While the sun was setting with even more than its usual brilliancy,
and leaving its path marked with streaks of gold, a bird hovered over
our heads, and suddenly alighted on our taffrail: it was one of
"Mother Carey's chickens," which by mariners are considered as
harbingers of ill, and generally of a furious storm. At a warning of
this kind I did not then feel disposed to take alarm; but there were
other warnings not to be slighted--the horizon to the east presented
the extraordinary appearance of a black cloud in the shape of a bow,
with its convex towards the sea, and which kept its singular shape and
position unchanged until nightfall. For the period too of twenty
minutes after the setting of the sun, the clouds to the north-west
continued of the colour of blood; but that which most attracted our
observation was, to us, a remarkable phenomenon--the sea immediately
around us, and, as far as the eye could discern by the light of the
moon, appeared, for about forty minutes, of a perfectly milk white. We
were visited by two more chickens of Mother Carey, both of which
sought refuge, with our first visiter, on the mainmast. We sounded,
but found no bottom at a hundred fathoms; a bucket of the water was
then drawn up, the surface of which was apparently covered with
innumerable sparks of fire--an effect said to be caused by the
animalculae which abound in sea-water: it is at all times common, but
the sparks are not in general so numerous, nor of such magnitude, as
were those which then presented themselves. The hand too, being dipped
in the water, and immediately withdrawn, thousands of them would seem
to adhere to it. A dismal hollow breeze, which, as the night drew on,
howled through our rigging, and infused into us all a sombre,
melancholy feeling, increased by gathering clouds, and the altogether
portentous state of the atmosphere and elements, ushered in the first
watch, which was to be kept by Thomson.
About eight o'clock, loud claps of thunder, each in kind resembling a
screech, or the blast of a trumpet, rather than the rumbling sound of
thunder in Europe, burst over our heads, and were succeeded by vivid
flashes of forked lightning. We now made every necessary preparation
for a storm, by striking the top-gallant-masts, with their yards,
close reefing the topsails and foresail, bending the storm-staysail,
and battening down the main hatch, over which two tarpaulins were
nailed, for the better preservation of the cargo. We observed
innumerable shoals of fishes, the motions of which appeared to be more
than usually vivid and redundant.
At twelve o'clock, on my taking charge of the deck, the scene bore a
character widely different from that which it presented but three
hours before. We now sailed under close-reefed maintopsail and
foresail. The sea ran high; our bark laboured hard, and pitched
desperately, and the waves lashed her sides with fury, and were
evidently increasing in force and size. Over head nothing was to be
seen but huge travelling clouds, called by sailors the "scud," which
hurried onwards with the fleetness of the eagle in her flight. Now and
then the moon, then in her second quarter, would show her disc for an
instant, but be quickly obscured; or a star of "paly" light peep out,
and also disappear. The well was sounded, but the vessel did not yet
make more water than what might be expected in such a sea; we,
however, kept the pumps going at intervals, in order to prevent the
cargo from sustaining damage. The wind now increased, and the waves
rose higher; about two o'clock A.M. the weather maintopsail-sheet gave
way; the sail then split to ribbons, and before we could clue it up,
was completely blown away from the bolt-rope. The foresail was then
furled, not without great difficulty, and imminent hazard to the
seamen, the storm staysail alone withstanding the mighty wind, which
seemed to gain strength every half-hour, while the sea, in frightful
sublimity, towered to an incredible height, frequently making a
complete breach over our deck.
At four A.M. I was relieved by Thomson, who at daylight apprized me
that the maintopmast was sprung, and that the gale was increasing.
Scarcely had I gone on deck, when a tremendous sea struck us a little
"abaft the beam," carrying every thing before it, and washing
overboard hencoops, cables, water-casks, and indeed every movable
article on the deck. Thomson, almost by miracle, escaped being lost;
but having, in common with the lascars, taken the precaution to lash a
rope round his waist, we were able, by its means, to extricate him
from danger; at the same time the vessel made an appalling lurch,
lying down on her beam-ends, in which position she remained for the
space of two minutes, when the maintopmast, followed by the
foretopmast, went by the board with a dreadful crash; she then
righted, and we were all immediately engaged in going aloft, and with
hatchets cutting away the wreck, each of us being lashed with a rope
round the waist; ropes were also fastened across the deck, in parallel
lines, to hold on by; for such was the violence of the vessel's
motion, that without such assistance it would have been impossible to
stand. As for my Virginia, she was in her cot, hearing all that was
going forward on deck,--sensible of her danger, and a prey to the
apprehension of meeting a death similar to that of her prototype, and
equally dreadful.
A drizzling shower now came on, and having continued for some time,
was at length succeeded by heavy rain, which having been converted
into sleet, was carried in flakes swiftly along the tops of the
towering mountains of sea; while the cold sensibly affected the
already exhausted lascars, at once disinclining them from exertion,
and incapacitating them from making any; some of them even sat down
like inanimate statues, with a fixed stare, and a deathlike hue upon
their countenances: the most afflicting circumstance was, their being
destitute of warm clothing, which they had neglected to provide
themselves with, as they ought to have done, out of the four months'
advance they received in Calcutta. All that I could spare was given to
Thomson; but unable to endure the sight of their misery, I distributed
among them many articles which I could ill spare,--sheets, shirts,
and blankets, except one of the latter, which I had reserved as a
provision against any further extreme of suffering which might yet
await us. There was one poor lascar, a simple inoffensive youth, about
nineteen, who was an object of the liveliest commiseration; he was
nearly naked, and in that state had been continually drenched by the
sea and rain, during the whole of the day and night; he was holding
his hands up to heaven in a supplicating attitude, and shaking
in an aguish fit; the tears fell in torrents down his cheeks,
while he uttered his plaints in loud and piercing lamentations.
Unable, at last, to witness his misery any longer, I rushed
down to my cabin--"Can you, Virginia, spare me this blanket without
feeling the cold too much yourself?--it is to save the life of a
fellow-creature."--"Yes, take it; but stay with me, or, under the
horrors I feel, I shall die in this cabin, and alone. I know we must
perish, and why not die together?" I entreated her to support herself
with all the fortitude she could collect, urged the impossibility of
my keeping her company, as every moment called for my assistance; and
assuring her there was no real danger, I hurried on deck with the
blanket, and wrapped the poor wretch in its folds. I thought he
would have worshipped me.
* * * * *
It was about four o'clock, on the fifth morning, that I ventured
into my cabin, to repose myself on my cot until daylight, more with
the persuasion that my presence would inspire Virginia with fresh
hopes, and, in consequence, better spirits, than that the storm had
in the least abated, or that the peril had become less imminent.
At six, Thomson, whom I had left in charge of the deck, aroused
me by bawling, in a voice necessarily raised to the highest pitch,
to make itself heard amidst the howling, or rather screaming of the
elements--"Naufragus!" I instantly jumped up, without waiting any
specific communication, and, on reaching the deck, found the pumps at
work, and was informed that we had five feet water in the hold, and
that the water was gaining upon us fast, notwithstanding the pumps had
been kept constantly going.--"Well," said Thomson, in a low tone, not
to be heard by the crew, "we'll do our best, as long as she floats,
but that cannot now be much longer--it's all over with us, depend upon
it!" There was no time for argument; the pumps were now the chief
object of our attention; and Thomson and myself, with the secunnies,
plied them incessantly, until we were ready to drop down with fatigue.
In a short time we found that the water brought up by the pumps bore a
brownish colour, and, on tasting it, that it was sweet; so that it was
evident we were pumping up the sugar, which being contained in
baskets, was but ill protected against water. Such is the fondness for
life, that on the appearance of any sudden or immediate cause of
dissolution, any consideration unconnected with the paramount one of
preservation, is set at naught; thus, although I was sensible that my
valuable cargo was momentarily diminishing, and my property wasting
away, I then felt no disposition to regret my loss, the powers of my
mind, and the affections of my heart, being all engaged on higher
objects.
Those lascars who could at all be brought to the pumps were in so
wretched and debilitated a state, as to require constant reliefs. For
one day and two nights, except a few short intervals, Thomson and
myself, with the secunnies, were at the pumps: at the end of that
time, our hands were blistered to such a degree, that the skin having
peeled off, the raw flesh appeared; our arms, thighs, and legs were so
dreadfully swelled, and our loins in such tormenting pain, as to make
it impossible for us to continue the exertion, without suffering
extreme agony; and nothing but the melancholy conviction that we must
continue our labour, or perish, could possibly have sustained us under
such hardships--hardships, however, which we had the heartfelt
satisfaction to find were so far from being useless, that on perusing
the sounding-rod, when pulled up from the well, (which we did under
feelings of extreme anxiety and eagerness,) we were convinced that the
water did not gain upon us. Our spirits, however, received no
encouragement from the appearance of the elements; the clouds were
black and frowning, and all around still bore a threatening
appearance, the hurricane indeed having rather increased than in the
slightest degree abated.
The circumstance of our having on board so perishable and light a
cargo as soft sugar, it is remarkable, was the very means of our
preservation. Had it consisted of almost any other article, either of
pepper or of dead wood, we must inevitably have perished. To have
thrown overboard any heavy cargo, would, from the constant and heavy
breaches which the sea made over us, have been impossible. Neither
could the masts have been cut away, for the purpose of lightening the
vessel, in consequence of the imbecile condition of the crew; a
recourse to so hazardous a measure would, under our circumstances,
most likely have proved the cause of our destruction. As it was, from
constant pumping for three days, we found our vessel as light and
buoyant as a cork, and, with the exception of the baskets in which the
sugar had been stowed, as empty as when I first purchased her.
Night approached, bringing with it additional horrors. The secunnies,
who had hitherto borne their hardships with admirable fortitude, now
began to droop, and to express a violent inclination for more rum,
although as much had been given them as they could possibly bear;
indeed, rum, with dough, half-baked, had formed their only sustenance
during the whole period of our sufferings. As for the pumps, we were
now so lightened, they did not require to be worked at all; but the
greatest dread we laboured under was from the dangerous condition of
the main and fore masts, that tottered to and fro, threatening to go
by the board every minute. Before the hour of sunset, a large bird,
called the albatross, with wings the length of four to five feet each,
skimmed along the surface of the waves, close to and around us; this
inspired the crew with hopes, as they supposed it to be a good omen.
It remained hovering near our unfortunate wreck for some minutes,
until it alighted on the waves, where it was seen riding perfectly at
ease, and with the majesty of a fine large swan, now on the summit of
a tremendous mountain of waters, and now in the ravines of a wide and
deep abyss. At length darkness once more encompassed us around, and
seemed to shut us out from even a ray of hope; the desponding few,
whose senses were still left them, apparently felt with more acuteness
than before, the desperation and horrors of their condition. At the
hour of eight P.M., however, the wind suddenly changed from south-east
to south-west, and soon appeared to be dying away. At this happy
circumstance, whereby a prospect of deliverance from the very depths
of despair was opened to us, the feelings manifested by the crew were
as singular as they were various; some shouted for joy--some
cried--others muttered prayers--while a few were still despondent,
presenting wild and savage-looking features, and seeming to regret
that the billows had not swallowed them up.--_Adventures of
Naufragus_.
* * * * *