Glittering bright, northern weather outside. "Channel weather," as it was
described at breakfast. Whatever it might be, I was Jonah; fine, Jonah
bringing a head wind; wet, Jonah bringing the wet; the ship rolling, it
was Jonah's additional weight on the port side that was doing it; and so
on. The suggestion arose that the villain should be offered to the first
whale sighted; but "We should have more respect for the whale," said
Phillips. Nor could I be sure that I was not blamed for all finger marks
on the new paint. Meacock had been the eye-witness of one crime of mine of
the sort. "If you touch that new enamel, your name's mud"--and then the
_Bonadventure_ obliged with a lurch sideways which left the impression of
my hand in a most prominent place.
A more serious disgrace even befel me. Bicker and Meacock involved me in
an argument, which was very quickly twisted into the direct question. "Who
was England's greatest man?" Some wretched ghost whispered Shakespeare,
and Shakespeare I named. There was derision. Shakespeare! Nelson was the
man. I was obliged to stick to my choice. "We're talking about fellows
that DID something for their country," said Meacock, and I gave up.
Bicker was once agaia _in excelsis_ at this evidence of his superior
understanding, which he seemed about to back up with physical argument.
The shade of Nelson was vindicated; and then, I was informed that the
second greatest man was Kitchener. I asked with innocent ignorance what
he had effected of particular significance to our own lives? A photograph
was produced of the earlier, more Achillean Kitchener, by way of
settling _that_ point.
Meeting Kelly in the galley one evening as I went along to make my
cocoa, I was detained to hear of the wonders of Hamburg; and to watch
Tich making a Cornish cake with ingredients mysteriously come by. Kelly
was also of opinion that Hamburg's high place among towns was due to a
dancing saloon, where birthday suits were the fashion. "Flash society,"
he said with admiration. I was sorry to hear that in the argument over
great men I had missed the sight of one whale. Thus it is with the
conversationally inclined: pursuing minnows of our opinion, we miss
the leviathans of fact.
Days of reviving fine weather and swaying sea in hills and hollows,
flinging proud manes of spray aloft for the sun to gild with rainbows
again and again, gave place to one of skies generally overcast. Cold
blues and greens came and went above us; the wind blew bleak over a steely
sea. Land came into view on the port beam. Above it the clouds hung in
dim phantasmagoria; a gleam of silver white below announced the coast,
and, now sparkling, now dull, the lie of the land presented itself to our
gaze. And this was Grand Canary. The mountain's sides seemed chequered
with forest; at its bases white villages glistened; and further on, a
conical peak and headlands grew on the eye.
The sea had lately been crowded with porpoises, acre upon acre; and here
another vast assembly crossed our track. To a credulous eye, as they
leapt along, they might have painted the image of several sea serpents
writhing through the waves. Above them wheeled a flock of gulls, intent I
supposed on fishing.
The cathedral of Las Palmas appeared in mirage; then the _Bonadventure_
rounded the coast until the town came clearly before us. It was to the
harbour just beyond the town that we were making. As we approached,
boats came rowing ferociously towards us. One crew threw hooks carrying
ropes over our bulwarks, and sent a man aboard. His skill would have
done a spider credit; but to no purpose did he exert it, for the hooks
were thrown back and the invader held prisoner on the bridge during
Hosea's pleasure. When we anchored, a fleet of boats sprang up around
us, the chances of any individual one, of course, for the privilege of
supplying us with a bum-boatman being smallish. Not long afterwards,
the ship was swarming with miscellaneous merchants, and merchandise.
Bananas, monkeys, canaries, cigarettes, cigars, photographs (chiefly
improper), wicker chairs, matches, field glasses, parakeets and other
useful articles were pressed upon every one aboard who could possibly be
tackled. Some of the canaries were heard whistling loud and long, and yet
Kelly found that the bird which he bought, a seeming musician, was mute.
No cabin was left unguarded. It was pointed out that one gentleman offered
plain proof of knavery; on his right foot he wore an English boot, on
the left a tennis shoe. They were all tarred with the same brush: "Worse
than Port Said." I do not think they found much opportunity to enhance
the reputation at our expense.
A tug, the _Gando_, immediately re-named the _Can-do_, brought out our
lighters of coal. At that signal, an interesting enterprise moved nearer
to us. When bags are being slung over from hold to hold, a good deal
of coal is dropped into the water; and so the enterprise consisted in
a small barge, with the men, and material, for sending down divers to
rescue the estrays. The diver was a huge fellow, curiously wearing a
red tam-o'-shanter. He of course went down in a diving suit to survey
the ocean; when he thrust his muzzle out of the water again, up would
come at the same time his two bushel baskets; and as these were almost
full of coal, presumably that department of salvage had its rewards.
After much criticized anxiety about winches and blocks and guys, our
stevedore gangs began their work at good speed. I was again dressed up
in a borrowed boiler suit for the duties of tallyman. The weather became
burning hot. The coal-dust flew round in copious whirlpool. After an hour
I was full of discomfort, and not to be distinguished from any of the
coal heavers. Work continued in such hearty fashion that I gathered that
it was piece work. The foreman was another giant, with such a belly on him
that whenever he gesticulated--that was often--stamping his foot and
brandishing his hands, that belly really and truly quaked. His voice
was not a success. He would have roared like thunder, but only a feeble
croaking left his snapping jaws.
By six our bunker coals had been put aboard, I discarded my honourable
discomfort, my mask of grime, and my piratical appearance. The dealers
in Constantinople canaries and cork soles withdrew. About the harbour
of La Luz, the lights came out in the houses and aboard the shipping;
the masts and yards stood out calm against a quiet coloured evening, the
water rippled with no skirmish nor much voice to our sides. Beyond the
towns, the mountains gloomed with the dreams of romantic journeys.
An hour or so afterwards, the welcome though broken melody of the anchor's
uprising heralded our departure. It had been a colourable interlude. I
remember it best by a circular handed out by "Gumersindo Alejandro,
Bumboat Business." It ran through the rigmarole of desirable articles,
a few of which I have named above, and concluded
"and all kinds of silks suitable
for presents and use."
A harsh description of presents? Perhaps.