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Transcriber's Notes:
1. The first page of Chapter VIII: the last line of text was
partially missing, and a best guess was made on a few words.
2. Page 72: Typograpical error, 'nndertaking' changed to
'undertaking'.
3. Page 55, paragraph starting "Santa Anna", corrected 'past'
to 'part'.
A VOYAGE IN THE 'SUNBEAM'
Our Home on fhe Ocean for Eleven Months
by
MRS. BRASSEY
Illustrated
Chicago:
Belford, Clarke & Co.
1881
[Illustration: CAPE BRASSEY: SMYTHS SOUND]
DEDICATION
To the friends in many climes and countries, of the white and coloured
races, and of every grade in society, who have made our year of travel
a year of happiness, these pages are dedicated by the ever grateful
Author
[Illustration: Portrait of the Author]
PREFACE.
This volume needs no elaborate preface. A general sketch of the voyage
which it describes was published in the 'Times' immediately after our
return to England. That letter is reprinted here as a convenient
summary of the 'Sunbeam's' performances. But these prefatory lines
would indeed be incomplete if they did not contain a well-deserved
tribute to the industry and accuracy of the author. The voyage would
not have been undertaken, and assuredly it would never have been
completed, without the impulse derived from her perseverance and
determination. Still less would any sufficient record of the scenes
and experiences of the long voyage have been preserved had it not been
for her painstaking desire not only to see everything thoroughly, but
to record her impressions faithfully and accurately. The practised
skill of a professional writer cannot reasonably be expected in these
simple pages, but their object will have been attained if they are the
means of enabling more home-keeping friends to share in the keen
enjoyment of the scenes and adventures they describe.
THOMAS BRASSEY
[Illustration]
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I. FAREWELL TO OLD ENGLAND
II. MADEIRA, TENERIFFE, AND CAPE DE VERDE ISLANDS
III. PALMA TO RIO DE JANEIRO
IV. RIO DE JANEIRO
V. THE RIVER PLATE
VI. LIFE ON THE PAMPAS
VII. MORE ABOUT THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC
VIII. RIVER PLATE TO SANDY POINT, STRAITS OF MAGELLAN
IX. SANDY POINT TO LOTA BAY
X. CHILI
XI. SANTIAGO AND VALPARAISO
XII. VALPARAISO TO TAHITI
XIII. THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS
XIV. AT TAHITI
XV. TAHITI TO SANDWICH ISLANDS--KILAUEA BY DAY AND BY NIGHT
XVI. HAWAIIAN SPORTS
XVII. HONOLULU--DEPARTURE FOR JAPAN
XVIII. HONOLULU TO YOKOHAMA
XIX. YOKOHAMA
XX. KIOTO, LATE MIACO
XXI. THE INLAND SEA
XXII. TO CANTON UP THE PEARL RIVER
XXIII. FROM MACAO TO SINGAPORE
XXIV. SINGAPORE
XXV. CEYLON
XXVI. TO ADEN
XXVII. VIA SUEZ CANAL
XXVIII. 'HOME'
APPENDIX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
WOODCUTS IN TEXT.
CAPE BRASSEY: SMYTH'S SOUND
PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR
SUNSET ON SOUTHAMPTON WATER
NEARLY OVERBOARD
THE DERELICT 'CAROLINA' LADEN WITH PORT WINE
OUR FIRST VIEW OF MADEIRA
MADEIRA FISH-CARRIER
A COZY CORNER
A PALM-TREE IN A GARDEN, OROTAVA, TENERIFFE
TARAFAL BAY, ST. ANTONIO
FATHER NEPTUNE
HIS DOCTOR (CROSSING THE LINE)
LULU AND HER PUPPIES
VESPERS
BOTAFOGO BAY
THE SLAVE VILLAGE, FAZENDA, SANTA ANNA
THE THREE NAVIGATORS
PRAIRIE DOGS AND OWLS
DEVIL'S HORNS
LA CALERA
INDIANS AT AZUL
LASSOING HORSES
'MONKSHAVEN' ON FIRE
SHIPWRECKED CREW COMING ON BOARD
FUEGIAN WEAPONS
FUEGIAN BOW AND ARROWS
PIN FOR FASTENING CLOAK, MADE FROM A DOLLAR BEATEN OUT
FUEGIAN BOAT AND OARS
BARTERING WITH FUEGIANS
THORNTON PEAKS
GLACIERS, SNOWY SOUND
UNFIT BAY
TWO-PEAKED MOUNTAIN
INDIAN REACH
CATCHING CAPE-PIGEONS IN THE GULF OF PEÑAS
CHILIANS WAITING FOR THE TRAIN
A FELLOW PASSENGER
BATHS OF CAUQUENES
UP THE VALLEY TOWARDS THE ANDES
CACTI OF THE CORDILLERA
HUASSO HUTS
HUASSO OF CHILI
MORNING MASS AT SANTIAGO
WHAT MAKES HORSES GO IN CHILI
JUVENILE SCRUBBERS
CONVERSATION AT SEA
INSCRIPTION FROM EASTER ISLAND
TATAKOTOROA OR CLARKE ISLAND
GOING UP THE MAST IN A CHAIR
CHILDREN LOOKING UP
OUR FIRST LANDING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, HAO OR BOW ISLAND
MAITEA
MAITEAN BOATMAN
QUARANTINE ISLAND, PAPEETE
UNDER THE TREES, PAPEETE
CHÆTODON TRICOLOR
CHÆTODON PLAGMANCE
WATERFALL AT FAATAUA
A TAHITIAN LADY
TROPIC FEATHERS
CHÆTODON BESANTII
TATTOO IN THE TROPICS
FEATHER NECKLACE
WAR NECKLACE
ANCIENT WAR MASKS AND COSTUMES FROM THE MUSEUM AT HONOLULU
CHALCEDON IMPERATOR
FEATHERED CLOAK AND HELMETS
THE PALI-OAHU
ZEUS CILIARIS
AMATEUR NAVIGATION
LITTLE REDCAP
JAPANESE BOATS
FUJIYAMA, JAPAN
A DRAG ACROSS THE SAND IN A JINRIKISHA
INOSHIMA BY A JAPANESE ARTIST
JAPANESE BOATMAN
FACSIMILE OF OUR LUNCHEON BILL
A FAMILY GROUP
WAYSIDE TRAVELLERS
ARRIMA. THE VILLAGE OF BAMBOO BASKET WORK
YOKEN SAN OR SACRED MOUNTAIN, INLAND SEA
HURUSIMA, INLAND SEA
HOW WE WERE BOARDED BY CHINESE AND DISPERSED THEM
CHINESE VISITING CARDS
PEARL RIVER
BOGUE FORTS
CHINESE PAGODA AND BOATS
THE FRENCH CONSULATE, CANTON
CHINESE FOOT AND BOOT
MAHARAJAH OF JOHORE'S HOUSE
THE PET MANIS
MALACCA
HOW THE JOURNAL WAS WRITTEN
PEACOCK MOUNTAIN, CEYLON
SOUMALI INDIAN, ADEN
STRAITS OF BAB-EL-MANDEB
BEATING UP THE RED SEA
HOMEWARD BOUND
FALDETTA, MALTA
ARMOURY IN THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE, VALETTA
TANGIER
VASCO DA GAMA
BELEM CLOISTER GARDENS
OUR WELCOME BACK OFF HASTINGS
HOME AT LAST
NOTE.
I have to thank Mr. W. Simpson, author of 'Meeting the Sun,' for the
passages given on pages 341 to 343 referring to the Japanese temples
and their priesthood.
The vessel which has carried us so rapidly and safely round the globe
claims a brief description. She was designed by Mr. St. Clare Byrne,
of Liverpool and may be technically defined as a screw composite
three-masted topsail-yard schooner. The engines, by Messrs. Laird, are
of 70 nominal or 350 indicated horse-power, and developed a speed of
10.13 knots at the measured mile. The bunkers contain 80 tons of coal.
The average daily consumption is 4 tons, and the speed 8 knots in fine
weather. The principal dimensions of the hull are--length for tonnage,
157 ft.; beam extreme, 27 ft. 6 in.; displacement tonnage, 531 tons;
area of midship section, 202 sq. ft.
A. B.
[Illustration: Sunset on Southampton Water.]
A VOYAGE IN THE 'SUNBEAM'.
CHAPTER I.
FAREWELL TO OLD ENGLAND.
_Masts, spires, and strand receding on the right,_
_The glorious main expanding on the bow._
At noon on July 1st, 1876, we said good-bye to the friends who had
come to Chatham to see us off, and began the first stage of our voyage
by steaming down to Sheerness, saluting our old friend the 'Duncan,'
Admiral Chads's flagship, and passing through a perfect fleet of craft
of all kinds. There was a fresh contrary wind, and the Channel was as
disagreeable as usual under the circumstances. Next afternoon we were
off Hastings, where we had intended to stop and dine and meet some
friends; but, unfortunately the weather was not sufficiently
favourable for us to land; so we made a long tack out to sea, and, in
the evening, found ourselves once more near the land, off Beachy Head.
While becalmed off Brighton, we all--children included--availed
ourselves of the opportunity to go overboard and have our first swim,
which we thoroughly enjoyed. We had steam up before ten, and again
proceeded on our course. It was very hot, and sitting under the awning
turned out to be the pleasantest occupation. The contrast between the
weather of the two following days was very great, and afforded a
forcible illustration of the uncertainties, perhaps the fascinations,
of yachting. We steamed quietly on, past the 'Owers' lightship, and
the crowds of yachts at Ryde, and dropped anchor off Cowes at six
o'clock.
On the morning of the 6th a light breeze sprang up, and enabled us to
go through the Needles with sails up and funnel down, a performance of
which all on board felt very proud, as many yachtsmen had pronounced
it to be an impossibility for our vessel to beat out in so light a
breeze.
We were forty-three on board, all told, as will be seen by reference
to the list I have given. We had with us, besides, two dogs, three
birds, and a charming Persian kitten belonging to the baby. The kitten
soon disappeared, and it was feared she must have gone overboard down
the hawse pipe. There was a faint hope, however, that she might have
been packed away with the new sails, which had been stowed in a great
hurry the day before. Unhappily she was never found again, and the
children were inconsolable until they discovered, at Torquay, an
effective substitute for 'Lily.'
The Channel was tolerably smooth outside the Isle of Wight, and during
the afternoon we were able to hold on our course direct for Ushant.
After midnight, however, the wind worked gradually round to the
W.S.W., and blew directly in our teeth. A terribly heavy sea got up;
and, as we were making little or no progress, it was decided to put
in to Torquay or Dartmouth, and there await a change. We anchored in
Torbay, about half a mile from the pier, at 8.30 a.m., and soon
afterwards went ashore to bathe. We found, however, that the high
rocks which surround the snug little bathing cove made the water as
cold as ice.
Nothing more having been heard of our poor little kitten, we can only
conclude that she has gone overboard. Just as we were leaving the
railway-station, however, we saw a small white kitten with a blue
ribbon round its neck; and all the children at once exclaimed,
'There's our Lily!' We made inquiries, and found that it belonged to
the young woman at the refreshment room, who, after some demur,
allowed us to take it away with us, in compliance with Muriel's
anxious wish, expressed on her face.
About ten o'clock we got under way, but lay-to for breakfast. We then
had a regular beat of it down Channel--everybody being ill. We formed
a melancholy-looking little row down the lee side of the ship, though
I must say that we were quite as cheery as might have been expected
under the circumstances. It was bright and sunny overhead, which made
things more bearable.
_Sunday, July 9th_.--A calm at 2 a.m. Orders were given to get up
steam; but the new coals from Chatham were slow to light, though good
to keep up steam when once fairly kindled. For four long hours,
therefore, we lolloped about in the trough of a heavy sea, the sails
flapping as the vessel rolled. By the time the steam was up so was the
breeze--a contrary one, of course. We accordingly steamed and sailed
all day, taking more water on board, though not really in any great
quantity, than I had ever seen the good ship do before. She carries a
larger supply of coal and other stores than usual, and no doubt the
square yards on the foremast make her pitch more heavily. We were all
very sorry for ourselves, and 'church,' postponed from eleven until
four o'clock, brought together but a small congregation.
On the 8th we were fairly away from Old England, and on the next day
off Ushant, which we rounded at about 4.30 p.m., at the distance of a
mile and a half; the sea was tremendous, the waves breaking in columns
of spray against the sharp needle-like rocks that form the point of
the island. The only excitement during the day was afforded by the
visit of a pilot-boat (without any fish on board), whose owner was
very anxious to take us into Brest, 'safe from the coming storm,'
which he predicted. In addition to our other discomforts, it now
rained hard; and by half-past six I think nearly all our party had
made up their minds that bed would be the most comfortable place.
Two days later we sailed into lovely, bright, warm, sunny weather,
with a strong north-easterly breeze, a following sea, and an
occasional long roll from the westward. But as the sun rose, the wind
increased, and we got rather knocked about by the sea. A good deal of
water came on board, and it was impossible to sit anywhere in comfort,
unless lashed or firmly wedged in. We were, however, going ten knots
through the water, on our course, under our new square head canvas;
and this fact made up for a good deal of discomfort.
The thirty extra tons of spare sails, spars, and provisions, the
fifteen tons of water, and the eighty-four tons of coal, made a great
difference in our buoyancy, and the sea came popping in and out at the
most unexpected places; much to the delight of the children, who, with
bare feet and legs, and armed with mops and sponges, waged mimic war
against the intruder and each other, singing and dancing to their
hearts' content. This amusement was occasionally interrupted by a
heavier roll than usual, sending them all into the lee scuppers,
sousing them from head to foot, and necessitating a thorough change of
clothing, despite their urgent protest that sea-water never hurt
anybody.
After our five o'clock dinner, however, we very nearly met with a
most serious accident. We were all sitting or standing about the stern
of the vessel, admiring the magnificent dark blue billows following
us, with their curling white crests, mountains high. Each wave, as it
approached, appeared as if it must overwhelm us, instead of which, it
rushed grandly by, rolling and shaking us from stem to stern, and
sending fountains of spray on board.
[Illustration: Nearly Overboard.]
Tom was looking at the stern compass, Allnutt being close to him. Mr.
Bingham and Mr. Freer were smoking, half-way between the quarter-deck
and the after-companion, where Captain Brown, Dr. Potter, Muriel, and
I, were standing. Captain Lecky, seated on a large coil of rope,
placed on the box of the rudder, was spinning Mabelle a yarn. A new
hand was steering, and just at the moment when an unusually big wave
overtook us, he unfortunately allowed the vessel to broach-to a
little. In a second the sea came pouring over the stern, above
Allnutt's head. The boy was nearly washed overboard, but he managed to
catch hold of the rail, and, with great presence of mind, stuck his
knees into the bulwarks. Kindred, our boatswain, seeing his danger,
rushed forward to save him, but was knocked down by the return wave,
from which he emerged gasping. The coil of rope, on which Captain
Lecky and Mabelle were seated, was completely floated by the sea.
Providentially, however, he had taken a double turn round his wrist
with a reefing point, and, throwing his other arm round Mabelle, held
on like grim death; otherwise nothing could have saved them. She was
perfectly self-possessed, and only said quietly, 'Hold on, Captain
Lecky, hold on!' to which he replied, 'All right.' I asked her
afterwards if she thought she was going overboard, and she answered,
'I did not _think_ at all, mamma, but felt sure we were gone.' Captain
Lecky, being accustomed to very large ships, had not in the least
realised how near we were to the water in our little vessel, and was
proportionately taken by surprise. All the rest of the party were
drenched, with the exception of Muriel, whom Captain Brown held high
above the water in his arms, and who lost no time in remarking, in the
midst of the general confusion, 'I'm not at all wet, I'm not.'
Happily, the children don't know what fear is. The maids, however,
were very frightened, as some of the sea had got down into the
nursery, and the skylights had to be screwed down. Our studding-sail
boom, too, broke with a loud crack when the ship broached-to, and the
jaws of the fore-boom gave way.
Soon after this adventure we all went to bed, full of thankfulness
that it had ended as well as it did; but, alas, not, so far as I was
concerned, to rest in peace. In about two hours I was awakened by a
tremendous weight of water suddenly descending upon me and flooding
the bed. I immediately sprang out, only to find myself in another pool
on the floor. It was pitch dark, and I could not think what had
happened; so I rushed on deck, and found that, the weather having
moderated a little, some kind sailor, knowing my love of fresh air,
had opened the skylight rather too soon; and one of the angry waves
had popped on board, deluging the cabin.
I got a light, and proceeded to mop up, as best I could, and then
endeavoured to find a dry place to sleep in. This, however, was no
easy task, for my own bed was drenched, and every other berth
occupied. The deck, too, was ankle-deep in water, as I found when I
tried to get across to the deck-house sofa. At last I lay down on the
floor, wrapped up in my ulster, and wedged between the foot stanchion
of our swing bed and the wardrobe athwart-ship; so that as the yacht
rolled heavily, my feet were often higher than my head. Consequently,
what sleep I snatched turned into nightmare, of which the fixed idea
was a broken head from the three hundredweight of lead at the bottom
of our bed, swinging wildly from side to side and up and down, as the
vessel rolled and pitched, suggesting all manner of accidents. When
morning came at last, the weather cleared a good deal, though the
breeze continued. All hands were soon busily employed in repairing
damages; and very picturesque the deck and rigging of the 'Sunbeam'
looked, with the various groups of men, occupied upon the ropes,
spars, and sails. Towards evening the wind fell light, and we had to
get up steam. The night was the first really warm one we had enjoyed,
and the stars shone out brightly. The sea, which had been of a lovely
blue colour during the day, showed a slight phosphorescence after
dark.
_Thursday, July 13th_.--When I went on deck, at half-past six, I found
a grey, steamy, calm morning, promising a very hot day, without wind.
About 10.30 a.m., the cry of 'Sail on the port beam!' caused general
excitement, and in a few minutes every telescope and glass in the ship
had been brought to bear upon the object which attracted our
attention, and which was soon pronounced to be a wreck. Orders were
given to starboard the helm, and to steer direct for the vessel; and
many were the conjectures hazarded, and the questions asked of the
fortunate holders of glasses. 'What is she?' 'Is there any one on
board?' 'Where does she come from?' 'Can you read her name?' 'Does she
look as if she had been long abandoned?' Soon we were near enough to
send a boat's crew on board, whilst we watched their movements
anxiously from the bridge. We could now read her name--the
'Carolina'--surmounted by a gorgeous yellow decoration on her stern.
She was of between two and three hundred tons burden, and was painted
a light blue, with a red streak. Beneath her white bowsprit the gaudy
image of a woman served as a figure-head. The two masts had been
snapped short off about three feet from the deck, and the bulwarks
were gone, only the covering board and stanchions remaining, so that
each wave washed over and through her. The roof and supports of the
deck-house and the companions were still left standing, but the sides
had disappeared, and the ship's deck was burst up in such a manner as
to remind one of a quail's back.
We saw the men on board poking about, apparently very pleased with
what they had found; and soon our boat returned to the yacht for some
breakers,[1] as the 'Carolina' had been laden with port wine and cork,
and the men wished to bring some of the former on board. I changed my
dress, and, putting on my sea boots, started for the wreck.
[Footnote 1: Small casks, used for carrying water in boats, frequently
spelt _barricos_, evidently from the time of the old Spanish
navigators.]
[Illustration: The Derelict 'Carolina' laden with Port Wine]
We found the men rather excited over their discovery. The wine must
have been _very_ new and _very_ strong, for the smell from it, as it
slopped about all over the deck, was almost enough to intoxicate
anybody. One pipe had already been emptied into the breakers and
barrels, and great efforts were made to get some of the casks out
whole; but this was found to be impossible, without devoting more time
to the operation than we chose to spare. The men managed to remove
three half-empty casks with their heads stove in, which they threw
overboard, but the full ones would have required special appliances to
raise them through the hatches. It proved exceedingly difficult to get
at the wine, which was stowed underneath the cork, and there was also
a quantity of cabin bulkheads and fittings floating about, under the
influence of the long swell of the Atlantic. It was a curious sight,
standing on the roof of the deck-house, to look into the hold, full of
floating bales of cork, barrels, and pieces of wood, and to watch the
sea surging up in every direction, through and over the deck, which
was level with the water's edge. I saw an excellent modern iron
cooking-stove washing about from side to side; but almost every other
moveable article, including spars and ropes, had apparently been
removed by previous boarders.
It would have delayed us too long to tow the vessel into the nearest
port, 375 miles distant, or we might have claimed the salvage money,
estimated by the experts at 1,500_l_. She was too low in the water for
it to be possible for us, with our limited appliances, to blow her up;
so we were obliged to leave her floating about as a derelict, a
fertile source of danger to all ships crossing her track. With her
buoyant cargo, and with the trade winds slowly wafting her to smoother
seas, it may probably be some years before she breaks up. I only hope
that no good ship may run full speed on to her, some dark night, for
the 'Carolina' would prove almost as formidable an obstacle as a
sunken rock.
Tom was now signalling for us to go on board again, and for a few
minutes I was rather afraid we should have had a little trouble in
getting the men off, as their excitement had not decreased; but after
a trifling delay and some rather rough play amongst themselves, they
became steady again, and we returned to the yacht with our various
prizes.
A 'Mother Carey's chicken' hovered round the wreck while we were on
board, and followed us to the 'Sunbeam;' and although a flat calm and
a heavy swell prevailed at the time, we all looked upon our visitor as
the harbinger of a breeze. In this instance, at least, the well-known
sailor's superstition was justified; for, before the evening, the wind
sprang up, and 'fires out and sails up' was the order of the day. We
were soon bowling merrily along at the rate of seven knots an hour,
while a clear starlight night and a heavy dew gave promise of a fine
morrow.
_Friday, July 14th_.--We still have a light wind, right aft,
accompanied by a heavy roll from the westward, which makes it
impossible to sit anywhere with comfort, and difficult even to read.
By 6 a.m. the sun had become very powerful, though its heat was
tempered by the breeze, which gradually increased throughout the day,
until, having set all our fore-and-aft canvas, as well as our square
sails, we glided steadily along, in delightful contrast to the uneasy
motion of the morning, and of the past few days. Under the
awning--with the most heavenly blue sky above, and the still darker
clear blue sea beneath, stretching away in gentle ripples as far as
the eye could reach--it was simply perfect.
Our little party get on extremely well together, though a week ago
they were strangers to each other. We are all so busy that we do not
see much of one another except at meals, and then we have plenty to
talk about. Captain Lecky imparts to us some of his valuable
information about scientific navigation and the law of storms, and he
and Tom and Captain Brown work hard at these subjects. Mr. Freer
follows in the same path; Mr. Bingham draws and reads; Dr. Potter
helps me to teach the children, who, I am happy to say, are as well as
possible. I read and write a great deal, and learn Spanish, so that
the days are all too short for what we have to do. The servants are
settling down well into their places, and the commissariat department
does great credit to the cooks and stewards. The maids get on
satisfactorily, but are a little nervous on rough nights. We hope not
to have many more just at present, for we are now approaching calmer
latitudes.
In the course of the day, whilst Tom and I were sitting in the stern,
the man at the wheel suddenly exclaimed, 'There's land on the port
bow.' We knew, from the distance we had run, that this could not be
the case, and after looking at it through the glasses, Tom pronounced
the supposed land to be a thick wall of fog, advancing towards us
_against_ the wind. Captain Brown and Captain Lecky came from below,
and hastened to get in the studding-sails, in anticipation of the
coming squall. In a few minutes we had lost our fair breeze and
brilliant sunshine, all our sails were taken flat aback, and we found
ourselves enveloped in a dense fog, which made it impossible for us to
see the length of the vessel. It was an extraordinary phenomenon.
Captain Lecky, who, in the course of his many voyages, has passed
within a few miles of this exact spot more than a hundred and fifty
times, had never seen anything in the least like it. As night came on
the fog increased, and the boats were prepared ready for lowering. Two
men went to the wheel, and two to the bows to look out, while an
officer was stationed on the bridge with steam-whistle and bell ready
for an emergency; so that, in case we ran into anything, or anything
ran into us, we should at least have the satisfaction of knowing that,
so far as we were concerned, it had all been done strictly according
to Act of Parliament.
_Saturday, July 15th_.--Between midnight and 4 a.m. the fog
disappeared, as suddenly as it had come on. We must have passed
through a wide belt of it. At 5.30 a.m., when Tom called me to see a
steamer go by, it was quite clear. The vessel was the 'Roman,' and she
passed so close to us that we made our number, and exchanged
salutations with the officers on the bridge.
Towards the afternoon a nice breeze sprang up, and we were able to
bank fires and sail.