the
trouble soon commenced. The ship gradually
lessened speed, and then stopped as she
took the mud on the bar ; and through having
no way on her, the tug could not steer,
although her paddle wheels were going round
no end. She would first break sheer to star-
board, and they on board would ease out a
little on the starboard rope, trimming her by
so doing until she got right ahead again, when
they would try to steady at that. We had a
lead line over the side on the bottom, to test
if we were moving or not. She moved a bit
ahead — then the tug would take a wild,
senseless sheer to port, and the port rope
would have to be slackened as in the former
case until she got ahead again. So the
" Sheila " would accomplish a few more
lengths ahead ; and that sort of thing would
be repeated time after time, for two hours —
or until past high water. Sometimes the
plaguey tug, before she would stop sheering,
would only bring herself up, when she was
268 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEII.A "
abaft our beam. On the tide ebbing, and all
the lengths of both ropes on the tug being
expended, she slipped the ends and anchored,
leaving to us the job of getting on board the
two tow-ropes. The pilot said the next tide
(which would be in the night for one thing)
was not so good water for another ; so we
had perforce to remain where we were — no
fear of driving away, or need of anchoring.
I was very anxious, as I was afraid, if the
result of the next day should be the same,
I should be blamed for loading too deeply,
and the ship would lose the springs to cross
the bar, which would mean a fortnight's
delay. The trouble mostly was, being a heavy
ship to tow, and of great length, the inade-
quate tug boat could not make her respond to
her wild eccentric sheers. So a worried man
was I. As we were drawing a foot more water
aft than forward, I got all hands to discharge
the fifty tons of anatto, that was in the after
hold in casks, and stow them on the fore deck,
even if it put the ship a little by the head.
On the next day we repeated the oper-
ation of passing the tow-ropes to the tug, and
with a parting injunction to do his best, he
went ahead full steam. I thought at first
that he was going to fail to tow us even out
of the bed we had made in the mud. After
vainly endeavouring to accomplish that de-
sirable end, the tug stopped and came close
under our bows again, with the hawsers
slackened. Then he went full speed ahead for
all he was worth once more, when he was
brought up all standing with a jerk through
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 269
the weight of the ship, which brought her
tafrail down level with the water. It didn't
do his machinery any good, I am sure ; but
the " Sheila " reluctantly came out of her bed
and moved a few lengths — still she moved, so I
set all my fore and aft canvass, alow and aloft.
There was a nice breeze, but the wind was so
far ahead they were hardly drawing ; still
they were doing a little good by heeling and
rolling the ship. Only a few minutes before
high water she moved a little more decidedly,
and then went off with a rush. In a moment
we had a deuce of a job, for our sails being set
and now drawing, we had the tug boat in tow,
broadside on this time, as he could not cast
off our ropes quick enough. One of them had
got foul, and all hands were vociferating
loudly on board, so we had to let all our sails
come down on the run, and luff her to the
wind to stop the ship — but not before (I saw
to that) we had considerably deepened our
water, to ensure we were clear of the bar.
At 3 p.m. the tug-boat left us with a part-
ing cheer, we set all sail and got on board our
tow-ropes. The pilot was taken on board the
lightship, with my despatches and the crew's
letters, and we were once more at sea, close
hauled on starboard tack, wind N.E. light
trade breeze, going ten knots.
Shanty : " Stand to Your Ground."
Solo. Sal ... ly am de gal dat I lub dear , . . ly,
O ... Sal ... ly am de gal dat I lub
dear . . . ly.
270 THE CI^IPPBR SHIP " SHBII.A "
Chorus.
Way , . . sing Sal . . . ly, Hi . . . low,
John Brown,
Stand to your ground.
Solo. Sal . . . ly am de gal dat I lub dear . . . ly.
Her cheek so red an' her hair so cur . . . ly.
Chorus.
Way . . . sing Sal . . . ly, Hi . . . lo, John
Brown,
Stand to your ground.
Solo. Sal. . . ly, she's a Badian bright mu-lat-to ;
Seven long years I courted Sad . . . ly.
Chorus.
Solo. Neb . . . ber mind de weather, but keep
yo's legs to-ged-der,
Fair land ob England, soon be show . . . ing.
Chorus.
General Chorus.
Stand to your ground, and walk him up lively,
Or de Bosun he come 'round a dingin and a dangin . . .
Hi . . . lo, John Brown . . . stand to your ground.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
" What care we for storms, or hurricane's might ?
Our souls as froward can measure their height
As the free-born cloud that exults in the air.
We skim o'er the deep, nor barter with care.
The baron may boast of his castle grand,
And the king of his name that rules the land ;
But we are the kings of the fathomless sea.
And as blithe as her dancing spray are we."
J. I. StUART.
On the 24tli of December we passed to wind-
ward of Barbadoes, five miles off at 4 a.m.,
and we carried a light trade breeze to Lat. 25
N., Long. 57 W., which we reached on Decem-
ber 30lh. After leaving Demerara my crew
replaced the annatto in the after hold, and on
Christmas Day all hands on board held high
revel as a holiday. It being now the dead of
winter in the North Atlantic, I knew by ex-
perience, there was stern work in front of us,
and it would, in all probability, be the last
en j oy able day we should have . Even from the
Lat. of Barbadoes we encountered a taste
of what to expect, in the beginning of a heavy
N.W. swell, gentle at first, but for three days
the " Sheila " put her bows into it, good and
well. The sea nearly breaking indicated bad
weather ahead ; but I had a good ship, well
found, and nicely loaded with a homo-
geneous cargo — no Glasgow " dry goods " this
time — so I did not fear.
After clearing the Guiana-land, Finlay,
the driver had a job after his own heart,
272 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
cleaning the steam boiler and overhauling the
machinery, engines, etc. The boiler especially
was much encrusted with salt, as it had been
in use every day between Calcutta and Trini-
dad, condensing fifty thousand gallons of
fresh water, and working sometimes at night
as well as day. The old man was very careful,
and took a pride in everything connected with
his department ; he wanted it all in apple-
pie order by the time we reached the Mersey.
He was also lamp trimmer, and keeper of oils,
varnish, and paints, and very good at the job.
On December 31st we had our first taste
of what was to come. We were caught flat
aback in a squall, and were in for it. The glass
was high before, but it now came down with a
rush, and we had thunder, lightning, rain,
and utter darkness. The wind before we were
caught aback was N.E. — a light breeze ; in
the squall it flew to N.W. — a gale, and after
that it seemed to blow alternately from every
point of the compass, with a correspondingly
confused sea. It was quite a lively time. All
that night the ship was reduced to storm
canvas, perhaps not so much on account of the
weight of wind, though at times that was
considerable ; but we had a visitation and
liberal display of St. Elmo's fire balls, hanging
from yard arms, gaffs, and boom ends — a
weird-looking phenomenon, indicating an ab-
normal amount of electricity about, which
even affected the magnetism of the compass,
and (I also believe) our spirits. Anyway, I
didn't like it. The sea by now had got up in
heavy lumps, and as the ship was lurching
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHKII.A " 273
and pitching so violently, I had to put on
more canvas to steady her ; it was coming
away from the N.W. like a cliff, and breaking.
Some poor beggars were getting the wind that
caused that sea, but I was not sufficiently far
north for that, for which mercy I was duly
grateful ; it is quite enough to be at sea in a
magnetic storm — " pooh-poohing " that, is
rank blasphemy. Also, as luck would have
it, the sea was full of phosphorescence, and
that does not often happen.
The next morning, although the wind
was unfavourable, we made some more sail,
and corresponding headway. We passed a
large Yankee ship bound south, with loss of
fore topmast, main topgallant-mast, and
jib-boom, a legacy I expect from yesterday.
They had got down, and in, the wreckage
of the topmast and jib-boom ; but all the top-
hamper on the main was still hanging in
wreckage. I signalled to him : " Did he want
any assistance ? " but he made no reply, not
even by his ensign. He was too grumpy, I
" guess and calculate."
We now encountered proper winter
weather : gales of wind and heavy seas from
all directions. At times the wind would veer
to a slant, and we would take it out of the
" Sheila " again, starting with all her studding
sails we could pack on her, then having to
take them in one by one, followed by others,
sail by sail, as the wind got too violent. We
were going again fifteen to sixteen knots,
passing no end of steamers, and all other craft
that essayed to accompany us. Then the wind
R
274 THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
would head us, by the north chiefly, with a
terrible high cross sea, flooding the decks from
rail to rail, as per outward passage. But the
ship behaved infinitely better, and did not
wallow and roll to windward so badly. No
Glasgow " dry goods " this time, but good old
sugar and rum, although the weight of the
cargo was nearly the same.
On the 19th of January in Lat. 40' N.,
I/ong. 40 W., we had three days of fine weather
again. The sun shone out, wind E.N.E. to S.E.
— not much good for us, and still there was a
nasty sea from the westward. On the 10th it
veered to the south again, and soon we had as
much wind as we well could do with. The
" Sheila " was going it again for all she was
worth, reaching sixteen and a half to seven-
teen knots at times, and once more attained
three himdred and fifty-five knots in the
twenty- four hours. We passed a lot of vessels
of all rigs going our way, some under easy
canvas, and outward-bounders lying to ; we
had never less than three topgallant-sails,
with main royal over. Even now, after these
many years, my heart exults over the re-
membrance of those glorious times — as it were
holding in leash that noble craft then sHpping,
and letting her race. There is nothing in a
machine-driven hull that can compare with
the nerve required to give a sail driven craft
just that right amount of push, or to show the
possession of judgement that everything you
have charge of is up to its limit, sails, gear,
masts, yards, and hull — all have to be con-
sidered. In a steamer it is altogether differ-
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 275
ent ; it is on the power of her engines and
propeller you reckon for speed. Given two
vessels of identical hulls, one of one thousand
H.P. and the other of twenty-thousand, it's
the latter gets the speed over the former — no
racing there ; and it is up to the Captain of
the latter craft to get the speed out of her
" to the tail knot." If he doesn't do it, his job
is a short one. He is asked : " What is the
use of putting the mechanical power in your
ship. Captain, if you don't make use of it ? "
At daybreak on the 13th in Lat. 47 N.,
Long. 24 W., I was called as usual by the
officer of the watch stamping on the deck over
my head. On my going on deck, he said :
" There is a brig in sight on our weather bow,
about four miles away, with a British ensign
half-masted and upside down, and signals
flying from her spanker gaff ' I want assis-
tance.' "
I immediately luffed to the wind, and all
hands being called, took in sails as fast as we
could, and backed the main yards, as by this
time we had reached a long way ahead of the
brig. She came up with us under our lee
quarter, as close as was prudent, and this is
the tale the poor fellows had to tell. She was
the brig " Argo " of Swansea, from Curacao,
with a cargo of phosphates, bound to Fal-
mouth for orders, forty days out. On Janu-
ary the 5th in a heavy gale, coming out of the
straits of Florida, an enormous sea had come
on board, and swept overboard and drowned
the Captain and four able seamen, every soul
that was on the deck at the time. The wheel
276 THE ClylPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
was broken, but had been repaired. They had
jettisoned fifty tons of cargo, lost their harness
casks overboard, besides sundry other dam-
ages ; and as their full crew was nine, they
had only four left, and could I spare them four
able seamen ?
Yes, I could ! but the job was putting
them on board in the sea that was then
running. So I put it to my men, who all knew
what had transpired, as the communication
was by word of mouth, and on my calling for
volunteers, a lot too many responded (as I
knew they would on my call) . They left it to
me in the end, and I picked out five A.B.'s,
Bulley, the leading seaman in my watch to be
one, and in charge. So they picked together
their kits, or donkeys as they name it, and we
lowered away a lifeboat in charge of the
second officer, Mr. Drake, and dispatched
them, together with a plentiful supply of pro-
visions and " comforts." But the Captain
pro tern would only take four of my men — said
he could manage with that number. The
journey was made in safety (for which I was
very much relieved), and on her return we
hoisted up the boat, without damage and
again made sail, and with a hon voyage and
parting cheers, we proceeded on our way.
That adventure I should call one of the
tragedies of the sea — all those poor fellows
being swept overboard by one enormous wave.
The mate said that he was not aware of the
casualty at the time ; it being his watch
below, and on going off the deck, he had left
the brig with the wheel lashed hard down,
THE CI.IPPER SHIP " SHEILA " Til
the brig head reaching under lower top-sails,
and fore topmast-staysail. He noticed by the
cabin clock, it was a long time after his watch
below had expired, so he went on deck, and
found the brig head reaching, as when he
had gone below, but there was not a vestige
of the watch left on deck — all gone.
On my arrival in Liverpool I reported the
matter. The vessel had not arrived at Fal-
mouth, and as time went on caused anxiety
again ; but about ten days after our arrival
in Liverpool she was reported, arrived at'Brest,
having in a big N.W. gale after parting com-
pany with us, been driven to leeward into the
Bay of Biscay. We had that same wind also
on making the land, but the " Sheila " was too
powerful to be driven to leeward.
The bad weather the " Argo " encoun-
tered at her casualty, accounted for the ab-
normal weather, and head seas we had in the
N.E. trades. It is an interesting coincidence,
by the way, that the " Argo " belonged to
relatives of mine, of the same name.
Shanty : " One More Day."
Solo (slow). Only one more day, my John-ny. . . .
One more . . . day. Chorus.
O come rock and roll me over. . . . One
more . . . day.
Don't you hear the old man roar . . . ing,
John-ny, . . . One more day.
Don't you hear that Bosun bawl-ing . . .
One more . . . day.
278 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA ''
Then put on your square-tailed blue, my
John-ny, . , . One more . . . day,
For your nine months' pay is nearly due,
John-ny, . . . One more . . . day.
Repeat first verse as chorus.
Shanty : " Fareweli, and Amtv."
Solo.
Farewell and adieu to you, Span-ish la-dies,
Farewell and a-dieu to you, la-dies of Spain,
For it's, we've received or-ders for to sail for old England,
But we hope very soon we shall see you again.
Chorus.
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar a-cross the salt seas.
Until we strike sound-ings in the channel of old England,
From Ush-ant to Scil-ly is twen-ty five leagues.
Solo.
Then we hove our ship to — with the wind at sou-west,
my boys ;
We hove our ship to — our soundings for to see.
So we rounded and sounded — and got forty-five fathoms.
We squared our main yards — and up channel steered
we.
Now the first land we made, it is called the Dead-man,
Then Rame-head off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and
Wight,
We sailed by Beachy — by Fairlee and Dungeness,
Until we came a-breast of the South Foreland-I/ight.
Then the signal was made for the ship for to an-chor.
All in the Downs, that night for to meet.
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 279
Then it's stand by your stoppers, let go your shank
painters,
Haul up your clew-garnets, haul up tacks, and sheets.
Now let ev-e-ry man toss off a full bump-er,
And let ev-e-ry man toss off a full bowl,
And well drink and be merry and drown melancholy,
Singing here's a good health to all true-heart-ed souls.
Repeat chorus after each verse.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Heavy Gaines in the Ati^antic.
" Welcome, my lad, from the dark stormy main.
Welcome, my hearty, to old England again ;
Welcome the sound of your deep, rolling voice.
That swells like the ocean, and bids us rejoice.
Come give us your hand as a sailor true.
Whilst we gaze in your eye's most tender blue.
For down in their lurking depths we can trace
The shadow of many a time and place,"
J. I. STUART.—
The weather we had the day after we parted
company with the " Argo " was simply
despicable. We had everything in turn that
was bad, and that could be had in the broad
Atlantic within a winter's day. The wind was
a gale that started at N.B. — a dead muzzier
for us ; a heavy sea got up at that, bringing us
down in the ship to storm canvas. After four
hours of that, it went into the east, and worked
its way to S.B., blowing great guns, and then,
in a terrific squall, flew to S.W. A fair wind
in direction again, so we squared away and
put on some sail, and went at it again, right
into the N.B. and Bast seas. We drove the
bows clean under to the foremast, but that
game was too dangerous, I was afraid of
doing some damage. For one thing, the men
in the forecastle told me they were afraid one
of the anchors stowed on the topgallant fore-
castle wasjgetting adrift, and it would be
utterly impossible to send anybody up there
THE ClylPPER SHIP " SHEII.A " 281
to secure it, as they would assuredly have
been swept overboard. So we reduced sail
reluctantly on that account. The fact was my
officers were in the midst of bending on the
chain cables, when the bad weather suddenly
broke on us and stopped them, and I could not
be sure how far they had gone in unlashing
the anchors, preparatory to putting them over
the bows. Anyway, my sailors had a high old
time of it in their quarters in the forecastle,
for the plugs had been taken out of the hawse-
pipes — they had previously been driven in
from the outside. So the forecastle was being
flooded every time the ship made a dive (which
was as frequent as to be nearly continuous),
the whole of the men's gear was all afloat,
and some washing out of the doors on to the
main deck. I went there to have a look at
them, and it was laughable — ^but I didn't
feel inclined to laugh. To see a man with the
hawse-plug hugged up in his arms, and two
men with big hammers in attendance, gin-
gerly approach the hawse-pipe, that was
absolutely spouting water. When they
thought they had a chance — and the lookers-
on urging most vociferously, " Now's your
time!" — they would thrust in the plug, and
the hammer men would go at it ; then the
ship would give an extra wild plunge, the plug
would come out again with a bang, and all
hands would be sent flying like drowned rats
(the like of which we all were). But I knew
that something must be done ; so I got all
hands on deck, and took all sail off to the
main and fore lower topsails, and fore topmast
282 THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA "
staysail, and hove the ship to. And a fair
wind blowing ! ! ! !
We managed to get the plugs into place
from the outside again, and also secured the
anchors. That job cost us five good hours.
The plaguey plugs were the worst job ; I
dared not send men over the bows even when
lying to. In the end we made a more or less
successful job of it (mostly less) by pa5dng out
a small rope through the hawse-pipe, fishing it
up as it came aft, and splicing it into a hole
bored by Chips in the tail of the plug, and
drawing it to its destination. Anyway, the
more the plugs were hit by the sea, the firmer
they were, and the men chinched up all the
leaky spots. When finished, we kept the ship
away again on her course, but I found I could
carry no more sail with safety, for if anything
the weather was worse. We had a bitter
squall of wind, rain, snow, sleet, and hail ;
the wind flew into N.W., and after blowing a
howling gale from that quarter for another
four hours, it flew back again to S.E. by way
of S.W.
That was the sort of weather we had for
the twenty-four hours, with heavy seas from
points all around the compass. It was verit-
ably like a huge boiling pot ; the poor little
" Sheila " and all on board her, were indeed
like drowned rats. Landspeople can have no
proper idea of what I have described ; it
seemed as if all the elements were out to des-
troy everything on the world of waters. Once,
when in the thick of it, we fell in with a mass
of floating balks of Quebec timber, scores of
THE CLIPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 283
them (some poor timber- carrying craft had
evidently come to grief), but we saw nothing
of the ship. Those floating balks are a great
danger, for if you come in contact with them
at a dangerous angle, they may drive a hole
in your bows. We saw several ships about,
all lying-to, not one sailing. Also, about
2 p.m. a large brig-rigged S.S. (an American
liner) came up from the leeward bound west.
I didn't like the look of her at first, as she
seemed to be coming straight for my amid-
ships, and yawing about as if she was difficult
to steer. However, she passed close across
our stern, and then took a header into the
N.W. sea. I thought she was gone under ;
she disappeared altogether forward, right to
her bridge- deck amidships, and threw her
propeller clean out of the water. She was
steaming slow, and it took a long time before
we lost sight of her ; in fact we could see her
at 5 p.m., till when it got dark. Then the
wind went W. and N.W., after a terrific squall ;
the sky cleared, but with that peculiar steely
blue, when you can see a great distance — a
bad sign.
The next day the wind settled back to
W.S.W., a gale with a high confused sea.
We made as much sail as we dared, and at
mid-day on the 16th sighted the Irish land,
" Galley Head." At 5 p.m. Kinsale light
bore N.W., ten miles distant ; and at 2 a.m.
on the 17th we passed Tuskar, distant one
mile. It was blowing heavily from W. by N.
We kept the Irish land aboard, and at 7 a.m.
passed Arklow, distant six miles, the wind
284 THE CIvIPPER SHIP " SHBIIyA "
N.W. with the same force, but there was com.
paratively smooth water off the land. All
hands were now engaged getting the anchors
over the bows, and cables shackled on — and
not much before time. At 9 a.m. we kept
away for South Stack, Holyhead ; at 1 1
sighted it, and passed it at noon. It was now
blowing a heavy W.N.W. gale, the sea one
smother of foam and spume. There was quite
a fleet of sailing craft in the channel, all lying-
to.
At 4 p.m. we steered close around Point
Lynus, into Dulas Bay, to try and find a
Liverpool pilot. It was rather a daring game,
and I do not recommend it in such weather,
unless you are as well acquainted with the spot
as I was ; but it was my only chance to get a
pilot on board that night, since, as I knew, it
was there they dodged in such weather. I got
one all right ; and at 4.30 p.m. stood off the
land, under main and fore lower topsails,
and fore topmast staysail only.
On looking round the Pilot commented :
" So this is one of Sandbach, Tinne & Co.'s
new clipper ships there is so much talk
about ? " and asked me if I could depend upon
her steering qualities. I assured him on that
point. " She is not liable to broach-to, is
she ? " " Never a broach," was my answer.
" Well, then," he asked, " shall I run for the
bar ? " I told him that was for him to decide.
He then said that he had often wished to see
how a clipper ship like the " Sheila " would
behave on the bar, in a gale dead on like that
which was now blowing, and with such a sea.
THE CUPPER SHIP " SHEILA " 285
" Mind we shall get wet," said he. " Wet,
indeed, all right, let her go," I replied. We
manoeuvred about a bit to keep the ship back,
so as to take the bar exactly at high water to a
minute, to get (so we expected) a better sea;
but we all had an experience, especially the
Pilot. The deep, short, breaking seas were
awful ; the ship's taffrail went down under
repeatedly, and the seas swept over the poop,
and along it on to the main deck in a cataract.
It was luckily only for about ten minutes —
but such a ten minutes — as by that time we
had got clear inside the bar, and in the shelter
of the Formby Channel. The man at the
wheel held on good ; but the mate, and two
boys were swept clear off the poop, on to the
main deck, where fortunately they fell soft,
up to their necks in water. I had, on " ex-
perienced knowledge ", placed myself to lee-
ward of the big ventilator, and between it and
the main skylight, where I could get a good
grip of the skylight gratings. I looked around
for the Pilot ; he had made a big jump for the
spanker boom, and had managed to get his
arms clasped over the boom, and was holding
on like grim death, with his legs dangling from
side to side. I laughed aloud at him, and
repeated what he had said, " Mind, we shall
get wet." All he answered was, " By Gosh,
never again ", and he laughed.
At 5 a.m. on the 18th of January we
anchored in the Mersey, less than twenty-six
days from Demerara. At 3 p.m. we docked in
the Prince's Dock, and moored at the com-
286 THE CI.IPPBR SHIP " SHEILA "
pany's berth— and " SO ENDS THE VOY-
AGE."
The dark blue jacket that enfolds the sailor's manly breast.
Bears more of real honour than the star and ermine vest.
The tithe of folly in his head may make the landsman's mirth.
But Nature proudly owns him as her child of sterling worth.
His heart is warm, his hand is true, his word is frank and free.
And though he plays the ass on shore, he's Hon of the sea ;
He's Britain's boast, and claims a toast, " In peace, my boys,
or war.
Here's to the brave upon the wave, ' The Gallant English Tar.' "
— E. Cook.
THS EKD.
^'■i
599
Map i f\ *fsrf9
PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11