AN AWKWARD MEETING
The peak of Teneriffe, 12,182 feet high, can be seen ninety miles on a
clear day. Captain Anthony had seen it as far by accurate observation.
Trusting in the correctness of his new chronometer, he expected to
raise the land dead ahead. He was therefore surprised, one afternoon,
when he raised the peak sixty or seventy miles on his weather quarter.
Captain Anthony ordered the vessel hauled sharp by the wind, and by a
fortunate change was able to head up so that he arrived off the port
the following evening, November 20. The new chronometer was no longer
to be implicitly trusted.
The bark was at once boarded by the custom-house officials, who wished
to see the bill of health. Captain Anthony passed out the health papers
certified to by the Spanish consul. There had been so many changes in
the crew at Fayal and the start was made so hurriedly that the number
of men was erroneously given as twenty-five. The officials ordered
the captain to call all hands to the rail, which was done, and only
twenty-two men were mustered. Then the captain was asked to account for
the other three men, but was unable to do so, and he was asked if he
had not made way with them, which he, of course, strenuously denied.
Then the officer demanded the log-book, ship's papers, crew lists,
and certificates of discharges and desertions, and, failing to find
any accounting for the three men, announced that he should detain
the vessel until an explanation was forthcoming. But after profuse
apologies and explanations on the part of the captain, the officer
finally agreed to permit the vessel to enter.
Captain Anthony went ashore, saw the consul, and made arrangements
for taking water aboard. He dared not give the crew shore liberty,
lest they might run away. The consul advised him to ship the men taken
aboard at Fayal regularly, but as the men might refuse to return if
they landed at Teneriffe, on the ground that they did not belong to
the vessel, he consented to go aboard the Catalpa, and the men were
accordingly shipped aboard the bark.
An American schooner from New Haven was in port, and Captain Anthony
took his chronometer aboard. For three days he was engaged in taking
sights and fixing the rate, which had been given incorrectly, he found.
Captain Anthony was now bound across the Indian Ocean, and as he knew
that this was the last land he would see for many weeks or months, he
was very particular about the work.
A quantity of lumber, boards and joist, were taken aboard here, to
build quarters for the guests whom the captain expected to take aboard
at Australia. The explanation was vouchsafed to the crew that the big
spruce boards and joist were for mending the boats; but notwithstanding
the absurdity, it was perfectly satisfactory to the men. The captain
had drawn $1,000 on the owners at Fayal for refitting, and he spent
$300 additional at Teneriffe.
On November 25 the Catalpa sailed from Teneriffe, clearing for "River
La Platte and other places." The vessel was now in ship-shape order,
and was bound for Australia as straight as she could be sent.
Still the deception of whaling must be kept up with the crew, and a man
was always kept on the lookout at masthead. For several weeks light
breezes prevailed, and nothing occurred to break the monotony. On
December 19 three small whales were taken, making about forty barrels
of oil. Then there was a short season of baffling winds and squally
weather, but about the 24th the trade winds struck on. The Catalpa
crossed the equator in longitude 27° on Christmas night. The prevailing
winds had been to the southward, and the vessel had sailed on the port
tack for so long a time that she must have been close in upon Cape St.
Rourke. No land was sighted, however, and it must have been passed in
the night.
Then for a period of two months the voyage was monotonous enough. Light
breezes prevailed and considerable of the time was spent in repairing
sails. Finback whales were sighted and occasionally the boats were
lowered, but the pursuit was without success.
On the night of Friday, February 11, the vessel was in lat. 41°
11´, long. 17° 58´, when a heavy gale from the S.S.W. commenced. At
daylight the bark was under two lower topsails and foresail, steering
S.E. by E. The cross sea on this occasion was the most treacherous
and menacing which Captain Anthony had ever experienced. The combers,
coming in opposite directions, came together with reports like a clap
of thunder, and the danger of a sea striking the deck was looked upon
with no little apprehension. As the gale and sea increased the Catalpa
hove to under the two lower topsails and mizzen staysail. Suddenly,
to Captain Anthony's consternation, the lower foretopsail split and
tore in shreds. Now, before leaving port the captain had been warned
never to take in the topsails in heavy weather lest the vessel should
thrash herself in pieces. The vessel was flat-bottomed and shallow and
required sail to prevent her from rolling to windward and shipping
seas, which might be her destruction, he was told, and in corroboration
of this he knew that when the topsails were taken in in a hurricane off
Cape Horn, on a previous voyage, a sea boarded the Catalpa, sweeping
everything from the deck, breaking the mate's leg, and doing serious
damage to the vessel.
"Now look out for trouble!" shouted Captain Anthony to Mr. Smith, as
the very catastrophe which was dreaded happened. But to the captain's
surprise the Catalpa came up into the wind and sea and lay like a duck,
rising and settling in the surges with a graceful, buoyant swell.
At three o'clock on the afternoon of the storm a vessel was sighted on
the other tack with nothing set but the main spencer and foretopmast
staysail. She rolled until her keel was almost in sight, and Captain
Anthony not only recognized her as a whaleship, but from the brightness
of the copper on the vessel's bottom, which was exposed as she reeled
in the great seas, he knew that she had left home but recently. But
Captain Anthony realized that his presence in this locality would
be difficult to explain to a whaling captain who knew that he had
sailed ostensibly on a short voyage in the Atlantic, and he heroically
determined to forego his inclination to hear the latest news from home.
The little bark wore around and came on the same tack with the Catalpa,
but she was soon left far astern.
At midnight, however, the wind died out, and the next day the little
bark was in sight. The weather was genial, the sun glowing, and to
all appearances there never blew a gale over so placid a sea. Captain
Anthony decided to speak the vessel. So he hauled aback, and when the
stranger came up, lowered a boat and boarded her. She proved to be the
Platina of New Bedford. Captain Walter Howland, who commanded her, was
an intimate friend, but Captain Anthony was not so well pleased at the
meeting as he might have been under other circumstances. The Platina
was four months out from home and had fifty barrels of oil.
"What under heavens are you doing here, Anthony," said Captain Howland.
"You're the last man I expected to see out here. I thought you
intended to make a short voyage in the North Atlantic."
Captain Anthony said he had concluded to go farther, and inquired of
Captain Howland where he proposed to go. The latter said he was bound
for the Seychelles Islands and through the Mozambique Channel. Captain
Anthony evinced much interest in this plan, and the Platina's master
got out his charts and gave the captain considerable information about
the locality, Captain Anthony taking copious notes the while. Captain
Anthony told Captain Howland that he might bring up on the whaling
ground which was his destination.
Then Captain Howland gave his old friend the news from home, but it
was quite evident that he was suspicious of Captain Anthony's presence
in this part of the world, for several times he stopped short, and
repeated, "Say now, honest, what are you doing here?"
"Where are you going to refit?" he asked at another time. Captain
Anthony evaded answering this question by asking Captain Howland where
he proposed to refit, and entered the information he received in his
notebook.
Meanwhile Mr. Farnham, the second mate, and the boat's crew from the
Catalpa were mingling with the Platina's crew, and learned for the
first time that the vessel was not off the coast of Patagonia, bound
for the River La Platte, but nearer the Cape of Good Hope and headed
for the Indian Ocean.
"I tot we long time getting that River Platte," Captain Anthony heard
the Portuguese mate saying to the men. "I tink maybe old man go to New
Zealand catch whales. I there once. I tink nice place."
Late in the day Captain Anthony said good-by to Captain Howland and
returned to the Catalpa. The wind breezed up, main royals were set, and
onward the vessel bowled. The Platina was in sight for three days, when
she disappeared from the Catalpa's horizon.