Squally weather in the Azores--High living--Delirious from cheese and
plums--The pilot of the _Pinta_--At Gibraltar--Compliments exchanged
with the British navy--A picnic on the Morocco shore.
I set sail from Horta early on July 24. The southwest wind at the time
was light, but squalls came up with the sun, and I was glad enough to
get reefs in my sails before I had gone a mile. I had hardly set the
mainsail, double-reefed, when a squall of wind down the mountains
struck the sloop with such violence that I thought her mast would go.
However, a quick helm brought her to the wind. As it was, one of the
weather lanyards was carried away and the other was stranded. My tin
basin, caught up by the wind, went flying across a French school-ship
to leeward. It was more or less squally all day, sailing along under
high land; but rounding close under a bluff, I found an opportunity to
mend the lanyards broken in the squall. No sooner had I lowered my
sails when a four-oared boat shot out from some gully in the rocks,
with a customs officer on board, who thought he had come upon a
smuggler. I had some difficulty in making him comprehend the true
case. However, one of his crew, a sailorly chap, who understood how
matters were, while we palavered jumped on board and rove off the new
lanyards I had already prepared, and with a friendly hand helped me
"set up the rigging." This incident gave the turn in my favor. My
story was then clear to all. I have found this the way of the world.
Let one be without a friend, and see what will happen!
Passing the island of Pico, after the rigging was mended, the _Spray_
stretched across to leeward of the island of St. Michael's, which she
was up with early on the morning of July 26, the wind blowing hard.
Later in the day she passed the Prince of Monaco's fine steam-yacht
bound to Fayal, where, on a previous voyage, the prince had slipped
his cables to "escape a reception" which the padres of the island
wished to give him. Why he so dreaded the "ovation" I could not make
out. At Horta they did not know. Since reaching the islands I had
lived most luxuriously on fresh bread, butter, vegetables, and fruits
of all kinds. Plums seemed the most plentiful on the _Spray_, and
these I ate without stint. I had also a Pico white cheese that General
Manning, the American consul-general, had given me, which I supposed
was to be eaten, and of this I partook with the plums. Alas! by
night-time I was doubled up with cramps. The wind, which was already a
smart breeze, was increasing somewhat, with a heavy sky to the
sou'west. Reefs had been turned out, and I must turn them in again
somehow. Between cramps I got the mainsail down, hauled out the
earings as best I could, and tied away point by point, in the double
reef. There being sea-room, I should, in strict prudence, have made
all snug and gone down at once to my cabin. I am a careful man at sea,
but this night, in the coming storm, I swayed up my sails, which,
reefed though they were, were still too much in such heavy weather;
and I saw to it that the sheets were securely belayed. In a word, I
should have laid to, but did not. I gave her the double-reefed
mainsail and whole jib instead, and set her on her course. Then I went
below, and threw myself upon the cabin floor in great pain. How long I
lay there I could not tell, for I became delirious. When I came to, as
I thought, from my swoon, I realized that the sloop was plunging into
a heavy sea, and looking out of the companionway, to my amazement I
saw a tall man at the helm. His rigid hand, grasping the spokes of the
wheel, held them as in a vise. One may imagine my astonishment. His
rig was that of a foreign sailor, and the large red cap he wore was
cockbilled over his left ear, and all was set off with shaggy black
whiskers. He would have been taken for a pirate in any part of the
world. While I gazed upon his threatening aspect I forgot the storm,
and wondered if he had come to cut my throat. This he seemed to
divine. "Senor," said he, doffing his cap, "I have come to do you no
harm." And a smile, the faintest in the world, but still a smile,
played on his face, which seemed not unkind when he spoke. "I have
come to do you no harm. I have sailed free," he said, "but was never
worse than a _contrabandista_. I am one of Columbus's crew," he
continued. "I am the pilot of the Pinta come to aid you. Lie quiet,
senor captain," he added, "and I will guide your ship to-night. You
have a _calentura_, but you will be all right tomorrow." I thought
what a very devil he was to carry sail. Again, as if he read my mind,
he exclaimed: "Yonder is the _Pinta_ ahead; we must overtake her. Give
her sail; give her sail! _Vale, vale, muy vale!_" Biting off a large
quid of black twist, he said: "You did wrong, captain, to mix cheese
with plums. White cheese is never safe unless you know whence it
comes. _Quien sabe_, it may have been from _leche de Capra_ and
becoming capricious--"
[Illustration: The apparition at the wheel.]
"Avast, there!" I cried. "I have no mind for moralizing."
I made shift to spread a mattress and lie on that instead of the hard
floor, my eyes all the while fastened on my strange guest, who,
remarking again that I would have "only pains and calentura," chuckled
as he chanted a wild song:
High are the waves, fierce, gleaming,
High is the tempest roar!
High the sea-bird screaming!
High the Azore!
I suppose I was now on the mend, for I was peevish, and complained: "I
detest your jingle. Your Azore should be at roost, and would have been
were it a respectable bird!" I begged he would tie a rope-yarn on the
rest of the song, if there was any more of it. I was still in agony.
Great seas were boarding the _Spray_, but in my fevered brain I
thought they were boats falling on deck, that careless draymen were
throwing from wagons on the pier to which I imagined the _Spray_ was
now moored, and without fenders to breast her off. "You'll smash your
boats!" I called out again and again, as the seas crashed on the cabin
over my head. "You'll smash your boats, but you can't hurt the
_Spray_. She is strong!" I cried.
I found, when my pains and calentura had gone, that the deck, now as
white as a shark's tooth from seas washing over it, had been swept of
everything movable. To my astonishment, I saw now at broad day that
the _Spray_ was still heading as I had left her, and was going like a
racehorse. Columbus himself could not have held her more exactly on
her course. The sloop had made ninety miles in the night through a
rough sea. I felt grateful to the old pilot, but I marveled some that
he had not taken in the jib. The gale was moderating, and by noon the
sun was shining. A meridian altitude and the distance on the patent
log, which I always kept towing, told me that she had made a true
course throughout the twenty-four hours. I was getting much better
now, but was very weak, and did not turn out reefs that day or the
night following, although the wind fell light; but I just put my wet
clothes out in the sun when it was shining, and lying down there
myself, fell asleep. Then who should visit me again but my old friend
of the night before, this time, of course, in a dream. "You did well
last night to take my advice," said he, "and if you would, I should
like to be with you often on the voyage, for the love of adventure
alone." Finishing what he had to say, he again doffed his cap and
disappeared as mysteriously as he came, returning, I suppose, to the
phantom _Pinta_. I awoke much refreshed, and with the feeling that I
had been in the presence of a friend and a seaman of vast experience.
I gathered up my clothes, which by this time were dry, then, by
inspiration, I threw overboard all the plums in the vessel.
July 28 was exceptionally fine. The wind from the northwest was light
and the air balmy. I overhauled my wardrobe, and bent on a white shirt
against nearing some coasting-packet with genteel folk on board. I
also did some washing to get the salt out of my clothes. After it all
I was hungry, so I made a fire and very cautiously stewed a dish of
pears and set them carefully aside till I had made a pot of delicious
coffee, for both of which I could afford sugar and cream. But the
crowning dish of all was a fish-hash, and there was enough of it for
two. I was in good health again, and my appetite was simply ravenous.
While I was dining I had a large onion over the double lamp stewing
for a luncheon later in the day. High living to-day!
In the afternoon the _Spray_ came upon a large turtle asleep on the
sea. He awoke with my harpoon through his neck, if he awoke at all. I
had much difficulty in landing him on deck, which I finally
accomplished by hooking the throat-halyards to one of his flippers,
for he was about as heavy as my boat. I saw more turtles, and I rigged
a burton ready with which to hoist them in; for I was obliged to lower
the mainsail whenever the halyards were used for such purposes, and it
was no small matter to hoist the large sail again. But the
turtle-steak was good. I found no fault with the cook, and it was the
rule of the voyage that the cook found no fault with me. There was
never a ship's crew so well agreed. The bill of fare that evening was
turtle-steak, tea and toast, fried potatoes, stewed onions; with
dessert of stewed pears and cream.
Sometime in the afternoon I passed a barrel-buoy adrift, floating
light on the water. It was painted red, and rigged with a signal-staff
about six feet high. A sudden change in the weather coming on, I got
no more turtle or fish of any sort before reaching port. July 31 a
gale sprang up suddenly from the north, with heavy seas, and I
shortened sail. The _Spray_ made only fifty-one miles on her course
that day. August 1 the gale continued, with heavy seas. Through the
night the sloop was reaching, under close-reefed mainsail and bobbed
jib. At 3 P.M. the jib was washed off the bowsprit and blown to rags
and ribbons. I bent the "jumbo" on a stay at the night-heads. As for
the jib, let it go; I saved pieces of it, and, after all, I was in
want of pot-rags.
On August 3 the gale broke, and I saw many signs of land. Bad weather
having made itself felt in the galley, I was minded to try my hand at
a loaf of bread, and so rigging a pot of fire on deck by which to bake
it, a loaf soon became an accomplished fact. One great feature about
ship's cooking is that one's appetite on the sea is always good--a
fact that I realized when I cooked for the crew of fishermen in the
before-mentioned boyhood days. Dinner being over, I sat for hours
reading the life of Columbus, and as the day wore on I watched the
birds all flying in one direction, and said, "Land lies there."
Early the next morning, August 4, I discovered Spain. I saw fires on
shore, and knew that the country was inhabited. The _Spray_ continued
on her course till well in with the land, which was that about
Trafalgar. Then keeping away a point, she passed through the Strait of
Gibraltar, where she cast anchor at 3 P. M. of the same day, less than
twenty-nine days from Cape Sable. At the finish of this preliminary
trip I found myself in excellent health, not overworked or cramped,
but as well as ever in my life, though I was as thin as a reef-point.
[Illustration: Coming to anchor at Gibraltar.]
Two Italian barks, which had been close alongside at daylight, I saw
long after I had anchored, passing up the African side of the strait.
The _Spray_ had sailed them both hull down before she reached Tarifa.
So far as I know, the _Spray_ beat everything going across the
Atlantic except the steamers.
All was well, but I had forgotten to bring a bill of health from
Horta, and so when the fierce old port doctor came to inspect there
was a row. That, however, was the very thing needed. If you want to
get on well with a true Britisher you must first have a deuce of a row
with him. I knew that well enough, and so I fired away, shot for shot,
as best I could. "Well, yes," the doctor admitted at last, "your crew
are healthy enough, no doubt, but who knows the diseases of your last
port?"--a reasonable enough remark. "We ought to put you in the fort,
sir!" he blustered; "but never mind. Free pratique, sir! Shove off,
cockswain!" And that was the last I saw of the port doctor.
But on the following morning a steam-launch, much longer than the
_Spray_, came alongside,--or as much of her as could get
alongside,--with compliments from the senior naval officer, Admiral
Bruce, saying there was a berth for the _Spray_ at the arsenal. This
was around at the new mole. I had anchored at the old mole, among the
native craft, where it was rough and uncomfortable. Of course I was
glad to shift, and did so as soon as possible, thinking of the great
company the _Spray_ would be in among battle-ships such as the
_Collingwood_, _Balfleur_, and _Cormorant_, which were at that time
stationed there, and on board all of which I was entertained, later,
most royally.
"'Put it thar!' as the Americans say," was the salute I got from
Admiral Bruce, when I called at the admiralty to thank him for his
courtesy of the berth, and for the use of the steam-launch which towed
me into dock. "About the berth, it is all right if it suits, and we'll
tow you out when you are ready to go. But, say, what repairs do you
want? Ahoy the _Hebe_, can you spare your sailmaker? The _Spray_ wants
a new jib. Construction and repair, there! will you see to the
_Spray_? Say, old man, you must have knocked the devil out of her
coming over alone in twenty-nine days! But we'll make it smooth for
you here!" Not even her Majesty's ship the _Collingwood_ was better
looked after than the _Spray_ at Gibraltar.
[Illustration: The _Spray_ at anchor off Gibraltar.]
Later in the day came the hail: "_Spray_ ahoy! Mrs. Bruce would like
to come on board and shake hands with the _Spray_. Will it be
convenient to-day!" "Very!" I joyfully shouted.
On the following day Sir F. Carrington, at the time governor of
Gibraltar, with other high officers of the garrison, and all the
commanders of the battle-ships, came on board and signed their names
in the _Spray's_ log-book. Again there was a hail, "_Spray_ ahoy!"
"Hello!" "Commander Reynolds's compliments. You are invited on board
H.M.S. _Collingwood_, 'at home' at 4:30 P.M. Not later than 5:30 P.M."
I had already hinted at the limited amount of my wardrobe, and that I
could never succeed as a dude. "You are expected, sir, in a stovepipe
hat and a claw-hammer coat!" "Then I can't come." "Dash it! come in
what you have on; that is what we mean." "Aye, aye, sir!" The
_Collingwood's_ cheer was good, and had I worn a silk hat as high as
the moon I could not have had a better time or been made more at home.
An Englishman, even on his great battle-ship, unbends when the
stranger passes his gangway, and when he says "at home" he means it.
That one should like Gibraltar would go without saying. How could one
help loving so hospitable a place? Vegetables twice a week and milk
every morning came from the palatial grounds of the admiralty.
"_Spray_ ahoy!" would hail the admiral. "_Spray_ ahoy!" "Hello!"
"To-morrow is your vegetable day, sir." "Aye, aye, sir!"
I rambled much about the old city, and a gunner piloted me through the
galleries of the rock as far as a stranger is permitted to go. There
is no excavation in the world, for military purposes, at all
approaching these of Gibraltar in conception or execution. Viewing the
stupendous works, it became hard to realize that one was within the
Gibraltar of his little old Morse geography.
Before sailing I was invited on a picnic with the governor, the
officers of the garrison, and the commanders of the war-ships at the
station; and a royal affair it was. Torpedo-boat No. 91, going
twenty-two knots, carried our party to the Morocco shore and back. The
day was perfect--too fine, in fact, for comfort on shore, and so no
one landed at Morocco. No. 91 trembled like an aspen-leaf as she raced
through the sea at top speed. Sublieutenant Boucher, apparently a mere
lad, was in command, and handled his ship with the skill of an older
sailor. On the following day I lunched with General Carrington, the
governor, at Line Wall House, which was once the Franciscan convent.
In this interesting edifice are preserved relics of the fourteen
sieges which Gibraltar has seen. On the next day I supped with the
admiral at his residence, the palace, which was once the convent of
the Mercenaries. At each place, and all about, I felt the friendly
grasp of a manly hand, that lent me vital strength to pass the coming
long days at sea. I must confess that the perfect discipline, order,
and cheerfulness at Gibraltar were only a second wonder in the great
stronghold. The vast amount of business going forward caused no more
excitement than the quiet sailing of a well-appointed ship in a smooth
sea. No one spoke above his natural voice, save a boatswain's mate now
and then. The Hon. Horatio J. Sprague, the venerable United States
consul at Gibraltar, honored the _Spray_ with a visit on Sunday,
August 24, and was much pleased to find that our British cousins had
been so kind to her.