"Well, it will be but a summer gale. You may stay on deck; but here,
make yourself fast with this rope;" and papa secured one round my body,
which he fastened to the companion hatch.
He now gave the word to set the trysail; and the mainsail being stowed,
it was hoisted in its stead. Still we had as much sail as the cutter
could carry. The night had become very dark, except when the flashes of
lightning dashed from the black clouds. Papa had resolved to heave the
vessel to, when we caught sight of a white sail a short distance ahead
of us.
"That must be the schooner," shouted Truck; "she is taking a wise
course, and is intending to run under Cape Cornwall, or maybe to get
into Saint Ives Bay, in case the gale should continue."
"We may as well do the same," observed papa; and the helm being put up,
away we ran before the wind.
Though the cutter behaved very well, still there was a chance of our
being pooped. A strong current was setting us in the direction of the
Longships light, which now appeared broad on the starboard bow. We ran
on, following, as we supposed, the Dolphin; but she was going faster
than we were, and we soon lost sight of her. We knew our exact
position, for, although we had got beyond the gleam of Saint Agnes'
Lighthouse, we could still see on our port-bow the two lights on board
the light-vessel off the Seven Stones. I own I wished that we were safe
back in port, though papa appeared so cool that I could not suppose
there was any real danger; still, as the seas came rolling up on either
quarter, high above our deck, it seemed impossible that the vessel could
escape being swamped.
At last papa peremptorily ordered me to go below, and coming to where I
was standing, lifted up the hatch and literally pushed me down, closing
it again over me. I groped my way into the cabin, where I found Dick
holding on to one of the sofas. The cabin lamp had not been lighted, so
that we were in perfect darkness.
"Oh! where are we? Where are we going? What's about to happen?" he
exclaimed, in a weak voice, which I could barely hear amid the uproar
caused by the seas dashing against the vessel's sides and deck, the
creaking of the bulk-heads, the whistling of the wind, and other sounds.
"Papa says there is no danger; so you need not be alarmed, Dick," I
observed. At the same time I confess that I felt far from comfortable
myself. Poor Dick was dreadfully sick. I had to assist him as best I
could; but I need not enter into particulars. His sickness overcame his
terror. Every now and then, however, he cried out, "Oh, I wish I was on
shore! couldn't your papa land me? If he cannot, please ask him to
throw me overboard. Oh, how miserable I am! Oh dear, oh dear!" and
then for certain reasons he could not utter a word.
Having to attend to him made me think perhaps less of our situation; but
I know that I was not at all happy. All sorts of dreadful thoughts came
into my mind. Every instant I expected to hear a tremendous sea come
rushing over our deck, and perhaps to find that papa or some of the men
had been washed away. I was most anxious about papa. If he was lost, I
believed that the vessel would be lost too; but then I remembered what a
good sailor he was; and as he had been to sea all his life, he was sure
to manage the vessel properly; and, as he had often said, she was such a
tight little sea-boat she would go through anything. Still, we were in
a part of the ocean where the tide runs with great force, and when
meeting the wind a very awkward sea is beaten up. This made the cutter
tumble about in a way I had never known her do before. Everything in
the cabin had been securely lashed except a few books and charts. First
one came flying out as the vessel rolled over, and hit poor Dick on the
head.
"What a shame of you to be heaving books at me, Harry!" he cried out.
I assured him that I was innocent of anything of the sort; and presently
another flew out, and nearly knocked me over. I tried to reach the
books, to secure the remainder: but the whole lot came tumbling out, and
sent me sprawling on the cabin floor. I picked myself up, and crawled
back to assist Dick, who just then greatly required my support.
I cannot describe more of that fearful night. Finding that Dick was
tolerably quiet, advising him to hold fast to the sofa, I lay down at
the opposite end, where I clung on like grim death; and, in spite of the
tossing and tumbling the vessel was undergoing, I at length fell asleep.
I cannot say I was very fast asleep, for I was conscious all the time
that something very unpleasant was taking place.
Occasionally I fancied that I was being tossed in a blanket by my
schoolfellows, who were jeering round me as I entreated to be let down;
then that a wild bull was throwing me up in the air, and was about to
catch me on his horns. Then that I was on a raft danced up and down by
the foaming waters. Now, that I was on deck, and was pitched overboard,
and left to struggle alone amid the raging seas. My voice--as I shouted
out for help--awoke me; and to my infinite satisfaction I found that the
vessel was much steadier than she had hitherto been. In a short time
daylight gleamed through the bull's eyes on deck, and getting up, I made
my way to the companion hatch. Just before I reached it, it was lifted
up, and papa put his head down.
"All right, my lads," he said; "we are under the lee of the land, and
the wind has greatly moderated. In a short time, if it continues to be
fine, we shall be able to haul up and beat back to Scilly. How is
Dick?"
"He has been very ill; but he is now fast asleep; and it would be a pity
to awaken him," I answered as I got up on deck.
I looked round, and could see the land on the starboard side bearing
south and east. The Longships Lighthouse was no longer in view. I
could make out a cape, which papa said was Cape Cornwall, to the
southward. I looked out for the Dolphin, but she was nowhere to be
seen.
"I am rather puzzled about her," said papa; "she could scarcely have run
us out of sight. Perhaps the vessel we saw last night was a stranger
bound up the Bristol Channel; still, she was closer in shore than was
advisable. Possibly the Dolphin remained hove-to, or if not, perhaps
she bore up before we did, and is already safe at anchor in Saint Ives
Bay. We must make the best of our way there. Hand me the glass."
I took the telescope from the bracket on which it hung inside the
companion hatch, and gave it to him. He looked earnestly for a minute
towards some high rocks which were at some distance from the land.
"I feared so," he observed; "there's a vessel on the rocks, with her
masts gone; but she's much too high for the Dolphin, or I should have
supposed it was that. We will stand in closer and have a look at her;
we shall find less sea there, and the wind has gone down so much and the
weather is so evidently improving, that we shall run no unnecessary
danger. What do you think, Truck?"
Papa had handed the glass to Truck, who was looking through it.
"If anybody is left alive, we may have a chance of taking them off,"
answered Truck. "As the wreck lies, she is not likely to be seen from
the shore, and the people may perish before they can receive
assistance."
As soon as it was settled that we should do so, the trysail was lowered,
and the mainsail, with a couple of reefs down, was set, with a bigger
jib and foresail. We now stood in towards the rocks. As we drew
nearer, we saw that the wreck was that of a large vessel, and that she
so lay as to be partially sheltered from the heavier seas, which must
have been raging when she struck. The depth of water, however, would
prevent us anchoring. Papa proposed to heave the cutter to while the
boat pulled in under the lee side of the rock, whence he hoped to be
able to communicate by means of lines with the people on board, should
any still remain alive.
As we drew still nearer, I took the glass, and turning it towards the
wreck, I could distinguish a number of people on the fore part, which
was the least battered, from having been more protected than the stern.
I spied out a man who had climbed to the upper part of the bulwarks, and
was waving a handkerchief or towel.
"She went on shore at high-water, and the tide left her where she is.
When it returns it will wellnigh cover her; and as those poor people
will be washed off, there is no time to be lost," observed Truck.
Papa agreed with him. We had a long way to beat back to where the wreck
was lying. Those on board probably knew their danger. How anxiously
must they have looked out for our coming!
It was a question whether we could get near the vessel. Papa ordered
all the spare rope we possessed to be coiled away in the boat, and he
had one of our round life-buoys, slung by four ropes, fastened to a
block--the largest we had on board. This formed a cradle, by which, if
necessary, we could haul the people from the wreck to the boat, could we
once get close enough to pass a rope on board.
At length, getting sufficiently near to leeward of the rock, we hove-to,
when, greatly to my satisfaction, papa allowed me to go and steer, while
he, with two hands, went in the boat, leaving Truck and Dick to manage
the vessel. We first pulled round to where the wreck lay; but papa was
soon convinced that we could not approach her on the weather-side
without great risk of being swamped. Papa hailed, and made signs that
we were going round on the lee side of the rock; we there found a little
cove, or bay, into which we could pull and remain without risk by
securing the boat with a grapnel.
Carrying the line and the cradle, we made our way over the rock until we
got abreast of where the vessel lay. The distance was considerable, and
the water whirled and surged round and round in a way which would make
swimming difficult; still I had often swum much further.
"Let me carry a line," I said to papa. "I think I can do it, if no one
on board will undertake to swim to the rock."
We shouted to the people, who, strange to say, did not hear us; nor had
they seen us come over the rock, for they had all been looking seaward.
Two or three of the men at length appeared on the side nearest us; but
when we called on them to swim on shore, they shook their heads,
evidently not liking to make the attempt. The tide was now flowing
fast, and their position was every instant becoming more perilous. It,
however, made the passage less dangerous, as even in a few minutes the
water became smoother than it had hitherto been.
The people on board threw an oar, with a line fastened to it, into the
water; but it was carried sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other,
and did not approach the rock.
"I am sure I can do it, papa," I said, at length. "Just fasten a line
round me, and I shall be able to get hold of that oar. You can soon
haul me back."
Papa no longer refused my request, and having stripped, and fastened a
rope round my waist, I plunged in, and struggled hard to make way
through the hissing water. Sometimes I found myself carried onwards
towards the stern of the vessel, but another sea brought me back again;
and in a few minutes, greatly to my satisfaction, I clutched hold of the
oar, when, securing the end of the rope which held me round it, I sung
out to papa and the men to haul away. In a short time I was brought
back close to the rock. My chief danger was in landing, as the sea at
times beat violently against it; but papa, quickly seizing me, hauled me
up.
"You have acted bravely, Harry," he said. "Now put on your clothes, and
we shall soon have a communication with the vessel."
While I was dressing, the rope with the cradle was hauled up to the side
of the vessel, and secured to a stanchion; when the crew, getting up a
stouter warp, shouted out to us to haul it in, they having secured the
cradle to it. We thus had a safe communication established with the
wreck, and a stout line to draw the cradle backwards and forwards.
Greatly to our surprise, a female was the first person we drew ashore;
she burst into tears as we lifted her out of the cradle. Another and
another followed; two had infants in their arms; and then came two
little boys secured to the cradle. Three men followed, each with a
child.
"Have all the women and children landed?" asked papa.
"All who have escaped," was the answer. "Several were washed away with
the master and two mates.--"
Six more men now came, the sole survivors of the crew.
"Are all hands out of the ship?" asked papa.
"Every soul, sir," answered one of the men.
There was no time to make inquiries as to how the vessel was wrecked.
We heard that she was a homeward-bound barque from the United States,
and that the passengers on board were returning to see their friends.
We hurried over to the leeside of the rock, and at once embarked the two
women with the infant, who seemed to be totally exhausted.
As soon as we got alongside, we lifted them on board, where papa and I
remained, he sending the boat back with our two men. Truck had lighted
the galley fire, and we soon had some hot broth for the poor creatures,
who, having taken off their wet clothes, got into our beds. Papa then
looked out all the blankets, and we made up as many beds as we could on
the sofa and cabin deck.
By this time the boat had returned with the remaining women and
children. She made no less than seven trips before all were brought
off; and, as may be supposed, our little vessel was pretty well crowded.
Even the men were in a greatly exhausted state, and could not do much
for themselves. Papa, however, seemed to think and act for everybody.
As soon as all were on board, we hoisted in the boat, and the wind being
fair, having shaken out the reefs in the mainsail, we steered for Saint
Ives. Dick, who was not fit for much when we first left the vessel, had
now recovered, and assisted in getting off the wet clothes from our
young passengers, and in carrying round food.
The cabin presented a curious appearance, with the people stowed as
thickly as herrings in a cask, all wrapped up in blankets and peacoats.
Fortunately, the water was smooth under the lee of the land; but the
number of people on board brought the vessel much below her usual
bearings.
"I am thankful we have not a long voyage to make, or we should soon be
short of provisions," said papa, as we got out tin after tin of soup and
meat.
The soft bread and fresh beef we had taken on board at Penzance were
soon consumed by the women and children, who speedily rallied from their
exhaustion.
The wind, however, fell very light, and there appeared to be a prospect
of our not being able to get in that night.
On inquiry, papa found that the master and first mate of the wrecked
ship had been tipsy for some days, and had quarrelled desperately with
each other, and the second mate, interfering, had been nearly killed.
They had got completely out of their course, and none of them knew where
they were. They had been bound for the Thames. The men said that when
they saw the Longships they fancied that it was the Eddystone, and that
when they struck they supposed that they were not far off Plymouth
Breakwater, though they were wondering why they did not see the light.
"It is one of the many sad examples we have had of the effects of
drinking," observed papa. "If I had to make a voyage, I should choose a
temperance vessel. Though a master may appear sober enough in port
under the eyes of his owners, unless he is a temperate man, one can
never tell what he may do at sea."
On further inquiries we found that nearly half the crew were as tipsy as
their officers, and that they, with the cabin passengers who had
remained aft, had been washed away. The people saved were steerage
passengers, with the exception of one little boy, whose parents and
friends had perished. However, the satisfaction of having been the
means of saving the lives of these poor people was to us very great. We
were of course greatly interested in the boy, Nat Harvey, who was about
six years old. Poor little fellow, he had been so frightened that he
was not fully aware of what had occurred, and did not appear fully to
realise his loss. He seemed to think that his papa and mamma, and his
Aunt Fanny and brother and sister, had gone off in a boat, and that he
should see them again before long. He kept continually asking why they
were not with us. When he heard that we were going to Saint Ives, he
said that he hoped we should find them there. One of the women, with a
kind heart, had taken him under her charge, and she sat on the cabin
floor holding him in her arms with his head resting on her lap, every
now and then speaking words of comfort, and endeavouring to get him to
go to sleep. Papa inquired from the passengers and crew if they knew
anything of his family, or where they were going. No one could say what
part of the States Mr and Mrs Harvey, with three children and a young
lady, who was sister either to Mr or Mrs Harvey--these were their
names--had come from.
"We can't turn the poor child adrift among strangers," observed papa.
"We must take him with us, and try to find out his friends."
"Oh pray do!" Dick and I exclaimed. "I'll look after him, and keep him
out of mischief," added Dick.
At last papa agreed that the best thing he could do for the child was to
keep him on board, unless some kind person of influence at Saint Ives
would take charge of him, and endeavour to find out his friends.
When speaking of the way the wreck occurred, papa said he was not
surprised, as he had known an instance of the master of a vessel who
with his mate had got drunk, and who had managed to take his vessel to
the south of Jersey, while all the time he fancied that he was among the
Scilly Islands.
The wind had fallen, and we feared that a calm would come on and keep us
all night, which would have been a great trial to our poor passengers.
It was therefore with much satisfaction that, the wind holding fair, we
came in sight of the peninsula on which part of Saint Ives is situated,
the remainder being on the mainland on the south side of Saint Ives Bay.
The water was smooth, the sky bright, and as papa looked at the town he
exclaimed--"Why, I could almost fancy myself among the Greek islands, so
exactly does the place, in its form and picturesque beauty, remind me of
a Greek village."
We stood on until, running under a battery which defends the town on the
seaside, we anchored off a pier. The view was indeed highly
picturesque. The town has an ancient appearance, the houses being built
without any regard to order, many of them looking as if destined ere
long to tumble down. Then our eyes wandered round the deep bay, on the
surrounding broken ground, and the commanding cliffs, lighted up by the
rays of the setting sun, which cast a dark shadow over the town itself
on the western side.
Papa, hastening on shore, immediately applied to the authorities, who
received the shipwrecked crew. The poor people expressed their
gratitude for the service we had rendered them; and papa, to assist them
still further, healed a subscription which was raised in the town for
their relief.
We were very thankful when we got them all on shore. We looked out on
entering the bay for the Dolphin; but among the various vessels which
had brought-up there, she was not to be seen; and on inquiring on shore
we could gain no tidings of her. Papa now thought, or hoped, as he had
at first supposed, that she had got safely into Saint Mary's.
Of course our cabins had not been improved by being occupied by so many
passengers. We therefore slept on shore, that our bedclothes might be
washed and the cabin cleaned; and we had also to replenish our stock of
provisions, which had been almost exhausted. Papa's first care was to
arrange an outfit for little Nat, as he had only the garments he wore.
We soon had him rigged out in a regular sailor's suit, with a piece of
crape round his arm, for we could find no black clothes ready. He
frequently asked for his papa and mamma, as well as for his Aunt Fanny.
"You must not expect to see them, my boy," answered papa; "but we will
take care of you; and Harry here will give you your lessons, as I dare
say you do not wish to be idle."
"Oh yes, I like lessons. Aunt Fanny used to teach me," answered Nat;
"but if she doesn't come back soon I should like to learn of Harry."
I gladly promised to be his tutor while he remained on board, and felt
not a little proud of the position. I at times fancied that he had a
suspicion of what had happened to his friends. The first time we were
alone together he looked up into my face, while the tears sprang into
his eyes, as he said, "Do you know, Harry, that I am afraid that the sea
washed papa and mamma and Aunt Fanny and dear Reuben and Mary away? I
don't like to ask, because I am afraid of anybody telling me that I
shall never see them again."
I had not the heart to say that his suspicions were correct, so I at
once got out a book and said, "Come, Nat, you shall read to me, then I
will read to you, and then we will talk about what we have read." I did
the same whenever he again mentioned the subject.
Saint Ives itself was soon seen. There is a church standing so close to
the sea that when there is a strong wind it is almost covered with
spray. Most of the inhabitants are engaged in the pilchard and herring
fishery.
We made an excursion along the coast to visit the ruins of the church of
Perranzabuloe, supposed to be the most ancient in Britain. It had for
centuries been covered up by the sand. We had left Nat under the charge
of the landlady, and engaged a boat to carry us round to visit these
interesting ruins. After a long pull we landed up a little creek, near
which stand two rocks, known as "The Old Man and his Wife." Near at
hand was a small fishing-village, in the neighbourhood of which we
visited an ancient amphitheatre, still wonderfully perfect. We here
obtained a guide to conduct us to the church. It must be understood
that the whole shore is covered with fine sand, which is moved in a
wonderful manner by northerly winds. It has gradually swept over the
country, destroying vegetation and covering up buildings as effectually
as has been done by ashes from burning mountains. The progress of the
sand is sometimes gradual and almost imperceptible; at other times, in
the course of a gale, whole villages have been overwhelmed, allowing the
inhabitants scarcely time to escape. Such was the case with this
ancient church and the surrounding habitations. So completely had the
sand swept over it, that it had quite disappeared; and it was only,
after the lapse of centuries, discovered about forty years ago, though a
tradition existed in the neighbourhood that a church had once stood
there. It was discovered by a Mr Mitchell, who, undeterred by
difficulties, succeeded in removing a mass of sand and exposing the
building which had so long been covered up. The masonry is rude, but
the walls are solid and complete. The interior was perfectly free from
the modern accompaniments of Roman Catholic places of worship. There
was no rood-loft, no confessional, no pictures of the Virgin and saints,
nothing to indicate the unscriptural adoration of the wafer, or masses
for the dead. The most diligent search was made for beads and pyxes,
censers and crucifixes; not a fragment of either could be discovered.
At the eastern end we saw a plain, unornamental chancel; in the nave are
stone seats attached to the walls.
Near the church were discovered three skeletons, one of gigantic
dimensions, the second of moderate size, and the third apparently that
of a female; and the wind blowing off the sand, the ground around was
found covered with human bones.
We were deeply interested with our visit to this ancient church, which
tends to prove that our ancestors worshipped God in simplicity and
truth, and that they knew nothing of the forms and ceremonies of Rome.
With regard to these sand-dunes we heard a curious circumstance, that
even a narrow stream will stop the advance of the sand, which will
accumulate on its banks, but has not the power to cross to the opposite
side.
On returning on board, we found that our stock of provisions had
arrived, that our blankets were dried, and the cabin cleaned out. We
therefore immediately got under weigh, and stood out for the bay.
"What!" exclaimed Dick, "is this the Saint Ives I've heard of all my
life?" and he repeated--
"As I was going to Saint Ives
I met a man with seven wives;
Seven wives had seven sacks,
Seven sacks had seven cats,
Seven cats had seven kits,
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were going to Saint Ives?"
Papa laughed, and said he believed that the honour was also claimed by a
little town in Huntingdonshire of the same name. "The two," he said,
"may fight it out. It is not very important."
The wind now blew from the northward, and in a short time we opened the
Longships, bearing due south-west. It had hitherto been hidden by the
land, so that we knew perfectly well where we were. We then kept away
until we came in sight of the two lights of the Seven Stones Lightship,
until we brought them on our starboard beam, when we were within the
radius of Saint Agnes Lighthouse just before daybreak.
We were hoping to get in or off Saint Mary's in the morning, when it
fell calm; and there we lay, with our sails flapping idly, and rolling
in the swell of the Atlantic, which came in from the southward. We
could see through our glasses the Longships Lighthouse on one side and
the light-vessel on the other, while the Scilly Islands rose blue and
indistinct out of the ocean. One tide carried us to the northward; but
in the next we regained our lost ground. It was, however, very
tantalising, as we were anxious to ascertain what had become of the
Dolphin.
Though papa always hoped for the best, he could not help acknowledging
that he feared that she might have met with some accident. At length a
breeze sprang up, but it was against us; still, that was better than a
calm, as we could gain ground by tacking. Dick and Nat asked more than
once why we were sailing away from the land when we wanted to get there.
At last we came in sight of a lofty tower on the top of a hill in Saint
Martin's Island, with the long low outline of Saint Mary's beyond.
Still, we had several tacks more to make before we gained the entrance
to Crow Sound, between Saint Mary's and Saint Martin's. By this time it
was dark. A bright look-out was kept for rocks and shoals in the
channel. Suddenly rounding a point, the light from Saint Agnes shone
brilliantly down on us, and further to our right we saw the little
twinkling lights from the windows of the houses in Hugh Town, the
capital of the Scilly Islands.
Having come safely to an anchor among several other vessels, we shouted
out, "Dolphin, ahoy!" hoping that she was among them, though in the dark
night we could not distinguish her. We had shouted out several times,
and papa was on the point of putting off in the boat to make inquiries
on shore, when a hail came down from the other side of the harbour, "Is
that the Lively?"
"Ay--ay!" we answered. "Is that the Dolphin?"
"Ay--ay!" was the reply. "I'll be aboard you presently."
In a short time we heard the splash of oars, and, much to our relief,
Uncle Tom, followed by Oliver and Jack, sprang on deck.
Our first inquiries were as to how they had weathered the gale.
"Famously," answered Uncle Tom. "We kept hove-to till the morning,
when, as the wind moderated, we stood in here, a pilot having boarded us
and showed us the way."
"Who have you got here?" exclaimed Oliver, as he looked into Nat's
little berth.
Great was the astonishment of all the party when we described the
adventures we had met with. We talked over various plans for finding
out Nat's relatives, and what should be done with him, should we not
succeed.
Next morning we went on shore to inspect the town and to make the tour
of the island, which is easily done, as it is only two and a half miles
long and one and a half broad. The town had a somewhat sombre look
until we got on shore, when the neat gardens full of flowers, and the
clean appearance of the streets, made us think better of the place.
Most of the houses are low, few of them having more than two stories.
On the hill, about one hundred feet above the town, is the castle, which
has seen a good many stirring events in its time; but its only garrison
now consists of a single individual, who, I suppose, is placed there to
prevent the rats from taking possession. It was built in the time of
Queen Elizabeth, by Sir Francis Godolphin; but its chief interest arises
from its being the last spot on British soil which held out for the
Royalists in the days of Cromwell, when Sir John Grenville was governor.
Prince Charles fled here, and remained until he took his departure for
Jersey. For six years the stout Sir John retained his post, and having
collected a number of vessels, fitted them out as cruisers, for the
purpose of crippling the forces of the Parliamentary party. These
cruisers had, in truth, very much the character of pirates, and were not
particular what vessels they robbed. Having plundered some Dutchmen,
they were very nearly being severely punished by old Van Tromp, who
appeared with a squadron. When summoned to surrender, Sir John refused,
and Van Tromp sailed away. At length, so urgent became the
representations of the merchants whose vessels had been captured, that
Parliament sent an expedition, under Admiral Blake and Sir George Askew,
when Sir John was compelled to surrender; and he, with the eight hundred
men forming his garrison, received honourable terms.
Though at one time the inhabitants of the Scilly Islands were noted for
their barbarous customs, they have now become as peaceably disposed and
civilised as any of Her Majesty's subjects.
Saint Mary's is divided into two parts by a narrow neck of land, on
which Hugh Town stands. It is very possible that some day it will be
washed away. We passed over a well-laid-out piece of ground covered
with soft turf, on which sheep and deer were feeding, called the Park;
and from it we could see the tall lighthouse and the few cottages on
Saint Agnes Island.
We then proceeded to Buzza Hill, whence we could look down on the
harbour, which had the appearance of a large lake. Sometimes, we were
told, several hundred vessels take shelter within it. Opposite to Hugh
Town was Tresco, the residence of Mr Smith, the lord proprietor,
surrounded by gardens containing avenues of geraniums and plantations of
the rarest exotics.
Some of the heights we reached were grand and picturesque in the
extreme--one of them, Penninis, especially so. Rocks seemed piled on
rocks; beneath, vaults and caverns, abounding with lichens and ferns,
with crystal pools in the hollows of granite. Climbing to the summit,
our eyes ranged over the ocean, rolling in sublime magnificence, its
voice never silent.
On Tolmen Point is a Druidical monument--a perforated stone, which we
examined. Papa said that no one knew for what purpose this monument,
and others like it, were intended. He told us of one especially, which
he had seen at Constantine Penryn, of which he had a photograph. It had
lately, he said, been thrown down for the sake of getting at the granite
underneath. I think such destruction of old monuments ought to be
forbidden by law!
Then we went to Porthhellick Cove, with wild rocks seen beyond it, on
which, in the year 1707, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with four of his ships
and two thousand men, were cast away. The body of the admiral, known by
a valuable ring on his finger, was buried on the shore of the cove. It
was afterwards removed to Westminster Abbey.
Papa remarked that the strong current produced by the indraught of the
Irish Channel drifted these ships out of their course, and was the cause
of the catastrophe.
The inhabitants of the islands were once known for their smuggling and
wrecking propensities. A fisherman whom we fell in with--a
venerable-looking man, with white hair streaming under his cap--pointed
out several spots on which ships with rich cargoes had run on shore, and
assured us that coin was still to be picked up in the sand, if people
would but take the trouble to look for it. In former days everybody was
engaged in smuggling, or trusting to salvage from wrecks. There was but
little farming. No potatoes were grown, and there were no gardens,
while their huts were as low and damp as those in the Hebrides. But
when Mr Smith came he changed all that; and now the people live in
comfortable houses, have gardens full of flowers, and the productions of
the islands afford them ample support. Wheat and rye, and every
description of vegetable, are grown; scarlet geraniums flourish, while
fuchsias, and a variety of other magnificent flowers, not only grow in
the gardens, but form hedges several feet in height.
Next morning we got under weigh to take a cruise among the islands.
Passing round on the other side of Hugh Town, we perceived the
narrowness of the strip on which it stands, and sincerely hoped that the
sea would not again--as it once did--break across and inundate the
place. I cannot attempt to describe the numerous rocks and islands we
sighted in our course, there being altogether upwards of three hundred,
large and small. Steering to the south-west, we passed Gorregan and
Rosevean, where our pilot told us that many a stout ship had been lost;
some, striking on the rocks, having gone down and left no sign of their
fate, except some articles thrown up on the shore. Coming to an anchor,
we pulled off in the boat to catch fish, with which the sea literally
swarmed. We could see them swimming about through the clear water. We
were amused by the way in which our pilot, who was a great fisherman,
caught them. Throwing the bait always before their noses, and singing
out, "Come along, Dick, come along, Tom; bite, my boy;" and, sure
enough, the fish bit, and were caught.
We afterwards passed several ruins of ancient chapels, when we arrived
off Saint Agnes, on which the magnificent lighthouse stands. On the
island were a few cottages; and here the scarlet geranium was almost a
tree.
From this point we steered for the Bishop's Lighthouse, the most western
part of Scilly. It is a magnificent stone tower, one hundred and
forty-seven feet high, with one fixed bright light. This can be
distinguished from that of Saint Agnes, which revolves every minute.
Passing up Broad Sound we came off a fine headland, the proper name of
which is the "Menavawr;" but our pilot called it the "Man o' war."
In our cruise we passed Bryher and Sampson, the two largest islands in
the group. The latter island is called after a saint of that name. It
consists of two hills, the outlines of which present the form of the
back of a camel. Landing on the shore, we made a collection of
beautiful shells, which accumulate in large quantities on the beach.
Our pilot told us that, until lately, the isle of Sampson was thickly
peopled; but the inhabitants, being addicted to certain illegal
practices, such as wrecking and smuggling, and illicit distillation of
spirits, it was found necessary, as the only means of weaning them from
their bad habits, to disperse them, either on the mainland, or through
the other islands, where they could be better watched.
We again got out our fishing-lines, which we baited with flies formed
out of untwisted pieces of rope. In a short time we had caught a dozen
fine whiting-pollock. We, however, had a still greater catch shortly
afterwards.
As we were sailing along through the Sound, a herd of porpoises came
gambolling by, their black bodies and fins now appearing, now sinking
beneath the surface. Captain Truck had a harpoon ready, and he placed
himself in the forechains, with a rope round his waist. He stood with
his weapon high poised in the air, ready to strike. We were all on the
watch. In a few moments his harpoon flew from his hand.
"Pay away, lads!" he shouted out; "the fellow's fast."
The porpoise dived, and the line ran out at a rapid rate. Truck sprang
in board, and quickly checked it. We then got two running bowlines
ready, one in the fore part of the vessel, and the other aft. There was
great excitement.
"Now haul away," he sang out; and the porpoise was dragged, in spite of
its struggles, close alongside, when the running bowlines were passed
one over its head, and the other round its tail; and all hands joining,
including Nat, who took the end of a rope--although, as may be supposed,
he was not of much use--we hoisted the huge fish on board. It was at
once killed and scientifically cut up by Truck and the pilot. So eager
was the latter, that he very nearly let us strike on a rock. We had
some pieces of the porpoise beef for dinner, which were pronounced very
good. We supplied the Dolphin with a portion of our catch, and our
united crews lived on it for the next two days.
Next day we had another similar cruise, during which we visited the
beautiful Sound called New Grimsby. On one side stands the tower, known
as Cromwell's Castle--not that he was ever in the island, but he ordered
it to be built. On the opposite side are the ruins of another fort. It
was here that the forces under Blake and Askew landed, and attacked the
fortifications, though they met with a stout resistance from the
Royalists, who at length took to flight.
Farther on we came off vast masses of rock piled one upon another. The
two yachts having hove-to, we pulled on shore, and, under the guidance
of the pilot, managed to land; when, climbing up some distance, we
reached a cone, from the bottom of which we could hear the sea roaring
fearfully. We then arrived lower down at a small opening, when a guide,
who had joined us, lighted some candles, that we might find our way into
a celebrated cavern, called "Piper's Hole." For some distance we had to
crawl along on our hands and knees. At length we reached a narrow but
high vault; this we followed until we arrived at the head of a ladder.
"You will find a boat at the bottom, gentlemen," said the guide.
Jack and I, with Uncle Tom, descended, as we were told that the boat
could not carry a larger fare. After looking down for a few seconds, we
distinguished a light; and going down the ladder, we stepped into a
boat, in which a man, whom we of course denominated Charon, was seated.
Instead of oars, he used a long pole to urge on the boat. We noticed
the dark appearance of the water as we made our way through the vaulted
chambers. We now found ourselves floating on a lake, the water black as
ink, but perfectly smooth. Above our heads was a lofty and extensive
dome; but the sides were invisible. Charon ferried us across, and
landed us on a smooth sandy shore, along which we proceeded for a
considerable distance through a succession of caverns, until we arrived
at a small circular chamber where they appeared to terminate.
On putting my hand into the water on my return, to my surprise I found
it perfectly fresh, although so close to the sea. Here any number of
outlaws might take refuge, with small chance of being discovered, or
defend themselves against any force sent in pursuit, provided they had
food to hold out until their enemies had grown weary of looking for
them. Charon--unlike his namesake--had no objection to ferry us back
across the Styx; and having made our way into the upper air, we regained
the boat.
Our next visit was to Rock Island, the resort of countless numbers of
sea-birds. It is at the extreme northern end of the group, and consists
of a high table-land, surrounded by precipitous cliffs. As we
approached, the gulls rose in masses so thick as positively to darken
the air, while all around the sea was speckled with the white feathers
of innumerable puffins. On the cliffs were ranged numerous clusters of
black cormorants, who seemed to be watching us eagerly. Their plumage
was very fine, being of a lustrous invisible green, while their eyes
were of the brightest emerald hue. The boats which went in pursuit
brought back a number of gulls and puffins and cormorants, some of which
Oliver begged might be preserved for stuffing.
We paid a visit on the last day of our stay to the residence of Mr
Smith, in the island of Tresco. On landing, we proceeded across a park,
and approached the large, many-gabled house, in front of which the rocky
ground was completely concealed by masses of blooming creepers. We
passed between beautiful flower-beds, among which grew magnificent
aloes, twenty feet in height, covered with bloom. We wellnigh lost
ourselves in the labyrinth of walks, literally shaded by scarlet
geraniums of giant growth, and shrubs, such as grow nowhere in the open
air on the mainland, many of them of extreme beauty, brought from all
parts of the world. In the midst of the gardens we came upon the
ivy-mantled arches of the ruined abbey of Tresco, which has reared its
head in these far off islands for the last eight centuries. We all of
us agreed that we had never before been in so perfect a garden, so rich
with a profusion of flowers. Mr Smith, in making this "Paradise," had
an object in view--to set an example to the inhabitants of these lonely
islands, to show them what Nature will do for them, when they put their
shoulder to the wheel; and in few parts of the world are the climate and
soil so suited to the production of floral wonders.
I must not venture to give a further description of the place, but I
must say that Scilly is well worth a visit; and I am sure that any of my
friends who may go there will not be disappointed. We were quite sorry
when papa and Uncle Tom determined to sail, reminding us that, if we
remained longer, we should have no time to see the other places of
interest it was our intention to visit on our voyage round England.