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[Picture: Frontispiece. Richard Tangye]
REMINISCENCES
OF
TRAVEL
IN
AUSTRALIA, AMERICA, AND EGYPT.
[Picture: Vignette]
BY
RICHARD TANGYE.
_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY E. C. MOUNTFORT_.
London:
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, AND RIVINGTON.
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET.
1883.
(_All rights reserved_.)
* * * * *
PRINTED BY
WRIGHT, DAIN, PEYTON, AND CO.,
AT THE HERALD PRESS, BIRMINGHAM.
* * * * *
Having made several voyages to Australia, I have often been asked how I
managed to relieve the monotony of so long a period on the water. I have
never felt this monotony, simply because on each occasion I have set
myself something to do.
In Mr. Trevelyan's "Life of Lord Macaulay" it is stated that when
returning from India, that statesman set himself the task of mastering
the German language, and accomplished it during the voyage. I did not
attempt anything so ambitious, but during my last voyage I occupied the
time in writing the following pages; and as they were written under many
difficulties, I feel I may confidently rely upon the indulgence of those
who may do me the honour of reading them.
R. T.
_Gilbertstone_, _1883_.
CONTENTS.
[Picture: The Rabbit and the Thistle]
PAGE.
CHAPTER I.--_At Sea_:--Early Troubles--Cabin'd, Cribb'd, 2
Confin'd--Travelling Companions--"Ordered Abroad by the
Doctor"--"In the Bay o' Biscay O"--Ship Stewards--Racing
under Difficulties--A Selfish Amusement--Musical
Discords--The Ship's Newspaper--Our Ship goes too
Fast--Why Ship Captains are Tories--Ixion goes
Mad--Burial at Sea--The Parson "quite at Sea"--A
Congregation Guaranteed--Look Out for Sharks!--"Let the
Soup pass, Sir"--The "Scarlet Lady."
CHAPTER II.--_At Sea_:--"Working off the Dead 21
Horse"--"Poor Old Man!"--"May your Shadow never Grow
Less!"--The "Blatant Beast"--The "Generous" Gambler--A
Fiery Celt--The "Classic" Dolphin--"Get your Letters
Ready"--"A Man of Peace now"--Mixing his Degrees--Good
enough for the Colonies!--"Now Fridolin was a Pious
Youth"--A Bootless Errand--Cross Signals--Tristan
d'Acunha--A Parson Wanted--"The Rolling Forties"--A Hot
January Morning.
CHAPTER III.--_In Victoria_:--The Black Death in 40
Melbourne--Melbourne--Education--A Caustic Smile--"All
Work and no Play"--"A New Way to Pay Old Debts"--"Happy
Land" in Victoria--"Hush! prohibited"--An Opening for
"Gentlemen"--"Hallelujah Claim"--The Black Spur--A
"Soafler"--Comforting the Widow--Hard
Fare--Pioneering--Lovely Marysville--The Five Deadly
Poisons--Back to Melbourne.
CHAPTER IV.--_In Tasmania_:--Cologn-ial 60
Smells--Launceston--A Tonsorial Palace--Harvest in
February--The Land of Snakes--Der Dichter spricht--"The
Dangers of the Seas"--"Sweet Vale of Avoca"--A Charming
Village--Where's Falmouth?--A Lonely Burying-place--A
Narrow Escape--Snakes!--"Scotched, but not
Killed"--"Acres many, People few"--The Rabbit and the
Thistle--Breaking the Pledge--Hobart the
Beautiful--Jericho to Jerusalem via Bagdad--Farewell,
Tasmania.
CHAPTER V.--_In New South Wales_:--Off to Sydney--"What 80
d'ye think of our Harbour?"--A "Southerly
Buster"--Oysters on Trees--A rather particular
Couple--Mount Victoria--A Tremendous Leap--A wicked
Parrot--"Bail up"--The Laughing Jackass--Let Sleeping
Bull-dogs Lie--An Election in Sydney--Beer and
Bible--Through Wagga-Wagga--In the
Bush--Track-making--Sighing for Old
England--"Tommy"--Albury and Wodonga, a contrast--The
Bush-rangers.
CHAPTER VI.--_In Australia_:--Victoria, Protection--The 101
Dog subsisting on its own Tail--Cabby over-rides the
Tramway--His Profit was not "quite enough"--Protection
with a Vengeance--"Quite right to Cheat the
Government"--Free Trade, New South Wales--A Genuine
"Native Industry"--How Population is attracted--A
Prosperous Colony--Demand for Agricultural
Labourers--"Young Australia."
CHAPTER VII.--_On the Pacific_:--Homeward Bound--Ten 113
Months' Drought--Auckland--Fiji--Kandavu Harbour--A
Fearful Voice--Sharks and Dark Skins--Dropping a Day--A
Colonial Doctor--Man Overboard--Honolulu--A Square
Meal--Dressmaking in Honolulu--A "Brownie"--"Yes, for a
Dollar"--A Plague of Centipedes--A Bilious
"Down-Easter"--Jefferson Brick, Junior--"Mister"--"A
Personal Favour!"--Through "The Golden Gate"--Earning a
Cent anyway.
CHAPTER VIII.--_In America_:--San Francisco--The Palace 135
Hotel--Chinese Washermen--The National Habit--Flats and
Sharps--Qualifications for a State Governor--John
Chinaman in California--The Missing Link--Little Min-ne,
a Chinese Bride--Am claimed as a Chinaman--Pacific
Sea-Lions--The last of "Mister"--Across America--A
Magnificent Country--The Noble Red Man--A Long Arm and
Quick Eye--John Bright--A Tremendous Crash--The Trapper's
Story--How Taurus "Meets the Train"--The Alkali
Plains--Salt Lake City--"I guess I'll take your
Gold"--Rock Groups--"No, Sah!" said Sambo.
CHAPTER IX.--_In America_:--"Eat and be 160
satisfied"--Chicago--Niagara--Ruthless Desecration--"He
must raise his Salary"--The "American Language"--The
Hudson--The Celestial Harmonies--A Dealer in
Justice--"Rich, but Honest"--"Dear" America--Baggage
Arrangements--Philadelphia--The Centennial Exhibition--An
Argument for Protection--Artisans' Wages and
Holidays--Protection doomed--Cadgers--Freedom, for Tongue
and Foot--Something hot!
CHAPTER X.--_In Egypt_:--Suez--Hassan--Donkeys for 181
Nine--The Languishing Nobleman--Backsheesh--Painting the
Lily--Forced Labour, a painful Sight--Agriculture _a la_
Adam--School Interrupted--In the Bazaars--The
Jewellers--A Bridal Party--Sultan Hassan--Familiar
Devils--Up the Great Pyramid--The Heaven-sent Stick--A
Wash and a Shave--To Sakkara--A Great City--At
Sakkara--Tomb of the Sacred Bulls--The Tomb of a High
Priest--A Graphic Biograph--The Eternal Backsheesh--A
Camelcade.
CHAPTER XI.--_In Egypt_:--Pious Orgies--Howlers and 209
Dancers--Miss Whateley's Schools--"She only steals the
Eggs now!"--In Shubra Avenue--A Useful Animal--A Morning
Ride--Sultan Selim--"Sir, I am a Christian"--A Holy
Fakir--A Statue four thousand years
old--Irrigation--Venerable Orphans--Home to Vote.
CHAPTER XII.--_In Egypt_;--Port 226
Said--Hawkers--Bohemiennes--Marines--The last Unmarried
Lady--The Harbour--A discerning young Arab--The Red
Ribbon Army--"Once a Member, always a Member"--The
Spider--"One must be civ-il!"--Our Blue Jackets.
CHAPTER XIII.--_The Suez Canal_:--Arabi in Exile--A 'cute 238
Governor--The French outwitted--"Thomas Cook and Son"--A
Black-Guard--Tel-el-Kebir--The Land of Goshen--The Suez
Canal--Lord Palmerston--Immense Traffic--Lake
Timsah--Predictions--Red Tape--Absurd
Restrictions--Lesseps' Position--A Suggestion--The Dual
Control--Arabi Bey--Mutinous Conduct--Irregular
Court-Martial--How Arabi recruited his Army--"L'etat
c'est moi."
CHAPTER XIV.--_Alexandria_:--Ras-el-Tin--The Forts--A 268
Courageous Merchant--Alexandria in Ruins--Alexandria not
Bombarded--Anglo-Indians--Brindisi--Quarantine.
INDEX. 269
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
PORTRAIT Frontispiece
VIGNETTE Title
RABBIT AND THISTLE vii
TERRA FIRMA 1
TENERIFFE 7
THE SPORTS 8
THE CAPTAIN 11
ASCENSION 17
CROSSING THE LINE. WHY, DON'T YOU SEE IT? 19
THE BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS AT PLAY 21
BURYING THE DEAD HORSE 23
THE CLASSIC DOLPHIN 28
A COLONIAL PARSON 31
IN THE TROPICS 40
GOLD MINE 49
A BIG TREE 52
ON THE BLACK SPUR 56
THE LYRE BIRD 59
THE DOCTOR CONTEMPLATES--A POEM 64
AVOCA 67
ST. MARY'S 68
FALMOUTH HOTEL 69
BURIAL PLACE 70
SUMMIT OF MOUNT WELLINGTON 76
VIEW IN HOBART GARDENS 77
OUR WAITER 79
SYDNEY HARBOUR 80
COTTAGE AT MOUNT VICTORIA 86
WEATHERBOARD FALLS 87
DESCENT TO HARTLEY VALE 88
THE LAUGHING JACKASS 90
THE AUTHOR SKETCHING 91
A BULLOCK-TEAM 94
A BUSH HUT 95
AN UP-COUNTRY TOWN 98
THE PLATYPUS 112
A FIJIAN 117
THE KING'S SISTER 126
THE CHINAMAN 142
LITTLE MIN-NE 143
SEAL ROCKS, SAN FRANCISCO 145
THE LAST OF "MISTER" 146
THE EUCALYPTUS 148
SALT LAKE 155
MONUMENT ROCK 158
THE DEVIL'S SLIDE 159
UNDER THE FALLS, NIAGARA 163
THE PALLISADES, HUDSON RIVER 166
JOHN SCALES, JUSTICE OF THE PEACE 168
A DRAGOMAN 182
A DONKEY BOY 184
THE "ORIENT" 186
THE SCHOOLMASTER "ABROAD" 189
A "PEEP" 190
"BERY CHEAP, SAH!" 191
THE MOSQUE OF SULTAN HASSAN 193
ASCENDING THE GREAT PYRAMID 196
VIEW ON THE NILE 198
THE SPHINX 199
A WASH AND A SHAVE 201
THE SERAPEUM, SAKKARA 204
BAS-RELIEF, TOMB OF TIH 206
A CAMELCADE 208
PRAYERS IN THE DESERT 209
A RUNNER, OR SAIS 212
IN SHUBRA AVENUE 214
WATER CARRIERS 215
THE TOMBS OF THE KHALIFS 216
A STREET IN BULAK 219
A HOLY FAKIR 222
A WRECKED SHIP OF THE DESERT 223
AU REVOIR! 225
IN THE SUEZ CANAL 226
A FEATHER MERCHANT 227
CETEWAYO DISGUISED AS A GENTLEMAN 236
ADENESE WOMEN 240
A FAMILIAR FACE 261
THE END 268
CHAPTER I.
[Picture: Terra Firma]
It is commonly supposed by landsmen that the perils of ocean travelling
are much greater than those encountered upon land. For my own part, I
believe that, once on the open sea, there is no pleasanter or safer mode
of locomotion than is to be found in a well-appointed sailing ship or
steamer. I certainly was in much greater danger of being drowned while
travelling on the railway between Bristol and Plymouth upon one occasion
than I have ever known myself to be while on board ship. The autumn had
been exceedingly wet, and the low-lying districts in Somersetshire had
become flooded, causing the railway to be completely submerged for a
distance of about three miles. The water reached to the floors of the
railway carriages, while the locomotive in its progress made a great wave
in front of the train. The wheels of the locomotive were 8ft. 10in. in
height, and the fire-box was 6ft. above the ground. Boats accompanied
the train on either side during its passage through the water. Certainly
I have never felt in so much danger in the 60,000 miles of ocean
travelling which I have had since then. Not that there are no dangers to
be met with on the water, as I found to my alarm before I had fairly
commenced my last voyage.
Our vessel lay three miles off the Hoe, at Plymouth, and we had engaged a
large sailing boat to take us on board. When we had got half way to the
ship, and had lost the shelter of the land, a fierce squall struck the
sail and turned the boat over on its side, throwing us into a confused
heap on its bottom. The boatman tried to lower the sail, but having tied
it in a fast knot he could not do so, and had no means of cutting the
rope. The rain came down pitilessly all the time, and the waves dashed
over us, drenching us to the skin, darkness coming on in the meantime.
For a few moments we almost gave ourselves up as lost, but fortunately
the violence of the wind lessened, the boat righted itself, and we got
alongside our ship, but were unable in the darkness and the rush of the
water and the noise of the wind and rain to make ourselves heard. My
companion and I had to climb up the rope-ladder attached to the ship, and
to scramble over its side as best we could, in the confusion altogether
forgetting to take leave of our friends who were in the boat below, and
who were lost to sight the instant we got on to the deck.
On entering the saloon the contrast was very great. The big ship riding
at anchor was as steady as the land we had just left. The saloon was
brilliantly lighted; and the passengers who had joined the ship at
Gravesend were sitting round the table engaged in various occupations;
some were reading or writing, while others were playing at whist, or were
engaged in conversation. Being new arrivals, there was considerable
curiosity to see which cabin we should call our own.
To a man taking his first voyage the phrase "cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd"
is at once understood as he surveys the cabin, a portion of which is to
be his home for a month or two. The first feeling is that it will be
impossible to bestow all his belongings in the limited space at his
disposal, but before he has been long on board things settle down into
their places, and he almost begins to wonder what he shall do with all
the room.
The first night on board ship is generally one of great confusion. The
passengers seem to be in everybody's way; but immediately after leaving
port the baggage is stowed away, the purser allots the seats at table,
and everything goes on with the greatest regularity.
The passengers on board one of the great Australian ships form a perfect
epitome of the great world ashore. The line of division is sharply drawn
between the various sets or cliques. Many never condescend to notice
numbers of their fellow-passengers during the whole voyage; but for the
most part fraternisation becomes general after the first fortnight has
passed.
A three months' voyage often enables a man to form a juster appreciation
of the character of his fellow-passengers than many years' residence in
the same neighbourhood would do on shore; hence it often happens that
life-friendships of the warmest kind are formed on board ship. On
steamers bound for the Colonies representatives of almost every class are
to be found. Judges returning to their duties after a holiday all too
short; colonial statesmen with sufficient time on their hands to allow of
their formulating a policy to meet every conceivable combination among
their parliamentary opponents; and squatters and merchants returning to
the Colonies to look after their property or their business. These men
are generally very much preoccupied, and their only anxiety appears to be
to get as speedily as possible to their destination.
Another class is composed of clergymen and professional men taking a
holiday, and generally speaking with every sign of great enjoyment; while
two other classes are largely represented--viz., invalids in search of
health, and young ne'er-do-wells sent to the Colonies under the mistaken
idea of their being more likely to reform in a new country. The latter
class is mainly composed of young fellows who have never been brought up
to any trade or calling at home, and who, with their friends, seem to
think that the Colonies are a sort of "Tom Tiddler's ground," where they
can "pick up gold and silver."
These youths are sent out by their friends as a last chance, under what
is known as the "private convict system," and I believe that a very small
proportion of them ever take a position of respectability after landing
in the Colonies. Nor is it to be wondered at, for on the principle of
"birds of a feather," etc., these young men get together on the outward
voyage, and all their previous vices become much intensified by the
association. On the other hand, many young men of good character, going
out to the Colonies in search of employment, and showing by their conduct
during the voyage that they are self-respecting, and consequently
trustworthy, have secured good appointments from colonial merchants
before leaving the ship.
Those who take the voyage on account of impaired health mainly consist of
men suffering from overwork, and invalids more or less affected with
pulmonary disease. In the case of the former a long voyage is the surest
remedy; and for those in the earliest stage of consumption it is
generally found to be efficacious; but it would be impossible to devise a
more cruel fate for such as are thoroughly affected by that fell disease
than to send them out on a long voyage. The conditions are all against
them; the draught in the saloon is always great, and there is a total
absence of those little comforts and delicacies which consumptive
patients so greatly need, and the lack of which is so sorely felt.
Doctors who have never made a voyage little think to what a miserable
fate they are dooming their consumptive patients when they order them to
take a sea voyage. In five cases out of six these patients are sent out
too late, and the voyage only hastens their inevitable end, while, if
they had only been sent in the earliest stages of the disease, they would
almost certainly have been restored.
I started on my first Australian voyage on a lovely day in the late
autumn. The sun was shining brilliantly, and as there was very little
wind we fondly hoped we should cross the Bay of Biscay without having to
go through the disagreeable experiences usually met with there; but our
hopes were rudely dispelled when, after two days, having fairly got into
the bay, we found a strong "nor'-wester" blowing, with heavy seas and
torrents of rain.
Our ship was a duplicate of the ill-fated "London," and the officers
comforted us with the information that we were just on the spot where she
had gone down a few years before.
The wind and waves had been increasing in force during the day; but at
four o'clock, just as we were sitting down to dinner, a heavy sea burst
'tween decks with a great uproar, breaking through the doors leading from
the main-deck to the saloon, swamping the nearest cabins, and completely
scattering the dinner, dishes and all.
The stewards had a busy time of it for the next two hours in mopping and
baling the water out, and in preparing another dinner. Many of us,
however, preferred retiring to our berths, the weather in the meantime
getting decidedly worse. Presently another sea was shipped, deluging our
cabin, amongst others, and leaving us in perfect darkness; while the
noise of the sailors tramping overhead, the smashing of crockery, and the
falling of blocks and ropes, the shouts of the officers, and the
continual roar of the storm, effectually banished sleep for the night. I
gained, however, one valuable piece of information, for as a result of
the storm I learned a certain cure for sea-sickness! I had been quite
ill before the final burst, but the excitement from this cured me
instantly.
During the night we travelled out of the storm into smoother water, and
it was curious to note the effect of this improved state of affairs, and
of the bright sunshine, in bringing fresh faces on deck.
The life of a steward on board one of these ships is not an enviable one.
He has to be up at work at four o'clock, washing and scrubbing the
saloon; to wait at table four times a day; to make the beds, and attend
to the cabins; and to be generally useful amongst the passengers, rarely
finishing before ten o'clock at night. Our steward was a very handy
fellow. He informed me he had a brother in New Zealand in practice as a
doctor, who wanted him to settle there, but he preferred "a life on the
ocean wave." He strongly recommended us to bathe frequently in salt
water, saying it "was good for the spin-ial orgins!"
[Picture: Teneriffe (from a sketch by J. Willis)]
Eight days after leaving Plymouth we passed the Canary Islands, steaming
between Teneriffe and Gomera. The weather was delightful, and we had a
fine view of the famous Peak, which rises apparently straight out of the
sea to a height of 12,000 feet. These islands form a province of Spain,
and are volcanic in their origin. The last eruption was in 1824. The
vegetable productions of the islands are very varied. Palms and tropical
plants grow near the sea; higher up cereals are grown; above, laurels;
and still higher, pines and the white broom. The islands also produce
oranges, lemons, dates, sugar-cane, cotton, and silk.
[Picture: The "Sports" (from a sketch by G. A. Musgrave)]
Soon after passing the Canaries the Tropics are entered; and some of us
begin to feel, for the first time, what heat really is. Awnings are
fixed, and preparations are made for various kinds of amusements, amongst
which the most popular are quoits, a run with the hounds, jumping in
sacks by moonlight, racing in sacks, etc.
The game of quoits is much in favour with those who can play it, but it
is a most selfish affair, for half-a-dozen men monopolise the whole of
one side of the deck--and that the best or upper side--and, beginning at
ten in the morning, continue till the dinner hour.
These are the day amusements. In the evenings there are concerts,
recitations, and occasionally theatrical performances. Some passengers
are of a studious turn, and divide their time between reading, writing,
and walking, while others--notably young men from the Colonies--recline
at ease during the day and become lively at night, often perambulating
the decks with heavy heels till the small hours of the morning, to the
great discomfort of those sleeping below.
Our second-class fellow-passengers commenced the concert season by giving
a very amusing entertainment in their saloon. The first piece on the
programme was an "overture by the band"--the band being represented by a
single concertina. The chairman, a jolly-looking old tar, tried three
pieces, and broke down in amidst roars of laughter and calls for the
chorus. An "ancient buffer" sang "My Pretty Jane," and a few other
sentimental things, with looks of fond affection. Then came a solo by
"Bones," and another sailor gave a song which recounted his many
ailments. He said he had had "brownchitis," "scarlatina," "concertina,"
and "tightness in the chest." Then a melancholy youth ground out
something about his love for a "Little brown jug," calling frequently for
a chorus, the whole ending with "God save the Queen."
We had other concerts during the voyage, and it was noticeable that the
peculiarity which is said to attend amateur performances on land was not
absent with us, for our concerts were usually productive of anything but
harmony--at any rate amongst the singers. Those who were first invited
to sing usually had colds, and those who were free from colds often
declined because they were not invited first. Even the singing of hymns
at the evening service was more than once made the occasion of heated
discussion.
Another mode of occupying leisure hours on board ship as soon as the
passengers have fairly settled down for the voyage is to start a
newspaper. A few of the passengers meet and choose an editor, and the
general public are invited to send contributions to him. At the outset
promises of help are very abundant, but, as a matter of fact, the work
has to be done by a very few persons. The paper appears weekly, in
manuscript, and is usually read aloud by the editor after dinner on the
day of issue.
Sometimes it is agreed to have the paper printed on reaching the Colony,
and when that is determined upon one or two individuals undertake the
duty of passing it through the press, and of forwarding it to the various
subscribers. As a rule the same persons rarely undertake the duty twice,
for it is a very arduous and oft-times thankless task.
Some of the more cautious subscribers object to paying in advance, or
require guarantees for due delivery and for the proper performance of the
work. On one occasion one of my companions undertook the work of
preparing the paper for the press, and correcting the proofs; it took him
nearly three weeks to do so, and I am sure he will never undertake a
similar task. The colonial printer gave him a great deal of trouble,
persisting in ignoring his corrections, and in "improving the text" by
altering it according to his own ideas. One peculiarity of amateur
authorship came out into strong relief in the printing of this paper--the
number of quotations and of inverted commas was so great that our
printer's stock was quite exhausted, and he had to send all round the
city to borrow a sufficient supply.
[Picture: The Captain (from a sketch by G. A. Musgrave)]
In a three months' voyage the advantage of having a genial captain is
obvious, and in this respect we were most fortunate, for it was
impossible for anyone to be kinder or more considerate. Our captain
entered heartily into all our amusements and schemes for the relief of
the monotony of the voyage, and was ably seconded in his efforts by his
amiable wife.
Sometimes it did appear to some of the more eager and impatient of the
passengers that the captain was fonder of being on the water than they
were; for he had a great regard for his sails, and whenever the wind
developed unusual energy had no hesitation in diminishing the rate of our
progress by shortening sail. The first officer, perhaps with the
rashness of youth, would crowd all sail during his watch before
breakfast, but when the captain made his appearance an order to "Take in
those sails" would be promptly addressed to the chief.
Our captain had made the voyage more than twenty times, and had very
carefully studied and noted the meteorological signs in various
latitudes. The sky seemed like a book to him, and often when we could
see no indications of change--and it was wonderful how quickly changes
sometimes came--he would rapidly make his arrangements, and was rarely
caught by the most sudden of tropical squalls. Our first experience of
one of these squalls was when we were fifty miles to the south of
Madeira. The weather had been fine all day, but about five o'clock we
were aroused by great activity on the part of the officers and crew, who
acted as though they expected to be boarded by pirates. The sky had
become cloudy, and we were told that a squall was expected. The captain
stood at the stern and gave his orders to the first officer in a quiet
manner, while the latter shouted them to the sailors, who at once began
to climb and pull at the ropes, all the while singing their sea songs.
In the meantime the wind had come up, and was blowing like a hurricane
through the rigging, and then the rain came down in torrents. While this
was going on we saw a ship at a little distance, also overtaken by the
squall, and it was wonderful to see how soon they took in her sails--it
was done in a twinkling. Our vessel rolled and pitched heavily, and
everything looked wet and wretched; but the squall passed off almost as
quickly as it came, and the sun shone out, and everything looked smiling
again. Unfortunately, during the storm the wind changed right ahead.
Our captain was a Tory, as most long-voyage captains are. I have often
thought it strange that it should be so, seeing that the whole purpose of
a captain's life is to make progress on his voyage; but it would appear
that, although he is always progressing, he invariably comes back to his
starting point.
At dinner one day, happening to say I was from Birmingham, the captain
said jocularly, "Oh, that's where all the shams come from!"
Now the captain hails from London, but his wife is an Irish lady, so I
answered, "No, captain, the things known as Brummagem shams are like the
Irish bulls, and are, for the most part, manufactured in London."
"That's so," said the captain's wife; "well done, Mr. Tangye," and the
captain subsided.
Truly life on shipboard is a curious medley. Here is a picture of what
went on one night. In the lower tier of cabins lies a young man in the
last stage of consumption, and almost in the agonies of death; in a cabin
just above him is another suffering from scarlet fever; within a few feet
of these are mothers nursing their babies. Sitting in a corner of the
saloon is another young man, also in the final stage of consumption, away
from all his friends, and without a single acquaintance on board; in
front of him are two card parties, one of them playing for money, and
looking as eager about it as though dear life depended on success.
While all this is going on below, what might have been a tragedy is being
enacted on deck, for the quartermaster went suddenly mad while standing
at the wheel. The captain had just given him some instructions, but he
did not seem to take kindly to them, and was inclined to be disputatious.
Presently he said, with an oath, "I won't argue with you to-night,
captain." The captain then ordered another man to take the wheel, when
the poor fellow ran along the deck and fell forward, kicking vigorously.
The captain, thinking the man was in a fit, summoned the doctor, who,
after waiting till the patient became quieter, tried to persuade him to
go forward with him. The man, however, suddenly sprang up and aimed a
tremendous blow at the poor little doctor, who, fortunately, being
cunning of fence, managed to evade it. He then chased the doctor around
the deck, and would doubtless have thrown him overboard if he could have
caught him. The first officer then came to the rescue and seized the
lunatic, but, although a very strong man, the doctor and he were unable
to hold him, and ultimately it took six men to carry him forward. At
last they managed to secure him, as they thought, but in a very short
time the sailors came rushing pell-mell on to the poop-deck, the maniac
having got loose and begun to chase them with a long fork. It was some
time before they could again secure him, but finally they succeeded, and
put him into a strait-jacket.
In the morning the first officer went to see the poor fellow, who asked
him to shake hands, but the officer declined. "Well, sir," said the man,
"I saved all your lives last night, for if I hadn't put the ship about
she would have been right into that other ship on the starboard bow!" Of
course this was entirely a delusion, for there had been no ship there.
Soon after entering the Tropics on one of my voyages, one of the
second-class passengers was taken ill, and died in a few hours; he had
been suffering from an attack of _delirium tremens_. The funeral was
arranged to take place at 7.30 on the following morning, and at the
appointed time the body, which had been sewn up in sail-cloth, was placed
on trestles on the main deck, opposite a port-hole, the "Union Jack"
covering it. Presently the bell began to toll, while the clergyman and
captain read the service for the dead, and when the latter came to the
passage "We therefore commit his body to the deep," he looked at the
sailors, who at once loosed the corpse, which, being weighted with iron,
shot through the open port-hole into the water with a great splash.
During the ceremony the engines were stopped.
The day following was Sunday, and it being a glorious day, with a
perfectly smooth sea, it was arranged for the service to be held on deck,
which was covered with an awning. One of the passengers had brought a
set of hand-bells with him, and he and some others rang out a peal before
the service, the effect being curious.
The water was of a beautiful purple colour, and the sky a deep blue, and
some large white birds were lazily flying around the ship. Under these
unusual circumstances, and with the solemn incident of the burial of the
poor drunkard on the previous day, one would have thought that even the
dullest minister would have felt a thrill of inspiration. Judge, then,
of our surprise when the parson commenced talking to us about geology!
Nor did he make the slightest reference to the scene around him during
the whole sermon. He told us, incidentally, that miners had not yet
succeeded in getting more than twelve miles deep! During the afternoon I
ventured to ask him where the mine was situated of which he had spoken,
as, happening to know something about mining operations, I was anxious to
know how the miners managed to pump the water from a depth of twelve
miles. He answered testily, "I was not speaking of any particular mine."
On one occasion a discussion arose as to the best means to be adopted to
ensure the attendance of the working classes at church. The reverend
gentleman told us that for his part he had no difficulty in getting
people to attend his church--all classes and conditions of people came to
hear him, and yet he took no special means to secure their attendance.
Not being impressed with the parson's eloquence, we were at a loss to
understand how it was that he was so successful, when far abler and more
attractive men failed so conspicuously; but he vouchsafed no explanation.
On arriving in the Colony the explanation was forthcoming, for I found
that our reverend friend was chaplain to a cemetery!
On another occasion the old gentleman preached a sermon in which he
related an anecdote of a soldier who was mortally wounded on the field of
Waterloo. One of the chaplains found the poor fellow, who showed him a
Bible which he had always carried in his pocket, it having been given him
by his mother on leaving home. "Doubtless," said the clergyman, "this
young man, having served his country to the death, went straight to
glory." Curiously enough, in the lesson for that day occurred the verse,
"Love your enemies," etc., so during the day I asked him how he
reconciled the verse with the idea of the red-handed soldier going
straight to glory? The parson (who was an Irishman) replied, "Sure, the
soldier was heaping _fire_ on his enemy's head!"
[Picture: Ascension (from a sketch by J. Willis)]
In about eighteen days after leaving Plymouth we reached the island of
Ascension, whose fine group of volcanic peaks formed a magnificent object
from our steamer. The island is used as a sanatorium for the British
Colonies on the west coast of Africa. It has an area of about
thirty-five square miles, and produces an abundance of turtles,
pheasants, peafowl, and eggs, while tomatoes, castor-oil plants, and
pepper, are indigenous.
The first officer went ashore with a boat to take our letters, and to
bring back some turtles for use during the voyage. Immediately the boat
left the ship we saw a big shark following close in its wake, the brute's
fin showing above the water until the landing-stage was reached. This
gave us some concern, as sharks are very bold at times, and have been
known to snap at a hand hanging over the side of a boat. We saw large
numbers about the ship during our stay, and one of the passengers shot
several of them with a rifle. One was quite near to the ship when shot,
and on feeling the bullet leaped right out of the water, and was
instantly attacked and doubtless devoured by its brethren on falling back
into the sea. We also put out a hook baited with pork, and observed
several of the sharks make attempts upon it; but they appeared to be very
clumsy, for they repeatedly missed it. Presently, however, one fellow
got the hook firmly into his mouth, and we hauled him in over the stern
on to the poop. He dashed about madly, looked very vicious, and reared
right up on end, when the sailors barbarously hacked his tail off. Soon
he was hauled on to the main-deck and quickly despatched, his teeth being
on sale at a shilling each in less than an hour afterwards. Three
turtles were brought on board "all alive," and placed on their backs on
the deck until they were required by the cook. They each measured
5ft.6in. long by 3ft. wide, and 6ft.8in. in girth, and each weighed about
330 lbs.
One day we had very rough weather, with an occasional sea dashing over
the deck, along which the dinner was brought from the kitchen. My
steward quietly told me to take none of the turtle soup, and I obeyed.
After dinner I asked him why he advised me to let the soup pass? He said
that as they were coming along the deck a sea came over and washed half
the soup out of the tureen, decidedly mixing what was left! Those who
partook of the soup remarked that the cook had put rather too much salt
to it; but they libelled that useful functionary.
[Picture: Crossing the "Line"--"Why! don't you see it?"]
One of our fellow-passengers was an old German lady, who was returning
from a visit to her fatherland. She was very lively, and informed us she
had not told her husband she was returning by this ship, intending, as
she said, "to catch him on de hop," but she did not know that the
passengers' names were all sent on by the mail, which went faster than we
did; so when we got to the port her husband, "Shemmy" (Jemmy), as she
called him, had come out with the pilot, and was very near catching her
on "de hop," for she was a very lively old lady. One morning, while we
were in the Tropics, upon getting on deck, we found the old lady dressed
from head to foot in scarlet! It was too much, with the thermometer at
101 in the shade, so a deputation waited upon her and begged her to shade
her glory, for it was too overpowering.
[Picture: The "Baby Hippopotamus" at Play]