THE PARTING OF THE WAYS
"Now to the Strait Magellanus they came
And entered in with ringing shouts of joy.
Nor did they think there was a fairer strait
In all the world than this which lay so calm
Between great silent mountains crowned with snow,
Unutterably lonely
From Pole to Pole, one branching bursting storm
Of world-wide oceans, where the huge Pacific
Roared greetings to the Atlantic."
ALFRED NOYES (_Drake_).
The failure to round up the _Dresden_ directly after the battle was
naturally a great disappointment, but our recent success prevented
anyone from feeling it too keenly. Hearing that the _Dresden_ had
suddenly put into Punta Arenas (Magellan Straits) to coal, Admiral
Sturdee immediately ordered the _Inflexible_, _Glasgow_, and
_Bristol_ to go in pursuit of her in that direction. Sailing at 4
A.M. on December 13th, the _Bristol_ arrived there the following
afternoon to find that the _Dresden_ had left the previous evening at
10 P.M., steaming away westwards. It was tantalising to have got so
close to her, for she was not heard of again for months after this.
All our ships now joined in the search, during which every possible
bay and inlet was thoroughly examined. A glance at a large-scale
map of this locality will show the difficulties that had to be
surmounted. There were thousands of possible hiding-places amongst
the channels and islands, many of which were quite unsurveyed; and,
at first sight, it appeared nearly impossible to investigate all of
these in anything short of a lifetime.
The Admiralty now ordered the _Invincible_ to go to Gibraltar. On
leaving harbour on the 14th, the _Cornwall_ gave her a rousing
send-off by "cheering ship," to which she enthusiastically replied.
Admiral Sturdee sailed from Port Stanley on December 16th, to the
great regret of the remainder of the squadron. He called in at
Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, and Pernambuco _en route_, and was
received in almost the same spirit in which Nelson was acclaimed by
the Ligurian Republic at Genoa in 1798.
Rear-Admiral Stoddart in the _Carnarvon_ now took over the command of
our squadron. The _Inflexible_ continued the search for some days,
after which she also was ordered off and sailed for the Mediterranean
on December 24th. The remainder of our ships were scattered on both
sides of South America and around Cape Horn.
Few people have the opportunity of realising the beauty and grandeur
of the scenery in this part of the world, which resembles nothing
so much as the fjords of Norway in the winter time. The depth
of water allows ships to navigate the narrowest channels, where
glacier-bounded mountains rise precipitously from the waters edge.
Once on rounding a headland we came upon a most unusual sight: some
forty albatrosses were sitting on the water. Our arrival caused them
considerable inconvenience and alarm, and it was the quaintest
sight to see these huge birds with their enormous spread of wing
endeavouring to rise, a feat which many of them were unable to
achieve even after several attempts. All these "fjords" abound in
seals--chiefly of the hairy variety--sea-lions, and every imaginable
kind of penguin. Long ropes of seaweed, usually known amongst the
seafaring world as kelp, grow on the submerged rocks, and are an
invaluable guide to the sailor as they indicate the rocky patches.
They grow to an enormous length, and are to be seen floating on the
face of the water; in fact, we had many an anxious though profitable
moment in these unsurveyed localities owing to their sudden and
unexpected appearance. At intervals a sliding glacier would enshroud
the face of a mountain in a dense mist formed by myriads of
microscopic particles of ice, which would be followed by wonderful
prismatic effects as the sun forced his way through, transforming
the scene into a veritable fairyland of the most gorgeous lights
and shades. Towards sunset the rose-pink and deep golden shafts of
light on the snow-covered peaks beggared all description, and forced
the onlooker literally to gasp in pure ecstasy. Only the pen of a
brilliant word-painter could do justice to the wealth of splendour of
this ever-changing panorama.
The true Patagonian is nearly extinct, and the Indians inhabiting
Tierra del Fuego are of a low social order, very primitive, and wild
in appearance. We sometimes passed some of these in their crude
dug-out canoes, which they handle most dexterously. Considering the
severity of the climate, the temperature of which runs round about
40° Fahr., they wear remarkably few clothes, and the children
frequently none at all, which accounts for the hardiness of those
that survive.
The difference between the east and west territory of the Straits
of Magellan is very marked. The Atlantic end is bordered by sandy
beaches and green, undulating slopes backed by mountains, and the
weather at this time of year is generally fine and calm; whereas the
Pacific side is devoid of all vegetation, glaciers and mountain crags
covered with snow descend nearly perpendicularly to the Straits, and
it is no exaggeration to say that it is possible to go almost close
alongside these high walls without any damage to the ship. Here the
weather is altogether different, frequent blizzards are attended
by rough weather, with heavy seas off the entrance, and it is far
colder. The cause of this contrast lies in the Andes, which extend
down to Cape Horn and break the force of the strong westerly winds
(the roaring forties) that prevail in these latitudes.
On Christmas Day, 1914, the two battle-cruisers were on their way to
Europe. The _Carnarvon_ spent the day coaling in Possession Bay in
the Straits of Magellan. We were also there in the _Cornwall_, but
were more fortunate in having finished coaling the previous evening;
however, we went to sea during the afternoon. It was scarcely what
one would term a successful day, for the ship had to be cleaned,
and it was impossible to decorate the mess deck, as is the custom.
Nevertheless, we had a cheerful Service, which was followed by Holy
Communion, and for the mid-day dinner there was plenty of salt pork
and plum-duff! Unfortunately, as has been related, we were not to
get our mail or our plum-puddings for many a long day. The _Kent_,
_Glasgow_, _Bristol_, and _Orama_ had poor weather off the coast of
Chile, which did not help to enliven their Christmas. The _Otranto_,
perhaps, was the best off, having recently come from Sierra Leone,
where she had filled up with provisions.
The _Cornwall_ was the next ship to be ordered away. We left Port
Stanley on January 3rd, 1915, and sailed for England to have the
damage to our side properly repaired in dry dock.
It would be tedious to follow in detail the wanderings of the
remainder of our ships, who proceeded with colliers in company to
ferret out every nook and cranny in this indented coastline. The
_Newcastle_ and some Japanese cruisers operated farther to the north
along the Pacific side. Admiral Stoddart's squadron must have covered
many thousands of miles with practically no respite in this onerous
and fatiguing duty. Their lot was by no means enviable, they were
perpetually under way, except when they stopped to replenish with
coal, their mails were of necessity very irregular, and they were
seldom able to get fresh food. Imagine, then, with what joy they
ultimately found the termination of their labours in the sinking of
the _Dresden_!