THE RED SEA
NINE days after leaving Gibraltar the "Fortuna" glided into the Grand
Harbour at Malta, where, having obtained _pratique_, we remained
three days.
Owing to the strong gales and head winds, another fourteen days
passed ere we sighted the high light at Port Said, the northern
entrance to the Suez Canal. Entering between two long and extremely
low concrete breakwaters, we had to pay the necessary tolls and make
a number of declarations before authority was given us to proceed. By
the company's regulations we were compelled to make the passage
through the Canal under power, and if unable to cover the entire
length of eighty-seven miles by daylight, we should have to make
fast by night, when, except under most urgent circumstances, no
traffic is permitted.
It was noon, however, before the tedious journey commenced, and in
consequence we had little hopes of arriving at Suez before nightfall.
The bos'n had overhauled the wire hawsers, and had cleared away one
of the bow anchors, and had carried the kedge aft, so as to bring the
yacht to a standstill in the event of a mishap. The awnings were
rigged to mitigate the effects of the blazing sun, and a square of
damp canvas was placed over the motor-case to prevent the gritty sand
and dust from playing havoc with the engine.
The very monotony of the Canal made the hours drag slowly.
Occasionally we passed a steamer, sometimes having to "tie up" to the
bank to permit her to pass, but for the best part of the day there
was nothing to be seen but a dreary bank of sand on either hand, and
a long thread of sluggish water ahead. The heat, too, was terrific,
and when, as frequently happened, a sudden squall swept down from the
desert, the air was filled with particles of fine sand that made our
eyes smart in a most painful manner.
One of these squalls occurred just as a large tramp steamer, high in
ballast, was passing us. The "Fortuna," being protected to a certain
extent by the bank, escaped with a shower of sand, but the steamer,
her high sides offering an enormous surface to the blast, was blown
broadside on to the lee shore, where she stopped dead against the
bank, her propeller throwing up columns of sand and water till the
engines could be stopped, and as long as she remained in sight we
could see that the tramp was still aground.
A few miles farther we passed a "gare," or widening of the Canal,
where two large vessels could pass, and barely had we gone another
mile than there was an ominous dragging of the propeller. The man
stationed at the motor immediately stopped the engine, and the anchor
was let go. Something had fouled the propeller, and, reversing being
futile, we were hung up in a helpless condition.
"It's a case, sir, I'm afraid," said the bos'n. "I think we had
better tow her back to the siding and get help."
My father consented; the gig was lowered, and ten men rowed for the
bank, paying out a stout hempen hawser as they went. Then, in the
broiling sun, the party laid hold of the rope and marched slowly
along the bank, their feet sinking deep in the loose, drifting sand.
It took over an hour to tow the "Fortuna" back to the gare, where we
made fast and took steps to clear the propeller. Unwilling to unpack
the diving-dresses, the bos'n got hold of some Arabs and explained to
them in dumb show that something had fouled the propeller. Showing
their white teeth in a broad grin that expressed that they had
grasped the situation, two of the Arabs threw off their scanty
clothing and dived beneath the yacht's counter.
For nearly a minute they remained beneath the surface, but, on
reappearing, they made signs that a rope had wound itself round the
screw; though, in spite of the bos'n's gesticulations, the Arabs
refused to dive again, jabbering away in a language that was, of
course, totally unintelligible to us.
At that moment a stout, big-built man, dressed in a blue surcoat and
trousers and wearing a scarlet tarbouch, appeared on the scene,
riding a small and miserably lean donkey and attended by two
barefooted runners. Sliding awkwardly to the ground, he waddled to
the edge of the Canal, and, addressing us in French, asked what had
gone amiss.
The bos'n began to explain the situation, and at the same time the
Arabs appealed to him; with the utmost capacity of their voices.
"It's one of the native officials of the Canal," explained the
quartermaster, who had had previous experience of the East.
"Ask him to come aboard," said Uncle Herbert, and, stepping awkwardly
into the gig, he was rowed alongside. Puffing and blowing like a
grampus, he gained the deck, and after a few words with the Arabs he
turned to my father.
"They want to be paid in advance," he explained in French, a language
which the pater readily understood. "They are asking a hundred
piastres (slightly over one pound) to clear the propeller, as they
say the rope is wound round as hard as iron."
"Tell them that they will be paid directly they have finished the
job," said my father resolutely, his Cornish determination beginning
to assert itself, "or else I'll send our own divers down."
"Offer the old sinner five piastres for himself, sir," said the
quartermaster in a stage aside. "He is not above taking baksheesh,
I'll allow."
My father took the hint, and the Gippy jumped at the bait, for,
seizing a stout stick which one of his attendants carried, he chased
the Arabs over the side, belabouring and reviling them with all the
energy at his command. This done, he waddled breathlessly to a
deck-chair, and, seating himself, demanded the promised guerdon.
In the meantime four of the Arabs, armed with long knives, were
working in relays, two at a time, and within half an hour the
obstruction was removed and the propeller in working order.
Hardly had this task been completed and the men paid than the sun
set, and with remarkable suddenness the daylight gave place to
intense darkness, so the "Fortuna" was compelled to remain in the
gare till sunrise.
The tropical heat of the day gave place to a piercing cold, a
circumstance that surprised us, and we were glad to turn out our warm
clothing, which, soon after leaving Gibraltar, we had discarded, as
we had hoped, for months.
Just before turning in I went on deck, and, looking southwards, I
noticed a glare in the sky. It turned out to be the searchlight of
the P. and O. s.s. "Caledonia," which vessel, being privileged to
proceed through the Canal at night, carries a powerful lamp that,
with its operator, is suspended in a large cage over the bows.
Slowly the huge liner passed, leaving the darkness intensified by the
blinding glare.
"A pretty sight, isn't if?" remarked my uncle, who had joined me on
deck and was puffing at a cheroot.
"Rather!" I assented, drawing my coat collar over my ears. "But it's
too chilly to stay here, so I think I'll turn in."
"Stay another ten minutes," he continued, pulling out his watch and
peering at it by the glow of his cheroot, "and you'll see something
that will well repay the trouble of waiting in the cold."
"Now," he added, after a few minutes' interval, "look over there";
and, following the direction of his outstretched arm, I saw nothing
but the dim outlines of a break in the sand-hills that fringed the
Canal.
Even as I looked, a dazzling red disc appeared to leap above the
horizon, and in a moment the desert was flooded with a ruddy light.
The moon had risen with all the splendour that is only met with in
the rarefied atmosphere of tropic and sub-tropic climes.
In another quarter of an hour it was well above the horizon, bathing
the surrounding country in a mellow light and casting long shadows
of our spars athwart the opposite bank of the placid Canal.
"Splendid!" I exclaimed.
"Yes," assented my uncle, "and sunrise will be quite as rapid. Now go
below and have a good night's rest, and I'm certain you won't turn
out till we are nearly clear of this glorified ditch."
Uncle Herbert was right, for I did not awake till nearly noon, to
find the cabin sweltering in the midday heat and the "Fortuna"
passing through the last of the Bitter Lakes, Ismaïlia having been
left astern two hours after daybreak.
A short stay at Suez, and the "Fortuna" cleared the southern entrance
to the Canal, the town and the basins of Port Ibrahim being lost to
view at a distance of three miles.
Before midnight we had emerged from the Gulf of Suez, catching but a
short glimpse of the famous Mount Sinai against the western sky.
"You see that mountain just this side of it?" asked my uncle. "That's
Jebel Katherina, more than a thousand feet higher and two miles to
the west'ard of Sinai--yet almost every passenger on the Oriental
liners firmly believes that he has seen the actual mountain mentioned
in the Bible; but, as a matter of fact, this is the only position
from which we can see it. In less than two minutes Sinai will be
hidden by the other mountain. See, they are even now getting into
line."
Next day we were in the centre of the Red Sea, keeping to the steamer
routes to avoid possible encounters with Arab pirates, for,
notwithstanding the complete occupation of Egypt and the Soudan,
armed dhows still lurked in the little known harbours of the Arabian
coast, and did not hesitate to attack and plunder any small craft
likely to offer little or no resistance.
As a necessary precaution, and also for the purpose of exercising the
crew in the use of small arms, the rifles were issued out, and seven
rounds of ammunition were expended per man, the "Fortuna" being
hove-to at a distance of six hundred yards from a floating barrel
bearing a large red flag, while the officers observed and directed
the firing through their field-glasses.
On the whole the results were remarkably good, taking into
consideration the fact that most of the men had not handled a rifle
for over a twelve-month.
Then, to the surprise of our crew, who were ignorant of its
existence, the three-pounder quick firer was unpacked and mounted on
the deck amidships, and the "Fortuna," taking up a position at a
distance of a mile from the now waterlogged target, prepared to open
fire.
Three men were detailed off as the gun's crew, and it was a sight to
watch them as, stripped to their vests and trousers, they flew at the
quick-firer, threw open the breech-block, and placed the long metal
cylinder in the gun.
The gun-layer bent but for a few seconds over the sights, there was a
flash and a sharp deafening report, followed by a slight haze of
bluish vapour, and on looking through a telescope towards the target
I was just in time to see the flag disappear in a column of spray.
"That's good enough for you, old stick, that is!" exclaimed the
gun-layer approvingly, as he withdrew the cartridge-case, talking to
the gun as if it were a child.
"Yes, you've done remarkably well, Hinks," remarked my father. "I
don't think we need waste more ammunition."
"I pity any niggers that try to work off any of their little tricks
on us, sir," replied the seaman, as the gun's crew began to clean the
still smoking weapon.
The sight of the quick-firer and the small arms had, however, given
rise to considerable speculation on the part of the crew, some
hinting amongst themselves that, after all, the "Fortuna" might be
intended for a pirate or slaver, and that they had been enticed to
ship on board under false pretences. I overheard the quartermaster
rating them, explaining that the armoury was simply and solely for
defensive purposes, and this explanation apparently allayed the faint
suspicions they had of the "Fortuna's" mission.
Soon after two bells in the first dog-watch (5 p.m.) on the second
day after leaving Suez, my father called me on deck. Rapidly
overhauling us was a large steamer flying the Turkish flag, her decks
packed with a curious swarm of humanity. As she passed we could see,
but not read, her name in Arabic characters on her stern.
"Lucky we are to windward, sir," remarked the bos'n, indicating the
steamship with a contemptuous jerk of the thumb, "or we would
nearly be driven below by the stench from her."
"Oh! How's that?"
"A pilgrim ship bound for Jidda, I'll allow. Half of 'em will be down
with the plague unless they are particularly lucky."
"Wilkins is quite right in what he has just said," remarked Dr.
Conolly, after the bos'n had made his way for'ard. "These ships,
taking Mussulman pilgrims between Constantinople and Jidda, the
nearest port to Mecca, the holy city of Mohammed, frequently have
cases of bubonic plague on board, so that they are a standing menace
to the health of Europe. Look! as it is they have left us a legacy."
In the wake of the Turkish ship were several huge sharks, two of
which, in the hope of finding better food, devoted their attention to
us, following the "Fortuna" at a distance of less than fifty yards.
Although only their black dorsal fins showed above the surface, the
transparency of the water enabled the whole of their immense bodies
to be distinctly seen. Along the Cornish coast at home, fish termed
sharks by courtesy are frequently caught, and, although of the same
family, having their mouths in the same position, they rarely exceed
three feet in length; but these monsters were twelve or thirteen feet
at the very lowest estimate.
"All right; carry on," replied my father to a request from the bos'n,
and presently the crew were busily engaged in preparing a hook and
line for their natural enemy.
Baiting the strong iron barb with a piece of red bunting, the line
was carefully lowered over the taffrail. Directly it touched the
water the sharks turned in evident alarm and disappeared, but after a
few minutes a larger one swam cautiously towards the bait.
"Look out!--he'll have it!" shouted one of the crew in his
excitement.
"Silence!" roared the bos'n, defeating his own object by the sound of
his voice, for once more the shark turned and made off. His
companion, however, approached the concealed hook, and, sinking
beneath the surface, made ready to seize the bait, but, apparently
scenting danger, he too sheered off.
"Try 'em with some pork," suggested Lord, the quartermaster, and
accordingly Johnston brought us some fat pieces of salt meat, with
which the hook was effectually concealed.
A few minutes' play with the new bait was sufficient. The larger
shark reappeared, and, heedless of danger, headed straight for the
prize. As it turned on its back; I could see its whitish yellow body,
and the huge gaping jaws fringed with triple lines of serried teeth.
There was a snap, and the stout rope tautened like an iron bar.
"Clap on, all of you!" yelled the bos'n to the men, but the order was
unnecessary, as already the eager crew were hard at work; hauling in
the line. When sufficient slack had been taken aboard, the free end
was led outside everything to the fo'c'sle, and the men were ready to
haul their prize on deck.
"Do you think we had better let them do it?" asked my father. "There
is hardly room on deck for'ard, and besides, there will be such a
filthy mess."
"Yes, let them work off their superfluous energies on it," replied my
uncle. "An extra swabbing down of decks won't do much harm."
"Reggie," he added, "stay here and watch the fun, for a blow from a
shark's tail can do a lot of damage, I can assure you."
At a word from the bos'n the men, who had armed themselves with axes
and sheath-knives, began hauling again, and, in spite of its furious
struggles, the monster was slowly but surely brought home, its
powerful teeth snapping in impotent fury on the stout iron shank of
the hook.
Then came an unexpected difficulty. The rope had been brought on
board through a fairlead on the gunwale, and it was evident that no
amount of strength could hoist the shark over the side, while with
our fore and aft rig it was impossible to utilize the yards as
derricks.
"Belay there!" shouted the bos'n, and, taking a few turns round the
capstan, the crew stood easy and awaited orders. At a word from the
bos'n one of the men swarmed up the fore-stay, taking with him a
stropped block. This he bent to the stay at a distance of twenty-five
feet from the deck, and, on going aloft the second time, the line was
roved through the block and brought down on deck.
"Up with him, my hearties!" was the cry; and by the united efforts
of ten of the crew the ponderous body of the shark came slowly over
the side and dangled from the fore-stay, its tail slashing furiously
in baffled rage.
At that moment, Johnston, the steward, hearing the outcry, appeared
up the fore-hatch, holding a large tray of boiled potatoes in both
hands. Suddenly, without warning, the strop of the block parted, and
the shark fell with a thud on the narrow fo'c'sle. Instantly the men
scattered right and left to escape the devastating sweeps of its tail
and the huge snapping jaws; but before Johnston could disappear down
the hatch a smashing blow of the creature's tail swept the dish of
potatoes from his hand and smothered the ship's officers with a
shower of sticky potato-meal!
But there was no time to enjoy the ludicrousness of the situation,
and with excited shouts the men flew at their natural enemy, raining
blows at its writhing carcass with hatchets and cudgels, till the
decks were red with blood. At last, by a well-directed stroke, the
creature's tail was severed, and the rest of the task became a
comparatively easy matter.
Within a quarter of an hour the decks were swabbed down, the shark
neatly skinned, and its jaw taken possession of by Dr. Conolly, as a
remarkably fine specimen of the Carcharias vulgaris.
During the run down the Red Sea I had frequent opportunities of
practising with my rifle on the numerous sharks that followed in the
wake of the "Fortuna," and I rapidly became an expert marksman.
Aden was reached in due course; then, without any untoward incident,
the "Fortuna" arrived at Point de Galle, in the Island of Ceylon,
having been twenty-four days out from Suez.