Telling Tales out of School--Double the Cape--The Flying
Dutchman--Albatross and Cape Pigeons--Catching the Albatross
--The Man who Ate the Albatross--Superstition of Sailors--Man
Overboard--Lying to--Accident--Death--The Sailor's Grave.
It is very difficult to find incidents on board of a man-of-war which
you can feel justified in setting before the public; for be it known, in
regard to the "secrets of _this_ prison-house," that "such unwonted
blazon may not be." Now, on board a merchantman, a person might, if
afflicted with _Cacoethes Scribendi_, detail the peculiarities of the
skipper, and any little accident which may have befallen him; such as
the admixture of briny fluid, which Father Neptune may have chosen to
infuse into his glass of sherry, by sending an envoy, in the shape of a
wave, across the poop, who dropped his credentials as he passed over the
unclosed skylight: the numerous evils which befell the mate: the jokes
of Jones: the puns of Smith, or the sallies of Sandy. But here we are
forbidden to walk shodden over sacred ground and details of the cruise
must be confined to generalities; otherwise the travels of the
celebrated Gulliver would be eclipsed, Baron Munchausen lose his claim
to veracity, and the shade of the venerable Miller slink back to its
original punishment.
A strong northerly wind drove us along the coast of Brazil a little
farther south than was our intention to have steered; but upon its
changing, we mended our course, and soon doubled the Cape of Good Hope,
without any incident worthy of notice,--not even seeing the Flying
Dutchman; and if I except the white-winged albatross which followed in
our wake, and the graceful Cape pigeon that strove to emulate our speed,
I may say that, to all appearance, we were alone upon the ocean,--the
moving centre of one vast dial of water enlarging its circumference as
we advanced. But here I must be allowed to notice the occurrence of one
of those coincidences which serve to keep alive those smouldering fires
of superstition, which Education and Experience have done so much to
quench. It had been the practice to fish (?) for the friendly and
companionable albatross with a line towed astern, to which a hook was
attached, baited with a piece of pork. Now many had been the protests
made against these proceedings by some of our most stanch and fearless
men. They prophesied in substance, if not in words, that
"It was not, nor could it come to good."
Yet these prophecies were disregarded, and notwithstanding their solemn
murmuring and ominous shakings of the head, the sport was continued; and
many a wondering albatross was bitten, when he took a bite at the
treacherous pork; until one day, after numbers had been taken, one of
the messes determined to have a sea-pie, of which the body of one of
these birds should be the component part. If force could have been used
to prevent the consummation of this deed, that mess had not dined that
day: but as the crew on board of a man-of-war have no other recourse but
to report their grievances to the first lieutenant, and that not being
deemed advisable in such a case, these men were allowed to eat the
albatross. Now I do not pretend to identify the captor of the bird, nor
was I able to point out the person who ate the greater portion of him
when transformed into a pie; but it so happened that the next morning,
about seven bells, the ship was alarmed by the cry of "A man overboard!"
This is an appalling sound at any time; but when the ship is making ten
knots, with a heavy sea on, the chances for a fellow-creature's fate,
make the moment one of dreadful anxiety, and especially to the
commander, one of fearful responsibility; as to save one life, that of
ten or more must be risked. Ready for the occasion, ours never
hesitated. The ship was put about at once, and as her headway was
reduced, a boat prepared for lowering, volunteers to the rescue called
away, and the boat at once so crowded as to make it necessary to order
men out of her before she could be let down. She had barely touched the
water, when the men gave way; but now came the difficulty, which way to
steer? Our velocity had been so great as to leave the poor fellow miles
astern; and as every one had been engaged at his station in wearing
ship, the bearings of the place where he was struggling for dear life
had become confused. Twenty voices shouted out "Pull there!" "Pull
here!" and as many hands pointed to as many different directions. Our
commander, who had carefully scanned the surrounding waters, and had
shown the greatest solicitude for the fate of the poor fellow, combined
with that steady coolness so necessary in such moments, ordering
silence, made a signal for the boat to pull towards a spot where a
number of albatross were hovering. The midshipman in the boat at last
comprehending the signal, pulled as directed; and then, after hoisting
in what appeared to be the life-buoy, which had been let go on the first
alarm, headed for the ship. To lessen the distance, in such a heavy
swell, the ship also approached the boat; and as she bent her head
gracefully towards that which she had so long sustained at her side, I
could hardly divest my mind of the idea that she was possessed of
instinct, and sought with maternal eagerness her tiny child, which had
strayed upon the ocean. As the boat approached, from the forecastle the
man's form could be distinguished;--he was saved! Soon he was handed
over the side, given over to the surgeon to resuscitate, and the next
day was about, and attending to his duty. And now for the connection of
the albatross with this accident. One of his messmates declared most
solemnly that he had seen an albatross sweeping over the topgallant
forecastle whenever this man--who had feasted upon one of his kind--had
appeared upon it; and that at the very moment of his disappearance, (he
fell from the head,) this same identical bird had made a swoop, and
carried him overboard! Then, the men in the boat also affirmed, that
when they reached the drowning man, two albatross were holding him up by
the hair, whilst others, circling round his head, pecked wickedly at his
face; thus retaliating upon one who had devoured their species, by
picking his bones in return. But if the truth must be told, however
disposed the birds may have been, they were the means used by Divine
Providence to prolong the sailor's life; for they not only sustained
him, as they would have done any other desirable object, by pecking at
it, but also directed us where to send the boat to his assistance. So
the man who ate, escaped the more prolonged punishment of him who
----"shot the albatross."
To show how these matters are managed on board a man-of-war, I give the
report of the affair: "At 7h. 30m., J. D. (O. S.) fell overboard; hove
to; lowered a boat; wore ship, and picked him up. At 8, wore, and stood
upon our course." If a man had slipped upon the pavement, and you had
assisted him to rise by extending your hand, the fact could hardly have
been explained in fewer words. But it is this indifference to danger,
and the casualties of his calling, that makes up the efficiency of the
sailor.
On the twenty-third day of April we were obliged to lay to in lat. 38°
26' south, and longitude 45° 34' 47'' east, by chronometer, and on parts
of the first, third, and fourth days of May had to undergo the same
operation. This was by no means pleasant, as, owing to the weight of our
battery, we rolled very much; and as we could not close the ports
entirely, for fear of carrying them away, had a constant flow of water
across the deck, sometimes very difficult to bear up against.
On the tenth of May, at about 5 P. M., all hands were called to reef
topsails, and a forecastle man, who was hurrying aloft to assist his
companions on the foreyard, fell from only a few rattlings above the
sheerpole upon the deck, and injured himself so severely as to cause
his death early the next morning. Poor fellow!
"Nor wife, nor children, more shall he behold,
Nor friends, nor sacred home."
His remains were committed to the deep, at meridian of the same day; and
many a manly fellow among his messmates and the crew added a briny drop
to the wave
----which bore him away,
And wept in compassion for him.
The ship, as if loth to leave the spot, lingered there; for it fell
calm, and by the next meridian we had logged but seven miles.