THE STORM: TATTERED AND TORN BUT STILL ON THE OCEAN
Olsen, the second mate, called me at four o'clock. When I came on deck
the sky was overcast, and looked like rain. From the log I found that
she had made thirty-eight miles during the middle watch.
"If she keeps this up for forty-eight hours," I thought, "we shall be
abreast of San Francisco." She could not travel fast enough for me,
going South, for with only one suit of clothes and a Socialist blanket,
latitude 46° north in December was no place for me.
The cook came aft with a mug of coffee that had the kick of an army
mule. It is seldom the cook on a wind-jammer ever washes the coffee pot.
Pity the sailor, forward or aft, who would criticize the cooking! One
must always flatter the pea-soup, and the salt-horse, and particularly
the bread-pudding, if one expects any consideration.
The Captain stuck his head out of the companion-way, and from his
expression I knew that he was minus the mocha. "How is the wind?" said
he.
"It has hauled a little aft, sir, about northwest."
"Get the staysails on and steer south," and he dived below, looking for
the cook, I suppose.
I went forward to see if any sails needed sweating up. I called
Broken-Nosed Pete and Riley to take a pull on the main boom topinlift.
"Pete, what happened to your nose?"
"It is a long yarn," said he, "and some night in the tropics I shall
spin it."
It was now breaking day. The cook was coming forward to the galley,
singing "Shall we always work for wages?" Behind him strolled Toby, the
big black cat, who seemed very much in command of the ship. Seven bells,
and breakfast, some of the same beefsteak, with the elasticity of a
sling-shot, and other trimmings.
The Captain seemed more talkative. "I understand that we are bound for
Suva, Fiji Islands," said I.
"Yes, and I expect to make it in about fifty days, for with this breeze
and a smooth sea, we shall be with the flying-fish before long."
"That will be very convenient for me, Sir."
("No, no more coffee, thank you, Steward.")
("Steward" is more appropriate than "Cook," and gives him a dignity
befitting his position in the presence of officers, while forward he is
pleased to be called "Doctor." But that title is seldom used, as it
depends upon the good-nature of the crew.)
"Warm sailing will indeed be convenient for you," said the Captain. "How
did you lose your clothes? Shipwrecked? Here, Steward, take away this
Bourbon brand," (handing him the condensed milk). "I see the flies have
found it."
"No, sir, not shipwrecked. My last trip, from Guaymas, was full of
incidents, especially in the Gulf of California. It took us six days,
with light, baffling winds and thunder-storms, to make Cape St. Lucas.
While we were rounding the Cape, lightning struck the mizzen-top,
destroying the mutton-leg spanker and setting fire to the chafing gear.
Luckily for us, the sails were damp. As it was the lightning ran forward
on the tryatic stay, and broke our forestay at the night-head."--
"Steward," interrupted the Captain anxiously, "don't feed Toby too much.
That old lime-juicer that was lying next to us at the loading dock was
alive with rats, and I am afraid that we have our share. You say,"
turning to me, "that the forestay was carried away?"
"Yes, sir, and that was not all. When she pitched aft, the spring-stays
buckled, and snapped our topmast clean out of her. We let all the
halyards go by the run. I have been going to sea for many years, but
never have I seen a mess like the old 'Roanoke.' With the topmast
hanging in the cross-trees, sails, booms and gaffs swinging all over the
deck, she looked as if she had been through a hurricane. But after
cutting away the topmast rigging, and letting the topmast go by the run
(watching the roll, of course, so that they would be sure to clear the
bulwark rail), we got a ten-inch hawser from the lazarette to replace
the one that had been carried away. With the deck cleared, and lower
sails set, she was able to lay her course again, and after thirty-two
days we crippled into port.
"While lying in Bellingham, our port of discharge, I was relating my
experience to a few old salts, men with whom I had sailed in other seas.
There happened to be a land-lubber who questioned my story. He called me
a liar. I said, 'You beat it.' He reached for his hip pocket. Instantly
I swung for his jaw. He went down and I walked away. Later I met the
night policeman. 'You had better get across the line till this blows
over,' he said. 'The doctor says that he has a broken jaw.'
"In Vancouver shipping was light, so I took a job in a logging-camp
running an old ship's donkey-engine hauling logs. Wells, the logging
company went broke, and I with them, and that is my reason for not
having any clothes."
"What became of the man with the broken jaw?" asked the Captain.
"I heard that he bought a gas motor cycle; they were new in the East
then. He had one shipped to Bellingham, and ran it without a muffler. It
made such a noise that horses ran away, and chickens flew about, and
eventually the townspeople ran him out of town."
It was now past eight bells, and from the angry sound of Olsen's feet on
the deck above, I knew that he could take care of what steak was left.
"Well," said the Captain, "that reminds me of an experience I once had
on the 'Glory of the Seas,' off River Plate. Not an electrical storm,
but worse, a squall without warning. You have to relieve Olsen now, so I
will finish some other time in your watch below."
The cook was in the pantry, humming his favorite song, omitting the
words.
It was my watch below, but I remained long enough on deck for Olsen to
finish his breakfast. Away towards the eastward the sky was blood red,
and the northwest wind was dying out. If the old sailor's adage holds
good, then "A red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." I had been
familiar with those signs in the Northern Pacific for years. In the
winter time it usually meant a gale. When Olsen returned, I laid out the
work to be done during the forenoon. "Get together your reef-earrings,
have your halyards coiled down ready for running," I said. "We may have
a blow before long."
"Yaw," said the Dane, "I don't like the sky to the eastward."
In the cabin, the Captain was sorting over some old letters. "Here,"
said he, "is a picture of my two boys. They are living in Berkeley.
Their mother died two years ago while I was in South America. The doctor
said it was T. B." With tears in his eyes he said, "I suppose it had to
be, but don't you know, they are quite happy. They are living with their
aunt. Oh, children forget so soon, so soon." Picking up the pictures,
and with a look of hatred in his eyes he said, "The sea is no place for
a married man."
At seven bells I came on deck to take the meridian altitude of the sun.
It was now partly cloudy, and hard to get a clear horizon, as the sun
would dive in and out from behind the clouds. What little wind there was
came from the southeast.
"I guess we shall have to rely on your dead reckoning," said the
Captain, "the barometer is dropping, and it looks as if we are in for a
gale."
At four o'clock in the afternoon it commenced to blow from the
southeast. We took in staysails, topsails and flying-jib. She was
close-hauled and headed southwest. In the first dog-watch the wind
increased.
"Call all hands," said the Captain, "we must reef her down."
The spanker-boom projected over the stern about twenty feet. It was no
easy matter reefing this sail, with the wind and sea increasing and her
shipping an occasional sea. There was some danger of one's being washed
overboard and very little chance of saving a life. But now was the time
to find out if our sailors were from the old school. I loved the storms,
and the wild raging seas and angry skies,--no sea gull ever enjoyed the
tempest more than I.
"Here you, Johnson, Nelson and Swanson, lay out on the boom, haul out
and pass your reef-earring, and be quick about it."
Swanson said: "I'll not go out there. The foot-rope is too short."
"By God, you'll go out there if I have to haul you with a handy billy."
"Yes, damn you, get out there," roared the Captain. "You call yourself a
sailor; it is a beachcomber you are!" The Captain worked himself into a
rage. "By Heavens, we will make sailors of you before this trip is
over."
Swanson with a look of rage, decided that an alternative of the boom-end
with an occasional dip into the raging sea underneath and elevation on
high as she rolled, was much preferable to what he could expect should
he refuse to obey orders. With the spanker and mainsail close-reefed we
were pretty snug.
"If the wind increases it will be necessary to heave her to; that will
do; the watch below," said I.
Old Charlie was coiling down ropes. "Mr. Mate, look out for Swanson, I
just heard him say that this ship is too small for you and him. He is
very disagreeable in the foc'sle. He and One-Eyed Riley came near having
a scrap over the sour beans at noon today."
Three hours later the wind increased to a living gale. Before we could
let go the halyards it blew our foresail away.
"My God," cried the Captain, "and brand new. Just begged my owners for
it. Six hundred dollars gone to Hell! Get the mainsail and inner jib
off lively. Heave her to under the main jib." Speaking to the man at the
wheel: "Don't let her go off, damn you, let her come to, and put your
wheel in 'midships."
Throughout the night the wind kept up, with the seas battering our
deck-load, until there was danger of having it washed overboard. But
about seven o'clock in the morning it abated some. The old ship had the
expression of a wet water-spaniel coming out of the water before shaking
himself. Defiant as she was to race away from storm and strife, she was
hopelessly crippled by the mountainous sea that was trying to swallow
her up in its angry roll.
"Never mind about anything," said the Captain, "get the damned old spare
foresail up anyway, we will have to patch it and get it onto her. Olsen,
how do the stores and flour look? Yes, it is aft on the port side."
"The rats have torn two sacks of flour open, sir."
"Great God, have they gotten in there already? Run and get Toby, and put
him down there, I will attend to the lazarette hatch myself from now
on."
So saying, he walked, to the rail and levelled his glass at an
approaching ship.
Out of the murky horizon loomed up the U. S. transport "Dix," with
troops bound for Manila to aid in the capture of Aguinaldo. As she
passed us to windward Old Charlie remarked, "There will be few aboard of
her to eat breakfast this morning, the way she pitches and rolls."
It was plain to be seen that the Captain was in no mood for comedy this
particular morning. With the loss of his new foresail, and rats in the
flour, and worst of all forgetting to wind the chronometer, a fatal
result of his preoccupation with the storm, he was the picture of a man
doomed to despair, and I, for one, approached him very gingerly.
With a look of disdain at Old Charlie, he said, "To Hell with breakfast!
All you beachcombers think of is eating. Haul the gaff to windward. Bend
on the old foresail, or we shall be blown clear across to Japan."
Towards noon the wind let up a little, enough to carry lower sails. Even
with a heavy sea we were able to make five and one-half knots, but were
off our course four points, as the wind was still south southeast.
"Mr. Mate, the Captain wants to see you."
"All right, Olsen."
In the cabin the Captain was walking in a circle. "Damn it all," he
cried, "why couldn't _you_remind me to wind the chronometer?"
"I did not know that you had one on board, sir."
"Hell and damnation! Go to sea without a chronometer? Who ever heard of
such a thing!" Swinging his arms wildly over his head, he said, "Where
in blazes did you go to sea?"
"Captain," said I, "I have made a twenty-thousand mile trip without a
chronometer with old Captain Sigelhorst in the bark "Quickstep," not so
long ago. We can surely get our position from a passing ship, and if
not, we can make land, say off San Diego, and easily correct our
position for Greenwich time."
"Well, it is a damned poor business, anyway."
Just then we were interrupted by Olsen, who reported to the Captain that
Swanson was sick and refused to come on deck.