_May 16._--GIBRALTAR.--I, for one, was very glad to land, for somehow on
board ship one never seemed to be able to finish one's toilette with the
degree of niceness necessary, a lurch of the ship very often caused an
utter derangement, a rolling sea made it a matter of great difficulty
even to wash one's face, and as for tidying the hair that had been given
up, and those who did not wear caps enclosed their rough curls in nets.
We therefore migrated to the principal hotel, leaving the two boys, at
their own request, on board, under the care of Jenny and Smart. The
three elder girls were to wait on each other, and each take a little
girl in their charge, while Hargrave waited on the three elderly ladies.
We were objects of great curiosity, and many people supposed our party
to consist of a school. They were more surprised at hearing that La Luna
belonged to the school. The visitors on board of her became innumerable,
causing the good-natured captain a world of trouble. Every day he came
and reported himself, as he called it, to his commanding officer,
meaning myself and brought an account of the boys, or one with him; and
it was most curious to see this great rough captain take each little
girl up in his arms and kiss her quite gently, always expressing a hope
to each that they were not getting too fond of the land, but would soon
return to their ocean home, as he was quite dull without them. Whatever
misgivings he might have had on starting, they had all given way to an
interest and affection for us all, that made it quite a pleasure to us
to communicate with him.
We took advantage of our first landing to write letters home, which,
having been preserved with sorrowful care, have now become agreeable
memorials of our adventures, and may be interesting, as their own
letters will best explain the individual character of each of those who
were now on their way towards adventures strange as unexpected. The
letters of the elder portion of our party contained but a description of
Gibraltar, which is well known to most people. Sybil's letter was as
follows:--
"_Gibraltar, May 16, 18--_
"MY DEAREST MAMMA AND SISTERS,
"Here we are safe on dry land again, and who would have believed a
fortnight ago that we should have been so glad to get out of our dear La
Luna. But we don't make half such good sailors as we expected; and how
Em would have laughed could she have seen all the queer looks and sad
faces which possessed the merry party she had so lately seen. But here
we are really on dry land, and at Gibraltar, at the summit of all our
present hopes, and charmed enough to make us forget all the horrors of
the sea, and even think we could undergo them twenty times for such a
sight. We came into the harbour last night, and landed as soon as we
could collect our wits, and mother collect us; Madame has been at
Gibraltar before, and so ought to have had the use of hers, but knowing
her propensity to lose her way, we made Hargrave look after her, while
we three elder girls each took a little child. Both the mothers looked
after our things. The boys and Jenny were left behind. So we landed just
before gun fire, passing through the long rows of houses, which looked
so strange to our wondering eyes, piled one above the other, and as we
were passed and stared at by numbers of odd queer-looking people, we
quite fancied ourselves in a dream, or realizing the Arabian Nights. At
last we halted at our hotel. Our sailors deposited our boxes, and seemed
to wish us good night with sorrow. We had a famous tea, if I may so call
such an odd mixture of eatables, and went to bed, hardly believing we
could be in Gibraltar. This morning we were awoke by some little voices
round our beds--'Oh, auntie, dear auntie, do get up; this is such a
lovely place, and so odd. There are such rocks, and oh, auntie, such
queer people. I saw a man in a turban, and there is a black man in the
house, and----' 'Hush, little nieces, how are aunties to get up, if you
chatter so? rather help us to dress, that we may see the wonderful
things too.' We found our two mothers in the pretty drawing room. Three
large windows looked out upon the busy town and blue sea below. The
little mother was out in the balcony, in a perfect ecstasy of delight.
A call to breakfast was obeyed, though we could hardly eat, the chicks
jumping up every minute to look at something new and strange going on
below, and the aunties quite wishing that they might commit such a
breach of decorum. We were startled out of all propriety at last by a
well-known voice sounding under the windows, and a remonstrance which
drew us all there. Looking down, we beheld Felix seated on the top of a
most extraordinary vehicle, the driver of which he had superseded, and
was trying to persuade the lumbering old horse to get on. Smart was
behind vainly endeavouring to persuade his young master to come down. A
glance at the drawing-room windows effected what Smart's entreaties had
failed to do, and the young pickle was soon at high breakfast, and had
demolished a pretty considerable quantity ere his steady elder brother
appeared.
"We have just returned from our first expedition so charmed, even our
excited imaginations came not up to the beautiful reality. The town is a
very curious one. A long street composes the principal part. Almost all
the houses are painted black, with flat roofs. The shops open to the
street. But the rock itself! My dearest sisters, you cannot imagine
anything so exquisite as the tiers upon tiers, the masses of granite or
marble rising one above another until one's eyes ached in counting them.
I think if our party are always as wild as the fresh air, the beautiful
scenery, and the new sensations caused to day, our mother will repent
her responsibility. Even the quiet Zoe was roused, and her exclamations
were as rapturous as Winny's. Felix's feats of climbing were frightful;
we were never quite sure where to look for him. If Smart had not kept
his eye on him, and threatened him with sundry punishments, I don't know
in what mischief he would not have been. He is much more afraid of Smart
than he is of his mother. Lilly's head was full of some classic stories
which she had picked up somewhere, the scene of which she was quite sure
was in Gibraltar, and each auntie in turn came in for a bit of the
story, which might have created a sensation at any other time or in any
other scene but this. So you may imagine us now, all so happy, so weary,
so enchanted, so sleepy, but wide-awake enough to be able to send the
dear party at home a bit of our pleasure, and the wish that they were
all with us to delight also in such scenes. I don't think the mother
will ever get us all away. We have quite forgotten our pretty La Luna;
indeed she is at present as little thought of as her great prototype in
broad daylight. So I will now say good-bye, hoping you will set down all
deficiencies and incoherences in this long dispatch to the new and
delightful feelings such a place and such a new pleasure have produced
in our wondering heads. But in Gibraltar as at home, you must believe me
ever, dearest mamma, your dutiful and affectionate daughter, and dearest
sisters, your loving and affectionate sister,
"SYBIL."
My eldest son's letter to his grandpapa was as follows:
"DEAR GRANDPAPA,
"I like the sea quite as well as I expected; but I would rather go out
shooting at home. I hope mamma, however, will allow us to go to the Cape
or Canada. Smart says he should like to shoot a bear, and I wish to kill
an elephant. In the Bay of Biscay we had a rolling sea. The captain told
us the waves were 30 feet high; the wind was very great, and blew from
the South-West; but the captain did not seem afraid, he laughed and
liked it, so I thought it better not to be afraid either. But Smart was
very ill, and said, whenever we spoke to him, 'Oh! I wish I was at home
with my old woman.' Felix told him he was a coward and afraid; but he
said, 'I ain't afeard, but I be going to die, I be sure.' The dogs are
very happy and so is the cow; we feed her every day, and she knows us
quite well; she has not been sea-sick, or the dogs, or Felix and I, or
the captain and sailors, but I think everybody else has. Pray give my
love to grandmamma and my aunts. I am tired of this long letter, and I
think you will be also. I remain, your dutiful and affectionate
grandson,
"OSCAR."
Gatty's letter was to her sister:--
"MY DEAREST LIFFY,
"This is such glorious fun; but I am so hot. I declare if I stay here
much longer I shall flow away, and nothing be left of me but a rivulet.
I eat oranges all day long. We have a basket full put by our bedsides at
night, and I never leave one by breakfast time if I can help it. It is a
horrid nuisance being so sick at sea. I really thought in the Bay of
Biscay that I should make a fool of myself and wish I was at home again.
I don't like this place much, one is so stewed; there is not a shadow,
all seems baked hard as pie-crust twice done. I like being on the sea
better now I have got over being ill; there is a breeze to cool one,
besides it is so jolly having nothing to do but watch the waves and the
wind and learn to mind the helm. I have made great friends with all the
sailors, and they are very nice fellows, all but one crabbed old
Scotchman, who says, when he sees us on deck, 'ladies should always stay
down stairs.' I crawled up stairs in the Bay of Biscay, because they
said it was such a glorious sea, and, at first, I thought we were in a
vast quarry of bright blue marble, all the broken edges being crested
with brilliant white spar. Suddenly we seemed to go over all, all my
quarry disappeared, and I was as near as possible going headlong down
the companion ladder, and if I had how they would have laughed. The
captain said the ship was on an angle of twenty degrees, what that means
I cannot precisely say, but leave you to find out. I can only tell you I
thought we were topsy-turvy very often, and I hope we shall not
experience any more angles of that kind again. Sybil was awfully
frightened, and as white as a sheet. Serena was too ill to care whether
the ship was in angles or out. Felix is such a jolly boy, and likes the
winds roaring and the waves foaming, and he struts and blusters about as
if he was six feet two, and stout in proportion, instead of being a
shrimp of the smallest dimensions. He is getting a colour though, and
his mother looks at him quite happy. Winny is such an innocent little
donkey, so quaint and matter-of-factish.
"I suppose you don't care to hear about Gibraltar, you will get a much
better account in some Gazetteer than I can give you; I hate
descriptions. However, I'll look in our Gazetteer, and tell you if it is
true. All right, very good account. So now I will finish. I hope we
shall go across the Atlantic. The little mother is as cross as a bear;
but, as she cannot be so always, we are looking out for a change of
weather. You know I never can make civil speeches, so please say
everything proper for me, including my best of loves to papa and mamma.
Ever, old girl, believe me your most affectionate sister,
"GATTY."