Sloop Governor Tompkins.
In February, 1817, I took charge of the Sloop Governor Tompkins, of
thirty-four tons, belonging to the same owners that the Biddle did;
being promoted two tons in the size of the vessel. I took on board an
assorted cargo, bound for Old Providence, Corn Island, and Musquitto
Shore. I took with me a young man named Samuel B. Warner, to serve as
clerk of our store at Pearl Key Lagoon, where I intended to resume the
trade I had left. My crew consisted of a mate, two seamen, and a cook.
In the Gulf-stream we encountered a violent gale of wind, shipped a
heavy sea, which swept our deck and washed the cook overboard, and I
never saw him again. I made a passage of seventeen days to Old
Providence, where I met with a heavy sale of goods; from thence I went
to Corn Island, and to Pearl Key Lagoon. There I hired part of an Indian
house, landed some goods, and Mr. Warner opened a store. From thence I
sailed for Cape Gracios a Dios, and visited the king, who entertained me
with a ball and other amusements. I then proceeded back to the Lagoon,
touching and trading at Sandy Bay, where I was visited by a large number
of Indians, who brought on board tortoise-shell, tiger-skins,
deer-skins, India rubber, gum copal, &c. which I bought in exchange for
goods. The chiefs and their subjects got very drunk on the occasion, and
as it was difficult to suppress the quarrels that arose among them, I
was obliged to get my vessel under weigh to rid myself of them. I
returned to the Lagoon, where Mr. Warner had opened a very good trade
with the Indians, and appeared well pleased with the country.
I hired three Indians to man my canoe, and took a trip up the river
Waa-waa-han, to visit my old friend Mr. Ellis, with whom I had left the
tortoise-shell and other articles previous to my embarking with Captain
Humphreys for Jamaica. On my passage up the river I called on Mr. Gough,
an Englishman, whom I have spoken of in a former chapter; I remained but
a few hours with him, having but little leisure to view his plantation,
which had the appearance of a good soil, but lacked cultivation. When I
arrived at the house of Mr. Ellis I was received with a hearty welcome,
and treated with the best the country afforded. After taking some
refreshments we took a walk over his grounds, which were well
cultivated, having a beautiful orange walk, with two rows of trees set
out in straight lines for nearly half a mile, forming a most
delightfully shaded road. I purchased two or three tons of coffee from
him, which he had raised on his place, and kept on hand for want of
purchasers, the Jamaica traders always refusing to buy it. He told me
he had plenty of cattle on his premises, which could be made very useful
in clearing the ground, by breaking them in to work with ploughs. I told
him to make out a memorandum, and I would bring him out ploughs, chains,
ox-yokes and such other articles as he wanted. He gave me a list of what
he needed, which I furnished him on the next voyage, when he broke in
his cattle, cleared up new lands, and used his ploughs with very good
success for many years afterwards. Mr. Ellis agreed to send my shell,
goods, and coffee, down to the Lagoon in canoes, which promise he
punctually performed. I remained with him during that night. In the
morning, soon after I arose, I heard the bellowing of a cow near the
house, and running out of the door a laughable scene attracted my
attention. Mr. Ellis had domesticated a large ring-tailed monkey, and
raised a long pole near the house, on the top of which was put a box for
the monkey to sleep in; having fixed a small chain around his neck, with
the end fast to the pole, jocko was furnished sufficient length of chain
to go up and down at his pleasure. Mr. Ellis kept two or three docile
milch cows about his premises, and one of them having ventured near the
monkey's pole, he ran down and seized the end of her tail, taking a
couple of turns round the pole and holding fast to the end of her
switcher; the poor cow struggled and bellowed to get her liberty, but
jocko held on until his master appeared with a cane, when he reluctantly
gave up his sport.
[Illustration: Jocko amusing himself with a Cow.]
I took leave of my old friend and proceeded down the river. The weather
being clear and warm, the woods and banks swarmed with macaws, parrots,
bill-birds, and others of variegated plumage. An immense number of
monkeys, chattering and jumping from one tree to another with great
rapidity, formed a most pleasing and lively scene; added to which was
the fragrance of countless flowers.
I arrived at the Lagoon that evening. The next day I took my coffee,
shell, &c. on board, arranged my business with Warner, took leave of my
Indian friends, and sailed for home.
Nothing very material happened on the way except contrary winds, which
prolonged our passage. We arrived in New-York after an absence of one
hundred and one days from the time we left that city, having made a
profitable little voyage, which always procures a captain a good
reception from all concerned in it. I then returned to Catskill, where I
found my family and friends all well. Finding the Tompkins too small and
uncomfortable, I requested the owners to purchase a larger craft. After
remaining six days with my family, I received a letter from them, saying
they had exchanged the Tompkins for a more commodious vessel, and
requesting me to come to New-York as soon as circumstances would permit.
Two days after the receipt of the letter I arrived there.