On reaching Liverpool, the second port in Britain, the delight with
which I wandered about the vast docks and quays, can be easily imagined.
Here I found splendid ships--ships that were even giants to those I had
so frequently built up in my imagination. As I gazed at their slender
tapering masts and net-work of cordage, I despaired in my heart of ever
being able to distinguish one of the myriad of ropes from another; but I
did what it is the best to do in all cases--I determined to try.
It so happened that at the time of my arrival there was a demand for
sailors before the mast, and with my knowledge of the sea it was not
difficult for me to procure a berth. Thus on the third day I found
myself enrolled as one of the crew of a splendid merchant ship--the
_Columbus_, 2,500 tons, bound for Jamaica with full cargo.
So many accounts have been written of sailor's first voyages and
experiences that I shall pass over mine; they proved very uneventful
till seven years had nearly elapsed, during which period I had made many
visits home, bringing numerous curiosities for Katie, who now was my
wife, and had one or two little sailors in embryo to console her during
my absence.
Ten years then do I skip over, and come to the time when I shipped on
board the _Lively Ariel_, merchantman, bound for Madras.
As it was the first time I had been in this part of the globe, I was no
little delighted at the change, and promised Katie many Indian rarities,
such as ivory work-boxes, etc--little dreaming what a long, long voyage
I was about to take, and the vastly different things I should bring her
to those I intended.
But a merciful Providence kindly hides the future from us, for the
knowledge would make cowards of us all; therefore, ignorant of what was
to come, I bade her an affectionate farewell, tossed the crowing babies
in my arms, and started on the longest voyage I ever made.
It was a light favourable breeze with which we cleared out of the
Mersey, and went down Saint George's Channel, all sails set, and the
ship flying, gliding along, over the blue waves, like a perfect beauty
as she was.
With the wind thus in our favour, it was not long before we had lost
sight of Cardigan Bay, passed the Scilly Islands, and entered the ocean,
the broad Atlantic. We had long passed the Cape Verde Isles, which
derive their names from being covered with quantities of _Adansonia_ or
baobab trees, whose stems are at times 34 feet in circumference, though
they rarely exceed 60 feet in height. These trees so cover the sandy
plains of the above-mentioned Islands with their umbrella-shaped tops,
that approaching them they present the appearance of one vast field of
green verdure. We had long passed them I say before the weather at all
changed, then but for a brief space, as we had scarcely crossed the
line, before the wind again chopped round to north, and so continued
till we reached the Cape of Good Hope, sighting the Table Rock, and the
misty cloud hanging above--its tablecloth, as it has been termed--about
six a.m. Here we stayed to take in water, of which we were growing
scarce, and afterwards proceeded on our course, bringing as it seemed
the wind with us, for it speedily veered due south.
It was about the middle watch, which was mine, of the second night that,
leaning over the side of the ship, I looked into the dark depths of
ocean, and above at the splendid blue sky--a blue only to be seen in the
southern hemisphere--studded with stars like gems of immense magnitude.
I was looking, I repeat, upon these wondrous beauties of nature, and
thinking of Katie and the little ones at home, when my reverie, which
had been running as smoothly as the ship glided over the billows, was
broken by the voice of Tom Grimes, the boatswain, who, coming up, and
leaning over the side like myself, said, as he turned a quid in his
cheek.
"Well, Dick Galbraith, this here's stunning weather, ain't it. _My_
stars--I mean them at home and not those there big moons up yonder with
which I've nothing to do--but in all my viages, I've never made such a
run as this."
"No, indeed," I rejoined; "it seems almost too good to last."
"Ah, that's it, my boy--that's it," answered the old boatswain. "That's
it; we ain't in sight of Madras _yet_."
The stress on the last word made me say, "Do you expect any change,
Grimes? Is bad weather brewing?"
"Rather," he replied; "and when you have been a sailor as long as I
have, and with as grey hair, you'll think so too. Haven't you noticed
that the wind has slightly veered?"
"No," I said, instinctively putting his words to the test by wetting the
palm of my hand and holding it up to the soft night breeze. "Yes,
Grimes, you are right," I continued. "It's Sou'-Sou'-West, and was due
South but half-an-hour ago."
"Yes, it's been varying from South to Sou'-West and Sou'-Sou'-East for
the last hour, and may chop round to East or North-East and send a
perfect hurricane in our teeth. It's _my_ opinion that that is what it
just will do."
"Why?" I asked, for old Tom Grimes was an oracle with the crew.
"Why? my lad, why? Because--there just notice the vibration of the ship
as she bounds over the waves--don't you notice a kind of imperceptible
stress in the movement, and a slight recoil?"
"Well, I certainly do; yet it is so slight."
"Ah! A hurricane can come from a cloud only the size of a man's hand,
and that vibration shows a cross-sea running. Mark my words, Galbraith,
we shan't go many days, if one, before there is an unpleasant change of
weather."
"Well, never mind, if we can only _weather_ it," I laughed; and just
then, the watch being changed, I went below and turned into my hammock,
where, falling speedily asleep, I forgot all about old Grimes'
prophecies.
The next morning's dawn, however, proved them only to be too true. The
blue sky we had enjoyed for so long was overcast with large
ominous-looking clouds, while the wind had already chopped round to
East. The ship was rigged for hard weather; and just an hour after
sunset, when about latitude 33 degrees 29 minutes South, longitude 42
degrees 12 minutes East, the gale struck us dead in our teeth. The
heavens had suddenly become of an inky blackness; the sea rushing high,
with that hollow roar as if it rose from vast caverns in its depths,
frequently swept the decks; while the wind increased to such a terrific
pitch that it was with the greatest difficulty we could hold our course.
Scarcely half-an-hour elapsed before we saw that the danger of the ship
was imminent. In my seven years' experience never had I witnessed such
a storm, nor one which did such speedy execution. At each succeeding
wave the large ship started and quivered in every one of her timbers,
while sail after sail flew from the bolt ropes, and was lost in a
minute's space in the darkness to leeward. Each man that night had his
full share of duty; and I noticed the Captain--a noble, brave-hearted
fellow, as he stood issuing his orders, which the gale scarcely
permitted to be heard--looked every moment anxiously at the rigging.
Finally surrendering his speaking trumpet to the mate, he descended
quickly to the cabin.
It was not many moments before he returned, and, hidden by the darkness,
I heard him address the mate in a grave tone.
"Sanders, I fear we are in a bad way."
"Where abouts are we, sir?" responded the other.
"Heaven alone knows; for the electricity in the storm has rendered the
compass almost useless. But, judging from where we were before the gale
struck us, and from how we have been drifting since, I fancy we are near
the African coast--too near, I fear, for we cannot with certainty make
for any known harbour."
"I reckon," said the mate, "that we are not far from the Mozambique."
"I fancy so too. Would to Heaven I could get but one glimpse of the
Southern Cross. We might then with some chance make for Natal or
Delagoa Bay."
And he turned his eyes hopelessly up at the impenetrable blackness--
hopeless indeed, for there was no sign of breaking there.
Hardly had I noted this when a cry of terror escaped from the lips of
the whole crew. A terrific wind, accompanied by a quick succession of
mountainous waves, had carried away at one sweep the jib-boom,
fore-top-mast, gallant-mast, and royal-mast, leaving them still clinging
to the ship by the stays, so impeding her progress that she rolled in
the deep troughs of the sea as if every moment she would plunge in to
rise no more. Our peril was not, however, yet at the worst; for hardly
had a little calm succeeded this last damage, and the wreck had been
cleared away--at the expense of two poor fellows' lives--than,
staggering on to the deck with pallid face, came the carpenter, with the
awful announcement that the ship had sprung a leak, and the water was
even then some feet deep in the hold.
The order was given--"All hands to the pumps;" and men wearied beyond
apparent endurance before, at this danger were animated with fresh
strength, and worked like giants.
Worked!--but to what purpose? Each anxious message sent down to learn
how much the water had decreased, only brought back the desponding reply
of an increase,--first, so many inches; then a foot; then two; then the
terrible truth that, work with the strength of fifty giants, all would
be useless. The ship was doomed--was sinking, sinking rapidly into the
midst of that black, boiling, awful sea. If all men's hearts grew faint
at the news, was it a matter of wonder? Even the Captain's cheek was
pale as he gave the order to lower the boats, a command rapidly obeyed,
but which only disclosed fresh disasters; for it was found that the
starboard lifeboat had gone. They had therefore to repair to the
starboard cutter, and with difficulty was it lowered to leeward, when it
was speedily filled by some of the crew.
I stood by the captain, determined not to leave him; and cutting away
the ropes, we watched the cutter take its course. Not for long did it
keep it; for with a terrific cry from its wretched freight, echoed by
all on the doomed ship, it foundered, leaving but a struggling mass of
human beings on the surface, to be quickly engulphed by the mighty
waves. The captain gave one lingering look, uttered a short prayer for
them and for us, then, turning, wrung my hand, saying, while, I fancy,
tears stood in his eyes--
"Galbraith, my man, our time will come next--our hour is at hand.
Orders, now, in the wreck my poor, my beloved ship have become useless.
We must part. Her fate is sealed, and so, I believe, is ours. God help
us! Let each one now look for what safety he can. Goodbye--farewell--
my men! God have mercy upon us! Should any chance to survive this
terrible night, let him take the last farewells of those less fortunate
to the dear ones left at home."
A sad cheer rose from the poor fellows' throats, and solemnly the
captain, raising his eyes to heaven, uttered a brief appeal to God for
himself and his crew--an appeal fervently repeated by each man. Then
one and all sought some spar or other to which to attach himself, and
thus await death; for there was little chance that any there would
survive to take home those last solemn farewells.
One by one I saw my companions borne overboard by the giant waves till I
grew sick at the thought that my turn would be the next. But not yet--
the brave captain went first. Then, suddenly, death seemed to seize
me--the sea was all about me--its horrible rushing was in my ears, and I
felt sinking--sinking to the very bottom of the ocean. I believe for
the moment I lost consciousness; but when I came to, I was again on the
surface of the waters, rising like a cork upon the waves.
So I floated here and there for, it appeared to me, hours--though it
could not have been one--alone on the ocean--alone, for all I knew; for,
as far as I could see, when on the top of some great billow, not a
vestige of the fine ship, or her crew, was in sight.
Abruptly, almost as abruptly as it had risen, the hurricane began to
abate. As it did so, I became aware of the sound, so well known to
sailors, of breakers in the direction to which I was driving head first.
In vain I strove to turn, to ascertain whether the breakers to which I
was evidently hastening were created by rocks above or below the
surface. If the former, with such a surf running, I must assuredly be
dashed to pieces. But all I could see was a vast expanse of white
boiling foam, into the midst of which the next wave flung me, to be
tossed among a mass of sharp pointed rocks. Existence here would have
been of short duration had not another billow, more kind than the first,
raised me in its arms and thrown me over the reef into comparatively
calm water. A few seconds after I fancied my feet touched land. I
waited anxiously for the next wave. Yes--land it was, and oh, thank
Heaven! the tide was running in.
Releasing one of my arms, I strove to aid my progress; but, as if
wearied of its terrible play, the ocean at last cast me, rolling over
and over, on to a sandy beach. Fearful that it might repent of its
kindness, and drag me back again, I managed to free myself entirely from
the spar. Then, faint and staggering--for, besides my exertions, the
jagged rocks had inflicted many bruises on my person--I crawled far up
the beach, till my hand, touching some plant that I knew by its fresh
dryness had never been covered by the salt sea, assured me I was safe;
then I sank down insensible, utterly ignorant, nor at the moment caring,
upon what portion of the African coast I had been thrown.