AN EVENTFUL PASSAGE HOME.
Now that the time of my departure drew near, the same old feeling of
reluctance to leave a place to which I had become accustomed came upon
me with its usual force. Possibly because I was never very long in one
place, I have always, except in one instance, felt loth to begin
wandering again; and, even now, my mind often turns regretfully to the
many ports I have visited, and quite a painful longing seizes me to see
them all again. Therefore I am afraid I did not feel nearly as grateful
to my friend as I ought to have done; but, fully realizing how dangerous
it was for me not to take advantage of this offer, I made myself as
presentable as I could and hurried on board. The captain, a big, burly
gentleman in a smart uniform, received me with a sharp glance, and
dismissed me at once with a curt "All right; go and tell the chief
steward I've sent you to him." I thanked him, and left the presence,
very much in awe of the gorgeous surroundings and great size of
everything, so different to all my previous experience of shipboard. She
was a fairly large steamship for those days, I suppose of nearly three
thousand tons; but to me she was vast beyond conception. When I entered
the saloon, I felt utterly crushed beneath the splendour of the
place--oh, how small and shabby it would look now, beside the floating
palaces of to-day!--and I hardly dared to tread upon the thick carpet
which was laid, the vessel being in harbour. When I found the chief
steward, he cross-examined me pretty sharply as to my qualifications,
etc.; but, being short-handed, he was glad of even such help as I could
give, and promptly set me to work. Now, for the first time, I became
acquainted with the toilsome routine of housemaid's duties which have to
be performed by the steward's staff of a passenger steamer: endless
dish-washing, knife and silver-cleaning, floor-scrubbing, and
metal-polishing. And all the work had to be done by a staff of four,
exclusive of my insignificant self; so that the chief steward had no
time to play the gentleman at large that he so often appears where the
manning is on a more liberal scale. Indeed, but for the second
steward--a dapper Chinese, rejoicing in the most unappropriate name of
"Hadji"--I don't think we could ever have kept things straight. But
Hadji was a host in himself. Never in a hurry, always looking
well-groomed and smart, the amount of work that this wonderful little
man got through in a day was marvellous. Not more so, however, than his
history, of which one episode will suffice as a sample. While working on
board a large steamer of this same employ lying in Colon, there was a
terrific explosion on board--whether of gunpowder or nitro-glycerine I
have forgotten. Men, decks, fittings, were hurled skyward amidst a vast
cloud of smoke, and the fragments fell in an immense area, extending for
hundreds of yards around the unfortunate ship. When the first alarm had
subsided, the stewards of an adjacent vessel returned to their tasks
below, and found Hadji on the saloon table, having crashed through the
skylight in his descent, but unhurt, and apparently unaffrighted. It was
not easy to imagine what would disturb his smiling _sang-froid_. If in a
gale of wind a heavy sea found its way below, causing the utmost hubbub
and terror among the passengers, whether by night or day, Hadji would
appear in the thick of the _melee_, calmly setting everything and
everybody to rights, his pleasant smile most reassuring to behold.
But, in my admiration for this invaluable Celestial, I am forgetting
current events. The day we were to sail, I was much astonished to see
all my old shipmates march on board, having been sent by the
shipping-master for a passage to England in his anxiety to avoid another
interview with the offended powers. They were passengers in the sense
that no work was expected of them; but they lived and messed with the
crew. However, as we were at different ends of the ship, we did not come
in contact at all, for which I was grateful. Yet, strangely enough, I
got into my first and only scrape on board through them. The waste of
food from the saloon table was very great; but my instructions were to
throw all broken meats into a "dog-basket" at washing-up time, with all
sorts of dirty odds and ends, which basket was presently emptied over
the side. I managed to obtain a clean basket, into which I turned all
such broken victuals as I considered worth saving, and, watching my
opportunity, I carried this provender forward to my shipmates, who I
knew were getting only the usual miserable fare. In this benevolent work
I was discovered by the chief steward, who "clouted my ear," as he
termed it, and threatened me with all sorts of pains and penalties if I
dared to so offend again. So from thenceforth all the good food not
wanted aft went overboard as before.
We were bound to Liverpool _via_ Port-au-Prince, in the island of Hayti,
and, from a few words let fall by the passengers, I gathered that it was
just possible we might see some "fun," as they termed it. I did not then
know that Hayti was in the throes of a successful revolution against the
sovereignty of Spain and France, which eventually resulted in the
establishment of two republics in the island; one-half calling itself
the republic of Hayti, the other that of St. Domingo. At that time the
long struggle must have been drawing near its close, for on land the
triumphant negroes had things all their own way, while at sea the fleets
of France and Spain played at what they were pleased to call a blockade.
Whether any vessels trading with Hayti paid any attention to the alleged
blockade, I do not know; certainly we did not. Nothing at all in our
proceedings would have suggested to any one that we were making for a
blockaded port. Even when, as we steamed briskly up the long V-shaped
gulf, at the apex of which Port-au-Prince lies, we sighted two
grimlooking war-ships lying at anchor on either side of the fairway
with steam up, no more notice was taken of them than the usual curiosity
evinced by passengers at a strange sail. As we passed between them we
could see that one was French, the other Spanish, by their ensigns
flying. We rendered the usual sea-courtesy of dipping our flag, but of
that no notice at all was taken by them. Doubtless, as usual, they felt
none too amicably disposed towards the all-pervading _Anglais_. Right
onward we steamed into the harbour, and alongside the Company's hulk,
where such scant cargo as could be collected awaited us. The only other
vessel lying there was a long, low steamer of perhaps 700 or 800 tons,
whose raking, schooner-spars and funnel, and the light grey-blue that
everything was painted, to say nothing of the miniature stars and
stripes that floated from her flag-staff, spelt "Yankee filibuster" as
plainly as if she had been lettered with those words in characters two
feet wide. There was no sign of life on board of her, except a mere
suggestion of bluish smoke, that curled slowly from her funnel, telling
of banked fires below. For some time she was an object of the greatest
interest to all on board, until other matters occupied all our
attention.
The town was in a pitiable condition. What with the long rebellion and
civil broils, in addition to the careless, happy-go-lucky fashion in
which the farce of government was carried on, whole streets were in
ruins; business was at a standstill, and even the few merchants who
still clung to the remnants of their trade were in despair. It was no
place for white men, anyhow. The negro was master of the situation. He
had fought long and savagely for his independence, and now that he had
got it he was drunken with it as with brandy. That careless white man
who omitted, from any cause, to salute in the humblest manner any
functionary of the Government of the hour, however ludicrous in
appearance, speedily found himself in serious trouble, out of which he
did not easily extricate himself. And since new officials were
constantly emerging from the rag-tag and bob-tail, the only wise course
was to salute _every_ black man, no matter how menial his capacity might
be. One never knew whether the road-mender of to-day might not be a
general of division to-morrow, having power of life and death even while
wanting a decent pair of trousers.
A party of our fellows were allowed to go ashore, by a serious error of
judgment, and, as they strolled carelessly along one of the principal
thoroughfares, they met a company of soldiers so scarecrow-like that
they simply stood and roared with laughter. This had been crime enough,
but the sailor-men must needs aggravate their offence. The officer in
command, swelling with rage, demanded their salute. Instead of complying
they indulged in some ribaldry, in which his get-up, as well as that of
his ragged regiment, was held up to ridicule in effective fashion. This
behaviour could not be tolerated. They were surrounded, overpowered, and
dragged off to the "calabozo." Then, when they saw what their folly had
led them into, they repented sorely. It had been worth any amount of
"ko-tow" to have escaped from such a fate as now befell them. The
lock-up was apparently an ancient cow-byre, standing like an island in a
lake of sewage, which, under that blazing sun, sent up a steam of
putridity into the heavy air. Through this foul morass they were dragged
with every indignity their exulting captors could devise, and there,
more dead than alive, they were left for twenty-four hours, when the
captain managed to overcome the stubborn attitude of the sable
authorities, and induce them to accept a substantial fine. When they
were released and brought on board they looked like resuscitated
corpses, and every article of clothing they wore had to be flung
overboard. The doctor examined them with gathering anxiety upon his
face, but his only comment was "The sooner we're out of this hell-hole
the better."
Fortunately we were to sail in the morning, for every one was feverishly
anxious to be gone. That evening a passenger embarked, who came
alongside in a canoe paddled by two negroes, bringing with him several
weighty chests. He was a well-dressed black man, with an air of nervous
anxiety; and he hovered around, while his baggage was being hoisted on
board, as if he dared not trust it out of his sight. When it was all
safely embarked and carried below, to a muttered accompaniment of growls
at its weight, the canoe and its sable crew disappeared into the
darkness, while the passenger also hid himself, and rarely appeared
thenceforward.
At daybreak all hands were astir, the firemen working like sooty gnomes
down in their gloomy pit to get steam up, while dense volumes of smoke
poured from our funnels, gladdening the eyes of all hands. Amidst the
universal activity we yet found time to notice that the thin coronal of
vapour hovering above the smoke-stack of the filibuster was also getting
more palpable, and the knowing ones winked at each other meaningly. At
last a hissing from our steam-pipe betokened full pressure in the
boilers, the "old man" mounted the bridge, and all hands took their
stations. "Cast off fore and aft!" shouted the skipper. Willing hands
released the heavy hawsers from the bitts, and, with a rattle of
steam-winches and cheerful yells from the crew, we moved slowly away
from the hulk, the ensign and "house-flag" being run up at the same
time. Then, to our breathless amazement, the filibuster, apparently of
her own accord, stole from her position and came gently alongside, a
tall, romantic-looking figure mounting her bridge as she did so. So
close did she come that the figure on the bridge was able to step nimbly
on board of us. He was a spare, elegantly-built man, dressed in a
well-fitting suit of grey silk, with an immense white Panama sombrero on
his head. He was strikingly handsome, having a dark, oval face, with a
heavy black moustache and Velasquez beard, while his black, brilliant
eyes, wide set, seemed to take in everything at a glance. Shaking hands
cordially with our captain, he said a few words inaudible on deck; then
the pair descended from the bridge, and, joined by the mate, entered the
chart-room. They remained there for a couple of minutes with the door
closed, and then, coming out again, the Yankee leapt on board his own
vessel, while our two officers took their stations--the captain on the
bridge and the mate forward. Our engine-room bell clanged the order,
"Full speed ahead," and, as the engines responded, our good ship
vibrated from stem to stern under their impulse. Without any apparent
effort the Yankee kept her place by our side, not a soul visible on
board, except the tall figure lolling calmly on the bridge, meditatively
puffing at a big cigar.
The decks being cleared, there was, for a brief space, nothing to do; so
all hands, including passengers, crowded the rails, watching with
breathless interest the two war-ships which lay in grim silence where
they were when we entered the harbour. Not a word was spoken, and the
clanging chorus of the massive machinery below seemed many times louder
than we had ever heard it before. The scene was sufficiently impressive
to fix itself permanently in the memory of every one on board. There was
not a breath of wind, the water of the widening gulf lying like another
sky before us, tinted in innumerable shades by the floating clouds and
the richly-coloured hills on either hand. Every thrust of the pistons
drove us nearer those two surly sentinels laden with potential
destruction, which we all well knew might, at any moment, be let loose
upon us. But there was much comfort in an occasional glance at the
splendid old red ensign flying gallantly overhead, for everybody on
board felt how much might and majesty it represented. Nearer and nearer
we drew to the point midway between the war-ships, that now began to
show a thickening cloud of smoke at their funnels, and a white feather
of escaping steam. At last we were fairly between them. Suddenly the
silent Yankee alongside straightened himself, made us a sweeping bow,
and said, "A thousand thanks, captain. Farewell, ladies and gentlemen,
and a pleasant passage. G'lang ahead!" At his word a gong boomed below,
and the lithe vessel sprang forward like an unleashed greyhound, the
pitchy fumes from her funnel filling the clean air with the stench of
burning petroleum. Boom! boom! went two big guns from the men-of-war as
they both started in chase, while from the filibuster's masthead the
flag dipped as if in ironical courtesy. Many shots were fired after the
daring craft; but although the fountains cast up by the massive shot
apparently played all around her, none actually reached her. And as she
certainly steamed nearly two knots to their one, she was soon hopelessly
out of range. Recognising this, they gave up the chase. I suppose,
according to the rules of romance, they should now have intercepted us;
but this is fact, not fiction, and so it must be admitted that they paid
not the slightest attention to us, but returned to their old position.
Despite our good rate of speed, in less than four hours there was
nothing visible of our _protege_ but a long grimy streak in the bright
blue sky.
Under ordinary circumstances such an adventure would have afforded an
inexhaustible topic of conversation during the remainder of the
passage, but unhappily, a much more serious matter soon claimed
everybody's attention. Those truly awful words, "Yellow fever," began to
circulate in terrified whispers, while the merry, genial doctor's face
looked terribly solemn. There was little suspense. The very next day the
first victim died--one of the men who had spent the night in that
unspeakably filthy calabozo at Port-au-Prince. Ordinary prudence forbade
any delay in disposing of the poor remains. In less than an hour after
death came the solemn little meeting, the bare-headed group at the
gangway, the long white bundle on a hatch at an open port, the halting,
diffident reading of the old sublime Service, and then the hoarse
s-s-s-s-h, and the sullen plunge into unknown depths.
[Illustration: Everybody on deck was terrified at the apparition of a
mother-naked giant, armed with the cook's axe.]
The destroyer made such strides that a large tent had to be rigged over
the main hatch as an open-air hospital, and there the brave, unwearying
doctor laboured day and night at his hopeless task. There was no
discrimination, except as far as the passengers were concerned--perhaps
because they were better seasoned to the climate. At any rate none of
them were attacked; but of the ship's company, officers, engineers,
firemen, sailors, and stewards all gave tithe to death. The disease was
terribly swift in its operation. One Friday morning our bo'sun's mate, a
huge, hirsute Irishman, suddenly complained of his head. This was at
eight a.m. At ten a.m. he was in the hospital grinding his teeth in
delirium. A few minutes after everybody on deck was terrified at the
apparition of a mother-naked giant, armed with the cook's axe, which he
had snatched from beside the galley door, rushing madly about the
decks. Not many seconds elapsed before he was alone, striking furiously
at everything in his way, while the foam flew from his gaping mouth.
Having made the round of the deck aft, he came to the weather side of
the wheel-house, within which the quarter-master was calmly steering
quite unconscious of what was happening. Suddenly the maniac caught
sight of him through the side window, and immediately rained a torrent
of tremendous blows upon the stout teak door. Poor Teddy fled out of the
lee door, and up into the main rigging just as Carney burst in. Then all
was quiet. After a while some one was courageous enough to creep along
and peer in. There was Carney, lying at full length on the grating,
having fallen upon the upturned edge of the axe, which had sunk deep
enough into his chest to have let out a dozen lives. The place was like
a slaughter-house. That afternoon one reading of the Service sufficed
for three burials, two more men having died while the maniac had
possession of the deck.
Naturally there was little levity on board. Cooped up with such an awful
scourge none felt inclined for merriment. But the ordinary routine of
work went on without a hitch. My shipmates were set to work on full
wages to supply the places of the dead, and, although they did not
relish doing firemen's duty, they were not sorry to have the prospect of
a little money when they reached home, supposing they were still alive.
My turn came. One morning at five o'clock, when, as usual, I was called
to begin my day's work, I lifted my head to rise, but it fell again
like a piece of lead. A feeling of utter helplessness had seized my
whole body, although I could not say I felt ill. But not even the awe in
which I stood of the chief steward could overcome my want of strength,
and I humbly said, "I'm not able to get up, sir." Instantly alarmed, the
steward fetched the doctor, who, after feeling my pulse, etc., pulled me
out of the bunk, and set me on my trembling legs, telling the steward to
put me to some work that did not require any running about, but on no
account to allow me to sit down. His orders were strictly obeyed, but
how I got through that dreadful day I cannot tell. I felt as if I would
gladly have given the whole world to be allowed to lay down for a little
while, and several times my legs doubled up under me, letting me sink in
a heap on the pantry deck, but there was no respite allowed me. This
stern treatment was completely successful, for by supper-time I felt
quite strong again, and I was troubled no more by any recurrence of
those alarming symptoms. What was the matter with me, I never knew; but
undoubtedly I owed my life to the doctor's wisdom, much as I hated his
treatment at the time. Day after day dragged on, each bringing with it a
death for some one of our diminishing number, while the doctor, worn
almost to a shadow, still battled with the enemy with unabated vigour.
His chief task was with those who had won through the crisis, to nurse
them back to strength again. Beef-tea with brandy was his sheet anchor,
and this potent reviver he was continually administering in tiny doses,
while commenting cheerily on its marvellous virtues, to his wasted
patients. Then, as if to fill up our cup of misfortunes, the engines
suddenly stopped. The boilers were old--in fact, too old for safe
use--and one of them had sprung a dangerous leak. The engineers attacked
the trouble with that stolid heroism for which their class is famous,
although, from its prosaic nature, little is thought or said about it by
a world that loves its heroes to glitter with pomp and circumstance, and
to do their great deeds upon some conspicuous stage. Down beneath the
boilers, where the narrow limits compelled them to lie at full length,
half roasted by the fierce heat, and scalded from head to heel by the
spurtings of boiling water, they laboured with hardly a pause for a day
and a night. They succeeded in the almost incredible task of patching up
the leaky source of our speed, doing moreover their work so well that,
although our rate of going was greatly reduced, the repairs held good
until we reached port.
The joyful day arrived at last when the faithful doctor was able to
announce that the yellow fever had left us, and that, unless some of the
convalescents died of weakness, there would be no more deaths from that
scourge. It was high time. In the short period of twenty days we had
buried thirty men, every one of whose deaths was distinctly traceable to
that foul den in Port-au-Prince. Happily the weather held fine, and the
wind held to the south-west, so that we were able to help her along with
the sails, until one morning a thrill of delight ran through the ship at
the sight of green water alongside, sure sign of our nearness to the
Channel. Presently that solitary sentinel, the Fastnet, hove in sight,
and soon behind it we saw the green hills of Ireland. All our miseries
were now forgotten, and there was a general air of joyful expectation
mixed with deep thankfulness that we had been spared. That afternoon our
negro passenger, whom we had hardly seen during the passage, made his
appearance on deck. He was evidently seeking the captain, for, as soon
as he caught sight of him, he hastened towards him and the two went
straight into the captain's state-room. From thence there soon issued
strange noises as of a foreigner under strong excitement, while now and
then the deep tones of the skipper chimed in as if he were speaking
soothingly. Suddenly the door was flung open and the captain called for
the mate. That officer responded promptly, but did not succeed in
hushing the din. On the contrary, the shrill voice of the black man rose
higher than ever, until he was fairly yelling with fury. The mate blew
his whistle, and, when the bo'sun appeared in answer to it, he received
an order to bring the carpenter with a pair of irons and three or four
men. The reinforcements manhandled the excited negro, hauling him with
scant ceremony on deck, and bundling him forward into an empty cabin,
wherein they locked him and left him to his own reflections. This
mysterious affair caused much excitement among both passengers and crew,
but it was not until after the vessel had been in dock some days that
any explanation was forthcoming. It appeared that, according to _his_
story, the negro had been First Lord of the Treasury, or whatever
grandiloquent title they had bestowed upon their keeper of the funds,
and, seizing a favourable opportunity, he had levanted with quite a
large sum (he said $100,000). Getting safely on board he had committed
his loot to the care of the captain and mate, who, however, most
unaccountably forgot all about it when he claimed it coming up Channel.
Finding that he could by no means recall it to their memories, he went
temporarily mad--insane enough, at any rate, to institute proceedings
against them for its recovery. His story, which I have given above (with
the exception of the way in which he obtained his wealth), was simply
laughed at, and he was fain to revert to his original profession of
scullion or some such occupation.
The passage up Channel was uneventful. The hateful yellow flag
(quarantine) was hoisted as we entered the Mersey; but, as soon as the
Health Officer boarded us, we learned that there would be no delay in
docking, yellow fever being innocuous in our favoured land. So the dock
gates swung wide and we passed in to our berth, the vessel being in two
hours deserted by everybody except the night watchman and me.