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diff --git a/old/52949.txt b/old/52949.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1b4f814..0000000 --- a/old/52949.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9473 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Under Sail, by Felix Riesenberg - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Under Sail - - -Author: Felix Riesenberg - - - -Release Date: September 2, 2016 [eBook #52949] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER SAIL*** - - -E-text prepared by Chris Whitehead, Chris Curnow, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 52949-h.htm or 52949-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52949/52949-h/52949-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52949/52949-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/undersail00ries - - - - - -UNDER SAIL - - - * * * * * * - -[Illustration] - - -THE MACMILLAN COMPANY -NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO -DALLAS . ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO - -MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED -LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA -MELBOURNE - -THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. -TORONTO - - * * * * * * - - - -[Illustration: THE SHIP A. J. FULLER OF NEW YORK] - - -UNDER SAIL - -by - -FELIX RIESENBERG - -ILLUSTRATED - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - - -New York -The Macmillan Company -1918 -All rights reserved - -Copyright, 1918 -by the Macmillan Company - -Set up and Electrotyped. Published, September, 1918 - - - - - TO - - MAUD - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - INTRODUCTION 1 - - OUTWARD BOUND 12 - - THE OUTWARD PASSAGE 29 - - CHRISTMAS DAY ON THE HIGH SEAS 45 - - THE FIGHT 65 - - NEPTUNE COMES ON BOARD 77 - - LIFE IN THE FO'C'SLE 90 - - CAPE HORN 102 - - ROUNDING THE HORN 115 - - INTO THE PACIFIC 123 - - CABIN AND FO'C'SLE 133 - - CLEANING HOUSE AND A CELEBRATION 142 - - MAKING PORT 154 - - IN HONOLULU TOWN 168 - - UNLOADING--WITH A BIT OF POLITICS 179 - - HAWAIIAN HOSPITALITY 187 - - HONOLULU OF THE OLD DAYS 200 - - A DINNER ASHORE 212 - - BRITISH NEIGHBORS 223 - - THE MATE KEEPS US BUSY 233 - - THE LAND OF LANGUOR 245 - - LOADING SUGAR 253 - - GOOD-BYE TO HONOLULU 268 - - HOMEWARD BOUND 280 - - HAWAIIAN SHIPMATES 291 - - DRIVING SOUTHWARD 303 - - CAPE HORN AGAIN 318 - - MAN LOST OVERBOARD 332 - - AUSTRALIA'S STORY 342 - - STORMY DAYS 356 - - HEADED NORTH 366 - - FO'C'SLE DISCUSSIONS 377 - - THROUGH THE TRADES 388 - - APPROACHING HOME 399 - - THE END OF THE VOYAGE 408 - - THE LONG-LOOKED-FOR PAYDAY 420 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - Old Smith 19 - - Frenchy 26 - - Deck Plan of Ship _A. J. Fuller_ 31 - - Jimmy Marshall 41 - - Fred 49 - - Joe 61 - - Skouse 70 - - Martin 108 - - Cape Horn 114 - - At Brewer's Wharf 175 - - Charlie Horse 196 - - Watching the Shore When In the Stream 235 - - Brenden Reading Letter 265 - - Jack Hitchen 270 - - Australia 343 - - Sketches of Diego Ramirez 357 - - Axel 382 - - Watching Shore at Delaware Breakwater 405 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - -THE SQUARE RIGGERS - - -America is again facing forward to the sea. The ancient thrill of the -wide salt spaces, of the broad horizon beyond which adventure beckons -us, appeals once more to the youth of America. We are living in times -when the great importance of the sea as a career comes home to us at -every turn. The sea is the great bulwark of our liberty, and by the -sea we must persevere or perish in the world struggle of Anglo-Saxon -democracy against the powers of autocratic might. - -When America returns to her own, she builds upon foundations of -tradition that have their footings on the solid bed rock of the -republic. One glorious era of our sea history was followed by another, -and as times progressed the breed of seamen ever rose capable and -triumphant to the necessities that called them forth. - -The Revolutionary sailors, and those of 1812, were followed by the -great commercial seamen of the clippers. The mighty fleets of the -Civil War astonished the world, and in the period just previous to our -seafaring decline of a score of years past, the great sailers flying -the Stars and Stripes spread their white cotton canvas on every sea. - -Their story has never been adequately told. They are not to be measured -in terms of tonnage, or in the annals of swift passages from port to -port. Their contribution to the legends of the sea remains obscure. -They carried a tradition of hard driving, and were a phase of our sea -life that formed and forged the link between the old and the new, -between the last days of sail and the great new present of the America -of steam and steel. - -Men who go to sea today in our merchant marine, in positions of -command, are, in many instances, graduates of the ships of these latter -days of sail. - -Looking back, and as time goes it is not so very far away; we can, -in our mind's eye, see the great wood-built craft that lined the -waterfront of South Street. These were the last of the American sailing -ships, entering from, and clearing to, every sea port under heaven. -They were not the famous California clippers of an earlier day, or the -swift Western Ocean packet ships, or the storied tea ships of the China -trade, but they were their legitimate successors. The ships of this -last glorious burst of sail, under the Stars and Stripes, were larger -craft, vessels built for the long voyage haul, for the grain trade, for -the sugar trade, and as carriers of general cargo to the Orient and the -western coast of North America. - -Most of these ships were laid down in the eighties, and left the yards -of Maine to find adventure and preferment in the longer routes of -commerce. The Horn and the Cape of Good Hope were their turning points, -and they smoked through the hum of the Roaring Forties, as they beat -from the Line to Liverpool, laden with California grain, or they ran -before the westerly winds, from Table Bay to Melbourne--_Running Their -Easting Down_--black hulled, white winged ships, with New York, Boston, -Baltimore, or Philadelphia standing out in golden letters on their -transoms. - -Only the strongest and best found ships, and the most skilful and -daring seamen were fit to carry the flag across the world-long ocean -courses about the storm-swept Horn, and here again America more than -held her own in competition with the mariners of the old seafaring -nations of Europe. - -Winthrop Lippitt Marvin in his valuable work, "The American Merchant -Marine,"[1] pictures this last Titanic struggle of the sea in stirring -fashion-- - - "It was a contest of truly Olympian dignity,--of the best ships of - many flags with each other and with the elements. Out through the - Golden Gate there rode every year in the later seventies and the - eighties, southward bound, the long lean iron models of Liverpool - and Glasgow, the broader waisted, wooden New Englanders, with their - fine Yankee sheer and tall, gleaming skysails, the sturdy, careful - Norwegian and German ships, often launched on the Penobscot or - Kennebec, and here and there a graceful Frenchman or Italian. The - British were the most numerous, because the total tonnage of their - merchant marine was by far the greatest. Next came the Americans. The - other flags looked small by comparison. In this splendid grain trade - there sailed from San Francisco for Europe in 1881-85, 761 British - iron ships and 418 American wooden ships. The Americans were the - largest vessels. Their average registered tonnage was 1,634 and of - the fourteen ships above 2,000 tons that sailed in 1880-1, twelve flew - the Stars and Stripes. The average tonnage of the British iron ships - was 1,356. - - [1] Chas. Scribner & Sons, N. Y. - - "The wooden yards of Maine had seen their opportunity and built - in quick succession many great ships and barks of from 1,400 to - 2,400 tons, very strongly constructed on models happily combining - carrying capacity with speed, loftily sparred, and clothed with the - symmetrical, snow-white canvas for which Yankee sailmakers were famous - the world around. These new vessels were not strictly clippers, though - they were often called so. They were really medium clippers; that - is, they were less racer-like and more capacious than the celebrated - greyhounds of the decade before the Civil War. They could not compete - with steam; their owners knew it. But they were launched in confident - hope that they were adapted for the grain trade and for some other - forms of long-voyage, bulky carrying, and that they could find a - profitable occupation during their lifetime of fifteen or twenty - years. They were just as fine ships in their way as the extreme - clippers, and in all but speed they were more efficient. They were - framed with oak, and ceiled and planked with the hard pine of the - South. They were generously supplied with the new, approved devices in - rig and equipment." - -In the last years of the nineties there were many survivors of this -noble fleet of American sailers still in the long voyage trade. -Ships like the _El Capitan_, the _Charmer_, the _A. J. Fuller_, the -_Roanoke_, and the _Shenandoah_, were clearing from New York for deep -water ports, and South Street was a thoroughfare of sailors, redolent -of tar, and familiar with the wide gossip of the seas, brought to the -string pieces of the street by men from the great sailing ships. - -Then the crimp still throve in his repulsive power, and the Boarding -Masters' Association owned the right to parcel out, fleece and ship, -the deepwater seamen of the port. The Front Street House and a score -of others held the humble dunnage of the fo'c'sle sailor as security, -_cashed_ his "advance" and sent him out past the Hook with nothing -but a sparse kit of dog's wool and oakum slops, a sheath knife and a -donkey's breakfast. - -Those were the hard days of _large_ ships and _small_ crews. In clipper -days, a flyer like the _Sovereign of the Seas_ carried a crew of -_eighty_ seamen, and most of them were as rated--A.B. The ship _A. J. -Fuller_, in the year 1897, left the port of New York, for the voyage -around Cape Horn to Honolulu with _eighteen_ seamen, counting the boy -and the carpenter, the _Fuller_ being a three skysail yard ship of -1,848 tons register. - -It may be interesting to compare the size and crew of the _Sovereign of -the Seas_, as given by Captain Clark in his great book, "The Clipper -Ship Era,"[2] with the dimensions and crew of the ship _A. J. Fuller_. - - _Ship_ Sovereign of the Seas A. J. Fuller - - Length 258 ft. 229 ft. - Beam 44 ft. 41.5 ft. - Draft 23.5 ft. 18 ft. - Register Tonnage 2,421 tons 1,848 tons - Crew-- - - Master 1 Master 1 - Mates 4 Mates 2 - Boatswains 2 Carpenters 1 - Carpenters 2 Able Seamen 16 - Sailmakers 2 Boys 1 - Able Seamen 80 ---- - Boys 10 21 - ---- - 101 - - [2] G. P. Putnam and Sons. - -This condition, of small crews and large ships, brought to the seven -seas a reputation for relentless driving and manhandling that has clung -to the minds of men as nothing else. The huge American ships were the -hardest afloat, and that remarkable booklet, "The Red Record," compiled -by the National Seamen's Union of America, in the middle nineties, -carries a tale of cruelty and abuse on the high seas that must forever -remain a blot upon the white escutcheon of sail. - -These ships bred a sea officer peculiar to the time--the bucko mate of -fact as well as fiction. These were hard fisted men, good sailors and -excellent disciplinarians, though they lacked the polish acquired by -sea officers of an earlier day when the sailer was often a passenger -carrier, and intercourse with people of culture had its effect upon the -men of the after guard. Also, the sea had become less attractive as a -career. The boasted "high pay" of the American Merchant Marine, was $60 -per month for the Chief Mate; $30 per month for the Second Mate, and -$18 per month for an A.B.--at least such were the magnificent wages -paid on the _A. J. Fuller_ of New York in the year 1897. - -The mate, to earn his two dollars a day, and keep, had to be a seaman -of the highest attainments. His was a knowledge won only after a long -hard apprenticeship at sea. He had to have the force of character of a -top-notch executive, combined with ability and initiative. Then too, -he was supposed to be a navigator, a man having at least a speaking -acquaintance with nautical astronomy. In addition to this he might be -as rough and as foul mouthed as he saw fit, and some of them were very -liberal in this respect. - -Then men still signed articles, voyage after voyage, for the long -drill around the Horn, or, to vary the monotony, if such it could be -called, made the voyage to Australia, or to China or Japan. In the -main, however, American ships clearing from New York carried cargoes to -the West Coast of the United States, or to the Hawaiian Islands, where -they came under the protective ruling of the coastwise shipping laws, -and were not compelled to meet the stringent insurance rates of Lloyd's -that barred American sailing bottoms from fair competition with the -British. - -The sailor men of that day were still real seamen, at least a large -number of real seamen still clung to the remaining ships. They were -experts, able to turn in a dead eye in wire or hemp, and could cast -a lanyard knot in the stiff four-stranded stuff that was later on -replaced by screws and turn buckles when metal hulls succeeded those of -wood. - -With the passing of the wooden ship--the wooden square rigged -sailer--went the American sailor, for comparatively few steel sailing -ships were built in the United States. With the sailor went the romance -of bulging canvas and of storm stripped humming bolt ropes. The -tragedy, and the hardships of the long voyages passed away, and with -that passing is gone much of the actual physical struggle with the wind -and sea that made the sailor what he was. - -The square rigged breed of sailors, while not dead yet, for the -old salts die hard, has, by force of circumstances, failed to rear -a younger generation to take its place. But the old spirit of sea -adventure is as strong as ever; the ocean rages as loud, and lies as -calm, as in the days of departed glory. It is still the world route -to foreign trade, and a more ample domestic prosperity. Americans are -again turning toward the sea, are heeding its age old wisdom, and are -building and handling the newer craft of steam, and coal, and oil, with -as much skill and success as they did the sailing craft of old. - -On the following pages is recorded for the seamen and landsmen of -today, a personal story of one of the last voyages around Cape Horn in -a wooden ship propelled by sail alone--a ship without a donkey engine, -a wooden Bath-built packet at her prime in point of age and upkeep. -The advance notes have been cashed by the boarding masters, who have -left the crew in tow of their crimps, and, after deducting for board -and slops, the last remaining dollars have been blown in on the Bowery -under the watchful eyes of the runners, who see to it that the men are -delivered on board. - -Our ship is the _A. J. Fuller_ of New York, Captain Charles M. Nichols, -and she waits her crew, ready to cast off from her berth in the East -River at the turn of the tide, at daybreak on December 5, 1897, having -cleared for the port of Honolulu, capital of the Republic of Hawaii, -with a general cargo consigned to the old island house of Brewer and -Company. - - - - -CHAPTER I - -OUTWARD BOUND - - "Oh for a fair and gentle wind," - I heard a fair one cry; - But give to me the roaring breeze, - And white waves beating high; - And white waves beating high, my boys, - The good ship tight and free, - The world of waters is our own, - And merry men are we. - - _Jacob Faithful._ - - -"Cook!" bawled a deep voice from a door that burst open with a flood of -yellow light under the break of the poop, "serve a round of hot _cafay -nore_ to them passengers! And Mr. Stoddard," added the mate from whom -these orders issued, addressing the second officer who strode from the -edge of light toward the group of men tumbling on board, "turn all -hands to in five minutes! Stand by to cast off lines!" - -Some of the shore crowd from the boarding houses helped to pass up the -chests and bags of dunnage, and the bundles of "donkey's breakfast" -as we clambered to the ice-encrusted deck of the ship _A. J. Fuller_, -lying at her wharf near the foot of Maiden Lane. A flickering light, -and the rattle of stove lids in the galley, as we passed forward to the -fo'c'sle, told us that the cook was stirring, and the snorting of a tug -under the starboard quarter gave notice of an early start. - -It was dark when we came aboard; a cold December wind rippled the black -waters of the East River, chilling to the marrow those few stragglers -who walked the cobble stones of South Street at that early morning hour. - -An odd lot of humanity dumped their few belongings on the fo'c'sle -deck; strangers all, excepting a few who had just deserted from the -British bark _Falls of Ettrick_, men jumbled together by strange fate, -and destined to long months of close companionship, of hard knocks, and -endless days and nights of unremitting labor. - -No time was lost, however, in sentimental mooning; the chill morning -air was charged with activity, the "after guard" was all astir and an -ebb tide flowed, ready to help us on our way. Gulping down the "cafay -nore" that presently was passed forward in a bucket, all hands dipping -in with hook pots and pannikins, hastily dug from chest and bag, we -were barely able to stow away this refreshment before a heavy fist -thumped the fo'c'sle doors. - -"Turn to! Turn to! This ain't a private yachting tour!" was the -sarcastic invitation that sent us scrambling to the deck. - -"Here! You, I mean!" yelled the mate, "come forward!" for I had headed -aft, and, at this command, I found myself with some others hauling a -heavy water-soaked hawser aboard the fo'c'sle head. - -"All clear?" came the query from aft. - -"Aye, aye! All clear!" - -A long whistle sounded from our tug, as we backed slowly from the -wharf; the escort of boarding house runners shivering on the string -piece of the dock, gave us a dismal cheer, and the voyage around Cape -Horn had fairly begun. - -The first level rays of morning light began to filter over the house -tops on the Brooklyn side, the misty span of the bridge loomed above -the river, and a dozen bloodshot eyes among the crew forward cast their -farewell glances at the Tom and Jerry signs in the saloon windows on -historic South Street. - -We were a lumbering lot, pushed and cuffed from station to station, our -best men acting like dolts, until the exercise and crisp morning air, -zipping above the river, wore off the effects of a last night spent at -the Atlantic Garden. South Street, at that day still a forest of spars, -with here and there a bald spot marking the advent of the coastwise -steamers, slid past us, Governor's Island, the Statue, the Narrows, and -the Hook, were passed unnoticed in the ceaseless hustle on our decks. -The running gear, left by the shore riggers in a hopeless tangle, had -to be put to rights, and the mates worked us like demons to get things -in some sort of shape before we should be called upon to work the -vessel under sail. - -Gradually order of some sort issued from the chaos, and as the day wore -on we set our fores'l, all tops'ls, main t'gan'sl, jib and stays'ls, -before a stiff off-shore breeze that caused the towline to slacken, and -orders were given to cast off the tug. - -The new steam pilot boat _New York_ rode the swell ahead of us, ready -to take off the pilot. - -"Weather main braces!" came the order; the yards were braced aback, -a yawl from the _New York_ touched our side for an instant, as we -surged ahead slowly against the back push from the main, and the pilot, -hanging from a Jacob's ladder, dropped into his boat. - -"See you in Liverpool!" shouted the pilot, standing in the yawl and -waving a final farewell to Captain Nichols. - -"Brace up main yards, sir!" ordered the skipper, addressing the mate, -and we swung them around with a will. - -The day was well advanced by then, a low bank of cloud over the land -shut in the sunset, and a spanking breeze from no'east by nor' brought -our port tacks to the deck. The _Fuller_ heeled easily beneath the -force of the wind. Off to leeward, and rapidly falling astern, was the -American ship _Tam O'Shanter_, bound for China; we heard afterward that -she was lost. - -Up to the first dog watch all hands had labored without a moment's -rest, and at eight bells in the afternoon the courses and all plain -sail to royals were drawing nicely. As soon as the gear was shipshape -and coiled on the pins, all hands were mustered aft. There was a -feeling of uncertainty among the crew as we filed aft to the waist, -standing in an awkward group about the main fife rail, a nondescript, -hard-fisted, weatherbeaten lot of men. - -Above towered the vast expanse of snowy canvas, looming out of all -proportion in the dark half light of the winter evening; beneath us -was the rolling, palpitating sweep of deck, yielding and swaying in -the constant balance 'tween the wind and sea. To windward, above the -line of bulwark, a ragged mackerel sky drove across the cloud rack of -scattered cirrus, touched with dull red from the high shafts of the -setting sun. The black backs of the shoreward rollers swept to leeward -and astern, passing us as if frightened by the lofty figure of the ship. - -The watches were about to be chosen. The two mates came down into the -waist, and Captain Nichols stood at the break of the poop to observe -this time-honored ceremony of the sea. For better or for worse, in -sunshine or in storm, we were to be parceled off to our respective -task-masters for the long months of the voyage ahead. The fate of -friendships was to be decided, for watchmates are far closer than mere -shipmates, and a general desire to escape the clutches of the mate made -all of us anxious for the ordeal to be concluded. Most of the men were -in favor of the second mate, Mr. Stoddard. The mate, Mr. Zerk, was a -driver, a bully, and what not, but the second mate seemed to be easier, -in spite of the fact that he lost no opportunity to bawl out everyone -that came across his path. - -"He'll be all right when we get outside," was the remark that voiced -the general opinion. Old Smith, perhaps the wisest of the real -sailor-men on board, came as near to hitting the relative values of the -mates as was possible. "I don't see no choice between them," he said. -"One may be easier, but give me the best sailor. A good sailor aft -saves work for his watch forward. See if I don't figger it right. Take -it any way you like, there's no choosing between them rotten apples -aft, and let it go at that." - -Mr. Zerk, a man of about forty, medium in height, broad shouldered, -bull necked, with close cropped yellow hair--grey eyes set in a very -red, smooth-shaven face, except for a sweeping blond mustache, was a -native of Nova Scotia, brought up in "blue nose" ships. He eyed us with -the cold look of a surgeon about to amputate. Walking up to the group -just abaft of the mainmast, he made his first choice without a moment's -hesitation. - -"Frenchy, come here," and Victor Mathes, of Dunkirk, went to the port -watch, chosen by the mate. - -"Smith," was the laconic reply of Mr. Stoddard to the first choice of -the mate. Honors were even, for it was a toss up between the two men. - -Brenden, a husky, well-set-up sailor, trained in the sailing ships out -of Hamburg, with plenty of beef and a good head, was the next choice of -the mate. [Illustration: Old Smith] - -"Axel," said the second mate, scoring the first advantage in the -choosing of the watches. Axel proved to be one of the best men in the -crew, a big, boyish Swede, a sailor and a gentleman. - -"Roth, come here," and John Roth, late of the opal mines in Australia, -one of the deserters from the _Falls of Ettrick_, and the artist of -the crew, went to port. We soon dubbed him "Australia." The mate sent -"Australia" to relieve the wheel, and the second mate paused a moment -weighing the merits of the remaining men. - -"Tom," was his choice, and another sailor, Tom Morstad, also a deserter -from the _Ettrick_, went to starboard. - -Things were fining down, and the remaining victims in this heartless -process of elimination were becoming increasingly apprehensive, while -those who had been chosen grinned at us with aggravating humor. The -mates were getting less and less sure of their choice as the pickings -became more and more undesirable. It was getting to be a question of -brains versus brawn. Husky young clodhoppers shipped as A.B. by the -greedy boarding masters; young mules with nothing but their thick -hides and an abundance of main strength and stupidity to recommend -them, placed in the balance with such old fellows as Jimmy Marshall and -Jack Hitchen. Jimmy, who claimed to be sixty-five, a wizened little old -sea-horse, but a wonderful "chantey man," won the next choice and was -taken by the mate. - -Hitchen was called to starboard, and the honors still remained about -even in the contest of wit and experience, for both mates had studied -the paces of each individual with critical eyes during that eventful -day. - -The next choice was a painful one. There was a short pause; it seemed -to us that "Charlie Horse," who had once been mate on a coaster in the -oyster trade, or Dago Tony, would surely be chosen next. - -"Felix, come here," said the mate, running his eye over the Dago and -Charlie, and lighting on me. I stepped over to the boys lined up on the -lee side, a weight lifted from my mind, as Frenchy, destined to be my -chum, moved near me. - -It was getting on by then. Chips went aft carrying the side lights, and -Captain Nichols was stumping the poop with some impatience, as a hint -to his officers to bring things to a close. - -The second mate chose Charlie, and George Krug, or "Scouse" as we -called him, was taken by the mate. Dago Tony went to the second mate, -and Fred Erricson, a good sailor, also an _Ettrick_ deserter, went to -port. - -Mike, the wood turner, went to starboard, and Joe Johnson, one time -a cobbler's apprentice, and general all round husky favorite of -misfortune, was taken by the mate. - -The left-overs, Martin, and Peter the boy, were divided by the call -of Peter to the starboard watch, and Martin fell to the mate. Peter, -an American, ex-reporter on a Worcester paper, one time foreman in -a corset factory, and a bright, wideawake boy of something over -twenty-one, had shipped for eight dollars a month _and his health_. The -voyage netted him his payday many times over, for he was endowed with -brains and, starting out a wreck, he came back a toughhanded deepwater -man. - -It was close to six bells by that time. Chips had set out the running -lights and was getting the big pump ready, having sounded the well and -reported a foot of water. - -"Starboard watch below for tucker!" ordered the mate; and then turning -to the men of his watch, he ordered, "Man the pump!" - -It was dark as we bent to the cranks of the big pump, and with the -hum of wind and the swish of water in our ears we realized that we -were truly at sea, insignificant mortals riding on the low deck of a -vast fabric of wood and canvas, venturing far from land on the mighty -stretches of the Western Ocean. - -That first night at the pump, forerunner of many, many other nights, -our little band of watch mates toiled in silence, except for a few -monosyllables. Four men to each crank, two on a side, facing each -other, our tired arms and backs reciprocated to the action of rotation -like so many toy figures actuated by some hidden clockwork; the new -labor was almost a rest after the constant pulling and hauling of the -day. Finally the low, raucous wheezing of the valves told us we were -sucking air, and the mate, from the darkness of the poop, called out, -"Belay pump!" - -It is the custom of the sea, handed down from time immemorial, that -"The captain takes her out and the mate brings her back." That is, -the first regular watch at sea is taken by the captain's watch on the -outward passage, and the same watch is taken by the port, or mate's -watch, on the start for home. Of course the second mate stands the -starboard watch, except in case of emergency. - -Accordingly, at four bells, we went below, and after a hasty supper -we sought our bunks for a brief rest before turning out for the watch -from eight to midnight. We were tired--some of us, to the point of -utter exhaustion--and a few of the older men claimed that we were being -cheated out of our right to the first four-hour watch below, ours -having merely been a dog watch of 2 hours from 6 to 8. Anyhow, whatever -we thought about that, nothing was said above a mild growling in the -fo'c'sle, and as we tumbled out at eight bells, and both watches lined -up in the waist to muster, the chill wind cut through us, and a moment -later we were greeted by an order from aft. - -"Hands aloft to overhaul the t'gallant and royal buntlines!" - -Up I went on the mizzen, never caring to lag behind on an order to -lay aloft, a piece of twine in my pocket. The gear was overhauled and -stopped just below the blocks, so the buntlines would not chafe the -sails, and at the same time the stops of cotton twine were frail enough -to be easily broken. When at times they were not, some unlucky wight -would clamber aloft at the critical moment of taking in sail amid the -slatting of canvas and the most profuse showers of artistic abuse. - -Coming down from this task, I was in time to witness a burst of -profanity on the part of the mate. "Keep moving, you beach-combing ----- ---- ----! Every lousy ---- ---- ---- ----! I won't have no 'lime -juice' sleeping on deck this voyage. D'ye hear that?" All heard, for -there was a shuffle of weary feet about the main hatch, where several -of the watch had perched comfortably in the dark, and, after a moment -of indecision, sprinkled with derogatory mutterings, we paired off in -little groups of twos, walking the swaying deck wherever we could find -places free from the back draft of the sails. - -Frenchy was my first chum on the _Fuller_, and though for periods we -drifted apart, through sheer mutual exhaustion of our interchangeable -ideas, yet we always came together again. Somehow, on the very start of -the voyage, when the crimps and runners bade us that sad farewell from -the port of New York, we were drawn together. The night that we paired -off, on our first watch at sea, it seemed natural that Frenchy and I -should elect to stump the deck in company. We preempted a path from the -lee main pin rail to the after end of the forward house. "It's better -here than anywhere," remarked Frenchy, and I soon found he was right, -as we missed the draft from the mains'l and were partly sheltered by -the house on the forward leg of our walk. - -[Illustration: Frenchy] - -Frenchy was a heavy-whiskered, ruddy specimen, sporting the square-cut -beard of the French sailor. He was an ex-naval man, and one time prison -guard in the penal settlement of New Caledonia. Trained to the sea -since boyhood, in the fishing fleet of Dunkirk, for many years a rigger -in the naval yards at Brest, a sailor man on every type of craft from -the Mediterranean ybeck to a ship. Victor Mathes was one of the finest -types of the Gallic seaman. - -His life was a vague and many folded nebula of romance. He was full of -stories of the life in New Caledonia, of the discipline on the outlying -islands, of punitive expeditions, and of the intrigues and jealousies -among the checkered lives that wear themselves away in those distant -places. - -Night after night we paced the deck during the long, cold watches, -and between the calls to man this rope or that, and the horsing and -rustling about that was always indulged in, we swapped information of -all kinds, related all sorts of experiences, truthful and otherwise, -and each man explored his mental storehouse for the amusement and -benefit of his chum. For hours at a time Frenchy would talk of good -things to eat; this was a hobby, in fact a sort of passion, with him -and often drove me to the verge of distraction. He would go into the -minutest detail of how his sister Madeleine, back in Dunkirk, prepared -some particular dish, telling not only of the delightful flavor and -succulent qualities, but he would go into the subject of the way things -smelled, roast fowl, with all sorts of fancy stuffing. My mouth would -water at these cruel recitals and I know that Frenchy suffered as much -as I did at the poignant recollections of gastronomic joys long past. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE OUTWARD PASSAGE - - -When well clear of the coast we roused the bower anchors up on the -fo'c'sle head and lashed them. "A sure sign, sonny, that you are off -soundings," said Brenden; "these wind wagons don't take no chances -till they get a safe offing." The cables were unshackled, and the ends -stoppered abaft the wildcats. Canvas coats were put on to them, just -over the chain pipes leading to the locker. "Jackasses" were then -bowsed into the hawse holes _for fair_, taking the "tails" to the -windlass. With the ground tackle secured, the "cat" and "fish" were -unrove, and this gear stowed away in the fore peak. We had entered upon -the real deepwater stage of the voyage, with lee shores, and soundings, -many miles away. - -The _Fuller_[3] carried a complement of sixteen hands forward, and -a "boy," not counting the "idlers"--that is, the carpenter, cook and -cabin steward--a small enough crew for a vessel displacing in the -neighborhood of 2,500 tons, dead weight, a craft 229 feet between -perpendiculars, 41-1/2 feet beam and 23 feet depth of hold, ship -rigged, with skysails, royals, single t'gans'ls, double tops'ls, and -courses. Her main yard was 90 feet from tip to tip. A crojik was -carried as well as a spanker. On her stays, she carried flying jib, -jib tops'l, jib and fore topmast stays'l, main t'gallant stays'l, main -topmast stays'l. Mizzen t'gallant stays'l and a main spencer completed -her spread of canvas. When on a wind, in a whole-sail breeze, with -crojik furled, and spanker set, the ship _Fuller_ spread twenty-five -kites to the wind. - - [3] Data re _A. J. Fuller_. - - Ship _A. J. Fuller_. - Flint and Co. The California Clipper Line, Owners. - Signal letters J.V.G.B. International Code. - Built at Bath, Maine, 1881, of wood. - - Gross tonnage 1,848.76 - Net " 1,781.88 - Length 229.3 ft. - Breadth 41.5 " - Draft (mean) 17.8 " - Depth of hold 23.0 " - -Now think of the handsome way in which they manned their ships in the -olden days of the tea clippers when a vessel half her size would carry -_forty_ men forward! And a vessel of equal size would carry from 80 to -90 _seamen_. As it was, we were hard put to it in an emergency and "all -hands" was the rule on every occasion demanding quick work, in going -about, or in making or taking in sail. When tacking it was "all hands, -and the cook at the fore sheet." One watch could not hoist the main -upper tops'l, except in the finest kind of weather, and then only by -taking the halyards to the main deck capstan, and "inching" the great -yard up in slow and painful fashion with much singing and "_yo ho_"ing. - -[Illustration: - - SHIP A.J.FULLER OF NEW YORK - _Built at Bath Maine 1881_ - - DECK PLAN] - -Captain Nichols shaped a course well to the eastward, fetching almost -to the Azores, before hauling his wind aft and squaring away for an -easy run through the N. E. trades. Skysails and flying jib were up and -down a score of times a day at this restless stage of the voyage, for -every rag was kept drawing to the last moment. In squally weather, -and we had plenty of it, the ship would race along, her lee scuppers -boiling in white water as she heeled to the blast, hands standing by -at the halyards, which were always flaked down clear for running, and -every mother's son keyed to a high pitch, ready for quick work at -braces, clewlines and buntlines. - -To have a "wheel" or a "lookout" during the night watch was a rest, -although the trick at the helm was a wideawake job, whether on a -course, or "by the wind." I had a fondness for steering and often -stood the wheel for Frenchy or Brenden, especially during the daytime -when they were employed on sailor jobs that no one else of our watch -was able to do. The mate winked at this practice, and as they often -let me take their tricks at night, I was able to side step a lot of -the skysail climbing that would ordinarily have fallen to me as the -youngster of the watch. - -My training on the old _St. Mary's_ now stood me in good stead, and by -remembering a lot of the advice given me by that prince of sailor-men, -old Bos'un Dreilick of the schoolship,[4] I found myself rated with the -best men in the ship, and far ahead of such fellows as Scouse, and Joe, -and Martin, who were strong as bulls, but knew nothing. In between us -ranged Australia and Fred, good ordinary sailors who knew the ropes, -could hand, reef, and steer, but lacked that finished technique so -essential to the proper able seaman. I must admit that in classing -myself with men like Marshall, Frenchy, and Brenden, I am doing so at -the tail end of this trio, and then only because of my skill at the -helm, at heaving the "blue pigeon," and at sailing and handling boats, -accomplishments that, except for steering, are rare among deep water -sailors. - - [4] Now Boatswain of the Schoolship _Newport_. - -"You seem to stand the wheel a lot," the Skipper remarked one night, -having noted me by the dim light of the binnacle, for I also had done a -trick in the first dog watch when he happened to change the course. - -The Old Man grinned, "Well, I suppose you like to be aft. Keep at it, -boy, and you'll get there. But it's a lonesome life; dammit, I would -rather be a farmer any day." - -Captain Nichols thought this a great joke, the idea of being a farmer -pleased him so he had a good laugh as he surveyed the great spread of -canvas bowling along under his command. I felt sure he was joking. -Since then, I have often pondered over his remark and am now of the -opinion that he was in dead earnest. - -Standing lookout on the fo'c'sle head was a favorite duty that no one -delegated. Finally, however, when we were well clear of the coast, -the mates began to pull down the lookout whenever there was any work -to be done. There always was considerable, for the mates would start -something as soon as they felt the least bit sleepy and would horse -their watches about even though it was absolutely unnecessary to start -a single rope. - -Our fare on the _Fuller_ was of the regular deep water variety, made -palatable by the fact that we were living the open air life of a lot of -human gorillas. Our labors were torture, to me at least, until at last -the outraged muscles adjusted themselves to the unaccustomed work. Poor -Peter, he was a hundred times harder hit than I, and the four hours -below were barely enough to keep him alive. One night, a few days after -leaving port, when we mustered at midnight, Peter was not to be found. -"Was he called?" thundered the mate, as Old Smith reported him "not -present," doing so in a hesitating sort of way. "Was that ---- ---- -called?" again thundered the mate. "By ---- I'll call him!" he shouted, -and strode forward, the second mate following. Peter lay half out of -his bunk, one leg over the edge. He had fallen back exhausted as soon -as he got his trousers on; he was dead to the cruel, hard world. - -Mr. Zerk grabbed him by the leg, and, swinging him like a bag of meal, -he yanked Peter clear through the fo'c'sle door, landing him on the -deck with a thud, amid a shower of curses and the startled cry of the -victim. - -This type of brutality was calculated to "put the fear of God into -us," as they say, and to strengthen discipline, and add snap and -vigor to our movements. It certainly had the effect of showing us how -important it was to be in the waist when the watch was mustered. - -At the morning washdown the black slops that went by the name of coffee -tasted like the very nectar of the gods. We dipped in with our hook -pots, drinking it with relish, and the fact that it possessed mild -cathartic properties, may have had something to do with the excellent -state of our health. Cockroaches were not mentioned in the old scale -of provisions[5] adopted by a kind Congress for the nourishment of -the simple sailor-man. This was no doubt an oversight on the part of -some bucolic "sailor's friend," for they might have specified that "one -ounce of cockroaches may be substituted for an ounce of tea." - - [5] The following is the Scale of Provisions allowed and served out to - the Crew during the voyage in addition to the daily issue of lime and - lemon juice and sugar, or other antiscorbutics in any case required by - law. - - ---------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+---+------+-----+----- - |Bread|Beef |Pork |Flour|Peas |Rice |Barley|Tea|Coffee|Sugar|Water - | lb. | lb. | lb. | lb. | pt. | pt. | pt. |oz.| oz. | oz. | qt. - ---------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+---+------+-----+----- - Sunday | 1 |1-1/2| ... | 1/2 | ... | ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - Monday | 1 | ... |1-1/4| ... |1-1/8| ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - Tuesday | 1 |1-1/2| ... | 1/2 | ... | ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - Wednesday| 1 | ... |1-1/4| ... |1-1/8| ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - Thursday | 1 |1-1/2| ... | 1/2 | ... | ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - Friday | 1 | ... |1-1/4| ... |1-1/8| ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - Saturday | 1 |1-1/2| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |1/8| 1/2 | 2 | 3 - ---------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+---+------+-----+----- - - SUBSTITUTES - - One ounce of coffee or cocoa or chocolate may be substituted for one - quarter ounce of tea; molasses for sugar, the quantity to be one - half more; one pound of potatoes or yams; one half pound of flour or - rice; one third pint of peas or one quarter pint of barley may be - substituted for each other. - - When fresh meat is issued, the proportion to be two pounds per man, - per day, in lieu of salt meat. - - Flour, rice, and peas, beef and pork, may be substituted for each - other, and for potatoes onions may be substituted. - - NOTE BY AUTHOR.--The above is from the fo'c'sle card of the ship - _A. J. Fuller_, taken when I left her. This scale of provisions was - greatly amplified a few years later. It was found that a shipmaster - sticking close to the law in the matter of provisioning could easily - starve a crew, as there was no control over quality. On the _Fuller_, - the owners were liberal in provisioning. Such trouble as we had was - due to the conditions of deep water voyages. - -Our tea was never without these disgusting vermin and none of us was -ever able to tell what gave it the peculiar flavor that we came to -relish--the twigs and leaves floating about in the brown liquor, or the -roaches lying drowned in the bottom of the can. - -"They's no worse nor shrimps," philosophized Jimmy Marshall, and we -tried to believe him. - -The cook, an ancient Celestial named Chow, hailing from Hong Kong, had -evidently put all of his gods behind him. His pigtail was gone, and -with it all sense of decency, so far as preparing food for sailor-men -was concerned. Those human precepts that all cooks are supposed to act -upon, the ethics, if you will, of the noble profession, that Marryat -tells us entitled the practitioner to wear a sword, in those good old -days when the Admiralty recognized the cook, were lacking in the breast -of Chow. He was a typical deepwater cook. What went aft was right, so -far as looks count anyway, but the kids that left for the fo'c'sle -often contained the most unsavory messes that ill-fortune can concoct. -Some of the men had words with Chow about this but the result was -increased carelessness and decreased portions. - -"It don't do no good to scrap with the cook," was Jimmy Marshall's sage -advice. "If the dirty bum wants to be dirty he can fix us all up. I -knowed a cook once wot ---- in the soup an' bully on a English bark. -The skipper, he caught him at it, an' puts him in irons. The cook had -to be let out though because he was the only one wot could do the work, -an' they was mighty careful aft not to rile him after they knowed wot -he was. You got to leave them cooks alone." - -We left Chow severely alone, and some of the crowd, Joe and Tommy -especially, constituted themselves his volunteer assistants, and almost -every first dog watch, one of them would be around the galley helping -out. Chow rewarded them by allowing the use of the oven to make "dandy -funk," a mess of broken hard tack and molasses, baked to a crisp. - -When ten days had elapsed, after the final rations of fresh provisions -had been issued, a tot of lime juice, that reeked suspiciously -of vinegar, was served each day--by Act of Congress--to keep the -sailor-man from getting scurvey. At the same time the "harness casks," -beef to starboard, and pork to port, did their duty nobly and each week -or so we would lift the forehatch and rouse up a slimy, wooden hooped -barrel, and roll it aft to the galley door, alternating to the port and -starboard harness casks. - -After a month of chumming it with Frenchy, talking steadily from -three to four hours a night, we were both pretty well cleaned out -of experiences and ideas. Other groups had long before reached that -deplorable state, and new combinations were formed in the night walks -on deck. One night as we came on deck in the midwatch, Frenchy and -I noticed Jimmy Marshall and Martin standing at the lee of the main -hatch, in silence, after the watch had been mustered. The absence of -their usual animated discussions of everything temporal and mundane -attracted our attention. Soon we found ourselves at the lee of the -hatch; Martin and Jimmy warmed up to us and presently Jimmy and myself -were walking just aft of the forward house, and Martin and Frenchy -began to pace the deck to windward. - -Jimmy was a new sort of chum and the poorest listener I have ever met, -which may have accounted for the peculiar one sided lay of his mind. -The hard knocks of experience were alone accountable for his knowledge, -varied and picturesque in the telling. He was chockful of religion and -was constantly repenting the bad deeds of his youth, telling them at -great length, and with such relish, that it seemed they had come to be -his one unfailing source of enjoyment. A terrible drunk in his day, he -had also indulged in robbery, having looted a house in Australia while -tramping overland to Sydney from Port Hunter, where he had "jumped" a -schooner, leaving everything behind, because of a row with the mate, in -which he felled him with a handspike. - -"Walked away with a piece o' change an' a whole kit o' dunnage," was -the way he put it. - -And also, according to his story, Jimmy had been a lightweight fighter -in his youth, many, many years before. He was the best chantey-man in -the crew; to hear him "sing" a rope was an inspiration to tired arms -and backs. - -[Illustration: Jimmie Marshall] - -While memory lasts, the picture of our first chantey, a few days after -leaving port, will remain with me as one of the great thrills that -have come my way. A heavy squall in the forenoon watch sent all of our -tops'l yards to the caps, everything coming down by the run, to hang -slatting in the gear. Sky sails, royals, flying jib, t'gans'ls, jib -tops'l, jib, fore topmast stays'l, and then the upper tops'ls were -lowered, the latter thrashing and straining against the downhauls as -the ship heeled to it almost on her beam ends, gaining headway with -a rush, and righting herself as we spilled the wind from the bulging -canvas. - -Passing as quickly as it came, the squall left us wallowing under lower -tops'ls, the courses hanging in their gear. - -All hands were called to make sail, and as we manned the main tops'l -halyards Jimmy Marshall jumped to the pin rail, and with one leg over -the top of the bulwark, he faced the line of men tailing along the deck. - -"A chantey, boys!" shouted Mr. Stoddard as he took his place -"beforehand" on the rope. "Come now, run her up, lads. _Up! Up!_" and -the heavy yard commenced to creep along the mast to the sound of the -creaking parral, the complaining of the blocks, and the haunting deep -sea tune of "Blow the Man Down," greatest of all the two haul chanteys. - - Jimmy--"Now rouse her right up boys for Liverpool town," - Sailors--"Go way--way--blow the man down." - Jimmy--"We'll blow the man up and blow the man down," - Sailors--"Oh, give us some time to blow the man down." - Jimmy--"We lay off the Island of Mader_de_gascar." - Sailors--"Hi! Ho! Blow the man down." - Jimmy--"We lowered three anchors to make her hold faster," - Sailors--"Oh, give us some time to blow the man down." - - _Chorus_ - - All hands--"Then we'll blow the man up, - And we'll blow the man down, - Go way--way--blow the man down. - We'll blow him right over to Liverpool town, - Oh, give us some time to blow the man down. - Ho! Stand by your braces, - And stand by your falls; - Hi! Ho! Blow the man down, - We'll blow him clean over to Liverpool town, - Oh, give us some time to blow the man down." - -Old Marshall faced to windward, his mustache lifting in the breeze, the -grey weather worn fringe of hair bending up over his battered nose. He -always sang with a full quid in his cheek, and the absence of several -front teeth helped to give a peculiar deep-sea quality to his voice. - -"We have a man-o-war crew aboard, Mr. Zerk!" shouted the Captain from -the top of the cabin, where he had come out to see the fun. - -"Aye, aye, sir! Some crew!" returned the Mate, looking over us with a -grim smile. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -CHRISTMAS DAY ON THE HIGH SEAS - - -Life was not always so pleasant on board the _Fuller_. Hard words were -the common run of things and the most frightful and artistic profanity -often punctuated the working of the ship. Given a ship's company barely -strong enough to handle a two thousand five hundred ton three-skysail -yarder, even had they all been seasoned able seamen, our officers had -to contend with a crew over half of which rated below that of the -"ordinary" classification of seamanship, thick skinned clodhoppers, -all thumbs on a dark night, and for many weeks after leaving port, -as useless as so much living ballast. The kicking and moulding into -form of this conglomerate mass of deep sea flotsam, gathered for the -ship by the boarding masters, and duly signed on the ship's articles -as A.B., called for all but superhuman efforts. The curse is far more -potent than the gentle plea, especially when hard fists and hobnailed -sea boots are backed by all of the age old authority of the sea. To -work a ship of the proportions of the _Fuller_, with seventeen hands -forward, called for man driving without thought of anything but the -work required. - -The latter days of the sailing ship as a carrier, before invoking the -aid of steam auxiliary apparatus, in the hoisting and hauling, brought -forth the brute sea officer aft, and the hardened fo'c'sle crowd, half -sailor and half drudge, forward. The "bucko mate" walked her decks, -and the jack tar, stripped of his pigtail, his bell mouthed canvas -trousers, his varnished sailor hat, and his grog, remained in plain -dungaree and cotton shirt to work the biggest sailing craft in the -history of the world on the last hard stages of their storm tossed -voyages. - -Mixed with our real sailors were the worthless (so far as sea lore -went) scrapings of the waterfront. Shipped by the boarding masters for -the benefit of their three months' "advance," and furnished for sea -with rotten kits of dunnage, as unreliable and unfitted for the work -as the poor unfortunate dubs who were forced by an unkind fate to wear -them. - -On the other hand, the real sailor-men of the crew were valued -accordingly, and I can hardly remember an instance where either one -of the mates singled out for abuse those men who had shipped as A.B. -and were so in fact. My schoolship training (_St. Mary's_ '97) stood -by me, and though barely turned eighteen, I was saved from most of the -drudgery meted out to the farmers of the watch. - -After washing through the heavy seas we encountered for the first few -weeks of the voyage, while beating off the coast on the long reach -eastward to the Azores, the long hard pine sweep of the main deck -became slippery with a deposit of white salt-water slime. The sheen -of this scum, in the moonlight, under a film of running water, gave -the decks a ghastly "Flying Dutchman" like appearance, and the footing -became so precarious that something had to be done. - -"They have the 'bear' out," Scouse announced, as he trudged into the -fo'c'sle carrying a "kid" of cracker hash, ditto of burgoo, a can of -coffee, and a bag of hard tack, this cargo of sustenance being our -regulation breakfast menu. - -"The bear?" I asked, as we gathered about this appetizing spread. - -"Yes, the bear," volunteered Brenden, grinning with the rest of the -sailors. "The bear for Scouse, and Joe, and Martin, and Fred." - -At eight bells, as we mustered aft, a subdued banter went on among -the men. The starboard watch were all grinning, and as they went below -four sheepish looking fellows of the other side turned the "bear" over -to the farmers of our watch. "Keep that jackass baby carriage moving -now. D'ye hear me? Keep it moving!" bellowed the mate, for there was -some reluctance in taking hold, and as Scouse and Martin tailed on, -opposed to Joe and Fred, the doleful scrape of the bear mingled with -the general laughter at the mate's sally. - -The bear consisted of a heavy box, a thick thrum mat lashed on the -bottom of it, and the inside loaded with broken holy stones and charged -with wet sand. Four stout rope lanyards were rigged to the corners and -served to haul the thing back and forth while the sand filtered down -through the mat, providing the necessary scouring agent. A day or two -with the bear in constant service, both day and night, cleaned up the -decks and provided us with considerable amusement, that is, those of us -who were lucky enough to be kept at more dignified jobs. - -Ships leaving the Atlantic Coast in the winter months bend their best -suit of sails. The severe weather usually encountered in working clear -of the land, and the chance of having to ratch off from a lee shore, -make this precaution one of great importance. The fact that green crews -are bound to be more or less slow in taking in sail during squalls may -also account for the "storm suit" under which we sailed from port. - -[Illustration: Fred] - -On our first night out, shortly before one bell in the mid watch, -our crowd having just gone below, the fore topmast stays'l blew from -the bolt ropes with the report of a cannon. We had already clambered -into our bunks, dog tired, when this occurred, and muttered oaths, -anticipating a call of "all hands," came from untold depths of -weariness within the fo'c'sle. On deck there was the hurried tramping -of feet, and the shouting of the second mate. We could hear the long -wail of the men at brace and downhaul, the "Ah-hee-Oh-hee-ah-Ho!" with -all of its variation as the slaves of the ropes launched their age-old -complaint on the whipping winds. I lapsed into slumber with the dim -consciousness that the second mate was handling the situation alone, -and a heartfelt thanks for the warmth of the blankets in my narrow -bunk; a foot above me the cold rain pattered against the roof of the -fo'c'sle house, its music mingling with the swish of the water under -the fore channels. - -After three weeks of beating to the eastward, having fetched almost as -far across as the Azores, and being in the region of the northern limit -of the N. E. trades, the captain hauled his wind and squared away for -the run through the trade wind belt to the doldrums and the line. Fine -weather became the order of the day and life on board settled down to a -more regular routine. - -On a Saturday morning, the day having broken remarkably fine, a -brilliant red sunset followed by a cold grey dawn, assuring us of the -settled weather that the steady "glass" made more certain, all the -world seemed ready to rejoice, for it was Christmas Day. Word was -passed into the fo'c'sle by the other watch, as we turned out for our -breakfast, "We shift sail today." - -"All hands on deck for us, me boys!" piped Australia. "An' the first -watch on deck tonight," chipped in Jimmy Marshall, "an' a hell of a -Christmas Day!" - -Jimmy lit his pipe for a morning puff; climbing into his bunk, he -dangled his short legs over the frowsy head of big Scouse who sat with -his dejected poll bent under the upper bunk board, a fair sample of the -despondent crowd of farmers who faced a Christmas Day of labor. - - "A hell of a Christmas Day, boys, - A hell of a Christmas Day, - For we are bound for the bloody Horn - Ten thousand miles away." - -Jimmy rendered this little ditty of cheerfulness as Fred picked up the -breakfast kids and started for the galley, while we turned out on the -sun-splashed planks as the last of eight bells vibrated over the ship. -She lay still in a near calm like a scene by Turner, all of her canvas -hanging in picturesque festoons from the jackstays, where the starboard -watch had cast off the courses and tops'ls, leaving them depending in -their gear. The decks had not been washed down, in order to keep them -dry, and the mate himself had turned out at four bells to start the -ball rolling. - -Long bundles of the fine weather canvas were stretched on the decks -ready for swaying aloft. Working like demons in the forenoon, and with -all hands on deck after dinner, which was dispatched in haste, we had -the courses, and in turn the tops'ls and light sails, lowered to the -deck, and the gantlines rigged to hoist the summer canvas; this we -sent aloft in record time. These old sails, soft and mellow, veterans -of a dozen voyages, patched and repatched, with whole new cloths of -a lighter grade here and there streaking the dull white-weathered -surface, were as smooth and pliable as a baby's bonnet. - -On some of them, the fore upper tops'l especially, we found records of -the many crews who had handled them before. "James Brine, Liverpool. On -his last voyage," was one inscription. I hope Brine achieved his end -and stayed ashore. A date under this was hardly decipherable but may -have been Jan., June, or July, the day the eighth, and the year 1893. - -Bending a sail calls for the nicest knowledge; the passing of the head -earing must be done in a certain manner, so the head of the sail will -hold well up on the yard arm; the gear, consisting of tacks, sheets, -clew garnets, and buntlines, in the case of a "course," not to mention -the leechlines, and bowlines, must all be rove and rigged just so. The -"robands" or pieces of rope yarn, are all looped through the "head -holes" ready for bending the sail to the iron jackstay on the yard, and -when a sailor does the job, all goes as smooth as a wedding when the -parson knows his job. - -After the labors of a busy day, the ship presented the comfortable -well-patched appearance of a man in the woods, free from the stiffness -of new white linen, and naturally fitting into the familiar folds of -old duds, unconventional but plenty good enough. The bright spars -still attested to her "smartness," but we were in easy trade wind -weather and dressed accordingly. The fores'l was particularly large, -with extra clothes in the leeches, made to catch and hold every breath -of wind blowing over the deck. - -The sail locker was re-stowed with our "best suit," and between the -coils of canvas we liberally spread a bundle of old newspapers brought -out by the mate. "To give the rats something to chew on," he remarked, -as we ran the stiff new canvas in, tier upon tier. - -One thing that Frenchy called my attention to in the stowing of the -locker was the fact that the storm canvas, lower tops'ls and stays'ls, -were placed handy for immediate removal, the mate assuring himself -of this fact by personal supervision; indeed he knew just where each -particular sail was located in the locker, and could go in and lay his -hand upon it in the darkest night, as he more than once demonstrated -during the course of the voyage. - -That night a tired lot of men sat down to supper. The cold salt beef, -the hard bread and the can of tea came from the galley in their usual -order. Fred, who was mess cook for that week, went back to the galley, -after depositing the regulation Saturday night grub. As he left the -fo'c'sle door he turned back at us with a grin on his wide good natured -face, bristling with uneven outcroppings of yellow stubble. Fred -reminded me of an amiable plodder hulking out in his dungaree jacket, -while the watch fell to on the beef and tack. - -"I guess he forgot to thank the cook for putting so many bugs in the -tea," ventured Brenden. - -"Maybe he's going aft to take Christmas Dinner with the captain in the -cabin. They have a real plum pudding there; I saw it in the galley," -said Joe. - -Plum pudding! Christmas! The thoughts of loved ones far away, and of -those distant homes that perhaps were remembering some of us out on the -broad bosom of the deep waters, came as a pang. All of us, I believe, -felt this. For a moment or two silence ensued, then Fred burst through -the fo'c'sle door with the big surprise. - -"_Pie, boys! Pie!_" he shouted, depositing three tin plates on the -fo'c'sle deck, for we dined with the deck as a table, sitting about -the kids on low benches. The precious pie was cut with the greatest -regard for equality by no less an expert hand than that of Frenchy, -assisted by Australia, who showed us how to cut a pie into three parts -by measuring across the diameter with a knife, adding a little to this, -and then this length went three times into the circumference. - -Jimmy Marshall failed to agree with this theory, but was fairly beaten -in the result, for Australia was right. The pie certainly was cut into -three very equal parts. - -"An engineer in the mines showed me this," said Australia. "He says, -'Pie times across the pie, is all the way around.' Mathematics is wot -he calls this." Australia was nearly right at that, and the marks he -made on the crust of the confections baked by Chow served as a reliable -guide for Frenchy, also bolstering him immensely in the eyes of the -more humble members of the port watch. That Australia chap certainly -knew a thing or two, even if he was not the best sailor in the world. - -But Jimmy Marshall's comment was simply, "Rats!" - -After supper, when pipes were glowing, and most of us sought our -bunks for the hour or so that remained to us in the last dog watch, -a discussion arose as to what kind of pie it was. Frenchy, the great -gastronomic authority, claimed it was English currant pie. "They taste -so bitter, that's why I know," he added with an air of finality. - -Others differed with him. Scouse said it was red crabapple pie. -Martin claimed it was nothing but plum pie. I thought it tasted like -cranberry, but was not sure. At last, to settle the matter, and at the -earnest request of the crabbed Jimmy, Fred trudged aft to the galley to -consult Chow and wind up the argument. He returned in triumph with a -large tin can done up in a gaudy red label marked "Pie Fruit." - -Shortly after entering the N. E. trades we encountered the region of -tropic rains, of daily thunder storms, and of abundant drinking and -washing water. We rigged an old sail over the gallows frame in the -main deck to catch the rain, which was teemed through a canvas pipe to -the main tank, a large upright iron cylinder standing on the keelson -blocks in the main hold just abaft of the main mast. Our allowance of -three quarts a day, per man, was anything but satisfying in the tropic -atmosphere of the torrid zone. At least half of this "whack" of water -went to the galley for use in the preparation of food and the rest -was divided between the scuttle butt and the water barrel, from which -it was drawn sparingly for washing purposes; usually a mere rinse to -clean off the salt of a sea water scrub. - -In the extreme heat, during the frequent periods of calm, our suffering -through the lack of water became intense. The _Fuller_, like many other -ships sailing from New York, put to sea with her water tank barely a -quarter full, relying on the tropic rains to replenish the supply. When -the rains did finally come we fairly reveled in the luxury of abundant -fresh water, drinking, washing clothes, bathing, and just plain -wasteful wallowing in the refreshing element. With the first douse of -rain all hands turned out on deck to fill their pannikins under the -spouting drains from the forward house. - -The conduct of a deep water sailing voyage in the old days of wooden -ships called for what today would be considered the highest type of -scientific management. In the maintenance of the vessel, each part of -the complicated fabric received its due attention at some particular -point in the voyage where the weather was favorable for that certain -operation. So in the entry to the rainy belt, that uncertain region -of the doldrums where almost constant precipitation takes turn about -with calm or light baffling winds, we were turned loose on the job of -scrubbing paintwork. The work was started aft and each watch did its -own side of the ship, there being much rivalry as to who was doing the -most work. Everybody took a hand in this and Brenden and Marshall would -curse unmercifully at the job when well out of earshot of the after -guard. Our hands became wrinkled with the constant wet, the calloused -flesh getting soft and cheesy, while our oilskins, in which we worked -during the worst downpours, became soaked and clammy through constant -use. - -We were not allowed the bucket of classic "_sewgee_" of the steam -ship sailor, a mixture of caustic soda, soft soap and water, but -were provided with nothing but a small tin of brick dust and a rag -of burlap; a rope handled deck bucket and a small swab completed -the outfit. Add to this formula an abundance of "elbow grease," and -slithers of tropic rain, and you get paintwork polished smooth and -white as ivory. A week or so, with all hands on the paintwork, whenever -the working of the ship would permit, transformed her into a model of -neatness. Woe to the luckless wretch who by any chance marred the deck -or paintwork with a drop of grease or tar. - -About this time we made our acquaintance with the flying fish, these -swift travellers often shooting over our deck at night and being -caught in the belly of one of the courses or the spanker. A flying -fish for breakfast is not bad, and many were caught by the men on deck -keeping a sharp lookout for them. The mates were also watching for the -bag of flying fish and whenever one landed on the poop or in the waist, -one or the other of the mates would call out and have a hand bring the -fish aft. - -One night a fish landed somewhere in the waist. We could hear the -wet splatter of the flying fins, as it was calm and the deck quiet. -Mr. Zerk, who was leaning against the weather swifter of the mizzen -shrouds, roused himself and called out for someone to bring the fish -aft. - -Several of the watch started to search for the visitor, for we also had -heard him land, but without success. - -"How about that fish?" shouted the mate, after a decent interval, while -the search was going on. - -"Can't find it, sir," Joe piped up. - -"The hell you can't!" thundered the mate. "There he is," and again we -heard a faint "splash, splash" of the wings. - -"Get a light, you damn fools," was the order, for it was mighty dark. -"Come now quick. _Pronto_!" and as Scouse banged on the door of the -deck room occupied by Chips, in order to get him to open the lamp -locker, we thought we heard the "splash, splash" again. - -[Illustration: Joe] - -With the aid of a lantern and all of the watch the entire deck was -searched. Finally, Jimmy Marshall let out a whoop, "_Here he was! Here -he was!_" Some water on the deck, near the coils of rope hanging from -the main pin rail, looked as though Jimmy was close to the flying fish. - -"_Here he was!_" again shouted the excited Jimmy, grabbing the lantern -from the hand of Scouse. - -"Here he _what_?" demanded the mate, coming down into the waist. The -mate bent over the wet spot and exploded in a string of oaths. "No -flying fish ever made that! Here, you!" and he grabbed Jimmy. "This is -some of your damn monkey shines, you old dried up bundle of sea tripe! ----- ---- your gray hairs, I'll flying fish you! Lay aloft to the main -skysail yard and watch the stars! I'll call you down on deck whenever -we need you!" - -For several nights after that Jimmy spent his time climbing up and down -the main rigging, for no sooner would he get up than the mate would -think of something to do that required his presence on deck. - -The flying fish episode furnished us with something to talk about in -the fo'c'sle, and while Jimmy always tried to leave the impression that -the joke was on the mate and the rest of us, we felt that his over -zeal in discovering the puddle of water in which his clever hand had -simulated the nervous flapping of the fins of a flying fish had turned -the tables. My idea was that Jimmy, after seeing how well the thing was -taking, could not resist the temptation to get the credit. - -We also harpooned our first bonita, a very active, virile fish, shaped -like a short double ended spindle buoy, and striped lengthwise. These -fish are exceedingly lively and jump about with terrific energy when -brought on deck. Before taking this fish to the galley, Old Smith of -the other watch, and Frenchy, and of course Jimmy Marshall, tested the -meat with a silver coin, to see if it was of the poison variety. - -"If the silver turns black the fish is poison," explained Frenchy. In -this case the bonita was pronounced "good to eat," and a great feast -was on that night; however, I never cared much for fish anyway and -did not touch it. Chow had certainly made an ill looking mess of it, -garnished with broken tack, and basted with pork fat. - -"You'll wisht you had a bit of this tucker afore we get to Honolulu," -was the comment of Joe, who proceeded to help himself liberally. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE FIGHT - - -An undercurrent of trouble had been running for some time, finding -expression in much subdued comment and criticism, at odd moments, when -small groups of the watch would foregather about the fo'c'sle during -the dog watch below. These dog watch hours were, during fine weather, -given over largely to yarning, smoking, reading, or playing cards, or -checkers, and to the performance of such odd jobs as sailors do during -their few leisure moments. Big George, or Scouse, as we called him, -had become something of a bully, and Joe, the most independent of his -subjects, had on several occasions taken pains to let Scouse understand -that he resented the way in which the big fellow carried on among the -farmers of the watch. Of course Scouse never dared open his mouth to -any of the real sailors, but he had gradually set himself up as a sort -of autocrat among the pushers of the "bear." - -The development of this condition was so long in process of evolution, -that several times Frenchy and Brenden threatened to clean things up -and put an end to the stumbling block that threatened our fo'c'sle -democracy. Always, however, Jimmy Marshall intervened. "Leave 'em -alone. Things will break, see if they don't, an' 'e'll get it good, 'e -will." - -Following our siege of paint-scrubbing, we started to tar down the -standing rigging, work that devolved largely upon Scouse and his gang -of understrappers, making them the bright particular stars in the -firmament of wrath whenever, by any chance, they happened to drop so -much as a pin point of tar on the immaculate paintwork or deck. - -The mate on these occasions outdid himself, and by the fluency of his -language and the surprising richness of his imagery he afforded a -certain amusement to those of us who were the listeners. The targets of -these profane outbursts had no redress, and, if they lost none of their -self respect, it was simply because none of that useless commodity -was left clinging to their devoted hides. Scouse, Fred and Martin had -received recent broadsides, and with half an eye we could see that Mr. -Zerk was watching Joe with a view to exercising a few new epithets. - -It was our afternoon watch on deck; we turned out at seven bells to -get our dinner, and Joe, who was mess carrier for that week, turned -out lively to get the "kids" of cracker hash from the galley. A gentle -sea was rolling in on our quarter and Joe entered the fo'c'sle door, -the kid of cracker hash under his arm, the bread bag full of hard tack -in one hand, and a large can of steaming hot tea in the other, the -_Fuller_ gave one of her corkscrew twists, and Joe stumbled over the -sill, dousing Scouse with about half of the hot tea. - -Scouse was furious, and at the same time half of our whack of tea was -running in the scuppers. - -Little things assume monstrous proportions after a group of men have -been in close quarters for a long time. This is particularly so when -they have to live in such intimate and trying proximity as that in the -fo'c'sle of a sailing ship. On a deepwaterman, months at sea without -even a smell of land, let alone a sight of it, the community life is -bound to wear thin the edges of daily intercourse. Every small incident -is magnified far beyond its worth, and only a trifle is needed to -start a racket of some kind. Brenden and Frenchy cursed the luckless -Joe for a clumsy lout. Jimmy called him a "bloody rum cat," a favorite -expression of the little sailor, and Scouse, foaming with rage, -was only restrained by the rest of us from sailing right into Joe, -regardless of the cracker hash, the remaining tea, or anything else. -Joe was equally furious. He refused to touch the tea, saying he had -spilled his whack, and the rest of us might shut up our talk about it. - -At this Australia and Fred insisted that Joe have his tea, sharing with -the rest. Talk became loud, and in the midst of the whole affair eight -bells struck and we tumbled on deck, our dinner half finished. Scouse -and Joe went to their work in the main rigging; some were to leeward -of the deckhouse stitching sails, while I passed a ball of marline for -Frenchy, who was serving the wire bolt rope of the foot of an old lower -tops'l that we were repairing. - -He was facing aft toward the main shrouds, when suddenly he started, -his eyes seemed to bulge from his head, and he dropped his serving -mallet, while at the same time there was a bump behind me on the deck, -and Frenchy gasped, "_Ma foi!_ Look, Felix!" - -I turned quickly and there on the white deck below the main rigging was -a big black greasy splotch of tar, and Joe's tar pot rolling into the -scupper. - -The silence that followed was painful. Mr. Zerk came forward from the -weather quarterbitt where he was smoking his after dinner pipe, and Joe -dropped down the Jacob's ladder to the deck under a fire of insulting -profanity from the mate. Whipping off his dungaree jacket, he started -to swab up the defiling tar before it could soak well into the deck -planks. - -Scouse, whom Frenchy saw unhitch the lanyard of the pot as he worked -above Joe, went on with his tarring without batting an eye. Trouble was -on foot, however, in the port watch. - -We went below at eight bells, four o'clock in the afternoon, but -Joe remained on deck to remove the last vestiges of tar, and Scouse -entered the fo'c'sle, speaking to no one. The trick played on Joe was -so contemptible that, so far as the common feeling went, Scouse had -placed himself beyond the pale, and no man cared to break the ice by -addressing him. That big Scouse felt this was certain, and the fact -that it hurt at least attested a few remaining embers of decent feeling. - -The first dog watch that day was unusually quiet, all hands mending and -reading and wondering what the outcome would be when Joe got the tar -cleaned up on deck. At five bells Joe returned to the fo'c'sle with -the supper, a kid of salt pork and cabbage. Martin, who had busied -himself in the galley, brought in a pan of "dandy funk," a baked mass -of hard tack and molasses, a great delicacy with us and only possible -at rare intervals when Chow would permit us to take up the space in -his galley range. However, the dandy funk went begging. Joe was sullen -and refused to touch it. Scouse ignored it, and so did everyone else -with the exception of Martin, who for once enjoyed a complete meal of -our favorite dessert. Conversation during supper was strained to the -breaking point, and we were all glad to be away as soon as possible and -get out on deck. - -[Illustration: Skouse] - -The second dog watch went by without incident, as we were rushed about -the braces, sweating up for the night, trimming yards, and laboring at -the bilge pumps. It was clear, but with no moon, and at eight bells -we went forward to the square under the fo'c'sle head. The starboard -watch were called aft by the second mate, to some task of horsing up -this yard or that, and everything was propitious for the coming battle. -Blood alone could wipe out the feud between Scouse and Joe. - -"And I hope he gets a damn good lickin'," confided Martin to me as we -went forward, referring to Scouse. - -"Too heavy, Mart," was my opinion. - -"But Australia says as how Joe can handle his self. That boy ain't no -slouch, and he's mad. You bet he's mad," insisted Martin. - -That Joe was mad, fighting mad, went without saying. He had the -stinging insults from the mate still ringing in his ears, and the vile -tactics of Scouse, culminating in the tar pot trick, had steeled Joe to -the point of desperation. Scouse, on the other hand, faced the question -of fighting for his right to exist in the fo'c'sle. For a man to be -ostracized by the crowd forward is a living hell, as has been proven on -other voyages. - -Aggravated as the situation was by the hedging discipline of the ship, -the preparations for the battle were as secret as though we were -an illegal boxing club operating in some blue-stocking community. -Jimmy Marshall decided all the details, jumping around as busy as a -field louse at harvest time. He elected himself referee and told off -Australia and Brenden to look after Scouse, while Martin and myself -were detailed to take care of Joe. - -Our men stripped to the waist, bare knuckles and bare feet, with the -"ring" bounded by the fore pinrail to leeward, the fife rail, the -knight heads, and the fore side of the fo'c'sle, all dimly lighted by -the fo'c'sle lamp, moved to the doorway by Jimmy, and shedding a faint -yellow gleam over the space on deck. - -Aft, the watch under the second mate were going through the first half -hour of trimming yards, and the general shake up of things with which -the officers usually "woke up" their crowd. No time had been lost by -Jimmy, for he know just what to do, and Joe was facing Scouse with -blood in his eyes, a very few minutes after eight bells. - -"Not much room, but good enough for a fight, if it's fight you want," -said Jimmy, buzzing around the men to see that all was in order. Two -buckets were filled with water from over side, hand swabs were got from -the deck chest, and our men lined up for work. - -Scouse weighed about two hundred pounds, topping Joe by twenty pounds, -but for all that they were well matched, as Joe had the advantage of -agility and the better chance to dodge the hard knocks of the very -substantial deck fixtures all about. - -Jimmy brought out a big silver watch and announced that the rounds -would be three minutes, "An' no punchin' in a clinch, an' no noise. -These is the Mark o' Queensberry rules," said Jimmy with great emphasis. - -The fo'c'sle lookout of the other watch came aft to the break of the -fo'c'sle head and stood by the mast, ready to warn us of a surprise -from aft. It was to be a silent fight, a desperate, uncompromising -battle for the freedom of the fo'c'sle slaves, and the general -edification of all hands, long wearied by the bickering between Joe and -the red head. - -The men backed off in the gloom. - -"Go to it!" cried Jimmy. - -They clashed with the hard thuds of calloused fists. Both men were in -the prime of condition. Both were crazy to fight. Big Scouse swung at -Joe, landing a fraction before Joe connected with the big fellow's -wind. The blow brought blood spurting from Joe's nose and cut his lip. -"_Play for his wind, Joe! The bread basket, Joe! Bat 'im in the eye! -Kill him!_" The side lines, hid in the shadow of the fo'c'sle, were -with Joe. - -For a minute or two there was a rapid exchange of blows without thought -of guard or parry. To get in as many and as strong a lot of blows as -possible was the simple system. - -Jimmy cried out "time," but no account of time or rounds was -contemplated in the scheme of things. Fight was the business, and to a -finish. - -"Biff!" They slammed against the side of the deck house; a splotch of -blood, dimly visible in the night, smeared the white paint. Once again -they swung back, when the ship gave a sudden roll, as a blow from Joe's -right landed on Scouse's nose, toppling him backward against the fife -rail. An iron pin, the one used to belay the chain sheets of the lower -tops'l, caught Scouse behind the ear and, with a grunt, he was "out." - -Fortunately, nothing but rumors of the fight got aft. Scouse was well -beaten, and came to in his bunk, after Australia and Brenden had doused -him with salt water. Joe was badly battered up, and both men carried -"shiners." As Jimmy Marshall said, "Honors is even, but it was a wery -wery ragged fight." - -The mate next morning greeted the watch with a broad grin, and the -story of the mill, told to the starboard watch by their lookout Tommy, -lost nothing in the telling. As for the port watch, we were glad it -was over and once again the atmosphere below returned to normal. A few -nights later Joe and Scouse chummed together, and from that day to the -night in Honolulu, when Joe deserted and went out on the barkentine -_Irmgard_ to Frisco, he and Scouse were inseparable. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -NEPTUNE COMES ON BOARD - - -We were then in about five degrees of North Latitude, the trades had -failed us, and the doldrums claimed their share of bracing and hauling, -giving us little time for any other work. Every ripple on the brazen -sea called for a different angle of the yards, and in dead calm we lay -with our head yards braced sharp up and the after yards square, the -courses guyed out from the masts by slap lines and bowlines. During the -day a vertical sun beat down on our bare deck in unmerciful fashion, -lifting the scorching pitch from the seams and all but addling our -senses with the heat. The mates became more and more exacting, every -job palled, and the stuffy, unpalatable food of the fo'c'sle stuck in -our throats. The vessel was a chip of hell floating on the unforgiving -ocean; riveted for days, that stretched to weeks, amid the patches of -rusty sea weed, a thousand feet across, that tangled about the rudder -post, great sun-scorched fragments of the dead Sargasso Sea. - -And all of this time we knew that the Southern branch of the Equatorial -Current was sending us back to the W. N. W. at the rate of several -miles a day! - -In watch below, choking with the heat, we lay tossing sleeplessly in -our bunks while the sickly smell of the bilges came up from the fore -peak through the wind sails let down to ventilate the hold. Cockroaches -throve in added millions, and we were treated to our first rations -of weevily tack. The little white worms seemed to be everywhere. The -cracker hash was riddled with them as Chow selected the rottenest bread -for this purpose. Most of us developed boils, and the dark brown taste, -left by the vile food, resulted in a general loss of appetite. The heat -even forced the rats from the hold and on a dark night we could hear -them scampering about under the fo'c'sle head. The healthy sea tan of -the temperate zone left our faces, and we became peevish and morose. - -Some of us tried to forget our misery by reading the books sent aboard -by the Seamen's Friend Society, others whiled away the hot watches -below, when sleep was impossible, by making wonderful models of ships -in bottles, almost a lost art nowadays, and revived on board the -_Fuller_ by Frenchy. Most of these works of art found resting places -behind the bars of waterfront saloons in Honolulu. - -One blessing that came to us in this hell afloat was the fact that the -mates winked at the snatching of a few hours' sleep during the night -watches on deck, otherwise there is no telling how some of us would -have survived. - -Our fo'c'sle scuttle butt soured, and Old Smith of the starboard watch -emptied it one Sunday morning and charred the inside with a bundle of -rope yarns to which he set fire. He told us how water gets bad in the -tropics, and then how its own impurities destroy themselves. "The bugs -scoff each other and die," and, went on Smithy, "they drops to the -bottom of the butt, like white skeletons, and the water is as clean and -good as ever." - -About this time considerable activity went on forward among the old -sailors in both watches. One dog watch, men from both sides of the -fo'c'sle went aft and interviewed the captain. - -"We are near the line," said Frenchy to me shortly afterward. "Don't -make any fuss about what goes on, and you'll get off easy," he -cautioned. - -There were quite a few of us who had never crossed the equator, and -the preparations in the dog watches augured ill for those who chose to -resist the just tribute demanded by Father Neptune of all green sailors -who, in those days, ventured across the magic bounds. - -A fair slant of wind had helped us along for a few days, when the Old -Man called Jimmy aft and imparted important information. - -At eight bells in the afternoon watch, as all hands were mustering in -the waist, a hoarse hail from forward greeted us. - -"_Ship Ahoy! Ship Ahoy!_" came the deep bass summons from a point -beneath the bow. - -"Forward, there! Who hails us?" answered the captain, who stood out on -the poop, replying to the voice from forward. - -"Father Neptune hails us, Captain," answered Hitchen, returning from -the bow. "He asks if there are any of his children on board who would -receive his blessing on their heads." - -"Aye, bring him on board," ordered the skipper, a broad grin lighting -his features, and the two mates reflected the feeling aft by joining in -the smiles. - -A noise of trudging along the deck followed, the King of the Sea, his -own whiskers hidden behind a broad beard of rope yarns, a bright red -harpoon in his right hand serving as a trident, and a large razor, made -of hoop iron, stuck in his belt, walked aft. He was draped in the folds -of an old boat sail, and for all of his regal trimmings we recognized -the famous Jimmy. A retinue followed, rigged out in true deepwater -style, and carrying a tub between them, which was deposited on deck -just aft of the mainmast. - -"Captain," said Neptune, "I am told as 'ow you 'ave green 'ands on -board who 'ave to be shaved." - -"Yes, Your Majesty, we have some with the hayseed still in their -whiskers," answered the skipper. - -"Bring 'em forth!" thundered the King, unlimbering his razor and -passing the trident to the safe keeping of his wife, Amphitrite, in the -person of Axel, who towered two feet above the head of the King. - -However, what Jimmy lacked in stature he made up in efficiency, and in -the imperious glance of scorn with which he greeted eight of us who -were lined up for his inspection. - -Old Smith grabbed me by the neck; I was seated on the bottom of an -upturned bucket at the feet of the King. - -"Your name?" demanded His Majesty, and as I was about to answer a -filthy swab of soapsuds and grease was thrust in my mouth and smeared -over my face and the shaving began, ending by a back somersault into -the tub of water behind. - -"Next!" called Neptune in true barber shop style, and so, in turn, each -of the green hands went through the ordeal; the least willing getting -the most attention. Scouse and Joe were among the lubbers, and were -accorded special rites to the vast amusement of all hands. Australia -wound up the entertainment by handing Scouse and Joe pieces of gunny -sack, smeared with black paint, with which to wipe their faces. - -"All right now!" called the mate, after the skipper had left the deck. -"Turn to and clean up," and we were back again to the rigid discipline -of the sea, relaxed for a brief hour to let King Neptune hold his sway. - -After crossing the line we picked up the first whisperings of the S. -E. trades, that soon began to blow steadily and ushered in another -busy stage of the voyage. The refreshing wind and falling temperature -brought renewed vigor to our jaded crew. Although we had commenced to -feel the lack of fresh provisions, scurvy did not bother us, possibly -owing to the regular issue of lime juice, but the constant repetition -of salt pork and salt beef, the weevily hard tack, and the abominable -slumgullion, a stew made from canned mutton, made us crave for -something decent to eat. - -Frenchy often drove us to the verge of distraction with his stories of -the cooks at home in Dunkirk, until we finally had to put the ban on -that sort of discourse. Again, we landed several bonitas teeming with -energy, and, after the silver coin test, all hands fell to with a will, -myself included. We also hooked a shark and hauled him on board by a -"handy billy" snatched to the fore rigging. - -The regular routine of setting up shrouds and stays preparatory to -entering the heavy weather off the Horn, now began in earnest. We -had left New York with a full set of new hemp lanyards in our lower -rigging. The lanyard knots were turned in in a slovenly manner, with a -lubberly disregard for appearances, that proved an eyesore to Captain -Nichols. We cast new knots in these, and set up all standing rigging -anew; a long, interesting job that initiated us into the mysteries of -"rackings" and the "Spanish windlass," and the practical workings of -the various "purchases" and "burtons"; the "luff tackles," and the "gun -tackles." - -The mate was the leading spirit in these proceedings, staying on deck -practically all day to supervise the work. As we would set up one pair -of shrouds to port and another to starboard, bringing them to a "full -due," the mate was always there to say when to clap on the racking and -"come up" on the rigging luffs. - -How the mate stood it often amazed me, for he was very lively at night, -but toward the end of this work the second mate would stand his last -dog watch for him, giving our first officer a six hour spell of sleep -every other day. What this means on a watch and watch racket, sailors -who have traveled the long voyage route will know. - -The real sailors came to the fore during this time in both watches, -and Frenchy, Brenden, and Marshall, of our side, with Smith, Axel, and -Hitchen of the starboard watch, proved their rightful claim to the full -rating of A. B. Mr. Stoddard, who was a bit weak on his marline spike -seamanship, though a good watch officer, made up for things by the way -he bawled about and hurried and scurried his watch during the time the -mate was on deck. His men hated him thoroughly and we were glad that -he had very little to do with us. - -Aboard a real shipshape and Bristol fashion deepwaterman of the old -school, if there be any such left today, everything is done according -to the custom of the sea. From the main truck to the keel, from the -outermost end of the flying jibboom to the last band on the spanker, -the ancient art of seamanship has decreed the exact way in which -certain things shall be done. The deadeyes carry their knots inboard, -forward to starboard, and aft to port. The lanyard lengths are justly -proportioned to the length of the stay they extend, so the required -"give" will be right, and the shroud pairs, stays, and backstays, are -passed over the mast heads and rest upon the trestle trees, in due and -proper form; the same in all ships worthy of the name. - -Nations differ in their customs, and likewise in their rigs. No Italian -ship can sail the sea with a straight martingale, and no other ship -would venture forth with one that was anything but true. - -For weeks at a time, after our entry into the southern trades, it was -hardly necessary to touch a brace except for the sweating up each night -in the last dog watch, when a swig or two on the ropes would bring -back any slack that had worked around the pins. The job of setting up -standing rigging completed, we turned our attention to the running -gear. We rove off new whips on all the braces, using an eye splice -that was a favorite with the mate, being tucked after the manner of a -sailmaker's splice, that is, the continuity of the strands of the rope -was preserved, the appearance of the whips being very trim. - -The tops'l downhauls were rove off with new rope, and the gear of -all the lower stays'ls, lower tops'ls and courses was overhauled and -replaced where needed. - -As we began to lift the Southern Cross and the trades left us, we again -shifted sail, an all day job that this time fell on a Sunday, and when -completed found us under our best suit of canvas ready for that storm -corner of the voyage, Cape Horn. We overhauled the rudder tackles, -reeving new purchases "with the sun," as indeed all purchases are -rove. Oil bags were made, shaped like beech nuts, bound with ratline -stuff, and fitted with a stout becket. By filling these with heavy -non-freezing animal or vegetable oil and puncturing them with a sail -needle, they afforded the best means for spreading oil on the waters -in time of storm. - -One sail in particular that we bent at this time made a great -impression on me; this was a heavy storm spencer made of dark hemp -canvas, soft and pliable even when wet, unlike the stiff white American -cotton stuff that rips out your finger nails when fighting the bellying -folds, tough as sheet iron, as it slams out from a bucking yard. The -main spencer was evidently an acquisition from some Asiatic or European -voyage. It bent to an iron jackstay, and furled in to the mast with a -set of brails, being cut "leg-o'-mutton," the sheet hauling aft to big -eyebolts on either side of the waist. - -Double lashings were passed on all of the lifeboat gripes. Rolling -and jumper tackles were got ready for the lower and tops'l yards, -to relieve the stress on yards and parrals, and straps and whips -were prepared, and laid aside, for use as preventer braces should -the necessity arise. In these preparations on the _Fuller_ we had a -foresight of what to expect when off the dreaded Cape; at the same time -we were certain that no vessel was ever better or more intelligently -groomed for heavy weather. - -These preparations carried us well down to the latitude of the River -Plate; here we were warned by the wise ones to expect some weather, -which was not long in coming. - -Our watch had just gone below at midnight, when a sou'wester zipped in -from the distant land, a live whole gale, sweetened with the breath of -the Patagonian prairies that stretched for leagues beneath its origin. -The starboard watch started to shorten sail, but by four bells in the -midwatch things were getting so far ahead of them that all hands were -called, and we tumbled out in the midst of a Bedlam of thrashing gear -and general confusion. - -Most of the port watch were ordered aloft to take in the fore upper -tops'l, thrashing in its gear, while the ship plunged ahead under lower -tops'ls, reefed fore course and stays'ls. The starboard watch were -completing the job of furling the main tops'l, and with two of our men -to help, were about to tackle the mains'l. - -I was on the fore upper tops'l yard, with Frenchy at the lee yardarm, -and Scouse in between me and the mast. We were just passing the last of -the sea gaskets, when the lower tops'l yard seemed to lift up in the -air with a sudden jump for we were standing on it, instead of on the -footropes of the upper tops'l. A great smashing below us, and the loud -impact of something big and hard banging against the yard under our -feet, sent us clambering to the upper stick for our lives. - -"_Lee fore sheet's adrift!_" someone shouted. There was a rush in to -the mast to escape the heavy spectacle iron, and the cluster of flying -clew garnet blocks, and the next thing we knew we were ordered to lay -out on the fore yard and secure the sail. - -"_Lay down and secure fores'l!_" came the order from the mate, who -stood on the fo'c'sle head, back to the gale, bellowing up his -instructions. - -Six of us slid down to the top and out on the jumping foreyard. The -buntlines and leechlines were finally hauled home, and we got our -gaskets about the flying iron. A weird morning light was then breaking -in the east and as our watch below was gone, all hands remained on deck -for morning coffee after we hove her to under lower tops'ls, fore and -main storm stays'ls, and trys'l. - -The Pampero gave us a taste of real weather, and came as an actual -relief after the long monotonous passage through the trades and -doldrums. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -LIFE IN THE FO'C'SLE - - -With livelier weather of the Southern latitudes we were often exercised -in tacking and wearing ship, and soon became a very well drilled -company, sending the big three-sticker about in record time. The -_Fuller_ was lively in stays and with our small crew required the -smartest kind of work in handling. - -With all hands, including the "idlers," that is, the carpenter, -cook and cabin steward, we mustered twenty men forward, hardly a -man-o'-war complement, but enough, when driven and directed by superior -seamanship, to send the long braces clicking through the sheaves of the -patent blocks with a merry chatter. - -"Hands about ship!" meant all hands, _and the cook at the fore sheet_, -a time honored station filled by the Celestial with all the importance -in the world. It was all the work that Chow ever did on deck and the -heathenish glee with which he would "let go" at the proper time, added -a certain zest to our movements, particularly as we always hoped to -have a sea come over and douse him, which often happened. - -At the order, "Ready! Ready!" the gear of the main and cro'jik was -thrown down from the pins, clear for running. The command "Ease down -the helm!" and the order "Spanker boom amidships!" would quickly -follow, the vessel running rapidly into the eye of the wind with -everything shaking, and then flat aback. - -"Rise tacks and sheets!" and the hands at the clew garnets would -sway up on the courses, lifting them clear of the bulwarks. Then all -hands would jump like monkeys to the main and cro'jik braces, at the -order, "Weather main, lee cro'jik braces!" the second mate, and Chips, -standing by to cast off on the other sides. By then, the wind being a -point on the weather bow, would come the hearty warning, "Haul taut!" -and "Now, boys, mainsail haul!" and the after yards, aback, with the -wind on their weather leeches, would spin about, the gear running -through the blocks like snakes afire, and the men on deck pawing it in -at the pins with feverish haste, belaying as the yards slammed back -against the lee swifters on the other tack. - -By that time the ship would be practically about, with head yards and -head sails aiding in the evolution. As soon as the wind was on the bow, -all hands would spring to the lee fore braces. "Haul taut--_let go and -haul_!" thundered the order from aft. Chow would let out a wild yell as -he unhitched the fore sheet, and around would go the head yards. Then -with jib sheets shifted over, and the spanker eased off, as the tacks -were boarded, and the sheets hauled aft, we would pause to get our -breath amid the tangle of gear on deck. - -"Steady out the bowlines--go below, watch below!" and as the watch -below would leave the deck, the order "Lay up the gear clear for -running," was the signal for the crowd on deck to get busy while the -good ship raced away on the new tack with the wind six points on the -bow, a bone in her teeth, and a half point of leeway showing in the -wake. - -"I hope she holds this tack for a month," was a wish often expressed -after one of these frantic evolutions; but such hopes were vain with -the variable nature of the strong winds between the Plate and Staten -Land, that often sent us about a half dozen times a day, insuring us -plenty of healthful exercise and a minimum amount of sleep. - -On a wind was the _Fuller's_ best point of sailing, so far as handling -was concerned, and she was as easy with the helm as a catboat. - -"Keep the weather cloth of the mizzen skys'l shaking," was the order -for "full and by," and, under all plain sail, a spoke of the wheel -would hold her for hours, with a quarter turn of weather helm. - -While our port watch crowd had at first thought themselves the losers -in the choice of officers, we soon realized that we were being favored -in many ways, mainly because of the superior ability of the mate. He -cursed unmercifully and made no bones about cuffing some of the crew -in a playful sort of fashion, accompanied with some ribald jest that -was meant to carry off the sting of a heavy blow, yet he managed to -give us the advantage in most operations requiring all hands. He never -hesitated to rouse out the starboard watch an hour ahead of time when -a sudden shortening of sail demanded all hands. On these occasions we -would work like fury and get below with the loss of a half hour's less -sleep than the other watch. - -Ill feeling among the men of the second mate's watch became more and -more apparent as these tactics continued, and the talk in the fo'c'sle -had it that the second mate was afraid to stand up for his rights. -He was accordingly blamed for every trouble forward, so far as his -own watch was concerned. Things culminated in the wake of a squall -that struck us soon after passing the River Plate. The tops'l yards -having been lowered to the caps, we were called out near the end of the -afternoon watch to man tops'l halyards. - -Tony, of the starboard watch, was "beforehand" with Axel and the second -mate, on the main tops'l halyards. The rest of the ship's company -tailed along the deck from the lead block bending their "beef" on the -rope to the refrain of "Ranzo, boys, Ranzo." The deck was slippery with -the wet, and a high sea, in which the _Fuller_ wallowed without sail -enough to steady her, made footing precarious. - -At the order "Belay!" given by the mate, and the sharp "Come up behind" -of the second officer, Tony failed to hold on to the rope, and the -consequence was a slight loss as the man next the lead block hitched -the halyard over the pin. - -"You lazy dago ---- ---- ---- ----! Why did you let go that rope?" -shouted Mr. Stoddard, at the same time making a lunge for Tony and -smashing him on the side of the face with his fist. The Dago blocked -as best he could, and the second mate drove home a second blow on the -Dago's nose. Tony clinched, the blood spurted right and left as they -went to the deck, rolling over and over, first one on top and then the -other. - -"What's this?" shouted the mate. "You dirty bum, ---- ---- you!" he -exploded, jumping into the scramble, while all hands lined up in a -threatening attitude, determined to see some sort of fair play. - -The mate grabbed Tony by the shirt, as he was on top, and yanked him -over. The fact that the Dago had Mr. Stoddard down seemed to rile the -mate beyond all reason. He ripped off the shirt of the Dago, and as he -threw him across the deck a knife flashed and the mate kicked it into -the scuppers, at the same time digging his heavy sea boots into the -side of the Italian. The second mate staggered to his feet, a jagged -streak of blood on his face where Tony had landed, and his jacket -covered with gore. - -This scene, common enough perhaps in the annals of the sea, made a -deep impression on us. His watchmates carried the Italian forward, and -Mr. Stoddard went to his room under the starboard side of the poop. -Bad as the feeling had been toward our officers, up to this time it -had mingled with it a certain element of respect. Artistic and fluent -profanity never hurt anybody, and was almost always justified by some -bungling piece of work on the part of the lubbers who "gummed up" -their action whenever the least chance was afforded them. But in the -attack of the second mate on Tony there was something that looked like -deliberate planning, and in the mixup a number of us saw the mate jerk -the knife from the Dago's belt. - -As Mr. Zerk went aft he picked up the knife from the scuppers. "Irons -for you!" he hissed at the Dago as they took him to the fo'c'sle. - -But we heard nothing more of it. The captain had come out on deck in -the height of the excitement, following the fight, and called the mate -to his side; he was wise in his day, and knew a thing or two about the -tactics of his officers. - -Soon we were tailing again to the halyard, tautening out the leeches -of the tops'l, an embittered crowd who but a few moments before were -singing at the ropes. Peter, in the meantime, was swabbing up the -bloody deck. - -One who has never been there can hardly realize the absolute -subjugation under which a crew may be placed by their officers, -especially if they are on a deep-sea voyage under sail. None of us is -perfect, and the humble sailor-man as well as the rest of the human -race is prone to take things as easy as the law of the craft on which -he sails will allow. This fact, coupled with the hard circumstances -under which a small crew is compelled to work a very large ship, may, -in a measure, condone the tactics which have for their object the -putting the "fear of God" into a crew. - -Young officers at times are inclined to be a bit "easy" with men, -thinking it will result in more willingness. The more seasoned members -of the cloth, men who have sailed as merchant officers for many years, -realize that the maintenance of discipline aboard ship is only possible -under a rule of autocratic severity, demanding instant obedience to -orders and quick punishment for the first departure from the iron -bonds. This is as necessary as life itself. The least hesitation, the -slightest possibility of argument, when ordering men to places of -danger or extreme difficulty, would soon result in disaster. - -At sea we have the sharp distinction of caste--the wonderful potency -of _Mister_ So and So. He is an officer, if not always a gentleman. To -forget the "_sir_" when addressing one of our mates would have been a -dangerous thing to do. In fact only one man ever did it, but he was a -Kanaka and signs on later in the story. - -In many ships, captain and mates never fail to use their "handles" -in addressing each other, and this was so on the _Fuller_, in fact -there was as little familiarity aft, in the personal relations of our -officers, as one might expect to find between the representatives of -two armies meeting to arrange a truce. And the wonderful part of it was -that they left the ship at the end of the voyage as coldly distant as -the day they stepped aboard; that is all but the second mate, which is -again running me ahead of the lawful progress of this yarn. - -However, to get back to the deck and to the lives of our particular -little sea community, plowing their painful way over the cruel surface -of the many wrinkled ocean, we resented the underhanded flavor of the -affair between the mates and Tony. With all the excuses for hazing -granted and allowed for, there is nothing to be said in favor of lying -about a fight. The imputation of the knife, held as evidence by the -mate, and the whole character of the mixup left a bad taste in our -mouths for many weeks. - -From that time on we entered upon a stage of the voyage notable for -its hardship. The officers were drivers from the time we dropped -the Navesink Highlands, but for a long time after the incident off -the River Plate, nothing but harsh words found any place in their -vocabulary. Weather conditions became more unsettled and severe and one -blow followed close on the heels of another. We were in oilskins for -weeks at a time, soaked to the skin through the worn out "slickers." -Most of us developed salt water boils and one formed on my left wrist, -through the constant chafing, and has left a scar to this day, as I -had the habit of stopping the sleeves of my coat with a few turns of -marline to keep the water out. It was impossible to dry things in -the brief four hours below, and the "slop chest" was soon depleted -of its stock of new oil clothing. It would be hard to picture a more -depressing period than that through which we passed just before -entering the real weather off Cape Horn. - -In one of our brief periods below some of us were patching the tears -in our oilskin coats and pants, resulting from a tussle with the fore -upper tops'l, the downhauls having carried away, and left the sail -a bellying fighting mess of canvas that four of us were ordered to -subdue. Sewing oiled cloth is a poor job, and a loosened finger nail on -my right thumb, added nothing to the cheerfulness of the sewing party. - -"I'll bet few lads would go to sea if they could look in here for a -half hour," I remarked, following a turn of thought that revolved more -or less about my own folly. - -"An' I don't think you would stay in 'ere or out on deck or anywhere -else in this leaky old bucket if you knowed what is afore us," chipped -in Jimmy. "You 'aven't never gone round the Horn yet, so God 'elp you, -is wot I says." - -"Yes, Gott help all of us," said Scouse with a heartfelt grunt from -the sea chest at the forward end of the fo'c'sle where he and Joe -were playing checkers on a new "heavy weather" board just made by the -resourceful Joseph. This board was covered with a piece of canvas, -the squares being marked off with pencil. The checkers (and here is -where Joe prided himself) were made by sawing pieces from an old broom -handle, and Joe had driven a sharp brad through each one of them so -they would cling to the canvas on the checker board. - -On deck chanties had ceased to enliven us, and we went through the hard -watches in a dogged spirit of endurance. We felt like martyrs, a state -of mind not altogether without its compensations. In the watch below, -in a steaming atmosphere of gloom, lighted by a single oil lamp set -into a hole in the partition bulkhead between the two sides of the -fo'c'sle, we slept as much as possible, which was not half enough, ate -our rude meals, and had our dreams of happier days to come. Each man -respected the rights of his neighbors and each bunk was a sort of damp -narrow castle. Here in the smelly air, in the dim light, cold, tired, -and often hungry, we lived, or rather, existed. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -CAPE HORN - - -On a clear Monday morning, the seventh of February, 1898, to be exact, -the captain, after working up his A. M. sight, came on deck and -announced a good observation. It was the first time the sun had been -visible in some days, and by working a Sumner he found we were on a -line cutting close past Cape St. John, on Staten Land, having sailed -the ship down between the Falkland Islands and Cape Virgins by dead -reckoning. We were coiling down the gear after the morning washdown, -and I was busy at the monkey rail when he came on deck with his -results, and imparted the above information to the mate in my hearing. - -"Better send a hand to the main skys'l yard, Mr. Zerk," said the -captain, in conclusion. - -I was handy, and at a nod from the mate sprang up the Jacob's ladder -and onto the ratlines, going up like a monkey, out over the futtock -shrouds, up the topmast rigging, narrowing to the topmast crosstrees, -in through the horns of the crosstrees, and on farther up the t'gallant -and royal rigging, on the slight rope ladders abaft the mast. Coming to -the skysail mast, hardly larger round than the stick of a fair catboat, -I shinned up with the help of the halyards, and swung myself astride of -the yard, my arm about the aerie pinnacle of the main truck. From my -vantage point the sea was truly an inspiring sight; clear as crystal, -the limpid air stretched free to the distant horizon without a mist or -cloud to mar the panorama of vast blue ocean. I felt as though I had -suddenly been elevated to a heaven far above the strife and trouble of -the decks below. - -For the moment I forgot the object of my climb in the contemplation of -the sparkling scene stretching as far as eye could reach. I glanced -down to the narrow deck far beneath, white in the sun, the black top -of the bulwarks outlining the plan of the ship against the deep blue -waters; my eye followed the easy curves of the squared canvas on the -main, the great breadth of the yards extending to port and starboard, -and I wondered that so small a ship could support such an avalanche of -sail as bowled along under my feet. Aft, a foamy wake stretched for a -mile or two, for we were sailing at a fairish speed with the wind from -the north, a point on the port quarter. - -I saw the men flaking down the fore tops'l halyards, clear for running, -on the top of the forward house, and I saw the mate watching me from -the weather fore pinrail, his head thrown back as he gazed aloft; -something told me to get busy, and I looked far ahead to the south. - -A faint blue streak on the horizon held my eyes. Accustomed to the -sight of land from out at sea, through my voyages in the schoolship; -still I hesitated to name it land. We were sixty-two days out, and -land looked strange. Again I brought my sight to bear upon the distant -skyline ahead; there was no mistaking the dim outline of land rising -from the sea at a point immediately to the south of us and reaching -westward. - -"_Land ho!_" I hailed the deck. - -"Where away?" came the voice of Captain Nichols. - -"A point on the lee bow, sir!" - -"All right! Lay down!" shouted the mate, evidently not intending that I -should further enjoy my lofty perch on the skysail yard. - -We raised the land rapidly, the breeze increasing slightly as the day -advanced. At noon Staten Land was visible from the deck, and by eight -bells in the afternoon watch we were sailing past the bold shores, some -ten miles distant, and drawing the land well abeam. Running south for a -good offing, and taking in our light sails with the coming of darkness, -we hauled our wind to the starboard quarter at the end of the last dog -watch and headed bravely for old "Cape Stiff." - -Captain Nichols might have ventured through the Strait of Le Maire, -with the weather we were having, though at the best it is taking -chances to keep the land too close aboard when in the troubled -latitudes of Terra Del Fuego. Countless ships, with the fine _Duchesse -de Berry_ among the last of them, have ground their ribs against the -pitiless rocks that gird those coasts. However, we were enjoying the -rarest of Cape Horn weather--sunshine, fair wind, and a moderate sea. - -For the first time in many weary days we livened things up with a -chantey as we swigged away on the braces and tautened every stitch of -canvas with well stretched sheets and halyards. - -Jimmy Marshall had just started "Whiskey for my Johnnie," and the -captain came forward on the break of the poop and joined in the chorus -in a funny, squeaky voice--but none of us dared laugh at him. He was -so delighted with the progress we were making and the chance that we -might slip by the "corner" in record time, that nothing was too good -for us. The mate came down from his high horse and with Mr. Stoddard -and Chips, who had just finished their supper and were stepping out on -deck, to join them, the full after guard took up the refrain--and the -words rose in a great volume of deep sea song. - - "Oh, whiskey--my Johnnie; - Yes, whiskey made me sell my coat - Whiskey, my Johnnie. - Oh, whiskey's what keeps me afloat, - Oh whiskey for my Johnnie." - -When we pumped her out that night at the main pump, for the ship was -almost on an even keel, we noted the skipper had begun to stump the -quarter deck in a very excited way, constantly ducking up and down the -companion, and scanning the horizon with an anxious eye. Cape pigeons -were circling close to the ship with an endless chatter, and far above -us swung a huge, dun-colored fulmar gull, its white belly clean against -the grey sky. - -"There is something doing with the glass," remarked Frenchy, eyeing -the skipper. "We'll have some weather to look out for before long," -and all of us watched the gull with fascinated eyes. Jimmy and Brenden -agreed with Frenchy that we were in for heavy weather. - -But in spite of these dire predictions, and in spite of a "red dawn," -the day broke and continued fair, and we were again regaled with a -glimpse of land, jagged somber peaks, jutting into the sky to the north -like the cruel teeth of a ragged saw, grey blue above the far horizon. - -I was aft flaking down the mizzen tops'l halyards on the morning -following the landfall when Captain Nichols stumped past me from the -break of the poop to the companion. He had been up all night, and the -continuation of fine weather evidently pleased and surprised him. He -had a pair of binoculars in his hand, and, in passing, he stopped and -offered the glasses to me, pointing to the southernmost promontory, a -cold blue knob rising from the sea. - -"That's Cape Horn over there, Felix. Take a good look at it. You may -never see it again, if you were born lucky." - -Almost staggered by this sudden good fortune, I brought the captain's -glasses in focus on the dreaded cape, my whole being thrilled with -the pleasure of looking through those excellent binoculars at that -distant point of rock, the outpost of the New World, jutting far into -the southern ocean. I doubt if the gallant old Dutchman, Schouten, who -first "doubled" it, experienced half the exhilaration that I did on -first beholding that storied headland. At four bells in the morning -watch I went to the wheel, and while the watch swabbed down the decks -after the morning washdown, I was privileged to look at the Cape out of -the corner of my eye, between times; keeping the "lubber's line" of the -compass bowl on sou'west by sou', for the skipper had shaped a course a -point or so further off shore, as the currents had evidently set us in -toward the land during the night and he wished to keep his safe offing. - -[Illustration: Martin] - -The wind in the meantime had veered round to west-nor'-west, blowing -directly off the land and with increasing force. The light sails were -taken in again, and by eight bells we were under t'gans'ls, upper and -lower tops'ls, reefed fores'l, reefed mains'l, spanker, jib and topmast -stays'ls. - -As I left the wheel and went forward, I determined to attempt a pencil -sketch of Cape Horn, the weather being too dull for a photograph, -even if the land were not too distant. The result, after some trials, -and the loss of my breakfast, which was nothing, resulted in a fair -representation of what we saw of the Cape, and I turned into my bunk -with a feeling of satisfaction. After all, it was worth a good deal to -have actually set eyes upon the Horn. - -When we turned out at one bell, for dinner, we found the wind had -veered farther to the west, we were sailing by the wind with the -starboard tacks aboard, the cold spray from a rising sea, breaking over -the fo'c'sle head, and spattering against the fo'c'sle door. - -Jimmy sat up and rubbed his eyes as the watch was called and swore -gently under his breath. Brenden went out on deck to take a look at the -weather. "Hell, we got it now. I have seen this before. D'you feel the -ice?" he asked. - -Indeed we all felt the drop in temperature, and the short snappy jerk -of the ship, as she met the new direction of the sea, was anything but -pleasant. - -Coffee was served out to us that noon instead of lime juice, and the -warmth was welcome; it helped wash down the last cooked meal that Chow -was able to prepare for ten days. - -Mustering on deck at eight bells, we found we were driving south under -a leaden sky. Cape Horn, still dimly visible, was soon shut off, -vanishing in a cloud cap over the land astern. We were sailing due -south, the wind having headed us, and at four bells, the wind rapidly -increasing in violence, the starboard watch turned out to help in -shortening down. We at once took in the t'gans'ls, mains'l, and jib, -and these were followed in quick succession by other canvas until at -eight bells we had the _Fuller_ stripped to her lower tops'ls, close -reefed main upper tops'l, and storm stays'ls. The sea rose to mammoth -proportions, fetching as it did from the very edge of the Antarctic ice -barrier. - -The canvas aloft soon became stiff with ice and all gear on the ship -was coated with frozen rain, as we were swept by a succession of rain -and hail storms. At nightfall we were hove to, on the starboard tack -under goose winged main lower tops'l, reefed main trys'l, and storm -stays'l. The oil tank forward was dripping its contents on the sea, and -two oil bags were slung from the fore and main weather channels. - -The storm, for the wind had now increased to fully sixty miles an hour, -held steady from the west until midnight. Then it suddenly went to -nor'west, and in the squalls, when the wind rose to hurricane force, -the _Fuller_ lay over on her beam ends. A vicious cross sea added -its danger to the situation. All hands were then on deck, remaining -aft near the mizzen rigging. The fo'c'sle, galley, and forward cabin -were awash. Four men braced themselves at the spokes of the wheel, -under the eye of the second mate, and relieving tackles were hooked to -ease the "kick" of the tiller. Preventer braces and rolling tackles, -got up earlier in the day, were hove taut to steady the heavy spars -aloft. All loose gear was streaming to leeward, washing in the sea, -through the open scuppers and freeing ports. A fierce boiling of -white phosphorescent wave caps lit the sea as it broke over the ship, -intensifying the black pandemonium overhead. The sleet-laden spume shot -over the prostrate vessel in a continuous roar, drowning all attempts -at shouting of orders. - -It was during the wild but fascinating hours of this night that I -realized the high quality of seamanship that had prepared us for an -ordeal such as we were going through. The consummate skill with which -the great wooden craft was being handled came home to me with a force -that could not be denied. How easily a bungling lubber might have -omitted some precaution, or carried sail improperly, or have done, or -not done, the thousand things that would have spelled disaster! - -The captain and mate stood at the lee of the mizzen mast, each with a -turn of the tops'l sheets about him, and hitched over the monkey rail. -The rest of us, crouching at the lee of the cabin trunk, knee deep in -the water when she went over in the heavier squalls, held our places -wondering what turn things would take next. Looking through one of -the after cabin ports, on my way to the wheel, I saw Chow and Komoto, -the cabin boy, packing a box by the light of the small lamp swinging -in its gimbals. They were evidently getting ready to leave--where -to--themselves and their gods alone knew. - -All things have an end, and the Stygian blackness of the night gave -way to gray streaks of dawn that broke upon us, revealing a scene of -utmost desolation. A note of order was given to the wild confusion of -the gale-wracked fabric, when Chips, his lanky figure skimming along -the life line, and his sounding rod sheltered under his long oil coat, -ventured to the main fife rail to sound the well. As for the crew, we -were soaked with salt water and frozen to the marrow. The main lower -tops'l had blown from the bolt ropes during the night; we never missed -it until morning. Twenty feet of the lee bulwark--the port side--was -gone, and a flapping rag of canvas at the main hatch told us that the -tarpaulin was torn. Looking forward through the whistle of wind and -spume that cut across the sharply tilted rigging, the scene was one -of terrific strife, as though some demon ruler of the sea had massed -his forces, and was making a desperate drive for the destruction of -the wooden handiwork of man upon which he dared to venture over those -forbidden wastes. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -ROUNDING THE HORN - - -No matter how miserable one may be, action of some kind always comes -as a relief. Our hard lot on the _Fuller_ was positively made more -bearable by the added hardships of the storm, and when the night was -past we were glad to force our chilled limbs and hungry bellies to some -sort of effort. Anything was better than to hang to the mizzen rigging -and slowly freeze to death. The torn hatch tarpaulin was a serious -matter. The merchant service holds no higher duty, where passengers are -not carried, than the duty toward cargo. This is often forgotten by men -who lack the true traditions of the sea. But our officers were well -alive to the importance, not only of bringing our ship around the Horn, -but of bringing her cargo through in good condition. - -The mate, followed by Axel, Brenden, Frenchy, and Mike, a husky, -well-set-up sailor of the starboard watch, went into the waist and -worked their way along the deck at great peril. After much trouble -they managed to wedge down the flapping canvas, which was under a -constant deluge of blue water, whole seas coming aboard in quick -succession. - -By noon the weather abated somewhat, and we got the ship under fore -and mizzen lower tops'ls, and close reefed main upper tops'l. Before -nightfall we had sent down what remained of the main lower tops'l, and -bent a new sail. That afternoon we experienced an adventure fraught -with much excitement to us of the port watch. The jib having worked -loose from the gaskets, by constant dipping into the sea, as the ragged -crests of blue water buried the bowsprit and jibboom, six of us were -ordered out to secure the sail by passing a three-inch manila line -around the sail and boom. - -Brenden, Scouse, Frenchy and I were on the weather side, and Joe and -Martin went out on the boom to leeward. The job was almost finished, -two seas had already drenched us, and we were chilled with the dip in -the cold water, when the ship rose to a heavy roller, her bow lifted -high into the eye of the wind, and then plunged down into the deep -trough between two seas. The momentum was so great that she failed to -rise quickly enough, and her jibboom stabbed right into the heart of -the onrushing wall of cold blue water, regardless of the half dozen -luckless wretches clinging to the furled canvas with all their might. -The great sea went on over us, thundering down on the fo'c'sle head, -and rushing aft along the deck in a noisy white cataract of foam. When -she shook free we were left clinging to the jibboom like drowned rats, -that is, all of us but Joe. - -Aft on the poop, the mate heard our cries, and, springing to the lee -rail, he yanked a bight of line from a pin and hove it overboard, -catching Joe just in time as he rose close along side. When she heeled -to leeward, ready hands hauled the half-drowned Joe on board. Captain -Nichols had come up on the first cry, and taking Joe into the cabin, -he poured out a liberal hooker of whiskey from the medicine chest. The -funny part of the whole thing was that Joe was more thankful for the -drink than for his escape from certain death, for we never could have -lowered a boat in that sea. - -We got a watch below that night, and the cook managed to heat some -coffee, but cold salt beef and hard tack were all that the kids -contained when we went below for supper. Wrapped in our damp clothes -we managed to peg in a few hours of necessary sleep. Life, for a week -afterward, was not worth living, unless one held some latent strain of -the old berserker flowing through his veins. It was a fight, and the -elements charged us and flanked us in midnight fury, increasingly cold -as we edged farther to the south in our attempt to round the meridian -of Cape Horn. - -In latitude 56 deg. 29' S. and longitude 68 deg. 42' W. from Greenwich, -about sixty sea miles S. W. by W. from Cape Horn, lies the island of -Diego Ramirez, a weather-worn rock jutting from the black waters of -the sub-antarctic. Ten days after fetching away from the Cape, we beat -south and sighted this grim sentinel, the outpost of the tempest and -the gale--ten days of such seagoing as seldom falls to the men who -nowadays go down to the sea in steamers. - -Under conditions of the kind we experienced, every man was put to -the test, and his worth as a member of the crew clearly established. -Fortunately for us, and for the races representative in our small -company--of which we boasted quite a few--no strain of yellow fear -developed during the days and nights when the work aloft called for -the performance of duty dangerous in the extreme. Not one of us but -had been shipmates with men lost overboard, or maimed for life in -accidents to sail or spars. Never was there a moment's hesitation to -lay aloft, or out on a swaying bucking yard in the black cover of -night, to grapple with canvas hard and unruly. No work was too trying, -and no hours of labor too long. We thought nothing of the eternal -injustice of a fate that sent us out to sea to fight for our very lives -on a ship far too big for so small a crew to handle safely, if indeed -any crew of mere men could ever _safely_ handle so large a ship. - -Never was there a suspicion of holding back, and through it all, -the discipline of the disgruntled warmer latitudes was dropped and -orders were quickly obeyed as a matter of course; yes, as a matter of -self-preservation. The disgusting profanity of warmer climes was laid -in the discard for a while, and we were men doing men's work. - -Wet and hunger were the rule; to be chilled with the cold was normal, -and our salvation was the constant struggle with the working of the -ship. Accidents occurred, and old Jimmy lay in his bunk with his right -arm in a bandage from a dislocation due to a fall on the slippery deck. -This was roughly set by the captain with the help of the mate and the -carpenter. The galley fire had hardly been lighted an hour at a time as -the seas flooded everything forward. Cold salt junk--from the harness -casks to the kids--comprised the mainstay of our ration, not to mention -the daily whack of mouldy, weevily hard tack. Had it not been for an -occasional steaming hot can of slops called tea and coffee, we should -have surely perished. - -Our oilskins were in shreds, boots leaked, and every stitch of clothing -in the ship was damp, except when dried by the heat of our bodies. -Had I been told of this before starting out--well, I suppose I would -not have believed it--and, when I say that during it all we had a -fairly good time and managed to crack jokes and act like a lot of -irresponsible asses, it goes to prove that man was born to be kicked; -be he on a sailing ship around the Horn, on the hard edge of the Arctic -littoral, or in the bloody trenches; fate is always there to step in -and deliver the necessary bumping. - -When south of Diego Ramirez, we passed the American ship _Shenandoah_, -Captain "Shotgun" Murphy, bound from 'Frisco to Liverpool, with a cargo -of grain. She was racing two English four-masted barks, and we were -told that she dropped her hook in the Mersey a month ahead of them. - -When sighting the _Shenandoah_ we were close to the wind on the -starboard tack, standing about due west; the _Shenandoah_ was running -free, with the wind two points abaft her port beam, carrying everything -to t'gans'ls, stays'ls, and jigger, a truly magnificent sight and the -first sail we had seen close aboard since leaving the _Tam O'Shanter_ -off Sandy Hook. - -When abeam we exchanged the courtesies of the sea, dipping our ensign -from the monkey gaff, and running aloft our "number," the gay string -of lively colored flags, pennant, and burgee--J. V. G. B. of the -International Code--the universal language of the sea. - -The _Shenandoah_ also ran up her number, a spot of color in the -beautiful spread of white cotton canvas on her yards. The sky was dull, -but the clear air set her off with cameo like distinctness against the -grey background of the horizon. The deep blue of the sea smothered -white under her bow and, as she rolled gracefully, the yellow gleam of -her copper flashed along under her sleek black side, or else we caught -a glimpse of her white decks over the line of her bulwarks, as she -dipped to leeward. - -We had sighted the sail ahead, and, having our starboard tacks aboard, -were accorded the right of way. Hitchen, of the other watch, gathered -with a group of us on the fo'c'sle head to watch the stranger drive -past us. Being somewhat of a scholar, the little Englishman delivered -himself of the following verse: - - "If close hauled on the starboard tack, - No other ship can cross your track; - If on the port tack you appear, - Ships going free must all keep clear; - While you must yield when going free, - To sail close hauled or on your lee. - And, if you have the wind right aft, - Keep clear of every sailing craft." - -In obedience to this Law of the Sea, the four-masted ship _Shenandoah_ -starboarded a point, passing the _Fuller_ well to windward, and some -five miles south of the Island of Diego Ramirez. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -INTO THE PACIFIC - - -After close to two and a half months at sea we had reached the turning -point on the long course to Honolulu. The Atlantic with its trials lay -behind us, and just in our wake the sullen waters of the Horn lashed -themselves against the coast of Terra Del Fuego. Ahead stretched the -broad Pacific, greatest of oceans, and fraught with every angle of -adventure that comes to the men who sail. Indeed the sailing of a great -ship like the _Fuller_ is the rarest kind of sport from the standpoint -of seamanship, where every stitch of canvas is made to draw to its full -capacity in every wind that blows. From the cold latitudes of the Cape -up to abreast of Valparaiso, we had good lively sailing. Great rollers -followed us, for the winds were mostly fair, and, as the seas overtook -us and expended themselves to the north, we drove onward, cutting down -the latitude in record time; the cape pigeons were left behind, but -several albatross formed a convoy almost to the edge of Capricorn. - -During these weeks of strenuous weather a favored few of us were told -off to lay up sennet for use in making chafing mats, and as "service" -on the backstays, where subject to the wear of gear. We would perch -ourselves on the coils of rope stowed on the fore hatch tarpaulin under -the fo'c'sle head, where we were sheltered from the weather and at the -same time within easy call from aft. - -Frenchy was the leading sailor in these arts and taught us to lay up -_round_, _flat_, and _French sennet_. The less skilled men busied -themselves in making _nettles_ and _foxes_, using the primitive -"spinning jinney," and rubbing down the small stuff with canvas to -"smooth" it before balling. Here, too, we were initiated into the fine -points of marling spike work, Frenchy, Brenden, and Jimmy Marshall -showing the less knowing ones how to turn in many a splice and knot. -Turk's heads of three, five, and seven strands were made, and the -more difficult series of four, six and eight strands were mastered by -some of us. Jimmy worked a wonderful set of manropes for the after -companion, crosspointing them in red, white and blue, and topping them -with rose knots. - -I was delighted to pick up a vast amount of interesting and useful -knowledge about the different knots and hitches used at sea. How many -sailors today can properly cast a _carrick bend_, turn in a _mariner's -splice_, or a _Flemish eye_, or work a _cringle_ into a _Bolt rope_? -Hitchen, of the starboard watch, taught us how to make the _English bag -knot_, an intricate and beautiful formation cast in the bight of a line. - -Our work under the fo'c'sle head got all hands started, and during many -a dismal wet dog watch we practiced the forming of every knot from the -_bowline_ down; Peter, the boy, and myself trying to outdo each other -in the variety of our achievements. Frenchy taught us a new way to -form that "king of knots," the _bowline_, in which the loop is passed -through the gooseneck twice, forming a double loop, a most useful knot -employed in the French Navy. When a man is to be lowered over side, he -sits in one of the loops and the other is passed under his arm pits, -the gooseneck coming against his chest. His weight tautens the part -under the arms, and it is impossible for a man to drop out of this -bowline, even though he becomes unconscious. - -In this manner much of the unrecorded lore of the sea was passed on to -us in the _Fuller_ as the same things have been handed down through -the ages since the Phoenicians, the Norsemen, and the more ancient -sailors of Cathay first rigged their barks, fashioning their bends and -hitches in the same manner as the sailors of today. Where the marvelous -knots originated, no one can tell. Who invented them, no one knows; -but we do know that the rope craft of the sea is standard and defies -improvement. It takes time to learn the knots, bends, hitches, and -splices; how much longer it must have taken to discover them can only -be imagined. - -In time, much of this will be entirely superseded by wire and steel, as -indeed all lower standing rigging is already of wire. But turnbuckles -and riveted plates are part of the metal ships, unyielding and stiff, -that buckle the hollow steel masts, or sheer the channel plates clean -from the hull, when wrenched by the resistless power of the sea. - -In the days of wood, of tough live oak, and tarred hemp lanyards, with -their "give" and "spring," the old style rigging knots and splices -endured for thousands of years. Can steel and steam resist the hands of -time as well? - -On the _Fuller_ we were taught that everything had to be done just so -to be "shipshape and Bristol fashion," as the old sea phrase has it. -It was always: - - Worm and parcel with the lay, - Then turn and serve the other way. - -And the humblest tools have had their form decreed since the art -of seamanship began. The _serving board_ and the _serving mallet_ -used by Noah; the _fid_, the _marling spike_, the sewing _palm_, -and the _caulking iron_, are the ultimate tools of the most ancient -handicraft; the art of building and rigging ships. We used all of these -implements with industry as the blustery weather sent us up from the -Horn to Honolulu. We saw how able sailors fit a cringle to the tough -four-stranded hempen bolt ropes on the storm canvas; we learned the -proper way to _strop_ a block, with the splice _where it belongs_, as -every sailor knows, and the throat seizing _frapped_ and _hitched_ in -sailor fashion. - -The hours spent under the fo'c'sle head during those days of the voyage -were not so tedious. The Horn was behind us and the prospect of fine -weather ahead. Yarning was always going on, and often we spent the dog -watches in making fancy plaitings and knottings for sea chest covers -and the like. I realized that such men as Marshall, Old Smith, Hitchen, -Axel, Brenden, and Frenchy were of a dwindling breed, soon to be as -rare as the makers of stone axes, or the seamen of the Roman galleys. - -One other sailor of the ship's company asked odds of no one in the -range of his knowledge of the sea. Whatever else we may have thought -of him, we were forced to acknowledge Mr. Zerk a seaman of the most -accomplished sort. Versed in the art of wire splicing and up to every -dodge in sailmaking and rigging, he combined the ability of the marling -spike man with the gift of the larger seamanship involved in the -handling of a vessel under all conditions. If his eye ever lights on -this, and I hope it will, I herewith accord to him the full measure -of my admiration, for the combination of these two types of sailor is -rare; as rare as the few remaining ships of the school that brought him -forth. - -The _Fuller_ was a wooden vessel, Bath built, and coppered, not with -the beautiful "red copper" we read about in Clark Russell, but with a -composition resembling brass, tough, yellow, and antifouling; a less -expensive sheathing than the pure copper, and, to my mind, every bit -as good a color, the bright yellow, between the deep blue sea and the -black hull, striking a pleasing line that glints like gold when the -sun just hits it at the proper angle. - -Our ship was a full-bodied model, really a medium clipper, surprisingly -sharp, and with a clean run aft that gave her a handy pair of heels -in any kind of a favorable wind. Like most ships "of a certain age," -the old girl was troubled with her timbers and joints. These had an -uncomfortable way of sliding over each other and complaining in a truly -agonizing manner. - -"She has lots of 'give' to her," one of the men remarked on our running -into the first sea after leaving port. - -The working of the vessel's timbers kept her bilge "sweet" by admitting -a liberal quantity of nice cool sea water seeping in all the way from -the garboard strake to the channels, a circumstance that necessitated -constant pumping, back breaking labor that in heavy weather continued -during the whole of the twenty-four hours, with two hands bending over -the lee bilge pump. The wheel, the lookout at night, and the bilge -pump, were taken in rotation by all hands. For back breaking, soul -destroying labor, nominate the bilge pump. I had a standing offer in -the fo'c'sle to stand two wheels for one bilge pump, Scouse and Fred -and Martin being my best customers until I was dated up so far in -advance on the steering that I had to take this on as well as the -pumping, which came along oftener as it called for two men. - -In the matter of small trading we did a thriving business in the -fo'c'sle, some of us even branching out into foreign trade with the -starboard watch. I was the one to introduce this practice on board the -_Fuller_, a relic of my schoolship days, when pools were formed in the -different messes and five and ten rations of cold corned beef traded -off for potatoes, or potatoes and butter paid out as rental for the use -of the precious frying pans of which there were a few on board. When -I worked out a system of credits for different kinds of grub on the -_Fuller_ it was found to be a source of diversion and made possible -some adjustment along the lines of personal taste, in the matter of -our meals. We had stock fish every once in a while, no doubt as a -concession to the Scandinavian contingent, to be found in every ship -that sails the seas. I invariably passed off my share of this delicacy -to Fred or Martin and would be credited with their rations of apple -jack, a stew of musty dried apples; or I would contract for half of -their whack of lime juice and vinegar. - -Mr. Zerk, with whom I always was a favorite, that is until we got to -Honolulu, occasionally gave me a jar of preserves, of which he had a -large store. These were home-made pickles and jams, and when brought -into the fo'c'sle caused quite a commotion. - -"Rats with 'im and 'is rotten marmerlade," declared Jimmy in great -dudgeon when I brought forward the first fruits of my "stand in." - -"Eat it yerself but don't ast no self-respectin' man to touch it," was -the sarcastic way in which the haughty Marshall voiced his sentiments. -"Wot do you say?" he demanded, glaring about the fo'c'sle to see if -anyone dared dispute him. - -"Righto," piped up Joe. "That rotten skunk aft has poisoned the stuff, -I'll bet." - -"No, it's good," I declared, dipping in with the tip of my sheath -knife. It was a jar of very red cherry jam. It also had a very pleasant -aroma as well as a pleasing taste. I purposely took a second very large -helping and could see that the temptation to fall was great. - -"Here, Frenchy, don't eat any, now. Just _taste_ it, perhaps it does -taste a little funny." Frenchy tasted. "I don't know. It does taste -funny," he said. - -"Here, gimme a piece o' tack," and Joe was sampling the jam very -liberally. - -In a moment all hands, including Jimmy, were tasting it, and all -declared it tasted funny. As a matter of fact it did taste very funny -if we accepted apple jack as a standard. - -As the last smear of jam was cleaned from the jar the hypercritical -Jimmy had the nerve to remark, "That was the rottenest marmerlade I -ever tasted." - -However, after that no questions were raised when I brought a donation -forward, though to tell the truth these treats were scarce, as the -mate's private stock ran out long before we got to Honolulu. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -CABIN AND FO'C'SLE - - -Captain Nichols was a good deal of a mystery to us forward. He seldom -came on deck except for a few moments of a fine morning, when he would -bob up, "take a sight" and stump deliberately down the companion to -the chronometer, counting the seconds out loud on his way. At noon he -"took the sun" alone in solitary scientific grandeur; only once do I -remember seeing the mate take an observation. One noon, I was at the -wheel at the time, our first officer came aft shortly before eight -bells, carrying an ancient "hog yoke." His sleeves were rolled up, -and a greasy shine on the arc of his instrument told of efforts at -polishing. Somehow he could not get the sun to behave, for the curious -relic seemed sadly in need of adjustment. He retired in disgust when -the captain "made eight bells," and stumped forward without answering, -when the skipper asked him what he had for altitude. - -Tipping me the shadow of a wink, the captain went below to work up the -position. - -The captain on the other hand was quite regular in his methods of -navigation. He watched the course closely, having a particularly fine -tell-tale compass swung beneath the skylight in his private cabin, as -every one of us had evidence by the uncanny way in which he would pop -up out of the companion at the most unheard of hours of the night and -walk quickly to the binnacle, and seldom except when the helmsman was -off his course. - -I met the captain a number of years afterward in Philadelphia. He was -then in command of a fine steamer and I was second mate of another -vessel of the same line. In the course of a pleasant visit talking -over old times on the _Fuller_, I asked him how he managed to keep -such close watch on the navigation of his ship without any particular -assistance from his officers. - -"By staying awake nights, sir," was his laconic reply. - -At any rate, whatever his method, Captain Nichols knew pretty well -where we were at all times. - -On the old ships, and the _Fuller_ was a very good example of her -class, the master was housed in truly palatial style. On our ship the -captain's quarters were spacious, taking up two-thirds of the cabin and -running the whole width of the vessel, and fore and aft from the mizzen -mast to the lazarette. The captain's stateroom was most commodious; he -enjoyed the comfort of slumber in a large mahogany bunk built after -the lines of a Dutch galiot, as broad as it was long. This room took -up the space of three ordinary staterooms on the starboard quarter. At -the foot of the companion was a cozy after cabin luxuriously paneled -in mahogany between fluted columns of the same wood picked out with -gold leaf at base and capital. Other rare woods of a lighter shade were -inlaid on the center panels, and the whole furnishing of cushioned -lockers, round table, and skylight, with its tell-tale compass, book -and chart cases, gave it the air of a costly yacht cabin. - -His bathroom, connected with a large salt-water tank, filled each -morning by the deck washers, was on the port side, and two spare -staterooms opened into the after cabin from port. A bulkhead divided -these private quarters from the forward or mess cabin, off which were -the pantry, storeroom, steward's room and slop chest. The mates were -berthed in two staterooms on either side of the after cabin, but their -doors opened into a sort of thwart ship vestibule running the width of -the after cabin just below the break of the poop. The mizzen mast came -down through the after end of the mess cabin, and a large brass lamp -swung in gimbals just below the long skylight. - -A repeating rifle in a rack above the captain's bunk, and two revolvers -on each side of the chart table, composed the offensive battery. A long -brass telescope reposed in a rack in the companion, and at the foot of -this was slung a very good mercurial barometer. Typical of the best -traditions of the sea, such were the quarters of the after guard. - -Forward we were not done so well. The fo'c'sle took up the forward part -of the deck house and was sheltered from the force of the sea and wind -by the high break of the fo'c'sle head. These quarters were divided by -a bulkhead running fore and aft, to separate the watches, and plain -unpainted bunks lined the sides. Light was afforded by a poor lamp set -in a hole in the wall between the two sides, a cheap expedient thought -of, no doubt, by some thrifty soul who knew that this was far better -than the traditional whale oil, or slush dip, of the hoary days when -sailor men were shoved below decks in reeking quarters just over the -fore peak. - -However, the fo'c'sle was home to us. We lived there and had our being -amid an atmosphere not altogether bad; what we lacked in conveniences -we made up for in ingenuity. Above a few of the bunks were rough -calendars marked on the woodwork, some of them from previous voyages. -Brenden kept track of our position by notching each day on the -scantling overhead. Under these marks he had signs that stood for the -N. E. trades, the Line, the S. E. trades, etc. All sorts of little -shelves were rigged up to hold tobacco, matches, ditty bags, well -thumbed books, old newspapers, and what not. Lines of marline were -stretched above the bunks for drying clothes. - -The scheme of society within the sacred walls of our castle was a sort -of despotic democracy. The ruling class, the able seamen of the watch, -Marshall, Frenchy, Brenden, were the arbiters of all matters temporal -and mundane. This was by mutual consent and should be so. In addition -to this, Jimmy was the autocrat of the crowd and ruled us with an -iron hand, though there was not a man forward but could have hove him -overboard. - -Scouse, after the balance of power had been reestablished in the -conflict with Joe, became one of the common folks again, and was -glad of it. The bunks were arranged in order of desirability, the -able seamen taking the best bunks on the upper tier and near the two -ports or the lamp. Australia and I were about on a par as far as -social standing went, and when it came to talking about the mines or -discussing matters other than those relating to the sea, we often took -the center of the stage. - -Martin, who had been a wood turner in his youth, and Fred, who was a -good average sailor with a discharge from the Revenue Cutter Service, -generally acted as spear carriers in our little fo'c'sle comedy. They -were excellent eaters, both of them, standing well up in the forefront -with Scouse and Joe; the rottenest cracker hash or the most greasy -salt pork never phased them. To the mate these men were a constant -inspiration in his flights of blasphemy, and hardly a day passed but -that he vented his wrath on one of them. - -Never once during the entire voyage did any member of the crew miss a -single bit of personal property. Add to this the fact that the general -moral tone of conversation among us was far above the average of men -who would consider themselves superior, and we have to at least respect -the crew of the _Fuller_ as they respected themselves. - -Chips, a melancholy Norwegian, a long, lanky, cadaverous knight of the -caulking iron and the carpenter's bench, berthed in a little room next -to the lamp locker. He was kept busy sounding the well, and making -the constant repairs that a well groomed wooden ship requires. In the -intervals of this duty he looked after the hatch tarpaulins sheltering -the precious cargo, tended the running lights, served out the daily -whack of water, oiled the tiller tackles, and sat down to dinner with -the second mate. Poor Chips! A gentleman of the lower caste, eating aft -and living forward. He was a good fellow, but far too gloomy for us, -who were of the "people," light hearted ourselves and ready to crack a -joke at the least opportunity. - -Chips had one other duty which he performed twice on our voyage round -the Horn. On these occasions he was called upon to "salt the masts." A -small plug was taken out of the lower mast heads, and salt filled into -the hollow core of these great "sticks." The fore and main masts were -"built up," that is, made up of four quadrantal pieces, scarfed full -length, and banded by stout iron hoops. At the outside juncture of the -built-up pieces they were beveled, forming the "chapels" of the mast, -the latter being painted white and giving the lower masts on the fore -and main a checkerboard appearance. - -Each morning of the voyage, and particularly during the fair weather -part of it, we were exercised at the washdown. This is more than a mere -part of the work at sea; it is an established institution, a sacred -rite that is carried on through all conditions of wind and weather. In -the tropics the washdown is a pleasure, and also a necessity, as it -alone keeps the decks tight and the ship sanitary. - -A "water spar" would be rigged over the side to leeward at a point in -the waist abreast of the main hatch. A clump block and a single whip -with a canvas water bucket, the rim weighted with a ring of lead, was -used to haul aboard the water which was dumped into a deck barrel. Coir -brooms, wooden buckets, and much slopping about in bare feet would -usher in the day, no part of the deck being neglected. - -The routine was: At four o'clock in the morning, "Get your gear on -the pins," everything being laid up clear of the deck. "Rig water -spar," and then old Chow would run out of the galley with a bag of hard -bread and a big can of slops, while the Japanese steward would hurry -along the deck with a cup _and saucer_; coffee--cabin style, for the -refreshment of the mate, who would sing out: "Get your coffee," and for -a few minutes we would all sit on the main hatch, in fine weather, or -crowd in the lee of the forward house if it was stormy, and dip into -the steaming chicory. - -Then--"Get out your washdeck gear! Wash down!" and the day's work would -begin. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -CLEANING HOUSE AND A CELEBRATION - - -The rough passage around the Horn--seagoing with the bark on--worked -the discontent out of our systems, and with the return of fine weather, -all hands cheered up and life became more and more worth living. The -dog watches were lively, with hotly contested arguments on all topics -under heaven. The less the debaters knew about a subject, the more they -would have to say about it; resembling in this regard large numbers -of more sophisticated folk ashore. Some of the discussions would -last for days, being carried on as a serial story, from dog watch to -dog watch, with overflow sessions on deck at night. As none of the -contenders would ever budge an inch from their positions, the points at -issue always remained undecided except in the fish argument, which was -settled by the mate. - -For a long time Martin, Joe and Scouse indulged in heated discussion -as to whether fish was meat, or whether it was something else. Joe -contended for the negative, that fish was not meat, while Martin and -Scouse insisted that fish and meat were the same thing. - -Joe had two against him, but being quicker with his tongue he was able -to hold Scouse and Martin pretty well in check. - -"If fish ain't meat, wot is it?" demanded Martin. "Is it wegetables, or -wot?" - -This always stumped Joe, but he stuck to his guns and came back -stronger each time: "It's fish, that's wot it is, F-I-S-H--FISH!" his -voice rising above everything else in the heat of argument. - -The debate finally closed in a particularly violent session that -continued as our side went aft to muster in the second dog watch. - -"Fish you say!" shouted the mate at the unheard of disrespect on the -part of Joe, who was frothing at the mouth in the defense of his -contention. "I'll fish you, you thick-headed ass," and as Joe woke up -to the fact that a new champion had come into the field, the whole -watch broke into a laugh at the sequel. "Fish, is it? Well, I'll -fish you good and proper. Get a pot of slush and rub down the mizzen -topmast. Drop a spot, and you stay on deck tomorrow forenoon, _you -fisherman!_" The last with biting sarcasm. - -Joe lay aloft with his slush pot, and as a bright moon gave him plenty -of light at his work, it also enabled the mate to watch him closely. -However, this ended the argument, much to the satisfaction of all of -us, for it was a bit wearing. - -Jimmy Marshall had a large dog-eared Bible in his possession; a red -stamp on the title page read as follows: "Property of Seamen's Bethel, -Sydney. _Do not take from chapel._" While lying up with his arm in a -sling, having been tossed between the spare main yard and the after -bitts, by a sea, he delved industriously into the lore of the good -book; and when he was back on deck again Jimmy refused to chantey to -the tune of "Whiskey," and his verses, when singing a rope to "Molly -Brown," were painfully proper. - -Each night in the dog watch he insisted on reading from the Old -Testament, starting at the very beginning. Jimmy had a pair of -steel-rimmed spectacles, and to further his missionary work, he changed -bunks with Scouse, so that he could be directly under the lamp, while -the big red-head moved into the best bunk in the fo'c'sle right next to -an open port. - -Jimmy worked his way through Genesis and got well started on Exodus -by the time we picked up the S. E. trades. His pronunciation of the -hard names was truly wonderful and required much careful wiping of his -spectacles. By the time he was within hailing distance of Leviticus we -were again approaching the doldrums and once more we unbent our storm -canvas and shifted into the easy weather sails. - -Australia, one of the most consistent chronologists of the fo'c'sle, -working by the brad-hole-and-peg method, using the stumps of burnt -matches, pegged a hole around which he had scratched a circle. - -"The 'dead horse' is worked off," announced Australia, as we turned out -for breakfast one morning, springing a surprise, as it had been more -than a week since the subject was broached last in the fo'c'sle. March -5th, three months since leaving the wharf at South Street! It seemed a -year in point of experiences. - -"Well," ventured Martin, "the boarding masters are smiling today." - -"Yes, the lousy squeezers, I'll bet the Front Street House has a good -dinner for the boss on my advance." - -"I hope he chokes, Joe," chipped in Fred. - -"Choking is too good for them; burning is wot they want," went on Joe, -almost forgetting his breakfast in the heat of his indignation. "They -take in Australia and Martin and Fred and me, and wot do we get? Wot do -we get? Why, a few days' grub and a lousy, dirty bed, wot ain't fit to -sleep on, and then they send us out. We go down and sign, and the next -day out to sea for us in this bloody hell wagon. A half a kit of dog's -wool and oakum slops, took from some dead sailor, maybe, and rotten -poor oilskins, and sea boots that is no good. A big bargain, and all -for six quid--that's all--only six quid for the lot; a mess of fine -wearin' rags. And today they collect their hard earned money and all we -has to do is to ride down here on a yachtin' toor round Cape Stiff." - -"It ain't right. It's hell, that's it--hell!" agreed Australia. "Lookit -me and Fred, and Mike, we was only in port two days. Just two days -board and no advance money. Said the British Consul would get us sent -back to the _Ettrick_. And that cost us six quid!" - -"Nothing ain't right," it was Jimmy who spoke. "You booze, and worse, -you sells out your manhood an' your rights to low livin' pigs wot -lives off o' the likes o' us. Its principles wot you needs. Young men, -take my advice and get principles. 'Ard? O' course it's 'ard to get -principles, but they saves you a lot o' trouble an' you can put away a -bit. I say live right and you'll be right." - -"How old are you, anyway?" demanded Brenden. - -"Old enough to know my own bloody business," rejoined Jimmy, scenting a -comeback on his reform precepts. - -"Well, now that _your_ dead horse is worked off you can start in and -save until _you_ hit New York again." - -"Well, if I do save a bit, it's none o' the likes o' a Dutchman like -you wot'll 'elp me spend it," and Jimmy hopped out of the fo'c'sle at -eight bells sharp. The mate was so surprised to see him leading the -watch aft that he promptly sent him up to the fore skysail to loose -sail, for the night had been squally and the second mate had taken in -the kites, a thing he was prone to do, while the mate always promptly -set them again. - -After the argument about the advance, we all made up our minds to work -off no more dead horses. As Australia put it, "A year at sea and a week -in port, and nothing to show for it." - -Most of us had slop accounts to clear off with the skipper, and then -the velvet would pile up at the rate of eighteen dollars a month, at -that time standard wages out of the port of New York for deepwater -sailors. - -None of the men had shaved for at least a month, and the crew forward -presented a truly deep sea appearance; "Rooshin Jews on a ocean -picnic," was the comment of Jimmy, who never shaved, and whose whiskers -also failed to increase but rather diminished in their moth-eaten way. - -On the first Sunday of real fine weather, when the bushes were -beginning to get uncomfortable, the fo'c'sle barbers got busy in both -watches. Frenchy and Australia were the tonsorialists of our watch and -after taking on all hands, Frenchy shaved Australia and trimmed his -mustache. Hair cuts were had by all and the effect was good. Perhaps -the feeling of cleanliness due to the trimming had something to do with -the desire for a "field day"; at any rate, two of the men, Old Smith, -of starboard, and Frenchy, went aft and got permission from the mate to -have a celebration. - -The coming Wednesday was named, and as we were then on the edge of the -S. E. trades, the day broke fine. Accordingly after breakfast that -morning the watch on deck, all but the helmsman, were allowed to go -forward and assist in removing the contents of the fo'c'sle. - -The watch below also turned to, and green and blue sea chests with -wonderful "tumble home" sides and fancy canvas tops; plain canvas -bags, "the sailor's round-bottomed trunk"; bags with fancy eyelets and -elaborate grommets; well-worn blankets; knobby straw mattresses, the -"donkey's breakfast" of the sea; and all of the humble furnishings of -the fo'c'sle of a deepwater merchantman, were hauled out on deck in -the light of day. The fore rigging, the bottoms of the upturned boats -on the forward house and the fo'c'sle head, were littered with these -things as box and bag yielded up their contents to the purifying action -of the sun. All of our salt encrusted gear was rinsed out in a barrel -of rain water, saved for the purpose, until free from salt, as most of -our clothing was so highly hygroscopic that the least fall of dew would -make them damp and clammy. - -We then rigged the water spar, and with a liberal supply of sand and -canvas and with "_ki-yi_" brooms we scrubbed our home until the place -fairly radiated. The scuttle butt was cleaned out and re-charred, the -fo'c'sle lamp taken down and polished, and two hands got busy and gave -the ceiling a fresh coat of white paint, brightening up things to a -wonderful extent, for this had not been done for some years. - -All doors and ports were left open to allow the fo'c'sle to dry out, -and at noon both watches lunched together, "al fresco," under the -shade of the fores'l. A hamper of chicken sandwiches, a case of cold -beer, and a box of cigars would have delightfully rounded out our -dinner of pork and pea soup. However, we were in a merry mood and -the unaccustomed company of the other watch made the simple fare and -weevil-ridden tack taste particularly good. Besides, relations with the -after-guard were becoming more and more pleasant. The fight between -Tony and Mr. Stoddard had faded from mind in the trying weeks that had -intervened and the feeling of anticipation, as we neared the end of the -passage, helped to make us receptive to better things. - -By gradual stages, without in any way compromising their dignity, our -experienced officers assumed a less harsh way of speaking; orders were -mandatory to the last degree, of course, but less liberally spiced with -profanity. An occasional joke on the part of those aft would send a -ripple of laughter among the men pulling at sheet or halyard. The cook -also felt the mysterious balmy influence of the Pacific sunshine, and -every other day we would be delighted with a big pan of ginger bread in -the fo'c'sle. On Sundays we would have duff with real raisins in it. - -Honolulu was drawing near; none of us had more than a few dollars of -pay on the books, and crews among the island and coast traders were -hard to get, with pay correspondingly high. Perhaps this had something -to do with the change of atmosphere. Even those who had the most reason -to complain were beginning to cheer up and forget their troubles of the -past. - -A clean fo'c'sle, dry, well aired bedding, and smiling skies, ushered -us into the region of the equatorial rains. The flying fish began to -zip through the air again with increasing frequency and the mates as -usual gathered them up, but, strangest of strange things, the cook was -told to send half of the catch forward. The daily thunderstorms came -with their accustomed regularity. At about eight bells in the afternoon -watch it would cloud up suddenly, any sails spread out on deck, in the -course of repair, would be hastily dragged to the sail locker or under -the fo'c'sle head, and presto!--a rumble of thunder would follow the -first faint flashes of lightning. Then several bright jagged discharges -would come in quick succession, a clap of Jove's artillery, and a -douse of rain, followed by the golden rays of the sun streaming through -such rainbows as are seldom seen anywhere but in those latitudes. - -During a tropic storm at night, just after leaving the trades, we were -roused out at midnight and ordered aloft to take in the t'gans'ls. The -yards and rigging were soaked with rain, and, as we got to the tops, -St. Elmo's fires started to flicker on the yard arms with a pale blue -light. The night was black, and oppressive with the hot humid wind, we -were wet and clammy, and the sleep was in our eyes when---- - - "And sudden breaking on their raptured sight, - Appeared the splendor of St. Elmo's light." - -Jimmy Marshall, fear clutching at his heart, refused to mount the -futtock shrouds; springing to the forward leg of the main topmast -backstays, he slid to the deck while the rest of us went aloft. The -stoutest of us, however, were touched with superstitious feelings. -The "corposants," as the men called them, started us on a series of -ghost stories in the night watches on deck. A few days later we were -becalmed in a dense fog, such as sometimes is encountered in the warm, -damp region bordering the line. Joe went aft to relieve the wheel just -after listening to a gruesome tale. A giant man out in the fog over -the quarter reached for Joe when abreast of the open door of the wheel -house. Joe nearly fainted with fright, at the sight of his own shadow -thrown on the fog wall by the naked binnacle light that the helmsman -had taken from the cowl to trim. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -MAKING PORT - - -One hundred and seven days out from Sandy Hook, we crossed the line for -the second time in longitude 122 deg. west from Greenwich. The grooming -for port then started in grim earnest. Holystones were brought out and -the time-honored couplet of the sea, - - Six days shalt thou labor and do all that thou art able, - And on the seventh holystone the deck and scrape the cable. - -became a matter of routine on board the _Fuller_. Captain Nichols had -never been in the islands before, in fact none of us had, and we were -to make our acquaintance with them dressed up and polished in Yankee -form. - -The art of holystoning, as practiced on American deepwater ships, -deserves a special niche in the archives of the sea. No more thorough -proceeding can be imagined. To the steamship hand who holystones like -a gentleman, at the end of a long handle, the art has lost its fine -points. On the _Fuller_ we dug into the work in deep sea fashion. Our -knees became sore from constant "praying" and the skin on our hands -was worn down thin, making us tender in hauling at the braces or going -aloft. To overcome the hardness of the deck, we rigged up pieces of -board to which three cleats were nailed and a strip of old canvas -stretched over them. This afforded a yielding cushion to kneel on and -kept our legs out of the water swishing about with the rolling of the -ship. - -We worked in gangs, sawing away with the stones and wearing a scum of -wood from the deck. Each man soon became jealous of the work done by -his shipmates and we were careful to keep all hands going, as there -was a certain amount of deck to be gone over, and the sooner finished -the better. In holystoning we used two sizes of stones, the larger -ones called "bibles" and the small pieces, useful for getting into the -corners and along the edges of paintwork, known as "prayer books." - -From the time of commencing to holystone, and slick up for port, there -was no more watch below in the afternoon; the watch coming on deck at -eight in the morning would stay on deck until six in the evening with a -half hour below at noon for dinner. Going below at six, supper would -be had and at eight the watch that had been on deck all day would turn -out for the first watch at night. - -Thus, every other day, a watch coming on in the morning would have -eighteen hours of duty on deck during the following twenty-four. On -the other hand, the other watch would merely have the usual watch and -watch. Of all diabolical inventions for working men this afternoon on -deck was best designed. - -While still in the doldrums, and after the holystoning had been -completed, we were set to cleaning the sides of the ship where the rust -had worked through, and where the dirt from the scum rubbed off the -decks had streaked long lines down from the scuppers. We liked this -work, scrubbing the black sides, and painting. It always seemed to me -like a vacation to get outside of the ship and off of the familiar -deck. Scaffolds were rigged and sometimes our feet would dangle in the -cool water on the shady side of the hull. - -One day there was a commotion as Brenden and I worked away on a plank -slung beneath the mizzen channels. The water under us surged up and -a great black object rose beneath our feet, for all the world like a -submarine boat coming to the surface. Outcries brought all hands to -the ship's side. A huge whale had come up in the shadow of the ship. -Some hands ran forward, and presently big Scouse came aft on the run -carrying a harpoon from the bosun's locker and a coil of heaving line. - -As he was mounting the rail the mate jumped after him, yanked the -harpoon from his grasp and sent the red head scurrying forward. - -"You damned mutton-headed ass!" he cried. "Do you want to send us all -to the bottom? That's a _razorback_. He'll ram us, quick as hell, if we -rile him." - -The whale sank from sight as suddenly as he appeared, and, razorback or -not, we had no opportunity to try his temper. - -The sight of the whale started all hands forward looking for ambergris. -This was described as a grayish amberlike substance to be found -floating on the unsuspecting surface of the sea in large chunks of -fortune, the finding of which would set a man up on a cosy farm for -life, or enable him to see a snug retirement behind his own bar and -beer kegs. Frenchy and Jimmy both had seen ambergris, and for a while -regaled us with many tales of its origin, value and uses. - -One of the results of the prospecting overboard for ambergris as we -lazed along in the tropic seas of the Pacific was the better knowledge -we obtained of the abounding life in the sea. In after years when at -sea on the decks of swiftly moving steamers, I have often pondered over -the sights that were given us of the queer inhabitants of the deep as -we slowly worked our way across the ocean in the _Fuller_. From her low -decks, when becalmed, or when sailing along at from four to five knots -in fine weather, especially in the tropic seas, the teeming life in the -depths below was brought very close to us. - -The glint of queer fins, the vivid flash of some big fish rising near -the surface in hot pursuit of prey, and the common sight of a school of -flying fishes rising from the water just in time to miss the cruel jaws -of their pursuers, gave us a faint idea of the ruthless rule of might -below. Often the smother of white mist as the cloud of flyers would -rise, and the swift black demons in hot chase under them, like avenging -torpedoes tearing through the blue, would show glimpses of other and -larger fish after the pursuers. - -Time and again we would lie out on the martingale and look under the -fore foot of the ship to see if there was a pilot fish around. These -queer customers would swim along just under the stem of the ship, -convict garbed, in thwartship black and white stripes, and about two -feet long. The presence of a pilot fish under the bow was evidence of a -shark under the bottom of the vessel, swimming along in the hope that -something edible would be thrown overboard, or that the vessel would -founder and disgorge her human freight into the deep. - -Whole flotillas of the dainty nautilus would sail by us for days. These -"Portuguese men-o'-war," as sailors call them, spread a shell-like sail -to the wind, pink and airy, gliding gaily before the gentle zephyrs of -the line. They truly teach us a lesson, as Pope has it: - - "Learn of the Little Nautilus to sail - Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale." - -With the picking up of the N. E. trade wind a few degrees north of the -line, we knew that the main haul to Honolulu was on its last stages. -There was more easting in the wind than is generally the case, and we -made good progress, holding a course well to windward of Hawaii. For a -week at a time we cut through the water at an average speed above ten -knots, going it night and day. The sailing was glorious and we all felt -the thrill of it. Were we not rushing forward to a paradise set in the -middle of the broad Pacific for our rest and refreshment? We hungered -for fresh provisions and for a decent sleep of more than a shade over -three and a half hours at a stretch. The afternoons on deck had worn us -down and the cooler winds bringing such speed and hope were a wonderful -tonic. - -"Will I take in the skysails?" Mr. Stoddard asked of the captain one -night as he came on deck to take the midwatch. I was at the wheel -turning over the course to Axel, who came aft to relieve me. The -_Fuller_ was boiling along, everything taut, the white water in her lee -scuppers. - -"No, leave them blow away," said the skipper, laughing. However, we -found him on deck still at four in the morning and he took coffee with -the mate before going below for a nap. But the skysails "stayed put" -and indeed every bit of rag was doing noble duty. - -"The Honolulu girls have us in tow," was the slogan on board. - -At brace and sheet and halyard, we sung our ropes with a will, and a -cheerier crowd of weather-worn, under-fed and half-rested humanity -would be hard to find. Man is an adaptable animal, more rugged than -the beasts of burden, and cheaper than machinery, and in the lesson -taught us on the clean white decks of the _Fuller_ is to be found the -remaining hope for the survival of sail. _It is cheaper_, and with the -advent of iron boxes rigged by means of screws, and bolts, and nuts, -the sailor of the marling spike days will not be needed. Crews can be -recruited, and fed for less than it takes to make steam, and men can -be found to sail them, to drive them, as we were driven, and if they, -too, are past masters at the art, to lull the crews into a state of -contentment, and even happiness, after experiences that would cause a -revolt in the worst penitentiary of the land. - -When in 154 degrees of west longitude, and 21 degrees north latitude, -Captain Nichols up helm and shaped a course direct for the northeast -point of the Island of Molokai, the leper island of the Hawaiian group. -We made the land just before nightfall. Anchors were got over the bow -ready for letting go in case of emergency, and the dipsea lead was -placed handy on the fo'c'sle head, the line being carried aft, outside -of all gear, to the tub at the taffrail, in which the bulk of it was -coiled. A small snatch block on the weather mizzen t'gallant backstay -was ready for hauling in should we have to take a cast. The hand lead, -or _blue pigeon_, was coiled in the mizzen chains; I was told by -the mate to stand by in case we should have to use it, my schoolship -training having made me a good leadsman. - -All was excitement on board as we closed in with the land, the good -smell of it coming out to us as we raced into the Kaiwi Strait, lying -between Molokai and Oahu, upon the southern shore of which Honolulu is -situated. - -At midnight we were abreast of Koko Head, a peak near the eastern end -of Oahu. We put down our helm and hauled our wind ahead, bracing sharp, -under easy canvas, on the starboard tack, the ship heading north. -Skysails, royals, and flying jib were allowed to hang in their gear, -while we hauled up the mains'l, and furled the crojik, at the same time -setting the spanker. - -At four bells in the midwatch, closing in with the land faster than was -comfortable to sailors accustomed to large sea room, we wore ship, and -headed her back toward Molokai. - -We wore ship again before daybreak in order to hold the weather gauge -off Diamond Head, and at the first streak of dawn we squared away and -the _Fuller_ was put under full sail as we bore down past Diamond Head -for the entrance to Honolulu Harbor. - -A whale boat put out from the land carrying the pilot, followed by a -wheezy tug of diminutive build. We put down our helm, paid a hawser out -over the bow to the tug, and as we horsed up on her the Kanakas started -a panic cry on her decks, while the captain on the poop shouted rapid -orders to both mates and we let our yards down by the run and swayed up -on the courses, manning the clew garnets, clewlines and buntlines in -feverish haste. - -"Take the lead!" the mate shouted to me, and at a nod from Captain -Nichols, I sent the blue pigeon shooting out ahead into the clear blue -water of the harbor entrance as we ran down between the barrel and spar -buoys that mark the fairway. - -"And a half, six!" I felt sand. "Hard bottom!" - -The pilot came over to me and looked curious. "No need of this, -captain," he said. - -"Oh, give the lad some exercise, pilot," the skipper answered. "It -won't hurt him." - -"By the mark, five!" - -We were running past the sea wall and the boathouse to starboard. I -could see the lighthouse over the deck on the port bow. The tug was -whistling, and as we swung to port, into the harbor proper, I noted the -marine railway and the Pacific Mail Wharf with a lot of people on the -Esplanade watching us come in. - -"Mark under water, five!" I shouted. - -"All right, Felix, come in; that'll do," said the skipper, and a few -minutes later I found myself on the mizzen skysail, furling sail. We -were brought to in the stream by letting go the port anchor and casting -off the tug at the same time, and, as the chain rattled through the -hawse pipes in a smoke of rust, a whistle on a factory ashore blew a -long blast of welcome. It was noon, the harbor life suddenly stopped, -for we missed the faint rattle of steam winches and the shouting of the -Kanaka stevedores at the railroad wharf. - -"Now give us a harbor furl, boys," called up the mate. And as we worked -away, we noted the captain going ashore in the whale boat with the -pilot. Below us stretched the most beautiful city in the world; cool -looking green palm trees lined the streets, the fat squat outline of -the Punchbowl rose gratefully verdant behind the little city, a restful -sight to our sea-weary eyes, and far beyond we looked up into the misty -vista of the Nuuanu Valley. Stranger still, on the wharves we noted -native and white women in their fresh looking white dresses, and we -could hear the cries of children at play. - -Laying down from aloft we squared yards, and went below for our dinner -of pea soup and pork, with a kid of cabin tack--a piece of strategy on -the part of Chow that was truly an inspiration. The sight of weevils, -and the near view of the clean sweet shore, would have been too great a -contrast. - -We opened hatches that afternoon, ready for the port warden's -inspection, ripping out the caulking of oakum and taking off the three -layers of tarpaulin, but not lifting the covers. We also sent down the -fore and main courses and tops'ls, and cockbilled the main yard for -a cargo boom, rigging the cargo pendant from the main topmast head, -the same being stayed out over the main hatch by a fall from the fore -topmast cross trees. - -At four o'clock the captain returned with a boatload of fresh -provisions, joints of clean red meat, fresh vegetables, onions, green -stuff, bananas and pineapples, and a big basket of real baker's bread, -the loaves rich and mellow in the sunlight, like bricks of gold. How -our eyes popped out at the sight and smell of this treasure cargo from -the shore! Our salt ridden senses were starved for something fresh -and clean. A dozen hands rushed to the side to help unload the boat, -passing the grub up the ladder and carrying it in to Chow. - -Captain Nichols also announced that we would go alongside at Brewer's -Wharf the next day. - -At six, in the evening glow of the harbor, we pumped her out and went -below for supper. Vegetable soup, floating with fresh green things and -rich in meat extract; steak, onions, _and potatoes_! Have you ever -been without potatoes for three months? If you have you will know how -it feels to crave them. The fresh bread and the delicious ripe bananas -topped off the meal. - -[Illustration] - -We were too full to speak, all hands together at our feast under the -break of the fo'c'sle head. Millionaires cannot buy such appreciation, -and our bellies were stretched to the utmost limit. - -An anchor watch was set, by lot, of one hour tricks, and I was -fortunate enough to escape. Before eight o'clock the fo'c'sle was heavy -with slumber as we dreamed away the hours in such heaven sent rest as -only the angels can understand; we were one hundred and twenty-one days -out from the port of New York, and our first night of unbroken sleep -ahead of us. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -IN HONOLULU TOWN - - We have had enough of action, and of motion; we - Rolled to starboard, rolled to larboard, when the surge was seething free - Where the wallowing monster spouted his foam fountains in the sea. - - Let us swear an oath and keep it with an equal mind - In the hollow lotus-land to live and die reclined, - On the hills like Gods together, careless of mankind. - _Tennyson._ - - -"Well, now that we are here, what?" Joe put the universal question. "I -hopes we has it a bit easy for a change," he went on, seeing that no -one rose to his query, and no doubt some dim, subconscious yearning -must have stirred in the recesses of Joe's mind; perhaps the sight of -the palms may have wakened this, for in his clumsy way he voiced the -spirit of the poet. Indeed we had all of us sensed the languor of that -lotus-land in the humid morning vistas of heavy tropical foliage lining -the avenues of the city, and stretching far beyond into the blue-green -richness of the Nuuanu Valley. After months of deep sea existence, -the smell and feel of the ripe, luxurious land came to us with a -powerful appeal. All of us felt this, but, sailor-like, the feeling was -disguised in various ways. - -"I hope them bulls aft gives us a fair deal," went on Joe. We were at -breakfast, both watches together, assembled outside the fo'c'sle doors. - -"Fair deal!" snapped Old Smith as he speared a spud. "Say, you young -heifer, do you think you was brung all the way out to Honolulu for to -loll back at your ease and eat the bread fruit, that we reads about, -offen the fatness of the land, without no toil nor trouble? You'll get -your damned good whack of sweatin' here. I know these ships, and it -won't be just because the weather is hot, neither." - -This was followed by dire predictions of hard grinding to come, ghastly -prospects fathomed from the depth of experience by such masters of -discouragement as Jimmy Marshall and Australia. - -"Say, shut up, will you! Maybe it won't be so bad," piped Frenchy, who -never liked to have his meals interrupted, especially when we were -breakfasting on dry hash made with potatoes and onions, a real feed -much needed by our hungry crowd. We had turned out at dawn for a hasty -washdown, had put the long boat over the side, and rousing out a number -of large manila hawsers, had flaked them down in the boat ready for -warping. The cable was hove short and the quarter moorings were taken -in. In addition to this a number of the men under the second mate had -completed the rigging of the cargo gear. The carpenter, with me helping -him, had rigged the _dolly_, wedging it under the pinrail on the -starboard side just forward of the main hatch with blocks of wood and -a small jackscrew. The large cargo blocks had been hooked and moused -to the pendants, and the falls were rove, all for the starboard side, -as the skipper had inspected the berth and that was to be our side for -discharging at the Brewer Wharf. - -Breakfast came as a rest, a breathing and a talking spell with a good -day's work already to our credit. The change in routine, however, made -the work seem easy enough, for we arose from our full night of rest -with a feeling of wonderful vitality. Word came out that an island -steamer would hold the berth at the Brewer Wharf until noon, and we -were to warp in to the Oceanic Steamship landing to allow the port -warden and the agents the opportunity to inspect the hatches and make a -survey of the condition of the cargo, at the same time bringing us that -much nearer our berth. - -A plunge overboard in the early dawn, the last man on anchor watch -having called me a half hour before the rest, put me in fine fettle. -All hands were eager to get foot ashore and the prospect of tying -up to the beach filled us with expectancy. The fresh grub, the full -night in, and the electric atmosphere of contact with human affairs, -gave us a keen sense of being again in the world of the living. After -breakfast we sat around for a few precious moments smoking and yarning -as we gazed toward the shore. News filtered out that the battleship -_Maine_ had been blown up in Havana harbor on the night of February -15th. War with Spain was imminent and the port of Honolulu was pregnant -with impending world affairs, made even more intense by the fact that -there was no cable in those days and news came only at intervals with -the arrival of the mail steamers. War might be declared at any moment -and rumor had it that a squadron of raiders from the Philippines might -descend on the port. - -The gunboat _Bennington_ lay in the harbor with the old training ship -_Mohegan_ and constant gun drills were being gone through. - -We "turned to" promptly after breakfast, and while one watch carried -out the lines the other manned the capstan bars and broke out the -hook as soon as the warp was thrown over a cluster of piles on the -Esplanade. When the anchor came up dripping with gray mud, the long -warp was carried in over the fo'c'sle head and taken to the main deck -capstan and we walked the ship alongside in the good old-fashioned way. - -At the string piece of the wharf there was a misunderstanding as -to orders. The mate being in command took occasion to deliver his -compliments to the second mate in no uncertain tones. So refreshing was -the spectacle of wrath descending upon the head of the hated second -mate that all hands stood idle grinning at the show. The old saying, -"trouble aft; good times forward," at once went into effect. Mr. Zerk, -seeing his mistake, ordered Mr. Stoddard to his room, and then turned -his attention to "the people" as we hustled out the breast lines and -adjusted the springs. We got the gangway over in jig time, to the great -amusement of the dock loafers, and crowds of curious citizens, who had -heard that a Yankee hell wagon was alongside with the bucko mate in -full action. - -When the gangway was lowered, Mr. Stoddard walked ashore with as much -dignity as he could muster, garbed in a wrinkled brown suit and a -rusty, dented derby that struck a ludicrous note amid the straw-hatted -natives on the wharf. - -"I hope he never come back," growled Tony, no doubt thinking of the day -off the River Plate. "If ever I get him ashore----" but the Italian did -not finish, for we were hustled about lifting hatch covers and setting -things to rights, the deck being littered with long bights of the wet -hawsers. - -Native boys offered to dive for pennies, but we had none to give, -and enterprising Chinamen crowded on board with baskets of fruit and -hampers full of bottled pop, the whole gang being driven ashore by Mr. -Zerk with his best delivery of picturesque profanity. The Kanakas on -the shore started to mock him, and that made matters worse, as none -of us dared crack a smile. Later on Mr. Zerk was to learn that the -happy, carefree natives were an independent lot, who would work under -persuasion, but were stubborn as mules when driven. - -Captain Nichols came aboard with the port warden, and the top layer -of cargo was examined. We carried a hundred tons of blacksmith coal on -top of a general cargo, the coal being separated from what was below -by old canvas and tarpaulins. One of the inspectors jumped down and -tasted the coal for salt. Indeed it would have been mighty hard to -tell whether the cargo had been damaged or not and, in a way, it was a -bit of strategy on the part of the South Street stevedores. After some -discussion, the state of things seemed to pass muster, and a great many -smart looking young men from the offices of the agent came down and -looked over the ship. Most of them carried papers of some sort, and -in their white duck trousers and their fancy silk shirts, brilliant -neckties, and spotless shoes, we seemed to behold some favored species. -No doubt they looked at us too, though without interest, we being -merely a lot of lean and leathery deepwater sailors dressed in common -dungaree. - -The captain himself was no slouch when it came to dressing and on this -occasion he upheld the dignity of the ship, and the great American -Merchant Service, by sporting a wine colored cutaway suit. His shoes -were shined like the galley stove on a Sunday afternoon, and his heavy -watch chain and fob dangled across his vest, which was buttoned to -the very top in spite of the heat. Of course he wore a boiled shirt, -and his black derby was of a square topped model, conservative and -dignified. - -Inspection over and the island steamer out of our berth at the Brewer -Wharf, we cast off and again warped our ship across the harbor. This -took up the remainder of the first day. The boss stevedore came aboard -and we learned that the crew was to work aboard ship, breaking out and -slinging the cargo. The "hatch man" and the "dolly man" were to be -natives of the shore gang; two important posts, as upon them depended -largely the speed of unloading. - -[Illustration: AT BREWER'S WHARF] - -Word was passed forward that the captain would allow those of us who -wished to, to draw against their pay on Saturday afternoon. In the -meantime, it being Wednesday, we were alongside and free to explore -the city in so far as such investigation could be carried on without -the expenditure of coin. However we found the Chinamen ready to take -"chits" for modest amounts. - -After pumping out, and before knocking off for supper, the mate called -Charlie Horse aft and appointed him night watchman. He was delighted -with this billet, and except for a good deal of grumbling about not -being told earlier and having a chance to get some sleep in the -afternoon, he was well pleased. Charlie Horse had once been mate on -a schooner, a fact that he never allowed us to forget, much to the -amusement of such men as Australia and Hitchen. Jimmy Marshall resented -all mention of it and more than once made cracks about the kind of -"schooner" Charlie Horse was most familiar with. Charlie Horse, and -no one ever forgot the Horse part of his name, which I believe was -Horstman or something like that, never ventured an opinion without a -great deal of deliberation, a trait that has much to recommend it, -especially when at times he was referred to during heated arguments. - -The long night shifts in Honolulu were well suited for one inclined to -secluded thinking and deep contemplation. Besides this, Charlie Horse -was to have the laugh on us after our second night in port. - -That first blessed night of supreme rest while our ship lay in the -stream, swept by a cool sea breeze, was followed by a sweltering night -of discontent. Most of us turned in early, after a short stroll ashore, -and in our ignorance of the customs of the place, slumbered in innocent -exhaustion without a thought of the perils of the night. - -Parts of New Jersey and Long Island are noted for their mosquitoes. -Alaska is also somewhat remembered on this account by unfortunates who -have summered along the southern shores, but Honolulu in the historic -year 1898 could boast of one of the most vicious swarms of torturers -lining the shores of the seven seas. We were ripe for them, our skins -spiced with the salt horse and pea soup fluid that coursed through our -veins. We were tired from the labors of the day, and slumbered unmoved -while the enemy put all that was exposed of us to the bayonet. I lay -stripped in my bunk gasping for breath, and in the morning found I was -a mass of bumps, red and unsightly. The next day the china merchants -along Nuuanu Street did a big business in mosquito bars, supplying -us on the strength of our "chits" after the captain had verified the -statement that each man was to be paid five dollars, on account, at the -end of the week. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -UNLOADING--WITH A BIT OF POLITICS - - -All hands working together made us better acquainted with the men of -the starboard watch. Axel and I developed a lasting friendship, and -of course Old Smith joined the higher councils of our watch. Hitchen -and Mike and Tommy proved to be a great team of kidders, and with -Australia, of our side, formed a dandy quartette, singing such old -time favorites as "Tom Bowling" and "All in the Downs." Hitchen, a -very superior sort of sailor, an Englishman, reticent about himself, -but a volume of information about the ports of the world, was a great -addition to our life aboard. In fact the men of both watches were sea -worn and tired of each other, and we welcomed the new contact with our -shipmates. Add to this the unusual sights of the shore and the fresh -provisions, as well as the possibility for rational sleep, and sailors -will know what I mean when I say that we were a very happy lot of men -aboard the _Fuller_. - -Scouse had a large mouth organ, "Made in Germany," a gaudy tin affair -well fitted for his capacious maw. Tony had an accordion, and no one -could deny that we were a lively crowd forward. On the other hand the -people aft were shrouded in gloom. The mate lived very much alone and -Captain Nichols was separated by more than a bulkhead from his first -officer. Chips was also a lonesome figure, dining in dreary state at -the second table. Tommy said that since the second mate had gone, the -Jap boy felt it beneath his dignity to wait on Chips, and the lanky -carpenter found the table set with all that he was to have at one load, -soup, meat, dessert, etc. "I wisht they'd let me at it once," said Joe, -his mouth watering at the mention of dessert. - -The second mate did not return on board the night following his racket -with the mate, and we were in hopes he would quit the ship. Our wishes -were realized, for the afternoon of the second day in port, while -we were in the midst of breaking out the coal in the main hatch, -Mr. Stoddard came to the coaming and looked down on the grimy crowd -shoveling coal. He carried a dilapidated satchel and had evidently been -paid off by the skipper. - -"So long, you dirty bums!" he called down, sending a squirt of tobacco -juice into the midst of the coal-dust and sweat-covered gang. - -Tony, who was in the hatch, dropped his round-nosed shovel, and picking -up a lump of coal hove it at Mr. Stoddard, just missing him as he -dodged back from the coaming. - -"Wait until I get you ashore, you dirty ---- ---- ---- ----," shouted -our ex-officer, shaking his fist at the hatch as he ran over the -gangway. - -"Thank heaven he's gone," I remarked to Frenchy, both of us looking -down at the play from our perch on the fore tops'l yard where we were -unreeving the downhauls. - -"A good thing he's done with us, and the ship saves thirty dollars a -month while we are in port," was Frenchy's wise comment. - -That night Tony and Tommy went ashore for the purpose of finding Mr. -Stoddard and beating him up. The ex-second mate was boarding in a -Chinese house in Beretania Street, according to reports from some of -the Kanakas, and the two avengers trailed him from that place to the -Criterion saloon. - -The true story of what happened was long obscured, for both Tony and -Tommy came aboard very late and turned in refusing to say anything -until the next morning, when they were given the third degree by -the exacting masters of fo'c'sle affairs in the persons of Jimmy and -Australia. - -The stories did not tally and for a long time it was thought that Mr. -Stoddard had given them more than they counted on. The truth came out -when Chips told the yarn to some cronies on the beach. It seems that -Mr. Stoddard met Tony and Tommy as he was leaving the saloon. Their -determined manner, and clenched fists, at once warned him of trouble. -With a knowledge of sailor psychology, nothing short of masterly, he -advanced toward them in true "come on" style, greeting them with a -warmth of cordiality entirely unexpected, and a moment later Tony and -Tommy were with him at the bar drinking imported beer at two bits a -glass, and wondering how they had ever been so mistaken in him. - -No doubt Mr. Stoddard would have got his licking had he remained in -port, but we learned that he shipped before the mast on the bark _W. H. -Dimond_ bound for San Francisco. - -A day at the coal got us rid of that objectionable part of the cargo, -and when we took up the tarpaulins we found a large consignment of -case oil filling most of the 'tween decks. Case oil, let it be known, -is kerosene in large square cans, packed two in a case, and nicely -calculated as to weight so that a good husky sailor man can just about -lift one of them without straining himself too much. However, I can -vouch for the fact that these cases are very hard to handle and get -heavier and heavier as the exercise is continued. - -The stevedores ashore, so we learned later, were Republicans, a jolly -lot of progressive Kanakas, demons for work and constantly chattering -like crazy brown magpies. On the other hand, the donkey crew, the -man at the dolly, and the hatch man, a lively Kanaka named Nigger, -were Royalists of the bluest strain compatible with their swarthy -complexions. The Royalists did their level best to send the case oil -out on the wharf so fast that the lowly Republicans could not handle -it. Below decks, in the stifling heat, we labored in gangs, running the -cases to the square of the hatch from two sides, while Old Smith and -Frenchy adjusted the slings about the stacks of twelve cases and up -they would shoot. It seemed that the cargo hook was constantly dangling -in the hatch like a hungry black worm while that demon Nigger raised a -hell of sweat and hurry with his constant shouting to "_Hook her up! -Hook her up!_" and every few minutes the mate would bend over the -hatch and roar down his bit of encouragement. - -My job was to help hand the cases down from the tiers, lifting them to -small trucks upon which we rushed them to the hatch opening. A half day -of this exertion found us pretty well blown, and when the noon whistle -sounded over the harbor we got on deck, bolted our dinner and stretched -out on anything that was handy and relaxed. Some of the boys slept, but -I was too sore to sleep and had a feeling that it was better to stay -awake, anyhow, as the rest would seem longer. - -When we turned to at one o'clock the gang on the wharf started to howl -defiance at Nigger and his men, and the cruel ball began again with the -mate, as king driver, egging along the performance. Being rid of the -second mate and with the captain ashore, he was thoroughly enjoying -himself. - -The cases of oil were hard to grab hold of, and as I have said, got -heavier and heavier as the weary day advanced. Cursing and sweating in -hot 'tween deck, we strove like mad to keep up our end of the fight. - -"Don't let them niggers beat us," shouted Brenden, as he dug in with -renewed energy, the sweat dripping into his eyes as he began slinging -down the cases like a madman. - -"The dirty black bastards!" shouted Jimmy. "I hopes they croaks afore I -sees the last o' this place." - -By the time the afternoon was half over my arms and back were numb with -pain. I had ceased to sweat and every effort was made by super-force -of will. We were red-eyed with the labor and the heat; swearing had -ceased, and we plugged along doggedly as the damnable Nigger kept up -his constant bawling to "_Hook her up!_" or "_Liki! Liki!_" (meaning -"the same"). - -Frenchy, who was under the hatch, suddenly brought us to our senses. -"_Rain, boys! Rain!_" he shouted. - -In our torture we had not noticed how dark it was getting, and when -the first large cool drops pattered down on the 'tween deck hatches -covering the cargo in the hold, we knew that relief was at hand. A -minute more and the rain came down in tropical torrents while we -struggled to get the big strongback into place, the hatch covers on, -and the tarpaulin spread. Our black tormentors had fled to cover under -a nearby shed, and the donkey engine crew were drawing the fire from -beneath their boiler. Nigger, too, had disappeared, for Scouse came up -determined to take a fall out of "that black ---- ----." - -To say that we were thankful for the rain is mild; we were saved by -it, nothing less, and as we went to the fo'c'sle that night we were as -badly beaten a lot of men as ever cumbered the port of Honolulu. - -"Say, Smith!" yelled Joe, shouting through the partition that separated -the fo'c'sles. - -"Well, what do you want?" - -"You was right when you said sumthin' about me workin' here." - -"I told you you'd sweat, didn't I?" shouted back Old Smith. - -"Say, Smith," in a chastened tone. - -"Yes?" - -"Was you sweatin', too?" - -"Shut up! Shut up!" cried Jimmy in alarm. "If you wants to start a -fight, do it tomorrow, an' let your betters get some rest." - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -HAWAIIAN HOSPITALITY - - -On a fateful Saturday night, the one when we drew five dollars apiece -against our payday, Peter, the boy, and I decided to go ashore and -have our hair cut by a regular barber and then indulge in the pleasure -of a luxurious bath with plenty of soap and a good big tub of hot -water. After the hair cut the bath--and this took us to a Japanese -establishment that was conducted upon true oriental lines. As a bath -house it was A1, but in addition to the supply of hot water, which was -drawn by a female attendant, I found that she (the attendant) was ready -to remain and assist in the scrubbing. Being of a modest turn of mind -myself, and unable to converse with this would-be helper, I finally -made known my desire for her removal by pushing her through the door. -The floor was slippery and in my embarrassment I may have given her -too hearty a shove, for she lost her footing and shot out in a most -undignified manner, "cutting the star" as we used to call it when -skating. Peals of laughter sounded through the flimsy walls, the Japs -taking the whole thing in good part. - -However, in the native Japanese quarter, this sort of thing was -considered proper, and, as I afterward learned more of the Japanese, -while in their islands, I found that it was all a simple matter of -point of view and nothing at all extraordinary. - -Of Peter a great deal might be said. He was a type of the young -American who will, when circumstances force him into it, go to sea. -However, I have only touched upon him lightly, as he in no way -represented that bygone breed of sailor that made history on the hard -square riggers of that day. - -Peter had a delightful voice that passed in Honolulu in lieu of real -coin, at least among the Kanakas, where his wit and general good nature -won him many friends. We attended a luau up in the Nuuanu Valley, a -real native feast where we were received royally because of the high -regard in which Peter was held by the Kanakas. Poi, one finger stuff, -and none of your poverty stricken watery three and two finger poi of -the stevedores and little island traders, was on the bill of fare. -Pork, fish, and fruits of all kinds afforded by the islands were -served to us on _ti_ leaves, while _swipes_ flowed freely. - -Peter sang "Hawaii Ponoi" over and over again with our hosts, and we -wound up late at night with the native girls dancing the Hula Hula. -All very decent, of course, but calculated to impress one with the -broader range of vision accorded simple strangers traveling in that -land of song and sunshine when without the stodgy hall mark of smug -respectability to hamper them in their enjoyment. Peter astonished the -natives by sleight of hand tricks with a pack of worn playing cards, -and before we left them had dated us up for another engagement. My head -the following morning was something to be remembered with respect, -and I swore off all further indulgence in the Kanaka's wonderful -hospitality. - -On board, our routine became more established. After the consignment of -case oil was put over, we found the work less trying and were better -able to meet it as we accustomed ourselves to the new labor, although -the Republican-Royalist feud continued to the end of our stay. In the -main hold, directly below the hatch, we carried a locomotive boiler. -Getting this overboard called for some seamanship on the part of the -mate. He strengthened the main yard support by extra tackles, and -hoisted the fish fall up to the cargo pendant, which in turn was backed -by several parts of wire rope. The yard purchase was replaced by a -fourfold tackle rove off with new gear. Once ready, we sent the boiler -over the side in good style, setting it squarely on a flat car. - -While this special gear for getting over the heavy freight was being -rigged, the remaining running gear of the braces was unrove, coiled and -marked for stowing while old stuff was sent up to take its place, as -all such untarred rope deteriorates rapidly when exposed to the dust -of the port for any length of time. Following the discharge of the -boiler we roused out a large number of cases of heavy machinery, all -to be assembled as a complete locomotive. The _Fuller_ was stowed with -a very mixed cargo, her manifest containing every kind of agricultural -and household implement imaginable. Castle and Cook, a large importing -house in the Islands, got a lot of our cargo and as we would unload a -consignment of stuff for them they would run an advertisement in the -daily papers-- - - CASTLE AND COOK, Large assortment of the best fruit jars with patent - screw tops just received from the States by Ship _A. J. Fuller._ - -Had we been wrecked on a desert island, our freight would have set us -up as a very respectable lot of Robinson Crusoes, for we brought the -most general of general cargoes. - -After a week in port, my mosquito mottled face having subsided to -normal, I presented a letter of introduction to Mr. William H. -McInerny, at his place of business on Fort Street. Mr. McInerny, his -mother, sister and brothers, were most kind to me, and I enjoyed -their hospitality with an appreciation made extra keen by the life of -the ship. Clean table linen and all of the ordinary necessities of -civilized existence seemed extra good. On the other hand I had sense -enough to appreciate the life aboard ship. This was never dull, and was -soon destined to become particularly strenuous. - -Mr. McInerny called for me frequently of a Sunday and took me driving -behind a pair of fast horses. His first appearance on the ship aroused -the gravest sort of suspicions in the mind of the mate. He eyed me -critically when I went ashore in my best Sunday suit, pressed the night -before by a Chinaman on Nuuanu Street. As we drove off, so Peter told -me afterward, the mate shook his head as much as to say, "Another young -fellow gone wrong." - -The next morning there was considerable coldness in the manner of -the mate, but nothing actively malignant. He gave me no harder work -to do than before, but he did not condescend to his customary gruff -camaraderie. - -When Mr. McInerny called for me again on the following Sunday with -a different rig and another pair of high steppers, Mr. Zerk became -thoroughly disgusted. On Monday he called me aft just before we turned -to after the washdown, and made some very sarcastic remarks about my -"dude friend." - -"I suppose you will be getting out of the ship?" he ventured. - -"I have never thought of getting out," I answered. - -"Well, I was just thinking that you might have a chance to get out. -Maybe your friends with their horses and carriages would not like to -see you working too hard." - -"I suppose they would hate to see me work hard, seeing what an easy -time I am having now." - -"Damn your hide, they will hate to see you work before I get through -with you. Call that thick ass Scouse aft and that ---- ---- ---- ---- -Joe." - -When these unfortunates arrived they found Mr. Zerk under a heavy -pressure of bottled-up wrath. The whole silly business had so -exasperated him that he fairly sizzled with madness. Heretofore his -outbursts were mostly impersonal, at least they always seemed so to me; -merely a part of the day's work. We were now turned over to Chips and -found that he had received instructions to clean out the limbers of the -ship, starting in the fore peak and working aft as the bottom of the -hold was uncovered. From that time on until the ship was discharged I -was kept at the most disgusting work of the voyage. Bucket after bucket -of a thick sludge, the results of a previous voyage to the Orient, when -the _Fuller_ loaded some filthy cargo in Hong Kong, was lifted out. Of -course she was never cleaned in New York, where the crew was always -discharged as soon as the hook went down, and no longshore laborer -would do the work we were set to. - -After three days of this Joe said to me as we came up out of the hold -covered with filth: "Here is where I quits. To hell with this. That -rotten bull aft thinks he can work anything off on us. Some may be soft -an' easy, but," and here Joe came in strong, "I can get thirty dollars -a month in the coasters, an' I won't be leavin' much. To hell with the -rotten skunk, says I." - -That night Joe found a chance to go out on the barkentine _Irmgard_ due -to sail in two days for San Francisco. Like most of the craft trading -to the Islands from the coast, the _Irmgard_ was glad to pick up a -deepwater sailor. Joe agreed to work his passage to Frisco and would -then sign on regularly before the U. S. Commissioner. Joe wanted Scouse -to join him but the big fellow shook his head as Joe urged him, during -the next two days down in the bilge dirt. All conversation on the -subject of Joe's departure was taboo in the fo'c'sle, though Joe worked -hard to have Scouse join him, even going so far as to see that it would -be all right for him to ship in Frisco. - -"No, Choe, I don't do no more pilge cleaning when I ged back. Dere -ain't no rotten pilges on farms, ant you never knows what rotten -backets you ship on. I stand dis ant, den, no more." - -The night that Joe left we got his clothes ashore over the bow. All -he had was a round bottomed sailor's trunk--a canvas bag. Joe was a -favorite with all of us, and his bag bulked large with parting gifts -of clothing. In addition to this we all chipped in, at the suggestion -of Old Smith, and at a tarpaulin muster, though it was near the end -of the week, we managed to find five dollars. Let it here be said that -after the first generous advance of five each, the Captain cut us down -to two dollars each week, and held down on the slop chest. Of course -five dollars was out of the question, as the pay per month was only -eighteen. - -Also, in the details of Joe's departure we had to keep everything from -Charlie Horse. As watchman he would undoubtedly be blamed for not -reporting the desertion. As it was, Charlie Horse was given a hard call -by Captain Nichols, and later on he thanked us for keeping him in the -dark. Charlie was a decent sort and said he was glad he did not have to -lie about the affair when called aft. - -"Joe's going," Frenchy whispered this to me. It was near midnight and -Joe had returned as he promised, after depositing his dunnage in the -fo'c'sle of the _Irmgard_, only a few wharves away. - -"Good-bye, boys." - -"So long, Choe. Goot-luck. Goot py," the last from Scouse. Joe slid -down one of the bowlines and we watched his dark figure walking along -the wharves. Under a street lamp on Nuuanu Street Joe waved back at us -on the strength that we were watching him. - -[Illustration: Charlie Horse] - -We all felt sorry to lose Joe. Scouse was especially gloomy over his -departure, and I missed the happy-go-lucky fellow in our work below. - -Next morning when Joe failed to show up at the wash down, Mr. Zerk was -furious. Charlie Horse came in for a round of abuse and all hands in -general were cursed fore and aft and athwartship. In it all I seemed to -detect a certain note of insincerity. In fact the mate was glad that -Joe had left; it seemed to please him that the drill in the limbers was -tough enough to have had that result. - -No one was assigned to take Joe's place, but after a week of it Scouse -was relieved and Tony became my partner in filth. - -"I suppose we will have other deserters," said the mate, coming down -and looking us over. His words were evidently intended for me. - -"I don't think so, sir. Scouse doesn't mind this a bit," which was a -foolish remark, but at least resulted in giving the red-head a relief. - -I kept fit by getting up an hour earlier each morning than the rest of -the crowd and taking a plunge overboard as a bracer, swimming about the -ship. In the evening, being too dirty to give a hand in pumping out, -I had the pleasure of a plunge into the cool waters before supper. I -always washed out my dungarees as soon as I came up, and alternated, -leaving the ones last worn to have a good sunning. - -Captain Nichols saw me one noon looking rather dirty. He may have -remarked the fact that he had seen me in the same state some ten days -before, when the grind first started. - -"What are you doing?" he asked. - -"Cleaning out the limbers, sir." - -"How do you like it?" grinning. - -"Fine; wish the ship had four instead of two, sir." - -This seemed to tickle the old man, and whatever he did I don't know, -but the next day the mate came below and lifted a horrible fuss about -the way things were dragging, with Chips at his heels saying "Yes, sir, -yes, sir," so fast that the mate turned on him and asked him if he had -St. Vitus's dance. "Yes, sir," answered Chips, before he realized his -mistake. "Well, then, get the hell out of here and let me finish this." -Four extra men were sent down and the job cleaned up the next day. - -I was mighty glad when the drill was over, for to tell the truth my -health was beginning to suffer from the nasty grind and the constant -breathing of foul air. In the fo'c'sle, too, the boys were more than -decent about it. "Well, you stuck it out," was the opinion. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -HONOLULU OF THE OLD DAYS - - -Honolulu harbor in 1898 retained more than a trace of its old time -flavor of romance. In later years, when I again visited the port, the -improvements had entirely eliminated many old landmarks that spoke -so clearly of the historic past. At the time we were there in the -_Fuller_, the remains of the hulk that once was the famous, or perhaps -I should say infamous, Hawaiian man o' war, _Kaimiloa_, lay bedded in -the mud flats at the delta of the Nuuanu River, a shallow part of the -harbor between the railroad wharf and the waterfront of the city. - -The _Kaimiloa_, a vessel of 170 tons, had once been called the -_Explorer_, and was then engaged in the copra trade. King Kalakaua -purchased her (she was a wooden steamer, by the way) for $20,000, and -had her refitted as a ship of war. On the 17th of May, 1887, she was -dispatched to Samoa to strengthen the hands of the embassy. Robert -Louis Stevenson wrote, "The history of the _Kaimiloa_ is a story of -debauchery, intrigues, and waste of government property." - -On this memorable cruise she was under the command of a half-pay -British naval officer who must have been possessed of a keen sense of -humor. "The Primacy of the Pacific" was King Kalakaua's dream, and the -H. M. S. _Kaimiloa_ was the apple of his eye. Her armament, so far as -I could find out, consisted mainly of a heavy silver service boasting -several large caliber punch bowls. In every way she was appointed with -a view to the pleasure of the monarch. - -In Samoa she got into difficulties. German men o' war in the port -refused to recognize her colors, or return her salute, and she finally -departed, returning to Honolulu by way of Pago Pago (what's in a -name?), where her half-pay commander exchanged her small arms for gin, -and had a month's debauch, as a sort of bracer, before reporting home -to the Kanaka Admiralty. This cruise is said to have disgusted King -Kalakaua with his navy, and further support was withdrawn. What became -of the silver service, the armament, or the half-pay commander, cannot -be recorded by the writer. - -The forlorn remnant of this royal hulk, with planks bleaching in the -sun, centered upon an interesting sector of the harbor. Here in the -shallow weed-grown water numerous native women, wearing extremely -proper Mother Hubbard wrappers (when dry), were always fishing -industriously. No lines or nets were used, but the finny unfortunates -were caught between the toes of the fishers. The fact that the natives -of the islands relish live fish only added to the fascination with -which we observed their operations. The harbor was also the scene of -much active fishing by the Japanese, who employed a seine and several -small sampans. So changed was all this when the writer returned to -Honolulu, some eight years later, that it was with a pang of regret he -recalled those old romantic, inefficient days. - -Not far from the _Fuller_ was the berth of the _Morning Star_. We could -look over her decks as our ship rose higher with the discharge of her -cargo. This famous missionary craft was a yacht-like three-masted -schooner with auxiliary steam, the mizzen being built of steel and -serving her as a funnel. The comings and goings of the missionary folk, -male and female, for they busied themselves mightily on board the -pretty craft, furnished us with something to look and wonder at when we -were not otherwise engaged on board. - -We established friendly relations with her crew, meeting some of them -ashore at the concerts. Frenchy made the acquaintance of her cook and -the "doctor" presented him with a can of curry powder. But no matter -how friendly the crew of the _Morning Star_ might be when ashore, they -were careful to never go aboard the _Fuller_; also the moral atmosphere -of this vessel was so strong that it pervaded the clothing of the whole -ship's company, for none of them ever was seen in any of the barrooms -frequented by sailors. However, Peter had met them while attending -lauas and they were as fond of swipes as the next man, quite human, -even to the extent of getting gloriously drunk. - -One class of visitors on board the _Morning Star_, who seemed -in the majority, were the army officers. And by the word "army" as -generally used in the capital of the Hawaiian Republic at that time, -was meant the Salvation Army. The Salvationists were very influential -in affairs along the waterfront. We had been in port about a week -when their advance guard came over our rail, sort of spiritual Uhlans -descending upon us, after dusk, as we sat about between the time of -clearing away the supper kids and lighting our pipes for a stroll -ashore. And let it here be said that whatever good they may do in -other fields, and there is no denying this, they were working in ground -already fairly moral when they boarded the _Fuller_. My observation -has been that the moral index, if I may coin a term, is inversely -proportional to the amount of work. Hard workers, physical and mental, -are as a rule fairly moral. - -On the ship _Fuller_ was gathered at that time as decent a lot of men -as ever sailed the seas. I have listened to more obscenity in a short -space of time among men who held themselves educated than fouled our -ears during the whole voyage about which I am writing. For one thing, -we always had something interesting to talk about, and our few leisure -hours were too precious to throw away. - -The head scouts of the army were no doubt attracted by the rather -cheerful noises coming from our band, an organization making use of all -the typical sailor instruments, the accordion, several mouth organs, a -jew's-harp, and a drum made by Jimmy Marshall out of a small paint keg -with canvas stretched on both ends. The missioners from the good ship -_Morning Star_ were very much interested, no doubt scenting talent for -their concerts, and the party came aboard on what might be called a -cutting out expedition. - -"Yes, we were getting lots to eat." "No, the ship was not particularly -hard. The captain was all right." "Yes, the mate did swear a lot; in -fact he was a bad man, but we had seen worse." "Yes, the life of a -sailor is a hard one. We all liked Honolulu. Etc. Etc." Old Smith had -the party in tow, and acted as spokesman while the parley was going on. -Jimmy in the meantime buzzed around, all eagerness to get in his fine -work at panning the ship, the grub, and everything else. - -One of the visitors noticed this. He was a tall thin man wearing the -fatigue uniform of nothing less than a Major, and was evidently a -student of the genus sailor, that is, a student of the sailor man going -through his paces ashore; a down trodden unfortunate, sleeping in a -bunk innocent of woven wire springs, without clean linen sheets, and -having to wash himself in a common deck bucket, all of which of course -is true enough. The tall man was drawn aside by Jimmy, his grizzled -monkey face working like a nutcracker. Jimmy talked to such good -purpose that the tall army officer handed him a card and asked him to -call when ashore. Our band then struck up, and nobody could help but -notice that Jimmy Marshall was a most proficient drummer. - -The upshot of this was that a week later Jimmy took to his bunk sick. -"Contusion of the liver," he called it. "Too much work an' the rotten -grub 'as got me at last." There was much groaning in his bunk, and when -Captain Nichols looked him over he shook his head. - -The following day several army authorities came aboard to visit Jimmy, -a mighty fine looking captain among them, for we all admired her. Two -days after this Jimmy rose from his bunk with great effort and went aft -while the captain paid him off. Kanakas came aboard for his dunnage, -and Jimmy Marshall joined the Salvation Army. We saw him on the corner -of Fort and Hotel Streets soon afterward beating a brand-new drum and -utterly ignoring us. How the army did it remained a mystery until a -young man from Brewer's office let fall the hint that army influence -was exerted through the agents. Whatever it was, it worked, and for -many a day we missed Jimmy. His "beef" on a rope was negligible, but he -was clever at every sailor art and his singing was in a class by itself. - -Scouse summed up the fo'c'sle opinion when he said, "Dot's a smart -feller, dot Chimmy." - -While the efforts of the Salvation Army were directed with vigor and -enjoyed the support of the powers that were in the city, the devil -was also well represented in the thriving little nest of humanity, -way out there in the middle of the Pacific. This was before the time -of the great fire that swept away the Japanese quarter, and before -the yoshiwara had been established. Saloons had a pleasant ingenuous -fashion of advertising in the daily papers. Such items as, "Drink at -the Criterion Saloon," "Visit the Louvre Saloon, for your rickeys," -were displayed in bold type. Intoxicated men reeled along the streets -at night in the region bordering the waterfront, and assaults of -various kinds were not infrequent. All nations were represented in -the motley crew who formed the floating cosmopolitan conglomeration -drifting about the port. The new republic being the eddy in the middle -of the transpacific lanes where human flotsam gravitated, like Hong -Kong and Port Said, it had become a nodal point of adventure. - -Of course Honolulu itself rose serene and beautiful above this mess of -wreckage that washed up on her beach. Beautiful homes were there, on -the long avenues lined by royal palms, set in fine grounds, bordered -by hibiscus hedges alive with flaming red. The date palm and the fan -palm all added to the natural beauty surrounding her public buildings -and her dwellings. The solid worth of the place far outweighed the -ribald doings of the beach combers, not all of them, let it be said, -in dungaree. Well-dressed adventurers were even more numerous, and no -doubt far more dangerous, than the unattached sailors of the port. - -The life in the Chinese and Japanese quarters, with their hundreds of -small shops supplying the modest needs of their countrymen, was most -interesting to us. In fact we were compelled to do most of our trading -with these merchants, as two dollars per week was of little account in -attempting to go shopping on Fort Street in the American or English -stores. As for having a regular blowout, with drinks of civilization, -at two bits per glass, it was simply not to be thought of. Watermelons, -bananas, pineapples, soda pop, and ginger ale were our refreshments -after an evening spent at the concert in Emma Square, or Thomas Square, -and very often I went to a small Chinese coffee house on Beretania -Street for a cup of Kona coffee and a plate of sinkers. If a steamer -had arrived it was the custom to have a concert at the Royal Hawaiian -Hotel; the band, by the way, being a particularly fine one under -direction of Professor Henry Berger, and supported by the Government. -King Kalakaua during his famous tour of the world conceived the idea -of having such an organization in Honolulu. It was composed of native -Hawaiians, all excellent musicians, and he secured Professor Berger to -lead it. The frequent concerts inaugurated by King Kalakaua have been -continued ever since. Bad as the old king may have been, the band will -always remain a large item to his credit. Without it, Honolulu would -be a bad place in which to live; many a poor devil has enjoyed the -treat of the best music under conditions calculated to conserve its -influence, who would otherwise have spent his evening in some hideous -dive. - -The concerts in the grounds of the Royal Hotel were a sort of dual -function so far as I was concerned. When attending them in the company -of Mr. Mclnerny I walked boldly into the lobby of the hotel and lolled -about on the verandah like a gentleman. When out with Hitchen, Frenchy, -Axel, or Tommy, and on the single occasion when we induced Old Smith -to forsake the waterfront, I stopped on the lowly outskirts of the -crowd among the natives, and the groups of Chinamen, Portuguese, -and Japs. We enjoyed the music and had as good a time as the folks -on the verandah; in fact we were more comfortable, for we dressed in -cool clean dungaree with our cotton shirts unstarched and open at the -throat. Pipes were always in order, lavish conversation was indulged -in, and we got to be accepted on an equal footing by many of the -natives. Nigger, the hatch man, a sort of top boss among these people, -was one of the best of Kanakas, which is saying much; a white man under -his skin, and a gentleman every inch of him. He introduced us to as -exclusive a society as there is in the islands, and we always swore by -him in spite of the way he treated us the first few days of our stay in -port, but then, as he explained, it was the Republicans he was after, -and of course us white fellows could look out for ourselves. - -On Sundays, when I was not out driving with Mr. Mclnerny, Frenchy and -Axel and myself would wander about the city looking at the strange -sights. Tommy got to be one of the sightseers later on, and in our -different excursions on foot we covered the place pretty well. The -Palace (from the outside), the statue of Kamehameha I, the Museum, and -the cottage in which Stevenson lived at Waikiki, were some of the -points of interest visited. We also made a long hike out to the Pali. -All of this is uninteresting but simply spread upon the record to show -that the sailor-man of the old deepwater days, of which I write, was -liable at times to enjoy many of the milder forms of dissipation now -almost exclusively indulged in by Cook tourists and the winners of -voting contests sent abroad by enterprising newspapers. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -A DINNER ASHORE - - -With all due respect to Chow, and he moved in the best silk-shirted -circles of oriental society, we could never say that his regular bill -of fare on board the _Fuller_ was exactly epicurean. He was bound to -remember that sailors were the ultimate destination of his efforts and -he guided himself accordingly. - -When the ship was at the end of her discharging, and my trials with -the mate had come to a close, so far as the bilge was concerned at -least, Frenchy suggested that we have a dinner ashore. I felt like -celebrating and readily agreed. At first we thought of having this -feast alone, but after due deliberation, and consideration of all of -the questions involved, we decided to invite a third shipmate. Frenchy -figured this out on the basis of the size of the bird that he held to -be the necessary central feature of the proposed banquet. The kind of a -bird Frenchy had in mind was a three-man bird--indeed many a family of -twice that number would have considered it sufficient. Then again, in -his way the Frenchman was quite a philosopher, and realized that in a -three-cornered celebration the whole affair would take on a better air. -Three may be a crowd under certain circumstances, but where shipmates -get together, three of them generally manage to have a better time than -when they travel in pairs. - -Now as to the third man. I suspected that Frenchy had already selected -him when we went out on the fo'c'sle head to talk the matter over, a -few nights before the event was to come off. He urged me to suggest -candidates. I did, possibly more on their merits as sailors than -anything else, forgetting that the man who knows best how to stow a -fore t'gan'sl may not be the handiest shipmate with a knife and fork. -Hitchen or Axel were named by me. - -"No, Felix, that Hitchen always laughs at me when I tell about the way -we cook things in France. Axel is all right but he eats stock fish. Let -us ask Tommy. Tommy knows a good dinner when he smells it. Let's ask -him." - -Thereupon Tommy was asked, and of course accepted. We were to pool our -week's allowance, two dollars apiece, and by the ready way in which -Tommy and Frenchy got together on the proposition I knew that they had -already thrashed out all the details. Frenchy merely started the ball -rolling my way by true fo'c'sle diplomacy, the boys imagining perhaps -that I would want someone besides Tommy as the third man, for somehow -or other Tommy and I had never chummed to any extent since our arrival -in Honolulu. - -The matter of Tommy disposed of, Frenchy took the arrangements in -hand, going ashore with Tommy Saturday night to perfect the details, -for these archconspirators had already selected the place at which we -were to dine. It transpired that Nigger, who was a warm friend of mine -host, had highly recommended the place, so I agreed to put myself in -the hands of my friends after the time-honored custom of more exalted -candidates, turning over to them the two silver dollars received from -Captain Nichols, and that night I followed my routine of many other -evenings of enforced economy, and repaired to the reading room of the -Y. M. C. A. - -When I came aboard Frenchy and Tommy were there to meet me. They had -seen the proprietor of a little restaurant on Fort Street a few doors -north of Hotel. A table had been reserved for Sunday, at one o'clock, -and the final specifications of that dinner minutely laid down. -Frenchy was enthusiastic. I would now see what a real dinner was like; -I was to tell him frankly if it was not better than the dinners I had -had ashore with my friends. The proprietor, a Portuguese, was a man of -taste ready to welcome us as friends of Nigger; his wife was to cook -the dinner herself. Clean white tablecloth, napkins, and everything -right, had been ordered by Frenchy. - -We did not tell the rest of the crowd forward of our plans, for like -enough they would only ridicule the idea. As a matter of fact it did -seem like an extravagance, but we were having so much fun out of it -before we ever came to the actual disposition of the dinner, that it -was well worth the sacrifice entailed. "A man likes to have things good -once in a while," was the justification of Frenchy. - -Sunday morning, after the washdown, which was always particularly -thorough on that day, lasting an hour or so longer than usual, we -partook of a very light breakfast. We then shaved carefully, that is, -Tommy and I did, and got out our best clothes, brushing them with great -care. - -"Are you going riding today?" asked Martin with a grin. - -"No, Mart, I expect to dine at the Palace with President Dole." - -"Is Tommy and Frenchy going with you?" - -"You guessed it. By special invitation, Mart, Tommy and Frenchy have -been asked up to dine and to advise the President as to the cut of his -whiskers. Some say he should shave like Tommy, on account of the heat, -others contend he should let them grow like Frenchy, on account of the -mosquitoes; so you see he is asking us up to dinner in order to settle -the matter," at which both Tommy and Frenchy expanded perceptibly, and -Mart, muttering "Rats," went out on deck to escape the jibes of the -crowd. It was certain that something unusual was up, but after the -manner of a free fo'c'sle, the men kept their own counsel, only such -goats as the wood-turner Martin having the crust to edge in. - -Frenchy broke out his best--a blue suit, very square cut in the -shoulders, double breasted, and of substantial cloth, rather heavy, but -undoubtedly good. He told me proudly that it had been made to order in -Dunkirk two years before when he was home on a visit. He also polished -the leather visor on his blue cloth cap, a petty officer's cap, a relic -of the old days in the navy. Of course Frenchy had on a stiff white -shirt, one with a very small bosom, which made it necessary for him to -keep his coat buttoned, for he decided not to wear a vest. This shirt -was a work of art, hand made by sister Madeleine, and having collar and -cuffs attached. In place of a tie he wore a loosely knotted scarf of -black silk. - -Tommy had a gray sack suit, not new, but well brushed and neat. The -edges of the vest, which he insisted on wearing, were lined with black -braid, and he had worked black silk triangles at the corners of the -pocket slits. Tommy wore a very shiny boiled shirt, a low wing collar, -a fancy butterfly tie of the very latest South Street pattern, held in -place by an elastic band, and a gray felt hat. - -I donned my visiting clothes, and the three of us turned out in the -height of perfection, scrubbed, polished, and rubbed down to the last -turn; Beau Brummel, had he ever shipped deep water, would have had -nothing on us. - -"Well, I hope you has a good time," called out Brenden as we headed aft -for the gangway, just as the smelly kids from the galley were coming -forward, in the hands of Fred and Tony, masses of greasy potroast -unappetizing and uncouth. - -The mate sighted us as we went over the gangway. He stood in the -shadow under the after awning giving us a thorough looking over. - -"Three gentlemen of Verona!" he cried after us in derision, for let it -be known Mr. Zerk was something of a scholar in his way and not without -a sense of inaccurate but racy humor. - -Glad to be clear of the ship, we headed up Nuuanu Street to King, put -our helms hard to port and ran east under the shadow of the substantial -concrete stores and offices, with their heavy iron shutters closed for -the Sabbath day. From King Street we turned northerly into Fort Street -and, with yards squared, and three abreast, we bore up to the haven in -which we were to dine, as well pleased a trio of low degree mariners as -ever sailed. - -The proprietor, swarthy, stout, and smiling, and wearing a white apron, -greeted us at the door; while his wife peeked from behind a curtain -in the rear, as he ushered us to a nice round table next to a window -overlooking a cool shady garden. We were the only diners in this cozy -room, the private parlor of mine host. The trades were blowing rather -strong that day and a pleasant breeze came in through the open window. -The lace curtains still linger in my memory, with other details of the -feast, and I had to tuck them back, for they threatened the soup. - -When I say that a small vase of flowers decorated the white linen, or -perhaps it was only cotton, but at any rate fresh and clean, the fine -hand of Frenchy will be recognized, for, let us say so again, and if -necessary, again and again, he had planned the dinner from first to -last in every detail. - -The soup, for of course we started with soup and not with any of -the exotic indigestible frippery often attempted by ambitious but -ill-informed caterers, was _cold consomme!_ "Hey, wot's this?" demanded -Tommy, "are we late?" "No, Tommy, you eat this cold. Try it." "Say, -that's all to the all right!" - -Well, it certainly was "all to the all right," and real cold, in fact -chilly would be the proper word. The host fluttered about; he was -doing things right, and to entertain guests such as we, who knew _and -demanded_ that every detail be carried out; for such appreciative -guests were rare indeed in the vicinity of Fort Street, not far from -Hotel. - -The fish course was a dainty morsel of some native species, flaky and -white. It would take a connoisseur, and few of them shipped at sea in -those days, to describe that meal. - -The roast was a fat fowl, but not too fat, a plump bird of the genus -chicken. - -When this rare bird appeared on the table Frenchy insisted upon -congratulating the cook, the proprietor's wife, who blushed with -pleasure at the gracious compliments showered upon her, and the bird, -with equal facility. Of course Frenchy carved. He carved exactly as -he had often carved before in the long hungry night watches off the -coast of North America when we first chummed together. Only now he was -dismembering a real plump drumstick done to a golden brown, and not -one of the imaginary mouth-watering tantalizers of the cold high seas. -Dressing was there too, and mighty good, and a big dish of mealy mashed -potatoes, white and satisfying. - -"Have some gravy," said Tommy, passing around the gravy boat, a vessel -he was well able to command. - -We wound up with a salad of lettuce, and Frenchy mixed the dressing at -the table. It will not stretch the imagination of the reader to believe -that by this time our shipmate was in a highly satisfactory mood. Tommy -and I were having the time of our lives, and as far as dinners go I -have never enjoyed a better. Since then it has been my fortune to kick -heels beneath the same table with a prince of the royal blood, to have -broken bread with school-men and with men of the old world who feel -themselves of noble strain; I have speared spuds with the fishermen of -the north and have shared my bacon and corn pone with the niggers in -the swamps of Florida; I have dined in state and have taken my chances -in a college commons, but never can I remember a better or a merrier -meal. - -Some guava tart and cream cheese, the latter served on small green -leaves, and large generous plebeian cups of clear Kona coffee, -completed the dinner. - -Our host had a surprise for us. He opened, and passed around, a box of -good cigars, urging us to help ourselves to extra ones, which we did. -He then took off his apron and, drawing a chair up to the table, joined -our well satisfied company. We talked of all things under the heavens -and upon the land and waters. More coffee was called for at intervals, -and when our host learned that I had been in Horta, his native town in -the Azores, a new bond of interest was established. - -Finally, with regret, the time came to depart. A fine touch worthy of -that finished sailor, Victor Mathes of Dunkirk, God rest his soul and -grant him all prosperity, was the fact that the meal had been paid for -in advance and we left our host without the sordid jingling of change -or offering of a pauperizing tip, this worthy bowing us to the door, -three contented sailors, with extended belts, and empty pockets, and -nothing but a ship to call our home. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -BRITISH NEIGHBORS - - -The memory of our famous dinner ashore, a feast that was enjoyed over -and over again in reminiscences during the succeeding months of the -voyage, brings to mind, by very contrast, the sad picture of a body of -men who were constantly hungry. These unfortunates were the crew of the -iron ship _British Monarch_. We became very friendly with the crowd on -the Britisher during our stay in port, finding them there when we came -and leaving them behind when we put to sea. These poor devils talked of -food, thought of food, and dreamt of food; they did everything but eat -it in anything like satisfying quantities. - -They were a typical English ship's company in this case, carrying a -larger number of Britons than was generally the rule. The Dutchman, -that is anything hailing from the north of Europe, of course -predominated. - -"Bli me if she ain't the 'ungriest bloody tawnk hout o' Lunnon. Arsh -thy calls hit. Sye, hif arsh hever tysted like that, so 'elp me. And -they arsts me to heat me fill, the rotters! Blarst 'em! _The bloody -rotters!_" - -The speaker, a native of parts near London, a vivacious and interesting -lad named Parker Tweedy, treated us to this and much more in the same -vein. Tweedy elected himself a "Hextra 'and" at our mess and helped -clean up the kids on many an occasion. In fact many a pocket full of -tack and many a half pan of dry hash went from the _Fuller_ to the -_British Monarch_. - -Two very youthful apprentice boys, fair haired and rosy faced, with -china-blue eyes, were among her complement. These children, they were -nothing more, gloried in the most awful command of profanity. The boys -were to be seen wandering about ashore of an evening, their faded blue -uniform caps proclaiming them the sons of doting parents who were -willing to pay a bonus of fifty pounds in order that their boys might -learn the rudiments of seamanship and navigation on the clipper ship -_British Monarch_, late of the China and Australia trade. "Uniform is -worn--meaning the caps--and the young gentlemen are berthed in separate -quarters in the cuddy house." So read the tale that snared them. -However, nothing except hunger ever seemed to happen to these lads, -and as they flattened their noses against the confectioner's windows -ashore, they were unconsciously absorbing lessons that might be of -value to them in after life. - -Like most English ships of this class, the _British Monarch_ was a -disgrace to the sea and in no way representative of the best traditions -of the English service. The system in vogue in ships of her kind may -be epitomized as one of _least work_ and _less food_. Day after day -the crew would sling a scaffold plank over her side and chip her rusty -plates in a languid, melancholy way, interspersing their half-hearted -labors by lengthy discussions. Small patches of the chipped surface -would be coated with red lead and the _British Monarch_ looked like a -tattered sea rover wearing a very much torn coat through which patches -of red undershirt were visible. - -Her gear aloft was most slovenly, Irish pendants hanging from every -yard, and her spars taking any direction in which they happened to be -at the time the braces were belayed. Her skipper, a youngish man and -very unassuming, would scull about the harbor in a small jolly boat -visiting his friends. Why the crew stayed by the ship was a mystery, -with good billets going begging for sailor-men to hold them; however, -when we learned that they had a year's payday on the books and were -looking forward to some happy distant time when that rusty ark would -drop her anchor in the Thames or Mersey, the reason for their staying -by was plain. - -Hitchen and I went on board of her after we had been in port for -several weeks and I was surprised to have him take me aft into the -cabin. All he would say was that he had met Mr. Gore, the mate, back -in England; they were old friends, "so what's the difference if I -am before the mast so long as it's in another ship?" which was true -enough. The cabin of the ship was very elaborately appointed, though -not well taken care of. The _British Monarch_ had been in the East -India trade at one time and was fitted to carry a limited number of -cabin passengers. - -Mr. Gore, the mate, was a taciturn man of about forty, much given to -study and reflection, for which he had ample opportunity, as the care -and working of the ship never seemed to bother him. The second mate, -Mr. Hauton, a lad of less than twenty, was most hospitable. He was a -graduate of an English schoolship, and as I was from the _St. Mary's_, -we had a lot to talk about, comparing notes on all matters relating -to the profession of the sea. He was a "Wrinkles" fan and exhibited a -thumbed copy of the first edition. As I had a copy of the latest, much -enlarged, Hauton made me promise to loan it to him. - -One thing that was notable was the fact that they had the run of things -aft, going into the captain's room for books, and freely inviting their -friends on board to partake of such hospitality as the vessel afforded. -The social equality aft was better balanced than in the _Fuller_, and -deservedly so. On the other hand, our mate was a far better sailor than -either of these men, yet he was as far removed from the captain, as we -were from the sacred shelter of the forward cabin. - -Hauton and I made a number of interesting excursions about Honolulu -and its vicinity. We visited the Oahu prison, whose white walls loomed -over the green meadows beyond the railroad wharf. Another trip took us -out to the great Ewa Plantation. Hauton was keen on visiting the coast -traders as they came in from California, and having more or less of a -fixture during the long stay in port of the _British Monarch_, he was -able to make many friends. His reason for staying by the ship was the -fact that the time in port, he being signed on as a regular officer, -was telling toward his sea service. On their return, if they ever did -return, he would go before the examiners of the Board of Trade as a -candidate for the First Mate's Certificate of Competency. - -They do this sort of thing much better in England, and in fact in -all of the European countries, than we do. There an ambitious lad -of seventeen, who has had his service and possesses the necessary -knowledge of navigation, can pass for second mate. In the United States -the young man must be twenty-one, an age at which they commanded ships -in the good old days, before the Local Inspectors of Steam Vessels can -examine him for a second mate's license.[6] This foolish rule kept me -roughing at sea, in subordinate billets, for three years before I could -qualify and go to sea as an officer, that is, three years more than -were necessary, as I was qualified by service and knowledge at the age -of eighteen. - - [6] Changed in 1916 to admit men of 19 years, having the required sea - experience, to examination for third or second mate. - -Another thing, and here is as good a place to say it as any, the -whole system of examining merchant officers is wrong. The U. S. Local -Inspectors of Steam Vessels are earnest, capable officers, but must -work with the laws and regulations as they find them. The examinations -are even less rigid now[7] than formerly, owing to the great need for -officers to man our ships. - - [7] 1918. - -One of the worst features of the thing is the fact that they give a man -a "_license_." I have no desire to quarrel about mere words, but why -not be consistent? As we "license" our merchant marine officers, let -us do the whole thing in the same hayseed fashion and give our naval -officers "permits" instead of "commissions," or perhaps include them in -the scheme of licenses. An old sailor once told me that he would rather -have a liquor license than a license to sail the oceans as master. Dog -licenses, peddler's licenses, and what not, all confused in the average -mind with merchant officer's licenses are the result of ignorance -founded on a political system, that, originating ashore, has bungled -the laws governing our sea service since the fatal time when it was -taken under the present system of control. - -To end this "backwash of wrath" let us give our merchant officers "A -Certificate of Competency" or any old thing but a "license." As a -matter of fact the officer's license looks very much like the license -displayed in saloon windows, permitting them to do business by virtue -of their payment of internal revenue taxes. - -The yawl of the Britisher was an able, fine modeled boat, sported a -leg-o'-mutton rig and frequently, of a moonlight evening, the breeze -being fair, Hitchen and I would go out sailing with the mates of the -_British Monarch_. On one occasion Hauton and I took the yawl out -through the harbor entrance and beat our way as far east as Waikiki -Beach, expecting to sail back before it with a fair breeze. It fell -calm and we were compelled to beach her and leave the boat in charge -of a native, as she was too big an order for us to row back alone, -especially as we carried only one oar. This taught us a lesson, for -we had to walk back, not having a cent in our pockets. The next night -we went out by car with the two apprentice boys and a number of our -Hawaiian friends, who brought their ukuleles. The sail back into the -harbor was most enjoyable. These people have excellent voices, as a -rule, and sing with a haunting plaintive strain of sadness that can -never be forgotten. - -In the undertow of human flotsam that circulated about the wharves and -waterfront saloons, there was considerable talk about the smuggling -of opium. It seemed a profitable business to engage in, judging by -the talk we heard. A leak in the customs, or some loophole in the -restrictions on the trade, allowed a lot of the drug to get into -Honolulu. Often, as we sailed about the harbor in the evening, we would -notice the small schooners coming in and out, many of these being -consigned to Chinese and Japanese merchants. The cleverest of the -smugglers would come into the port with their shipment of opium slung -under the keel of the vessel. Bearings would be taken at some point, -perhaps some time before letting go the anchor, and the contraband -tripped to the bottom. All that was necessary then was to deliver the -bearings; the consignee could go out and pick up his freight in a -fishing net when most convenient. - -Going to sea breeds a garrulous curiosity among sailors. The shipping -in the harbor was a constant source of discussion aboard the _Fuller_. -Of fine trim sailing craft, Honolulu held more than her share in those -days. Such craft as the barkentine _Irmgard_, the bark _Nuuanu_, and -the _Foohing Suey_ were a delight to the eye. The bark _Rhoderick Dhu_ -was also one of them, and eight years later I saw her come slambanging -into the broad harbor of Hilo, all sail set and a crowd of gaily -dressed women on her poop. She was still popular as a passenger -carrier, and came to anchor with the precision of a man-o'-war. - -The island steamer, a typical product of Hawaii, is a cross between -a steam schooner, only shorter, and a New England boarding house and -factory combination. A black tin smokestack rises above the front -porch, two stump masts are fitted with leg-of-mutton sails to steady -her, and a large crew of Kanakas complete the maritime mess. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE MATE KEEPS US BUSY - - -News that war with Spain had been declared reached us on April 27th, -coming by the U. S. _Mariposa_ from Sydney. On the same day we -discharged the last piece of cargo in the hold of the _Fuller_ and -hauled into the stream to get ready for our return loading of sugar. -This ended our shore liberty for a few nights, but it really came as -a relief to us. Three busy weeks along shore, weeks that seemed like -months when we thought of all that had happened, sickened us of the -dust and smell, the latter emanating largely from the Chinese houses -with their peculiar odor of rancid sweetened grease. The chatter of -the Kanakas wearied us and the mosquito pest along shore was enough to -discourage even the most pronounced optimist. We were glad, indeed, for -a few days of comparative quiet while in the stream; at least it was -three days of quiet that we looked forward to. - -Before hauling away from the wharf we took aboard a lot of rough -pine and spruce lumber, material to be used in lining the ship. Shore -carpenters came out, men thoroughly versed in the work, and in an -incredible time had fitted a complete inner skin throughout the hold. -This was kept at least a foot away from the sides of the vessel and -some two feet above the bilges, and the ceiling next the keelson, the -ceiling being at the bottom and not at the top of the hold, as landsmen -might imagine. The boarding of this inner skin was cleverly laid, -clinker fashion, like the clapboards on a house, so that any sweat or -leak water in the hold would be shed and run down clear to the bilges -without wetting the precious cargo. - -A cargo of sugar such as was to be carried by the _Fuller_ was worth -at that time in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million, and the -greatest precautions were taken to safeguard it. In addition to -guarding against wet, all places where the sugar bags might, by any -chance, come in contact with iron, as the bolt heads in the heavy -knees that jutted through the inner lining, were wrapped with extra -thicknesses of gunny sack. When this job was completed the lower hold -looked like the inside of a gigantic melon, nicely hollowed out. -There was a clean sweep from the fore peak to the lazarette, only -interrupted by the mainmast and the upright water tank, a simple hold -such as was considered safe and proper in the days of Columbus and of -Drake. - -[Illustration: WATCHING THE SHORE WHEN IN THE STREAM] - -The 'tween decks of the _Fuller_ was rather fancy. Her voyage previous -to the one we were on had taken her to China and while in Shanghai the -'tween decks was scraped bright. The under side of the spar deck, the -lining, knees, and waterways, were all in natural wood and coated with -a varnish made of shellac and oil. The heads of bolts, and all iron -work, had been painted with aluminum paint and then varnished. When we -first noted this it brought forth some caustic comment. - -"They do the cargo a damn sight better than they do us," remarked -Australia. And this was right and proper. The cargo pays freight and -should be considered, whereas we were a part of the expense, to be cut -down as low as possible both in numbers and wages. - -Captain Nichols, too, was glad to get away from the wharf and all the -annoyances incident to discharging. The dust and unavoidable dirt -tracked aboard ship by the people from shore were a constant vexation -to his soul. I have often seen the skipper bob up from the companion -and chase some unsuspecting visitor ashore without ceremony; some poor -deluded mortal without a proper reverence for the sacred character -of those spotless after decks that we had holystoned and scrubbed so -carefully every day of the voyage. - -When we got in the stream a comfortable deck chair was brought out for -the captain and placed on top of the cabin and several times we saw him -actually recline at his ease in this concession to luxury. The skipper -also wore wonderful white clothing with double blue stripes; this was -really silk, but looked for all the world like the standard pattern -for bedticking. It must have been cool, and after all that is why he -wore them. Coming out to the ship a few days after we had hauled out, -the captain had his boatman row him around the vessel while he eyed -her carefully. Evidently everything was right aloft, yards square and -all gear snug, for of course the mate had seen to that, but he was not -pleased with the appearance of the hull. The following morning we got -busy and all that day half of us were over the side scrubbing her. We -took long brooms and cleaned off the high wall of copper, for being -light she showed some six feet of it, and when we got through, the -_Fuller_ looked something like her old self. - -During all of our time in Honolulu the mate remained very much to -himself. I only remember seeing him go ashore a few times and none of -us ever met him when off the ship. He led a lonesome life, and after -the hard day of driving us with all duties devolving on him alone, I -have no doubt he was pretty well done. Thinking it over, I have since -come to the conclusion that the terrible Mr. Zerk, the bully and the -slave-driver, with a curse always ready on his lips, and a heavy fist -prepared to enforce his mandates, was a sort of Mr. Hyde to a very -domestic Zerk saving his payday at the rate of a paltry sixty dollars -a month against the time of his return home to the wife and kids. His -supply of home-made jams and preserved pickles, so sparingly given -me on the passage out, confirms this conclusion. True, I hated him -cordially during those trying days in Honolulu, but then I was very -much of an ass, and no doubt deserved all that was given me. When we -went into the stream, things got better; the mate slackened up to the -extent of allowing me to tally aboard the lumber for the lining. - -About this time talk in the fo'c'sle was much concerned with -speculation as to who would be our second mate. Martin said he had -overheard the mate tell someone from the shore that a man was coming -out from Frisco to take the billet. - -"Not on yer life," said Australia; "they will pick something easy from -forward. This mate likes to run things hisself and all he wants is some -boy to stay awake nights to call the captain if a squall blows up. They -will pick one of us, but whoever he is, he will be a fool." - -In fact not long afterward judicious soundings were taken forward by -that left-handed diplomat, the gloomy Chips. Whoever sent him on his -fruitless errand must have received an enlightening message. Chips -cornered one man after another and in a deliberate fashion got his -ideas as to who was willing to go aft. We were all of one opinion as to -who was most fitted for the billet; Old Smith of course was the man. -Although he was known as _Old_ Smith, it was more a matter of respect, -his age being only about forty or forty-five. He had sailed before the -mast since boyhood, most of this time deepwater, back and forth around -the Horn, sailing as second mate many times but always going back to -the fo'c'sle as his choice. - -Smith never drank to excess while in Honolulu, was a clean-cut, able -seaman, a type as scarce in those days and unknown now. - -Some hitch ashore occurred in regard to our cargo, for we lay in the -stream three days after we were ready to load. In the interval the mate -hit upon a brilliant idea. Why he thought of this piece of hazing, for -such it was, is merely a guess on my part, but the growing cheerfulness -forward must have annoyed him. The band was particularly active after -we left the wharf, the concerts on the fo'c'sle head, of an evening, -lasting well into the night. - -The day after the hold was finished we were horsed about unmercifully -at the washdown. Fred, Martin and I had put large batches of clothing -to soak the night before, expecting to find time during the day for -scrubbing, as we looked forward to a rather easy time. - -"Hey! Put them swabs up. Never mind that, Smith; break out a couple -of barrels of sand. Leave the water spar," this last to Frenchy and -Charlie Horse, who were about to unrig it; for Charlie Horse always -helped at the morning washdown after his night of watching, "to give -him an appetite for breakfast," as the mate said. - -"Wot in hell is the racket?" asked Australia in alarm. "So help me--is -that busher going to start something new?" - -"Dot's it. Something's new again. Maybe the 'bear' in port, or -something," chimed in Scouse. - -"Get your breakfast!" shouted the mate as soon as the sand was on deck, -and we went forward with the whole ship in a mess--gear on the pins, -deck wet, and two barrels of mysterious sand at the main hatch. - -"By ----, he's got me," confessed Hitchen; "whatever the bloody bitch -has up his sleeve is a new one." - -"Joe was wise; that's what he was, wise. And say, that little -hipercrite Jimmy, was _he_ wise? Well, ast me, will you, after tonight? -I'll bet something is doing, and something very fine. We been having -our fling too much. The hell with these American working wagons!" - -"Aw, shut up, Brenden, will you? For Gawd's sake, have some feelin's -for us. Look at Fred; he's too tired to eat." - -The reaction from our high spirits of the last few days was complete. -We sat around dejected after breakfast, and it was with a feeling -of relief that we heard the bull-like roar of the mate urging us to -turn to. This summons reverberated across the harbor, and must have -advertised us as a packet of strife. - -Things were not long in abeyance. We were ordered to wet down decks -again and spread the sand on the main deck as far forward as the -windlass. Old Smith, Frenchy, Brenden, and Martin were told off to lend -a hand to Chips. The first lengths of the chain cables were stoppered -just abaft the wild cats, and by means of handy billys and chain hooks -we roused up long bights of the rusty cables and ranged them along -the deck, constantly wetting down and sprinkling sand to protect the -planks. This was no easy job; in fact we worked like slaves at the -back-breaking labor, having something like a hundred fathoms to handle -on each anchor. The night after this started our band went out of -business, for we all turned in. - -Mr. Zerk was positively cheerful during the second and last day of this -job. When we had completed hauling out the chain, made of great links a -half foot long, and strengthened by a heavy stud, he descended to the -chain locker, while I went with him carrying the lantern. We found very -little dirt in the locker, and that also seemed to please the mate. The -whole operation, aside from furnishing us considerable exercise, did no -particular good, nor for that matter harm. - -I was glad of the opportunity to see the thing done, an interesting -piece of work from the standpoint of the student of seamanship. The -ends of the cables were passed through heavy ring bolts on the keelson -and then were carried _up_ and secured by a stout lashing to rings in -the knight heads. This method of securing made it possible to slip the -cables by casting off the ends and letting them go by the run, as the -ends are always in sight. The necessity for slipping cables comes very -seldom, but when it does have to be done the safety of the ship and -all on board depends upon the ability to let go quickly and without a -hitch. During this work we examined the markings on the chain. At the -links next to the shackles, that separate the different shots of the -cable, turns of wire are placed on the studs so that in running out the -cable the shackles can be examined as they go over the wild cats, and -the length of chain out determined. Large swivels are also provided for -taking out the turns when a vessel swings completely around in a tide -way. Where two anchors are out, and the chains become twisted, we have -the necessity for "clearing the hawse," an old time honored operation -performed by the voyagers in the days of Columbus when hawsers were -used. The hawse pipes still retain their name though great chain cables -are now employed. - -The labor of stowing the cables was less painful than that of rousing -them up as gravity worked with us. - -On the night we finished this job we received word that the ship was to -go alongside again the next day, and again we were glad of the change. -That the system on board was a good one cannot be denied. We were -always glad that some disagreeable piece of work was done, and, except -for the croakers, who were always predicting trouble--and were always -right--we were a very contented lot of men. It also happened that in -the scheme of things no part of the ship was ever neglected, and the -owners received full value in the care of their vessel for the wages -that were slowly accruing to us. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE LAND OF LANGUOR - - -The month in port had pulled us together in a remarkable manner. The -ship's company forward were as one large family gathered by strange -chance from the ends of the earth, and, because of the wonderful -adaptability of human nature, we were working and living our life in -pleasant harmony. Of course it might as well be said that if anything -otherwise had occurred, if constant fighting had taken place, our well -trained masters of the cabin would have put the disturbances down with -little delay. - -On the _Fuller_ we mustered an imposing array of nationalities; besides -Americans, we had Norwegians, a Swede, an Italian, two Germans, and an -Englishman. The mate, an American, had "Blue Nose" written all over -him. He was one of those hard men, originating in Nova Scotia, who -have added their bit to the consummate seamanship of New England and -New York. The Chinese cook, and Japanese boy, and later on our Kanaka -sailors, helped to make us as conglomerate as any melting pot. The one -man we lacked, and it was the only place in my career of much work and -poor pay, that I did not find him, was the Irishman. We missed Paddy; -he should have been there. - -The amount of the pay day coming to us, some time in the distant -future, was a constant source of computation. Figuring the time since -the working off of the dead horse, and deducting the slop chest -account, also the money advanced while in port, and while the figures -were often disappointing, there was still the possibility of a tidy -pay day looming far ahead. Unlike the poor whaleman with the prospect -of nothing but his "Iron Dollar" and escape from slavery, we did have -a show to collect. The captain in American ships is allowed to charge -a profit of ten per cent on his slop chest account. I doubt if Captain -Nichols did even this. He had the steward serve out such things as were -wanted, and the prices were lower than the cost of similar articles -on South Street. When Peter dipped in too strong, getting, or rather -attempting to get expensive things from the slops, the captain refused -to let him have them. Peter once wanted some tobacco, he was going very -heavy on this item as he regularly gave it away. Captain Nichols shut -down on him and after that handed him cigars whenever he happened to -see Peter. - -Scouse was one of the principal calculators of the pay day. He had -a frugal mind and was planning great things with his money when he -should once more get back to New York. With Joe gone, Scouse became a -different man. He was a sobered Scouse, a deep thinking plodder who -gave himself up to day dreams that must have been of vast extent. -Scouse announced that he intended to get married. He planned to meet -and marry some good obliging German girl, "Just over; dot's the one." A -girl not averse to a big lumbering Dutchman with a shock of coarse red -hair, and a terrible appetite; however a man not afraid to work. His -idea was to go west. "No more from dis rotten sailor's humbug by me. I -was going to be somepody ant get respect ant lif like decent people." -Also he figured on a nest egg of a little over one hundred dollars. -But then, families have been founded on less, though of course the -founders were not destined to be welcomed home by a band of crimps and -blandishers. - -Frenchy too had great plans. He was going back to Dunkirk. To be sure -he even talked of going back to Havre, in the French Line, paying his -steerage passage. Then he planned to get spliced, and his scheme was to -go out in the fishing fleet, or else back to New Caledonia, where he -knew the country, and start life afresh. - -Axel was going back to Sweden, to Stockholm, so he said, and never more -out on the briny billows of discontent. Fred was also a prospective -homeward bounder. Trondhjem was his destination, and the fishing fleets -of the town the means for his living. Tony and Charlie Horse intended -to join Scouse in so far as they were bound for the interior of the U. -S. A. - -During these many discussions, the wise sailor-men like Hitchen, -Brenden, and Smith, the seasoned shellbacks, full of the cruel -furrows of time spent before the mast, and God alone knows what other -outlandish callings that roving men may follow, kept their counsel and -smiled. - -"Sonny, I guess I am down on the books of some ship that sails a few -weeks after we get back. Another crowd, another skipper and mates, and -another voyage." Old Smith was as nearly sentimental as it was possible -for him to be, and still be Old Smith. "Yes, I like this ship, but how -in hell are we all going to sign on again when more than half the -crowd is going to get married?" - -It was strange how thoughtful the hard days of hauling that chain made -all of us. Besides this, the Honolulu climate was gradually getting -under our hardened hides. They can say what they like about the -Hawaiian Islands being a "white man's country." It is if you mean a -white man who never has anything harder to do than to tell a Kanaka or -a Jap to lift the burden. The trades do blow, and it is lucky for the -inhabitants that they do, otherwise, the Isthmus of Panama would be -duplicated out in the broad Pacific. In spite of the pleasing winds and -the beautiful clear weather, things are a bit too balmy for continued -physical exertion. Lifting a gin rickey is good enough exercise, and if -you lift them often enough, out at Sans Souci, for instance, you can -imagine anything you like about the Islands. - -Working men stay home, if you are white, let the coolies shoulder the -physical burdens; but if you are wealthy and also lucky, you will very -likely own stock in a sugar plantation. They were paying seventy-five -per cent dividends in those days, and this is so even now, I believe. -Also if one is ambitious to put pep and fire into things, seek a cooler -clime. It is a fact that the white people of the Islands, who can do -so, spend a part of their time on the coast and whenever possible, -prospective mothers go to the coast during the time of their pregnancy, -as the Hawaiian climate seems to rob them of much of the necessary -vitality for the ordeal of birth. - -But the Islands do hold a magic, all pervading charm, they are as -unlike any other islands as it is possible for them to be. Honolulu, -with its beautiful villas, with its modern setting amid a glory of -tropical verdure, springing from an age old fertile humus, bathed in -tropic sun, cannot be duplicated. - -On getting alongside the railroad wharf, which we did by the economical -and laborious process of warping across the harbor by use of a kedge -anchor, we found that the greater part of the day had gone by, a day -that started at four o'clock in the morning with the regular washdown -to begin things, when we were ordered to carry out the kedge and pick -up our moorings. - -Time was plentiful with us in those days, for the eight hour schedule -had never been heard of. Mr. Furuseth and Senator La Follette were -not there to shield us from cruel fate, and besides, whatever extra -drilling was done, was simply at the expense of sleep, a thing under -the complete control of the mate. We got up when we were told to by -the mate, as Charlie Horse went aft for his orders each evening, and -when extra work was to be done he was instructed accordingly. - -Once alongside, we took aboard the long hardwood sugar chutes, worn -smooth by endless polishing of the gunny sack, in which the partly -refined sugar is shipped. These chutes were arranged very cleverly by -Nigger who came aboard with a shore gang of stevedores. The inclination -must be just right, and the chutes must be placed just so, in order -to prevent spilling, where it is necessary to cut corners in order to -reach the farther parts of the hold. We were glad that natives were -to stow the ship; in fact this work is mighty technical, and we never -would have been able to do so with our crew. Working with the natives, -we picked up a lot of knowledge about the handling of sugar, points -that were to be of much use to me in later years when I returned to the -islands as mate of a steamer. - -On the Railroad Wharf there were several lines of track and some -turnouts carrying short flat cars loaded with sugar bags all safe under -huge tarpaulins. We also found the warehouse pretty well stocked with -it, and were told that when we once started to load, the sugar would -pour into the ship in a constant stream. - -That night we again put up our mosquito bars against the enemy from -which we had mercifully been saved during the few days in the stream. -Tired but strangely content, we sat on the fo'c'sle head in the evening -glow or walked out on the stringpiece of the railroad wharf, which then -jutted far into the harbor, and watched the lights aboard the U. S. S. -_Bennington_. Except Peter, we had made no friends aboard the gunboat. -They seemed like men of a different world, as indeed they were. The -sounding of "taps" over the water, the clear plaintive notes of the -bugle, ended our day. We were to load on the morrow; at last we were to -start on the final half of our voyage, with the taking aboard of our -first bag of sugar. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -LOADING SUGAR - - -Loading a deep water ship with sugar in the port of Honolulu during the -golden summer days of the young Republic was a lively business. - -"Hi there! On the dock! Bear a hand with that sugar! Shake it up now! -Shake it up! Do you think we have a year to load this ship? By ----! -I'll shake you up! Yes, me! You lazy black ----!" - -"_Pau! Pau! Kaliopoulie! kaue Ki! Ki! O ---- ooo maloue baue Pau. Likee -Pau ----! Pau! pau! pau! Oh--ee hakau! pau! pau!_" or words to that -effect, according to the phonetic rendering. A violent protest of many -tongues, bristling with exclamation points, and heated Kanaka epithets, -rose from the indignant dock gang. Glances of the utmost withering -scorn were shot up out of the hold at the mate standing abreast of -the main hatch, and all over the dock shirts were being slipped back -onto the silky brown backs, stripped in readiness for the work to -start, The uproar of indignation was spontaneous, and on the outskirts -of the racket the stocky Japanese coolies from the sugar plantation -gangs, and from the railroad gang, stood around in sullen enjoyment of -the situation. Aboard ship we of the crew were circumspect, but our -appreciation of the situation was keen. - -"What's this?" A smart looking chap in a suit of khaki, and wearing a -panama hat, stepped out of the office on the dock. He was sun browned -and efficient; springy in his movements, a natural commander of men. - -"_Pau_ ---- ---- ----!" cried a dark skinned perspiring stevy, pointing -at the mate, and sending forth another shower of island rhetoric. The -gang foreman of the shore crowd was explaining, brown face shining and -eyes flashing black and white. - -"All right! I'll see about it." The railroad superintendent climbed -aboard and took Mr. Zerk aft, out of earshot, where they got things -settled. Then the superintendent went back on the dock, the gang -foreman got an earful of second hand apologies, explanations and -promises. Important details of same were passed on to independent -Kanaka citizens by their boss, and the steam winch started as the -shirts again were slipped off of the silky brown backs of the workers. -We are off. The first sling of sugar bags shot over the bulwark and -landed on the platform abreast the hatch and four Kanakas started -sending it down the chutes like lightning. Bing! Another sling dripped -on the platform, and down it went. The action became automatic, the -brown bodies swayed rapidly, surely, and on the wharf we heard them -shouting as the Jap coolies inched along another car with their crow -bars. I was stationed at a point where two chutes met at an angle, and -the yellow bags passed me in rapid succession, slapping the chute with -a smart patter as they jumped the corner. Soon the whole thing became -a matter of easy routine. This was living! What an easy job! The dusky -gang below, working in the half light of the hold, and assisted by the -crew, were placing a bottom layer of sugar bags and forward stacking -and stepping back the tiers, "boulking" it, as sailors say, for the -ends of the hold to be kept clear. - -The Hawaiian sugar is only partly refined, and of a dull golden color -when the sun strikes it. It is largely granular, the particles being -almost the size of a small pea. The sacks, made of gunny, are stamped -with the names of the various plantations; Ewa, Laie, Halawa, Holua -Loa, Kilauea, Makee, Wailuku, and a dozen others, all of them the -mystic symbols spelling wealth to their fortunate owners. - -They weigh in the neighborhood of one hundred and fifty pounds of the -limpest, deadest, weight in the world and without decent "ears" at the -end of the sack to afford a hold. Frequently a sack would break, and we -would help ourselves to the sugar. The taste is pleasant at first, and -we were remarkably liberal in our indulgence, perhaps no more so than a -crew of girls would be if they were loading a cargo of chocolate creams. - -The sugar as it comes from the island refineries is about twice as -sweet as the white granulated article. To a crowd accustomed to -black jack molasses as a sweetener for their coffee, the sugar was a -wonderful delicacy, for a time. Soon we became cloyed with the taste, -and for weeks after my first gorging of sweets, I took my coffee and -tea without it, though we always had a small keg of the stuff on hand -forward during the remainder of the voyage. The sweet overpowering -smell of the sugar soon permeated the ship, and in the heat of midday, -became nauseating to us who were not used to it. - -The Kanaka workers, splendid specimens, would toss the heavy sacks with -apparent ease, the muscles rippling under their smooth skins as they -worked. The greatest good feeling prevailed in the hold, and the men -constantly referred to our mate amid sallies of laughter for it was -considered a great victory for them when the superintendent smoothed -matters out. - -On deck, at the hatch, and on the wharf, the tally men checked the -loading of every sling and bag of sugar that went into the hold. The -plantation, the railroad, and the ship's agents had their independent -checkers. These chaps, mostly sedate older men, well educated, -apparently well paid, kept the neatest tally books I have ever seen. -They made the cleanest little marks with very sharp pencils, which -they were always sharpening with very sharp pen knives; little marks -four in a row, and a cross for every fifth bag. Before the end of each -day's loading these very independent tally men would get together under -the fo'c'sle head, or behind a convenient freight car on the dock, -and reconcile all differences, thus proving themselves brothers under -their skins to independent folk in higher stations. Years afterward, -I recognized some of these same tally men, still at the job of making -very neat little marks and crosses, an easy job no doubt and well worth -while if it contributed toward the upkeep of a happy family; most of -them looked like settled benedicts. - -As we cleaned out the warehouse, the sugar began to come in on the -railroad and was slung right aboard from the cars, the Japs sending -the loaded cars along by pushing, getting them started by short crow -bars, used as levers under the wheels. These Japs were a husky lot -with very able bodies, small heads, black cropped hair, often wound -with a red or white head band. Most of them had dazzling white teeth -which they constantly exposed by expansive grins; altogether they were -a testimonial to a rice and fish diet, so far as physical wellbeing is -concerned. - -The days at the sugar wharf were among the most pleasant of our stay -in Honolulu, and like all good things they raced away with disquieting -swiftness. Having lighter duties to perform, we were not so dog tired -at night and enjoyed our leisure that much more. Peter continued to -make progress with the native population and on one eventful night was -presented with a large jug of swipes, as a token of esteem. - -Brenden, Axel and I were up on Nuuanu Street, in the vicinity of -Merchant, watching the shifting crowds as we wandered aimlessly about. -Presently we spied Peter, coming toward us, carrying his jug. The -street was fairly crowded, and going ahead of us, toward Peter, was -a one-legged man; a pugnacious individual who brought down his iron -shod peg with loud determination. The wooden leg yawed badly, sailing -at least three sheets in the wind, and the flag sidewalk was none too -wide for him. Coming up to Peter, he lurched suddenly to port, taking -our shipmate squarely on the bow, and the three of them, all carrying -cargo, Peter, the Peg Leg, and the Jug of Swipes, rolled into the dusty -gutter. - -A fight started right there. The Peg, to give him a proper name, -attacking, and Peter defending himself from the strange fury of the -indignant cripple. - -"Separate 'em! Don't you see the man's got only one leg?" - -"Hi! The bloat wi' the wooden pin is fightin'! Blarst 'im!--look at -'im!" Sailors, beach combers, natives, and Orientals were gathering and -taking voice. - -We closed to render assistance as the crowd formed under the circle -of light from a street lamp. The two combatants sat back in the gutter -after a second exchange, both having fought sitting down. - -"What are we fighting for?" cried Peter, covered with dirt and sweat. - -"I dunno," admitted the stunned Peg. - -"To hell with this, let's quit!" - -"Naw. I wanna fight!" Peg was getting back his belligerent wind. "Wash -in that jug?" he demanded, seeing the prize. - -"Swipes!" cried Peter, trying to retrieve the jug. - -"Lesh fight fer swipsh. Al ri! Fight fer swipsh!" he screamed with -enthusiasm. - -The Peg made another lunge at Peter, as our boy jumped up with -surprising energy, and we grabbed our shipmate and hauled him out of -the crowd of riff raff that was rapidly increasing. Some blue-jackets -from the _Bennington_ came up, scenting fun, and Axel was just in time -to beat them to the jug of swipes that lay neglected in the dust. He -passed this to a Kanaka standing near, a boy we recognized as one of -the loading gang, who rapidly departed with his unexpected present, -while we hurried off with Peter in the direction of Fort Street. What -became of Peg is unknown. On Fort Street we were attracted by the -melody of Salvation Army music, and to wind up the night, watched our -famous Jimmy rouse things up in his new uniform, his chest expanding -visibly as he ignored us and pounded his drum with added zest. - -On nights such as this, warm and sultry, when the trade wind was not -over strong, the smell from the Chinese and Japanese stores would come -out into the streets with added intensity. The Chinese merchants, in -the shadow of their open front stores, would entertain their families -and friends of an evening with interminable jabberings that must -have been mighty interesting to them. I used to wonder what these -industrious law abiding citizens found to talk about; now I realize -that, except to those who were blind or deaf, the Honolulu nights could -hardly be long enough for them to discuss half of the peculiar doings -of the daffy white people residing in that busy little town, in those -stirring days of the Republic. - -To a foremast hand, a common sailor in the fo'c'sle of a deepwaterman, -the point of view is almost on a level with that of the perpetually -unassimilated Oriental. The sailor sees, he hears, and if he is gifted -with brains that think, he must needs wonder at the strange ways of -folks who dress themselves so well, who live on the most appetizing -foods, perform very little hard work, and who do themselves to the -height of their ability. That we had a few philosophers among the crowd -forward goes without saying; men who had lived, and who had had their -fling, and for all I know to the contrary are having it again. I wager -Hitchen, if not killed by this time, has mounted to more enlightened -planes; perhaps back to a station from which he temporarily stepped -down to sign articles in the ship _A. J. Fuller_ for the voyage around -Cape Horn. - -We did a lot of swapping of books and magazines among the craft in the -harbor. The poor starved crowd from the _British Monarch_ were first -over the side with bundles of old magazines, paper covered novels, -and mind destroying sheets called "Tit Bits," and "Snappy Bits," -periodicals of a peculiar type. After reading one of them for an hour -(and the funny part is you keep on reading and reading), it is a sort -of mental dope, nothing remains but a vague idea of a lot of short -paragraphs full of piffle. - -We got a number of Clark Russell stories in this exchange, though we -really had little to give in return. All hands read these yarns and -while there was much grumbling about "too much skirt," the sailor was -recognized. - -Hitchen and Old Smith were the best read among the crowd, with -Australia a close second; leaving out of course that biblical student, -the dear departed Jimmy. Frenchy also was entitled to a place among -the intellectuals of the fo'c'sle; he read Voltaire, had several -copies of his works in the original, as well as shopworn copies of -Les Miserables, and the Toilers of the Sea. Frenchy read English with -difficulty. Axel also was handicapped in literary discussions by his -lack of English though he waded through books in that language, having -been taught it at school; of course he spoke English well, as indeed -all did, barring a bit of slack here and there, that merely served to -give the fo'c'sle individuality. - -One thing I will always remember with a great deal of pleasure is the -fact that Axel was the first one to give me a definite story of the -Andree North Pole Expedition, he having tried for, and almost succeeded -in going along. A university professor took the place he wanted at the -last moment, the scholar going to perform the duties of a common jack -in order to be with Andree. I recall the fo'c'sle discussion of this -ill fated venture, the final outcome of which was still in doubt. I -felt at that time that Andree had a good chance to accomplish his end, -and I still think so; the luck simply ran against him. Nine years later -it was to be my fortune to have a part in a similar expedition under -Wellman, except that a dirigible balloon, of which I was navigator, -was employed. We were more fortunate in so far as we got back. Andree, -Strindberg, and Fraenkel were not fools as some think, but fearless -scientists who took a legitimate chance to explore the unknown polar -regions; fate was against them, but even so, they have left the memory -of a brave deed inscribed on the bright scroll of Swedish honor. - -Old Smith had a dog-eared copy of Marcus Aurelius that had served its -noble duty in discussions with Jimmy Marshall, while the latter was -deep in the wisdom of King Solomon. I don't know what Brenden read, -but he was a great letter writer, and often received mail. When taking -pictures one day, Brenden asked me to take a picture of him reading a -letter from his girl Hilda. The Letters of One Brenden, Able Seaman -on the ship _A. J. Fuller_, would certainly make quaint reading, -could they be got at and translated, for Brenden conducted his -correspondence in German. - -[Illustration: BRENDEN READING LETTER] - -Mike, and Martin and Fred were mere fillers in. Beef on a rope, and -able eaters, they remain as memories, indistinct and still quite clear; -they never succeeded in making an impression on the life of the ship -but were the background of that distant time, seldom saying anything -that was listened to. Of Tommy, or the more dignified Tom, we will -learn more later on. He was a man with a past, and I hope a future, -for he certainly earned the right to a very bright one while on the -_Fuller_; that future, however, did not lie on the sea. As high admiral -of a pickle barge and fleet commander of a whole flotilla of shelf -jugs full of vinegar and preserved edibles, in his own delicatessen -store, he may have risen to success. - -Scouse never read anything; he was too busy thinking, and as he did -less and less talking as the voyage lengthened, we concluded he must be -a very deep fellow. Scouse had points, and I have no doubt after all -the hazing afloat and skinning ashore, he learned and digested lessons -of the utmost value. - -Peter, of whom so much has been said and so little told, was in a -way the most interesting character on board. He was, and no doubt -still is, one of the most generous souls alive. If he is rich, it is -certainly for no lack of a wild desire to share his last cent with any -unfortunate that might cross his path. Peter started to sea in deep -water sail for reasons that do him credit. He saw a way to recoup his -health and at the same time bring to a conclusion an intense amour that -seemed to lead directly to an early grave. He shipped on the _Fuller_, -leaving a large wash behind in the tender care of his sweetheart. No -boarding master captured part of his advance, and for a week afterward -at least, so Peter said, two coffee pots must have stood on a certain -N. Y. kitchen window, as a signal that his laundry was ready to be -taken away. The lady's husband was a night clerk in the post office. - -The career of Peter would serve as a theme for a first class -psychological novel with the plots of half a dozen red-hot problem -plays added by way of good measure. He started life with the curse of -good looks, of the romantic type, dark and interesting, his rather long -silky locks, curled slightly, and his regular features were classic. -Deep brown eyes, and a very fine, rich voice completed his downfall. -As reporter on a country paper, Peter told us how he would write up -the stories of the socialist meetings, by sending a boy around to the -local hall to see if the lights were lit. His adventures as foreman -in a corset factory, as cadet in the American Line, and as a social -worker in the humble ranks of those who uplift the sailor ashore, were -chapters in the start of a busy life. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -GOOD-BYE TO HONOLULU - - -As the hold began to fill up, the top of the sugar was brought inboard -from the wings to an apex, and the lower cargo space not quite filled. -The 'tween deck was then loaded in order to carry the dead weight -sufficiently high to prevent the ship from being stiff; to make her -more "sea kindly" as sailors say. Theoretical questions of metacentric -height, of the center of buoyancy, and their relation to stability -never bothered the captain or Mr. Zerk. But as the loading progressed -they paid a lot of attention to her trim and in the placement of the -last part of the cargo, the mate assumed complete charge. The _Fuller_ -sailed best trimmed a few feet by the stern, but in the final loading -this extra depth aft was cut down to a single foot as a matter of -experiment, the mean draft loaded being seventeen feet eight inches, -giving her the usual freeboard of about four feet or three inches to -every foot of draft, according to the old rule. Draft is shown by -figures cut into the stem and stern post; these are six inches high and -the figure rests on the mark it indicates. - -In addition to the sugar from the railroad, we had steamers of the -inter-island trade come along side and discharge their cargoes right -onto our deck. These craft have been touched upon before. The _Mauna -Loa_, one of the largest at that time, was quite a passenger carrier. -As I think of the inter-island steamers they always appear to have been -somewhat out of drawing, when compared with the beautiful sailers of -those days. - -During the final week of loading, when we had closed the 'tween deck -hatches to the lower hold and were putting down the finishing tiers of -cargo, we paid our last visits ashore. I bid "good-bye" to Mr. McInerny -and the good friends I had made, both in society and out. We went over -to the _British Monarch_, Hitchen and I, for a last visit. The mates -had a bit of a "blow" for us, hot toddy, which tasted right in spite of -the warm weather, cigars, and some Huntley and Palmer biscuits broken -out of their stores for this special occasion. Of course we promised -to write, and never did, and Mr. Gore gave me an old copy of Raper, he -having two of them, as a parting gift. To Hitchen he gave a tin of -navy cut that had been sent out to him from England. They were hoping -for word of a charter to be on their way, and thought they might load -sugar for New York, when we planned to meet again as sailors sometimes -do. - -[Illustration: Jack Hitchen] - -With what little change we had left, we laid in a few stores for the -voyage home, a few bunches of bananas, odds and ends of clothing, and -the like. I purchased a pair of mittens, after a search in that tropic -city, as mine had worn out in hauling at the gear. The most startling -addition to our life forward was a green parrot that Frenchy brought -aboard, having swapped him at the Union saloon for a small brig, -rigged in a bay rum bottle. This brig had been a long time making, and -Frenchy only let go of it when he was assured of a prize. The bird, -hailing from God knows where, as I don't believe they are native to the -islands, was to be a present to his sister Madeleine. Frenchy named -him Jaques, at once vulgarized to common Jake, and he was hung in his -wooden cage under the fo'c'sle head. - -Just before hauling into the stream, Captain Nichols shipped three -Kanakas to take the places left vacant by Mr. Stoddard, Jimmy, and -Joe. This made it certain that someone from the crew would be taken -aft as second mate. The Kanakas were a rare assortment. Kahemuku, a -lanky, poetical looking fellow with long hair and dreamy eyes, hailed -from Tahiti. The two others, both of them short and somewhat stout, -were from Honolulu and should have known better than to ship around -the Horn. John Aahee was assigned to the starboard watch; he was clean -shaven and dull, a poor devil who merely existed after we got to sea. -Black Joe, so the mate called him, since his name was beyond ordinary -understanding, was fully whiskered with a bunch of fuzz that looked -like the stuffing of an old hair mattress. Joe had a peculiar idea -about the relation between officers and men, and never could get this -straightened out. Black Joe and Kahemuku were assigned to the port -watch to take the place of Jimmy and Joe. - -Some of the men thought that I would be called aft as second mate. -Ambitious as I was for preferment, I realized that the billet would be -about the worst thing that could happen to me. Whatever the captain -may have thought about it, the mate was against me, as we remained at -loggerheads while I visited with my "dude friends," which I did at -intervals as long as we were in port. - -Old Smith was the logical candidate for the job, and the mate wanted -him. Others were like Barkis, but the strange part was that the real -sailors in the crew, the men who knew enough to stand a watch at sea -and work the ship, were the most anxious to side step the honor. - -Having loaded our sugar, the chutes were sent ashore, and we again -hauled out into the stream, this time for good. We at once battened -down the hatches, putting on triple tarpaulins, and, having taken -down the cargo pendants, we again rove the seagoing running gear; -after a day of scrubbing, during which the spars were washed clean of -dust, we then began to bend sail. This took us the greater part of -two days while we sent aloft the fine weather canvas. Then followed -another general washing down and cleaning over the side, and the ship -_A. J. Fuller_ looked herself again. Loaded to her deep sea trim, -with yards squared to a hair and canvas furled with a harbor stow, we -were as flash a ship as ever hailed from the port of New York--clean, -and seamanlike in every detail. Fancy manropes were got out for the -gangways, the galley smoke stack was given a coat of black paint, -making "Charlie Noble," as this piece of humble but necessary sea -furniture is called, as sporty as any part of the old girl. - -In the meantime, while our busy little ship world revolved within its -restricted orbit, events of historic importance were happening in the -great arena beyond the seas. Dewey had captured Manila and the first -troops to go out from the United States were expected in Honolulu, en -route to the Philippines. Preparations to welcome them of a gigantic -nature were carried out by the enthusiastic citizens of Honolulu, -the American element being in the ascendant. A tremendous flag was -got ready, to be raised over the railroad wharf, and huge stores of -sandwiches were made and held in readiness for the soldiers. Also -every barrel and bottle of beer in the place was put on ice against -an emergency. The citizens were determined that hunger should not -outflank the U. S. forces, if by any means it could be prevented, nor -was old General Thirst to be allowed to down a single man. It was also -decided that U. S. legal tender was not to be accepted when offered for -refreshment by a man wearing the uniform of Uncle Sam, showing how war -fever (for a time) upsets the commercial mind. - -The transports _City of Pekin_, _City of Sydney_, and _Australia_, -came into the harbor on June first carrying twenty-two hundred troops. -These vessels were under convoy of the U. S. S. _Charleston_. The day -was a gala one and in the midst of the excitement we received our -orders to sail for Delaware Breakwater. This came as a surprise as we -expected to be sent to Frisco because of the possibility of our being -picked up by a Spaniard in view of the uncertain state of affairs in -the Atlantic. We were then in the stream, wistful gazers at the harbor -activities and the glimpses of great times ashore afforded by the pier -heads and the esplanade. - -With the coming of our orders, Captain Nichols sent out such fresh -provisions as deep water ships usually take to sea with them. A potato -bin had been constructed under the fo'c'sle head in a place that -would be fairly dry and having a good circulation of air. Into this -we put about a ton of the tubers. Some fresh meat was sent aboard, -and a few bunches of bananas strung in the after wheel house for the -cabin mess. A number of our men had been offered billets on coasters, -and this was specially so during the last few weeks of our loading. -The pay day of close to fifty dollars already on the books, and the -prospect of landing in New York with almost eighty dollars added -to it, was a prospect hard to leave, especially since the plans for -great futures depended absolutely upon these prospective nest eggs. -The fact, however, was that we were a well selected crowd and liked to -sail together. The captain was absolutely square and the mate was a -sailor from his toes to his truck; we were too much accustomed to the -routine on the _Fuller_ to want to change. As far as I was concerned, -I was happy to remain on board and work back around old Cape Stiff -again. Mr. McInerny had offered to have me released from the articles -and wanted me to take up my residence in the islands, telling me of the -many advantages, much after the manner of Robinson Crusoe's old father, -when that wilful lad determined upon the sea as a career. I, too, had -old Crusoe's trouble pretty well soaked into my system. I was really an -enthusiast about going to sea, in spite of the hard knocks, so I made -up my mind to complete the voyage. - -On Sunday, five days before we sailed, the captain called Old Smith aft -and formally offered him the billet as second mate. Old Smith refused -to move out of the fo'c'sle, and came forward with a fat cigar in his -teeth, saying, "The skipper's all right. He sure is all right." - -After that we were too busy to think anything more of the vexed -problem, being horsed about at bending sail and preparing for sea. On -the eve of our departure we were sitting on the fo'c'sle head watching -the crowded harbor, the comings and goings from the men o' war and -transports, and listening to the bugle calls. We had washed up after -the day's work, and the mess cooks had gone to the galley for the kids. - -"We'll sleep our last night in, tonight," ventured Frenchy, as we -perched on the heel of the starboard cathead. It was a thought that -came to all of us. - -"Grub O!" called Fred from the space about the fore pin rail, where -both watches ate together while in port. We sat around the kids, under -the tall gear of the foremast rising overhead, the faint peppering of -stars showing between the yards as we began our supper. - -"Here comes the mate," said Martin, who was perched on the short ladder -leading to the fo'c'sle head, from the port side of the house. - -"Wot of it, let him come." - -Presently Mr. Zerk stood in the gangway looking at us, he bulked big, -and smoked a strong cigar. This was the first time he had ever intruded -upon our meals during our stay in port. - -"Where's the second mate?" he asked pleasantly. - -Most of us looked around anxiously, half expecting the old second mate -would bob up from some dark corner. - -"Come on, where is he?" The mate was evidently enjoying his little -game. "Where is he now?" came the question again, but in a sharp tone -such as we usually associated with coming trouble. "Come on, where is -he?" Suddenly he started to laugh; of course we all joined him in a -sort of nervous chorus. - -"Ho, there he is hiding behind the kid! Our new second mate, Mr. -Morstad! _Well, well, well!_" and this is how Tommy, most unexpected of -candidates, became Mr. Morstad, second mate of the ship _A. J. Fuller_. - -"Lay aft," said the mate, as he turned to go, "the steward has your -dinner ready, and don't forget to bring your napkin." - -Tommy was choking with astonishment, speechless, and miserable. None of -us laughed at the last cruel thrust; in fact we felt sorry for Tommy, -but as soon as we saw him stop eating the fo'c'sle grub, with the quick -perception that better things awaited him aft, a lively discussion -arose. - -"Call him _Mr. Morstad_!" thundered Australia. "I won't have no -disrespect here just because _Mr. Morstad_ ain't had the bringin' up -you an' me has. No, sir, I have some respect for the officers of this -ship, I have." - -There was a lot more in a similar vein. Volunteers offered to carry his -chest aft, and did every thing but lift it, poor Tommy having to drag -it along the deck until he got to the waist, when Chips came out of -his den and helped him the rest of the way. It was dark then, and the -gong for the second cabin table no doubt compensated Tommy for all the -tortures of his departure. - -"I'm damn glad he ain't in my watch," said Brenden, and all of us to -port felt the same way. Before Tommy had time to adjust himself to his -new condition, the kicking started to starboard. - -In this particular episode of the voyage Mr. Zerk departed as far -from the traditions of the sea as it was possible for him to go. The -next morning, as we got under way to sea, Captain Nichols made it a -point to show public respect to the new second officer. It was "Mr. -Morstad, this," and "How do you head, _sir_?" all of which pleased Tom -immensely, and was the right and proper thing to do. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -HOMEWARD BOUND - - - And we're off to Mother Carey - (Walk her down to Mother Carey!) - Oh, we're bound for Mother Carey where she feeds her chicks at sea! - - _Kipling._ - -Bare feet, gripping the cool deck of the fo'c'sle head, still wet with -the washdown, pattered in rhythmic circles to the music of the pawls, -sounding over the early morning stillness of Honolulu Harbor. We were -heaving up the anchor, having already taken in our quarter moorings. -The pilot was aboard; Captain Nichols stumped the poop with his -characteristic jerky stride, all business; second mate Tom was aloft -with a half dozen hands, and the pleasant swish of falling canvas, -and the rattle of blocks and running gear, sounded above as they cast -off the long sea gaskets. About us in the harbor the men o' war and -transports lay silent to their moorings, sleeping off the effect of a -day and night of revelry ashore. Mr. Zerk stood out over the bow on -the port cathead, his hand on the catfall, as he leaned far over. - -"Five fathom shackle at the water!" he sung out. - -"All right! Bring her short!" came the order from the poop. - -"Aye, aye, sir! Walk her up, up, boys! Walk her up, _and wake her up_." - -Old Smith got the tune and presently the dirge of an anchor chantey -echoed across the water as we bent our weight against the capstan bars. - - "Paddy come back and turn in your slack, - Heave round the capstan, heave a pawl, heave a pawl. - We're leavin' Honolulu girls, and never will come back, - Heave round the capstan, heave a pawl, heave a pawl. - An' happy days all lie behind, good-bye to swipes and rum, - Heave round the capstan, heave a pawl, heave a pawl." - -"Short stay, sir!" bawled the mate, and we stopped our song. The faint -echo of a cheer wafted across the harbor; we recognized the hail from -our friends on the _British Monarch_, watching to see us off. - -"Break her out, sir!" answered the captain, sending his voice along -the length of the ship in sharp, snappy syllables. - -"Aye, aye, sir!" - -At "_short stay_," I was ordered to the wheel and as I slipped the -spokes from the beckets, the crowd at the bars again put their beef to -the cable, and the anchor left bottom. The tug fastened to our quarter -got her signal from the pilot; we heard the jangle of bells in her -engine room; we commenced to move. - -"Hard a port!" ordered the pilot. - -"Hard over, sir!" - -"Steady so! Steady so!" We were heading toward the old marine railway, -the line of the Esplanade having swung under the jib guys with -remarkable swiftness, as I turned the wheel to meet her. - -"Port handsomely!" I gave her wheel. "Port, I say! _Hard a port!_" - -"Hard a port, sir!" Again the shore shot past her bow, and then the -blue water of the harbor mouth lay fair ahead. - -"Steady! Starb'd a point! Steady so!" - -We were pointing out through the narrow entrance of Honolulu Harbor. -Forward they had hooked the cat and the fall was brought "_two -blocks_" while the great hook hung upright, dripping the slimy harbor -silt. - -The mate then assumed charge of the deck, sheeting home and hoisting -away as fast as the men could man the ropes. A light off shore breeze -on the port quarter bellied out the canvas. The buoys, barrel buoy -to starboard, spar buoy to port, slipped past us. Presently the tug -started to drag her head to port, as the ship's way increased, and I -had to give her wheel to meet her. - -"Guess we are all right now, Pilot." - -"All right, Captain. All clear ahead and plenty of water from here to -the Horn. Good luck and a quick passage." - -They shook hands, the pilot waved a farewell to the mate down in the -waist, then jumped onto the wheel house of the tug from our mizzen -channels. A few squeaky toots by way of a salute as she cast off, and -the tug swung sharply about and headed back to port; the last link -binding us to Honolulu had been severed. - -At eight bells, breakfast time, I was relieved and, on my way forward, -I stopped for a parting glance back at Honolulu. What was my surprise -when I found it well down on the horizon, the Island of Oahu stretching -a mere blur of bluish green across our wake. A lump rose in my throat -for I did wish to have another look at that fair city of dreams, but it -was already a thing of the hazy past; a figment of memory; the port of -phantasmagoria; a jumble of many colored people, of smells, of music; -of green and restful bowers, of feverish energy and of indolence, of -days of dirty, sweaty labor, and of nights of romantic adventures. And -what of Jimmy Marshall, I wondered, left behind with his uniform and -drum? - -Yes, we were out to sea again, the cool breeze wafting us along, out -on the restless ocean as before, months and months ago too numerous to -remember, when we sailed to the eastward with the Navesink Highlands -dropping far behind us in the sunset. Now the only difference was the -fact that the Island of Captain Cook, the first port of Stevenson on -his retirement to the Pacific, and that vivid stage upon which Father -Damien lived and died, was fading away far to the north. - -At breakfast we again separated into watches but with orders to turn to -again, as the first day was to be one of "all hands." We were glad to -a man that the homeward passage had commenced. The drop in temperature -put snap into us and Australia celebrated our departure by tearing -down the dingy mosquito bar triced above his bunk. He balled this up -and hove it over the side with the remark, "Here goes me night cage; -good-bye forever." - -The breeze was blowing strong, a splendid northeast trade, and the -smooth sea made our progress something very cheering. At two bells I -was called aft and, with Brenden and Frenchy, helped heave the log chip -under direction of Captain Nichols. - -The log line, soaked with water, was wound on a large reel. Brenden -stood on one side of the wheel house and held this over his head, each -hand gripping a handle of the reel as he faced squarely aft. He was far -enough forward from the taffrail so we could tend the line. The log -chip, a small quadrant of wood weighted on its circular side to make it -swim upright in the water, was attached to the line by a triple bridle, -the two parts from the ends of the circle being seized to a small -wooden plug that fitted snugly to a wooden socket seized to the part -of the log line running from the apex of the chip. This arrangement -holds the chip upright and perpendicular to the direction of the log -line; when the line is given a sharp jerk, the plug disengages, the -chip capsizes, and can be easily hauled aboard. It is really a sort of -miniature sea anchor. - -Captain Nichols stood by with the sand glass. Frenchy was told to cast -the chip overboard, while I stood at the rail to see the line run -clear. Twenty fathoms of the "stray line" went over first, the end -being marked by a piece of red bunting. As this ran over the taffrail -the skipper called out "Turn," at the same time turning the glass -himself. He was greatly pleased with the whole proceeding and danced -around much after the manner of a small boy with a new kite. The sand -glass was a twenty-eight second one, and the captain had dried it out -in the galley that morning and then compared it with his chronometer. - -The line was tearing over the rail like wild and as the captain called, -"Up!" Frenchy grabbed the line. - -Examining the line we found we were making 10.2 knots. - -At the time of shouting "Up!" Captain Nichols stepped over to the Bliss -taffrail log trailing on the weather quarter and noted the dial. An -hour later we again hove the old-fashioned log and checked our reading -on the patent log. For the information of landsmen, it may be well -to say that a knot on the log line--and here is where the term comes -from--is a distance of forty-seven feet, four inches (for a 28-second -glass), the same proportional part of a sea mile or "knot" of 6,080 -feet that 28 seconds is of an hour. The different knots along the line -are distinguished by fish line tucked into the strands and a knot cast -for each mark away from the start. Tenths are estimated, the length -between knots being divided by shreds of white bunting into five parts. -If sailing fast, as we were, a _short glass_ is sometimes used; this -registers fourteen seconds and the readings on the log line must be -doubled. In passing it may be well to mention that the old-fashioned -log chip, where speeds are not over, say fifteen knots, is the most -reliable method of measurement of rate of speed through the roster ever -devised. Also, the fact that the sea mile or "knot" is six thousand -and eighty feet, and not five thousand two hundred and eighty feet as -ashore, is due to the fact that in navigating a ship over the sea it is -necessary to have a standard of measurement bearing a simple relation -to the size and shape of the earth. One sea mile is the length of one -minute of arc measured on the meridian, 6,080 feet. This is the mean -value, for, owing to the flattening at the poles, the minute of arc -varies slightly from the poles to the equator. - -Ten knots and over is fair going for any sailer, and extra fine for -trade wind sailing. Our hopes for a quick passage were high. The water -boiled past us in a smother of swishing foam, a cheerful chatter when -homeward bound, while aloft every inch of sail was doing its full duty. -Before noon we got the anchor scrubbed clean and at once unshackled the -cables and sent them below, bowsing the jackasses into the hawse pipes, -as on the passage out. Both bower anchors were then secured inboard and -lashed to heavy ring bolts on the fo'c'sle head, the cat and fish falls -were unrove, stopped up and stowed below. - -We put in the afternoon rousing up this rope and that, tautening every -stitch of canvas to its full extent. Our new second mate was given his -first lessons in the handling of a watch at sea, and did well enough, -considering the fact that Chief Mate Zerk kept the center of the stage, -as was his habit whenever anything transpired on the deck. At four -bells the starboard watch went below, and we stood the first dog watch. -In the second dog watch we sat around yarning, still being too full -of rational rest to seek our bunks. We watched Tommy handle things -alone--but for all that Captain Nichols was always to be seen far aft, -stumping the poop, and keeping a mighty watchful eye on the progress of -events. During the night watches he was particularly in evidence. Tommy -gained confidence faster than he did experience and assumed a certain -air of superiority that was galling to his former watchmates. Old Smith -was the one to carry things along by setting a correct example to the -men. Often when Tom did not know just what to do, Old Smith would start -things by jumping to the proper rope and the order would tally along -afterward. On the other hand, things got so that when Tom gave the -wrong orders the watch would disregard them and do what they thought -was right. Old Smith, Hitchen, Axel and Charlie Horse knew as much -about sailing as any second mate, and the result was not disastrous, -although at times a trifle ragged. - -The captain shaped a course due south, magnetic, running along the -meridian of one hundred and fifty-eight degrees west from Greenwich. -This carried us to the eastward of Karatoo Island and we then put more -easting in the course and sailed past the Walker Islands, crossing the -equator when five days out from Honolulu; a fair bit of travelling -for a vessel of the latter sailing ship days. Here the trades failed -us and again we were to wallow in the stagnant latitudes that try -the spirit and vex the soul. But the ship's company forward were in -excellent humor and anything but sea weary. We employed the time below, -not given over to sleeping, in sewing our much worn clothing, in -scrubbing clothes, an art in which we were expert, and in yarning about -the times gone by. - -As the days spread into weeks we thought more and more of the times to -come, and of course discussed them at great length. Much of our mental -intercourse had a hopeful, speculative trend. Being wholly human and -with all the weaknesses that sailor flesh abounds in, it is not to be -wondered at if the ambitions of that voyage never fully materialized; -judging by my own, I can say they did not. I wanted to command another -such ship as the _Fuller_, to stump to windward and set the course, -to have all night in, and eat delicious viands at the cabin table. -Stranger fate was to await me before I cast my anchor in the fair cove -called home, with kids to crawl upon my knee and call me "Dadda," and a -wife to remind me now and then that I am not captain here. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -HAWAIIAN SHIPMATES - - -"Damn these rotten oilskins. By ---- what's this?" "Oh, _hell_!" It was -black as a pocket on deck and a sudden douse of rain sent us scrambling -for our oil clothing. "Damn it I'm lousy, sure as you're born. Ugh!" -and similar forceful if inelegant expressions punctuated the night as -we struggled into these smelly, sticky rags. They were as paper to the -rain; we were wet before we knew it. In the pockets and in every fold -millions of cockroaches, whole nations of them, debouched upon the -streaming decks. Some of us stole forward and in the light from the -fo'c'sle examined things. On the fo'c'sle deck, where we had knocked -them in hastily, unhooking the oiled clothing from the bulkhead behind -the water butt, were several regiments of roaches. - -During our two months in Honolulu we had never used oilskins, -and, sailor-like, left them hang. In the warm atmosphere the bugs -multiplied amid luxurious surroundings with unlimited supplies of -delicious linseed-oil to thrive upon. Fortunately we were in the -tropics and a wet back did not matter, especially as we always doused -ourselves with a bucket of salt water after a wetting by rain, a sure -way to prevent colds. As for the evicted roaches, they were no doubt -as mad as we were. In the next fine spell we rubbed our oilskins -with fresh mixtures of raw oil and a little melted beeswax from the -sailmaker's stores. - -The first job of any magnitude started, after leaving port, was to -scrape all bright work, that is, all varnished woodwork, masts and -light spars. We then rubbed them down with boiled linseed-oil. This -work was done from bo'sun's chairs, using pieces of broken glass as -scrapers. The fine shavings fluttered into every crook and corner of -the ship, lodging in the coils of rope and providing a constant job of -cleaning while the work was under way. Scouse was again elected to the -drudgery, but in this instance he became a man of some importance, for -Kahemuku and Black Joe were assigned to work with him. He jollied them -in a rough, uncouth way and they sat at his feet in respectful worship. -They were permanently constituted the knockabout gang of our watch and -cleaned out the head every other morning when we were on deck for the -washdown. Getting up coal for the galley of a Sunday morning was one -of their regular jobs, and after the washdown they were the boys who -handled the big deck swabs while the rest of us got the gear off the -pins and stowed the washdeck utensils. - -As for myself, a change had come over the mate, or I too would have -been of this crowd. Our relations were fairly cordial again, becoming -increasingly so when I loaned him copies of "Midshipman Easy" and -"Commodore Junk," books given me by my father when I left home. - -Of the three Kanakas we had the prize winner in Black Joe. In the first -place Black Joe never said "sir" to an officer, but he applied this -mark of distinction to every hand forward. At first some of the boys -wanted to make Black Joe permanent messman of the watch. He was willing -enough, for he knew nothing about a ship and felt his shortcomings and -wanted to help out. - -"Be fair with him. How would you like that job regular?" Frenchy put in -the good word and we decided that Black Joe was to get a square deal -forward anyhow. - -His failure to properly respond to orders from aft caused a lot of -suppressed amusement. The mate bawled him unmercifully but to no -purpose, for Black Joe simply had things set in his mind and there was -no changing him. Finally, the mate worked out a satisfactory solution -of the problem, so far as he was concerned, though Black Joe could -hardly be termed a third-rate success as a sailor. - -"Here you! Fred, take that baboon and loose the fore upper tops'l!" -was his method of horsing him. In working the gear on deck he would -shout, "Get that Kanaka coon and hook him on the lee fore brace!" In -working ship Black Joe was pushed and pulled from station to station. -He could not coil down a rope properly no matter how often the trick -was explained to him; every other time he would lay the gear down -left-handed as like as not. If he hitched a coil on the fife or pin -rails it was an even chance that a fid would be needed to get it down. -Black Joe was all thumbs and his slow mind worked backward. His best -performance was at the kids, but his table manners would have disgraced -him at a luau. - -Kahemuku was of a different type. He was sentimental, a dreamer and -all for himself when aloft. The way he would strangle the stick when -out on a yard was a sight for the angels. His long arms were as good -as three turns of a sea gasket, and his bare feet would grip the foot -ropes with brown prehensile toes. Life was made more bearable for him -by the fact that he was constantly looking forward to a shining goal. - -"Pilladelpia" was the burden of his song. He intended to see the great -city of "Pilladelpia" and asked interminable questions about it, -sitting on the edge of his bunk, a great dusky six footer, with the -wistful brown eyes of a trusting child. When told we would probably -go to New York, he would answer, "No, I wanna go Pilladelpia." Poor -Kahemuku, whatever became of you God only knows. You most certainly -never fell from aloft, but your passage around the Horn in the -Antarctic winter must have prepared you for any fate. - -Sailors, like other mortals, are as jealous of their little rights -and privileges as any of us ashore. To stand a trick at the wheel in -regular turn, to see that everyone stood his lawful share of this duty, -was a strong incentive to silence on the part of those who were wise to -the fact that Kahemuku and Black Joe knew nothing about steering. They -could not box the compass, and in fact knew nothing about the action -of the helm or the use of the wheel. - -Black Joe stood a trick nevertheless between Australia and Fred, -and Ivahemuku followed Fred and was relieved in turn by able seaman -Brenden. That these three worthies, Australia, Fred and Brenden, knew -about the Kanaka's lack of proficiency was proven by the fact that -they always passed the course over the head of the Kanaka to the man -following. For the first few days out of port the steering was easy. -The wind held on the port quarter and the sea was smooth. It also -happened that the blacks had their tricks during the day watches while -the captain slumbered. The mate, as was his custom, seldom bothered -with the course during the day, devoting all of his energy to directing -the work on deck. - -On the third day out Australia went to the wheel in the first night -watch and at four bells Black Joe headed aft to assume complete charge -of the steering, being shunted on his way by watchful shipmates. -Presently a terrible commotion aloft startled us, we were brought by -the lee with a slamming and slatting like thunder. Mr. Zerk jumped to -the break of the poop and started to bawl orders. - -"Hard up, hell_um_! Weather fore braces! _Lively there!_" - -Everything was shaking, with the yards pointing into the wind, and the -ship started to roll. "How do you head?" There was no response. "How do -you head, _damn you_!" - -Forward we were swinging the head yards, and she started to box off, -while aft a secondary commotion centered about the wheelhouse, with -Captain Nichols acting the part of Satan, in yellow silk pajamas, and -Black Joe performing duty as the Butt of All Evil. - -"What are you steering?" roared the captain. "_Mr. Zerk!_" never had -we heard him so sharp before. The mate was already aft, and to change -the course of wrath, he grabbed Joe and tossed him headlong out on the -deck, holding the wheel himself while he added to the din. "Lay aft! -Lay aft, _a man!_" Frenchy responded. In a few more moments we were -back on the course again and the captain held a drumhead court at the -break of the poop. - -"Keep those black monkeys forward," he ordered, "and don't let this -happen again. By God, sir, these waters are full of coral reefs, and I -have got to hold my course, sir," he added, turning to the mate. - -The next morning the three Kanakas were mustered in the waist and the -captain found that none of them had the least idea about steering, -either by compass or by the wind. John Aahee of the starboard watch was -denser even than Joe. Later on these simple fellows made up for their -lack of steering by doing additional turns at the back-breaking bilge -pumps. - -After the generous way in which we lived in Honolulu, the return to sea -grub was sudden and disappointing. A week or so saw the end of fresh -provisions and we were back again on the salt horse of the passage out. -Lime-juice was given us at noon, and with the exception of spuds, we -were on the regulation lay. The tack was weevily, the tea even more -flavored with roach content than before, and the old drill of cracker -hash, slumgullion, salt horse, and pea soup, with occasional helpings -of applejack, or rare treats of Chow's gingerbread, carried us along. - -About this time the parrot, Jake, came in for his share of attention. -Frenchy planned to take the bird home to Madeleine, and as his sister -would have no use for him otherwise, our careful shipmate guarded the -moral tone of the green bird with great care. He also made a screen of -ravensduck for the cage and was much worried over how the bird would -weather the cold in high southern latitudes. A month of this care on -the part of Frenchy was rewarded by the usual result in cases of that -kind, whether with dogs, birds, or children. Jake cut loose in a most -extraordinary manner, after one of his French lessons, and the outburst -would have been a credit to Mr. Zerk. Frenchy was grieved beyond all -hope of recovery and one and all we swore to our own innocence. The -upshot of it was that Frenchy lost interest in the parrot and the -profane Jake became a prime favorite with the crew forward. He was -really started on his downward path by Hitchen, of starboard, who took -him in hand while his master slept. - -"Here comes the grub!" was one of his respectable parts of speech, -varied later on by "To hell with the grub," under the tutelage of -Australia. - -After crossing the line, and working our way through the doldrum belt -of daily showers, calms and baffling winds, we held a course that -carried us between the Marquesas and Tuamotu, or the Low Archipelago. -During this time we kept a special lookout at night and sighted several -islands, giving them a wide berth. We were instructed to keep our -eyes peeled for "white water" and had a number of false alarms. On a -dark night, in this region, the sea is particularly black, of a blue -blackness that defies description. The seas are very phosphorescent, -especially so under a cloudy sky, and the breaking of a number of -rollers leaves a white wake that is disturbing to a lookout on the edge -for breakers. One imagines that breakers are ahead every few minutes. - -Light rain squalls and brilliant floods of sunshine alternating in -the neighborhood of the Marquesas resulted in our witnessing the most -remarkable phenomenon of the voyage. We lay becalmed late in the -afternoon of a humid hot day, odd jobs were going on all over the ship, -iron work was being chipped, service renewed, and Australia and Brenden -were rattling down, everyone being busy. Frenchy and I, for we usually -worked together at "nice" jobs, were cutting and fitting the canvas for -a new mast coat on the mizzen, the old one having cracked and started a -leak into the cabin. This was a job that required expert fitting and we -were all attention to the work. All hands were so occupied that we did -not notice the black rain squall that suddenly came upon us in a puff -of cold air. A few minutes of this, while we manned the weather main -and lee crojik, to get whatever push there was in it, was followed by -the sun breaking through more scorching than before, while the wind, -such as was left, was distinctly up and down. A beautiful rainbow -formed under the receding cloud, and then we saw that we were near an -island, close aboard off the starboard bow, while the rain pall drifted -rapidly to port. We came upon it with such suddenness that for a moment -most of us lost our heads. - -"Hard starb'd!" shouted the skipper, and then there was a laugh on deck -in which he joined heartily. We were as stationary as the island except -for the little way upon us given by the passing rain squall. "Lay aloft -and take a look at that." Captain Nichols addressed Frenchy and me, and -we skinned up the mizzen while he went to the companion and took the -long glass from the rack. That land certainly looked strange! - -When going over the top, I stopped. Frenchy was ahead of me and almost -at the crosstrees. He was looking around in a bewildered sort of a -way; he was glancing around the entire horizon, thinking the ship had -changed her head. I too looked all about but could see nothing. - -"What do you make out?" called up the skipper. - -"Nothing in sight, sir!" - -"All right. Lay down!" - -It was a fine mirage; a remarkably clear one. When we got to the deck -the "island" had assumed grotesque shapes: the green faded out and the -palm trees began to look like young waterspouts. Suddenly the whole -picture melted from view. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -DRIVING SOUTHWARD - - -The mirage served as a subject for conversation during many succeeding -days and the captain warned us to be more than ever on the lookout for -islands. He seemed to take especial pains with his navigation, testing -the patent log repeatedly by use of the chip log, and coming up at all -sorts of hours during the day and night when by any chance the lubber -line was as much as a quarter point off the course. When on a wind, -during this period, he practically lived on deck, turning in "all -standing" for short naps during the day. - -A lookout on the fore t'gallant yard was also stationed during the -daytime. Several more small islands were passed, the distant palm trees -seeming like a low broken comb upon the horizon, for we gave them -plenty of offing as the atoll formation often throws its reefs far out. -Several times our course was altered to do this. - -In the fo'c'sle we had a round of mystery stories about islands -mainly. One by Frenchy took the prize for heavy ghost atmosphere and -when told in the dusk of a last dog watch with only the stars overhead -to wink at its absurdity, the effect was all that could be desired. -This tale had to do with an invisible island, situated somewhere about -the Loyalty Group near New Caledonia. The island was invisible by day -but could be found by a night landfall, and indeed was so discovered -by that tight little brig the _Pere Duchesne_, owned and sailed by no -less a person than the notorious Jean Ravail, who did not, as Frenchy -assured me, perish in the sewers of Paris, as was supposed. Ravail was -a pirate, of course, though he sailed as a peaceful trader, exchanging -cognac and rum for beche-de-mer, through the southern islands of -Polynesia. Driving onto the ghostly island in the blackness of the -night, anchor was let go just in time to prevent the brig from running -up the beach, and then, to the tune of entrancing music, the whole -crew, led by Ravail himself, were decoyed ashore by women in flowing -robes of white. They left to a man, even old Pouly, the mate, who held -out to the last until a scantily draped siren came aboard and carried -him ashore in her canoe. The story is supposed to have been found -entered by Pouly in the logbook of the brig when she was picked up by -the frigate _La Perouse_, drifting with her cable chafed through by -the coral reef. Many weeks of cruising failed to locate the island. -I always liked this story, for Frenchy enjoyed telling it and did it -remarkably well. - -The starboard watch also stirred uneasily after the mirage and as a -direct result of it Charlie Horse got religion. Not that he had not -always had it, but these singular events merely brought it to the -surface as it were. Charlie Horse began where our late shipmate Jimmy -left off. He was extremely rigorous in his beliefs and did not hesitate -to preach infant damnation, advising all of us who had not been duly -baptized to rectify this mistake as soon as possible. He paid special -attention to John Aahee of his watch, and to that simple-minded native -the awful creed of Charlie Horse was a throbbing reality. The existence -of purgatory was assured; hell was a positive fact, a hot and terrible -place of torture. Often during a brief dog watch of a Sunday, the port -side would get some of the overflow, which we listened to with varying -tolerance; his own watchmates had arrived at the point of active -protest. - -With Charlie Horse preaching religion of the hell-fire-and-damnation -brand, Frenchy and other less expert story-tellers filling the -intervals of the night watches on deck with ghostly discourse, and -adding to this the appearance of St. Elmo's fires at the yard arms -after one of the tropic disturbances, it was no wonder that we were a -bit on edge where anything that smacked of the supernatural occurred. -Talk had been rather reminiscent in one of the last dog watches, the -weather was fine and we were sailing along before a gentle quartering -breeze without having started a sheet or brace for several days--calm -of spirit prevailed on board for a time, there was little hazing and, -except for the growing rottenness of the tucker, we were content. -The mind must therefore cast about for something new to seize upon. -The name of Jimmy Marshall had been mentioned a great deal during -the watch referred to, Axel having told of meeting Jimmy on his last -night ashore, while returning to the ship. Jimmy was sneaking up the -dark side of Nuuanu Avenue--there was a moon out--and bumped into Axel -before he knew it. - -"What! Down to the ship, Jimmy?" - -"Naw, jest took a look at 'er. I 'ears you was sailin' an' jest walked -down past the _Monarch_ an' looked over. 'Ow's 'ell on board?" - -"Same old wagon, Jimmy. How are they treating you?" - -"They's slowly killin' me, Axel, so help me Gawd, they is. Talk erbout -yer rotters! Say, if you knowed as 'ow they does me along of some other -poor Gawdfersooken fellers. Well, what ov it? They looses Jimmy afore -long, that's wot they does." - -"I'll bet they prays the liver out of him, and starves the little faker -to boot," was Australia's opinion. - -At about one bell, in the first watch, we had just got to the stage of -half sleep, and were dropping off for our precious three and a quarter -hours, when we were all sitting up as well as we could, in our bunks. -Fred was terror stricken. "By ---- It's Jimmy. I see him!" - -"What in hell's bitin' you?" Australia demanded. - -"Jimmy Marshall's in here! He spoke to me!" - -"Spoke? Say, you big stiff, if you don't shut up I'll speak a few words -you'll remember!" Australia was mad clean through. There was a silence. -Something stirred over Australia's bunk, next to Fred's. - -"Who's that?" - -"Jimmy Marshall?" shouted the thoroughly frightened Fred, and then a -voice near the top of the fo'c'sle, in the familiar tones of our late -shipmate, very cracked and lifelike, added to the fear. - -"Gawd have mercy. Gawd have mercy!" came the words. - -"It's Jimmy! Take him away! Take him away!" shouted several, Martin -and Scouse among them. We were all tumbling out of our bunks. Frenchy -shot through the open door of the fo'c'sle and Scouse close after -him. Suddenly there was a wild mixture of screams and screeches and -Australia exploded in a loud, whole-souled oath of relief. He held the -struggling Jake by the tail feathers. The parrot had recently been -about the only consistent listener to the doctrines of Charlie Horse, -and his appearance in our fo'c'sle at night gave him a chance to retail -some of his new line of talk. Someone had evidently left his cage open -and he came in to get out of the draft. From this time on the bird got -to be a nuisance as well as a reminder of our folly. Frenchy sold him -to Chips for a suit of oilskins. - -During these days of the voyage we overhauled our best suit of sails -preparatory to bending them for the heavy weather off the Cape. I -had by that time become fairly proficient in the use of the palm -and needle and could sew a presentable flat seam, or round seam, as -occasion demanded. Frenchy was the best sailmaker in our watch, and -with Brenden and myself, constituted the sailmaker's gang to port. Old -Smith, Hitchen and Axel were the starboard complement in this kind of -work. We had our benches in the most comfortable part of the deck and -of a morning, after the washdown, while we were getting the canvas out, -the rest of the crowd would wipe the deck dry with pieces of old sugar -bags, getting right down on their shin bones and rubbing the planks. -We put in new tabling, renewed lining cloths, sewed on new leather at -the clews, wetting it so that when dry the leather would shrink tight, -gripping the bolt ropes so the strands would show through. In some of -the older sails we sewed an extra line of stitching down the middle of -the double flat seam where the cloths join. - -I learned to properly work the reef and head holes. The canvas was cut -with a "stabber" and a small fish line grommet laid over the edge, the -hole then being finished off with a fencing of heavy waxed and double -laid twine. In these later degenerate days, a brass eyelet ring is -often crimped around the hole, a much quicker job and about one-third -as strong. - -In all of the lore of cutting canvas for sails, and we made a set of -skysails on the voyage, the mate was a past master. The "roaching," the -proper way to allow for gores in the cloths, the fact that "square" -sails are anything but square; all such old-time knowledge was handed -down and eagerly assimilated. We talked of the "hoist" of this sail, -meaning sails that spread by hoisting the yard; and the "drop" of that -sail, referring to the courses and lower tops'ls. - -On the _Fuller_ the mains'l and crojik (corrupted from the "crossjack" -of the ancients) were fitted with "cross leeches" and a "midship rope." -These were stout hemp ropes sewed to tabling clothes on the forward -side of the sail, the cross leeches running from the head earings to -the middle of the foot, and the "midship rope" from the head to the -foot of the sail also on the forward side. This left the after side -of the sail smooth so as to draw best when flattened on a wind. At -the foot of the sail, and hooked into a stout thimble where the cross -leeches and midship rope joined, the "slap line" led aft, and the -"midship tack" led forward. With wind a point or two on the quarter, -the weather clew garnets of the main and crojik would be hauled up and -these sails set perfectly by the midship tack and the weather cross -leech, in this way allowing a good share of the breeze to distend -the great foresail for all it was worth. Sailors who have not been -shipmates with this method of fitting the after courses will appreciate -the utility. - -One thing Mr. Zerk always harped upon was the necessity of making -canvas set flat, whether on the wind or before it. - -A large sail, the main course, for instance, is fitted with what at -first blush appears to be a useless amount of gear. The sail being bent -to the yard by means of the _head earings_ and _robands_ is handled -by use of the following ropes: the _tacks_ leading forward from the -clews, the _sheets_ leading aft. When before the wind the sail is held -to the deck by the two _sheets_, the _tacks_ being idle. When on a -wind, that is, close hauled, the weather _tack_ is boarded and the lee -sheet hauled aft. To reef, the tacks and sheets are started and the -reef band hauled up on the yard by the _reef tackles_. To furl, the -_clews_ are hauled up to the quarter of the yard by means of the _clew -garnets_ while the body of the sail is gathered in by the _leechlines_ -and the _buntlines_. Add to this _bowline bridles_ for steadying out -the weather leech when on a wind, _slap line_ for keeping the foot of -the sail away from the mast in light winds and calm, the _midship -tack_ used when sailing with the weather leech hauled up, and we have a -very respectable lot of rigging on our sail. Upper tops'ls are almost -as bad. Now this means nothing to the landsman, but a lot of queer -names, yet the gear has come down through long ages of elimination and -represents the utmost efficiency in handling sailing canvas. A main -sail is a mighty spread on a large modern ship and may show to the wind -as much as four thousand square feet of surface. Our mainsail on the -_Fuller_ was approximately of this size. Given a heavy press of wind, -say twenty pounds to the square foot, and we have the sail urging our -ship along to some purpose. - -To get back to the voyage, after a reminiscent ramble with -technicalities for which we ask forgiveness, though old, and perhaps -new, "shells" may read it, I will add that the working of canvas is one -of the best jobs aboard ship. We were excused from jumping up at every -order to do some bit of pulling or hauling, and knowledge of the tricks -of palm and needle stamped a man as of the real salt. - -Australia, Charlie Horse, Tony, and a few others were kept busy -renewing chafing gear, fitting sword mats and helping Chips, who was -constantly employed about the ship at repair and renewal of the wooden -fittings. The battens on the "swifters" were always being broken by the -clew garnets, and had to be renewed, the pump leathers were overhauled -at frequent intervals, hatch wedges were constantly inspected and "set -up," and Chips was the man to do these things. - -Martin, Mike, Fred and Peter were given a large job of overhauling all -spare blocks. The pins were knocked out and turned over so that the -least worn side of the pin would bear against the bushing. Iron straps -were chipped and red leaded and all the deck and emergency tackles -were treated in the same way, the blocks, thimbles, and falls being -put in fine shape; nothing was spared in the quality of the material -with which we worked. Whips and gear aloft might be turned end for -end, but after that they were unrove and put to humbler uses; never -spliced except in an emergency. On a ship, the odds and ends of rope -yarn, oakum, and old wornout gear is headed up in barrels and sold as -"shakings." This is often the perquisite of the mate. - -Scouse, as usual, was in for the drudgery, with Kahemuku and Black Joe -tailing along as his assistants. He did not seem to mind it and got on -famously with the Kanakas. It was always "sir" to Scouse, from Black -Joe, who looked upon the big Dutchman as a sort of hero. The red thatch -may have had something to do with this attitude, but whatever the -cause, Scouse would have got at least two votes had he ever become a -candidate for President of Hawaii. - -Just before shifting sail, this taking place during a lull between the -S. E. trades and the counter trades, we sent down the main lower tops'l -yard and rigged and sent up a spare spar that we had on deck. This -was a regular seaman's job and called for all hands during an entire -day. The old yard had a slight spring, a fault developed in the heavy -weather off the Cape on the passage out. We unbent the sail, leaving -it stopped on the main yard, all the gear, clewlines, buntlines, etc., -being carried into the top and the quarter blocks hooked to the main -cap. The yard was sent down by means of a stout burton from the topmast -pendant, and the upper tops'l sheets, downhauls, etc., were unrove and -carried into the main top. The upper tops'l was hung in its gear and -the yard steadied out by the braces alone. As we had a fair sailing -breeze, the t'gan's'l and upper canvas was kept set. - -As soon as the long yard was down, we unhooked the burton and fastened -onto the new stick, swaying this aloft, when the braces were hooked. -The lifts were then attached and, as soon as the yard was up, the -standard was keyed, and all running gear rove. We bent sail in record -time, had everything shipshape again and sheeted home before two bells -in the afternoon watch. - -A few days after this, on a Sunday, of course, we shifted sail and we -knew that we were in for some more dirty weather. "Well, this will be -the last," was the feeling voiced more than once by the men in the -fo'c'sle. - -During the time of many jobs, of fine weather, and much activity of -a sailor kind, the Kanaka Kahemuku astonished us by his skill in -tattooing. Of a Sunday he was always busy. His first subject was -Scouse, and we watched the progress of art with great interest. -Kahemuku offered to fix me up, but I had in mind the advice of my -father and decided to remain undecorated by anchor or star. - -"You are wise, kid," Australia agreed. "Them marks never come off and -they are a hard thing to get by with. Many a poor bloke has gone to the -gallows because he carried a bright red star of hope tattooed on his -chest." - -While not altogether complimentary in his allusion, Australia was -right. Scouse, however, showed his honest contempt for this point of -view by having a Hula Hula dancer done on his chest. For a while he -looked as if he had been crusted by a growth of barnacles. - -As we ran past the little islands of the South Pacific, that lay -sparsely scattered along our track, Kahemuku would gaze at them with -intense longing. His desire for "Pilladelpia" alone compensated him -for their loss. But, after a while, the increasing chill overcame all -thoughts of that wonderful city of "Pilladelpia," and Kahemuku, Black -Joe and the melancholy Aahee turned a shade of ghastly gray. They lay -shivering in their bunks during the watch below, objects of compassion -to the rest of us who were hardened to the cold sea. - -The rapidly dropping temperature, it was then the last week of June and -the middle of the Antarctic winter, served to remind us that we might -expect a colder and perhaps stormier time of it than on the passage out -when we rounded Cape Horn in the middle of the southern summer. One -thing that would be in our favor, and all of the old sailors mentioned -this, was the fact that for the most part we would have fair winds, the -prevailing storms coming from the west, sweeping eastward along the -edge of the Antarctic Continent, Cape Horn shoving its nose into the -very center of the storm path. - -The sting of the cold, crisp nights, as we increased our latitude, -warned us that we were in for weather not far ahead. The Kanakas became -more and more inert at each drop in temperature. They were so poorly -provided for in the way of warm clothing that all hands dug into chest -and bag, contributing from wardrobes none too large. The Kanaka boys -did everything they could to show their gratitude. Our two of the port -watch worked at the bilge pumps each night until they were utterly -done. "It keeps them warm, and no one died working yet," said Brenden. -"As long as they keep going they're still alive," added Australia, and -this was true enough, so we were ready to accept their sacrifice at the -back-breaking job. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -CAPE HORN AGAIN - - -As the strength of the winds increased and we were mostly always before -it, Captain Nichols concluded the ship would sail better if she was a -trifle further down by the stern. We had loaded on an evener keel in -Honolulu than on the passage out and now it was decided by the skipper -to shift some weight aft. This was done by breaking out two hundred -bags of sugar from the fore part of the hold and dragging it aft to the -extreme end of the lazarette. The weight shifted, about fifteen tons, -certainly made her steer better than before. - -On June twenty-third we rove off a new main tops'l halyard purchase, -and overhauled the tops'l tye. The weather was getting more and more -severe, and we ran before it under fore lower tops'l, close reefed -fores'l, reefed main upper tops'l, main lower tops'l, and mizzen lower -tops'l, all other sail being on the yards and furled with the exception -of fore topmast stays'l and jib, both hauled amidships as a precaution -against broaching to. The seas rose gradually and the ship rolled -heavily. On June twenty-fifth our cargo shifted in the fore part of the -'tween deck, giving us a nasty list to leeward of about five degrees, -and all hands were called at two in the mid watch to trim cargo. This -was a devil of a job, except that it was warm, and kept us steadily -employed for a stretch of twelve hours with only a short spell for -grub. Captain Nichols himself came into the 'tween decks, and later on -Mr. Zerk, myself and two of the men, Frenchy and Axel, if I remember -right, went through the lower hold on top of the heaped-up sugar, where -the sweet, sticky smell, slightly sour, mingled with the odors of the -riled-up bilge, and the complaining of the hull. I carried a lantern -and the rays, against the knees and beams, cast weird shadows. The hold -was a fearsome place, pitching and rolling as if in mortal agony. - -We found it increasingly necessary to keep the pumps going as the -water worked in rapidly when running. A ship under such conditions of -wind and sea is alternately lifted with her midship section carried -on the back of a roller, her ends more or less tending to droop, or -she is in the trough between two wave crests with her ends buried and -the midship section hanging. Oftentimes a poorly built craft becomes -"hogged," that is, the midship is permanently lifted up and her sheer -thrown out. - -A constant repetition of stresses such as we were experiencing on the -_Fuller_, made intense by the dead weight of the cargo and the urge -of the masts carrying their spread of sail, is bound to result in -damage to the vessel. While working in the hold, the complaining of her -timbers seemed worse than ever before on the voyage. We often wondered -if she was going to pieces, as indeed many unreported ships have done. -The sensation below gave one an impression of being at sea on a very -uncertain proposition; a great leaky wooden box, with every solitary -frame, scantling, hook, knee, and plank, complaining bitterly at the -hard fate that had wrought them in the shape of a ship. - -"I wish the bloody owners was down here for a day or two," said Old -Smith, as we were shifting cargo in the hold, and I heartily agreed -with him. - -A few days later, when on deck, we forgot the forbidding pandemonium -below; purposely forgot it, as so many people do with other things, -and, as the ship did not wrack herself to pieces that voyage, we at -least were saved a lot of unnecessary worry. - -On July first we were still plowing before it under reefed canvas. All -work on deck was at a standstill except that required for sailing the -ship, and by way of exercise and safety, the "farmers" dragged the -"bear." Cape pigeons were everywhere and we caught a number of them for -their wings by trailing a fish line overboard and hooking them. These -birds are beautifully marked and when taken on deck invariably vomit -their dinners; it almost looks as though the motion of the ship made -them seasick. High overhead gray molly-hawks and fulmar gulls soared -white-bellied and noisy against the leaden sky. - -Oil bags were trailed over the side as the high seas surged past us -like race horses, their white crests crinkling dangerously under our -transom, and along the full sweep of the bulwarks, slopping aboard -as we rolled, filling the gangways and main deck with tons of cold, -blue water. Often, at the braces, we would be buried in these seas, a -strange sensation that for the moment, as the weight of water lifted -the feet from the deck, gave one the sensation of being detached from -the ship, of being out in the midst of it all thousands of miles from -shore; a funny feeling is this, entirely devoid of fear, though, of -course, one held on like blazes to whatever was most handy, usually the -pin rail or other substantial deck fitting. - -Much has been written about the height of waves, and as we approached -the southern limit of our course and headed to the east, well below -the parallel of Cape Horn, we got the full benefit of those constant -westerly winds that blow around the world. Here the heaviest straight -line gales are to be met with and the great fetch of deep water helps -to produce magnificent waves of the first magnitude. - -Lecky, in his "Wrinkles," a book no sailor should be without, and a -book no lover of the sea who likes to "be up" on things nautical should -neglect to read, quotes Mr. Thomas Stevenson as the authority for an -empirical formula that approximates the possible maximum height of -waves, the same being considered as a function of the "fetch." - -This is given as a matter of interest, for working it backward it shows -how tremendous the sea spaces through which the rollers that followed -us had their being. The Stevenson formula is as follows: - -Height of wave in feet equals the square root of the "fetch" in -nautical miles multiplied by the constant 1.5. - -Or, backward: the distance a wave has come equals its height, divided -by 1.5, and the quotient squared. - -As the wind increased in strength the waves mounted until immense -billows were formed that measured from 50 to 60 feet in a vertical -line from hollow to crest. This was easily determined by mounting the -shrouds and watching until the ship was in the trough, then noting -the height of eye on a level with the wave crests. In reversing the -Stevenson formula we find that for a 60-foot wave a fetch of at least -1,600 miles is necessary.[8] - - [8] Dr. G. Schott, as the result of studying the form and height of - sea waves, claims that under a moderate breeze their velocity was 24.6 - feet per second, or 16.8 miles per hour, which is about the speed of a - modern sailing vessel. (Some speed!) As the wind rises, the size and - speed of the waves increase. In a strong breeze their length rises to - 260 feet and their speed reaches 36.0 to 36.4 feet per second. Waves - the period of which is 9 seconds, the length 400 or 425 feet, and the - speed 28 nautical miles per hour, are produced only in storms. During a - southeast storm in the southern Atlantic, Dr. Schott measured waves 690 - feet long, and this was not a maximum; for in latitude 28 degrees south - and longitude 39 degrees west, he observed waves of fifteen seconds' - period, which were 1,150 feet long with a velocity of 78.7 feet per - second, or 46-1/8 nautical miles per hour. Dr. Schott does not think - that the maximum height of the waves is very great. Some observers - have estimated it at 30 or 40 feet in a wind the force of which is - represented by 11 on the Beaufort scale (the highest number of which - is 12); and Dr. Schott's maximum is 32 feet. He believes that in great - tempests waves of more than 60 feet are rare, and even those of 50 - feet are exceptional. In the ordinary trade winds the height is 5 or 6 - feet. The ratio of height to length is about 1:33 in a moderate wind, - 1:18 in a strong wind, 1:17 in a storm; from which it follows that the - inclination of the waves is respectively about 6, 10, and 11 degrees. - The ratio to the height of the waves to the force of the wind varies - greatly.--_Scientific American._ - - _Note on Above by Author._--It would seem that the late Dr. Schott, if - quoted correctly, did not consider the "fetch" as an element in the - process of wave formation at sea; but his maximum waves were observed - at a point where there was plenty of sea room. - -Enough sail had to be carried to give the ship ample steerage way when -the walls of rushing water passed us, for incredible as it may seem -to those who have not had the experience, the waves of the sea run at -a speed far greater than anything afloat that sails. The tidal wave, -theoretical at least, must have a speed of one thousand miles per hour -in order that the tides may follow the attraction of the moon and -girdle the earth each twenty-four hours; _some speed_ even in these -days of rapid travel. Here we have a vertical translation of motion and -not a horizontal shifting of water at that terrific speed. In the sea -waves caused by wind friction, there is also simply a translation of up -and down motion, except for the rearing crest; if the sea waves moved -bodily it would be extremely dangerous to live near the seashore and -the coasts would soon be worn away; also, ships would not dare venture -upon the ocean. - -This statement about the possible destructive effect of the sea waves -were they to move bodily started one of the hottest arguments ever -contested in the fo'c'sle of the _Fuller_. Tired and worn as we were, -the greater part of an afternoon watch below was taken up in assailing -my position. Australia could not see that I was right; even my staunch -pal Frenchy doubted it. Finally I brought out my trusty "Wrinkles in -Practical Navigation" by that sailor's friend, the late Captain S. T. -S. Lecky, who added laurels to the name of the English merchant sailor -that will never fade, and put them all to rout. The passage on Great -Sea Waves is worth giving, and I here include it. - -"The term 'Great Sea Wave' is used in contradistinction to 'Great Earth -Wave,' which latter is the name given to the disturbance experienced on -land. - -"An earthquake may have its center of impulse either inland or under -the bed of the ocean. In the first case, when the 'Great Earth Wave,' -or superficial undulation, coming from inland, reaches the shores of -the sea (unless these be precipitous, with deep water) it may lift -the water up, and carry it out on its back, as it were; for the rate -of transit of the shock is sometimes so great that the heap of water -lifted up has not time to flow away toward the sides. - -"At Arica, in Peru, and other places, this sudden going out of the sea -has made bare the bottom of the bay, and left ships aground which only -a few minutes before were riding quietly at anchor in several fathoms -of water. - -"As soon as the shock is over, the body of water thus forced out to sea -returns as a huge wave, and, on approaching a sloping shore, rears up -like a wall, and breaks with overwhelming force. Sometimes, however, -its volume, height, and velocity are so great that it comes ashore -bodily, and breaks far inland, causing even greater destruction to -life and property. At Arica, the _Wateree_--a 'double-ender' belonging -to the United States Navy--was carried inland quite a distance by the -reflux, and remained as evidence for many years. If the writer's memory -is not at fault, she was carried clean over the railway embankment. - -"When the seat of the disturbance is beneath the ocean, the 'Great Sea -Wave' rushes in upon the land as before--with this difference, that it -is not preceded by the water retiring from the foreshore, as in the -first case.... - -"About the most notable instance of a 'Great Sea Wave' occurred during -the stupendous and ever-memorable eruption in August, 1883, which had -for its center the Island of Krakatoa, in the Straits of Sunda. On this -occasion the loss of life amounted to 37,000, caused chiefly by the sea -waves, one of which attained the almost incredible height of 135 feet. -Its effects were traced to all the principal tide gauges of the world, -and were even observed at Havre, some 11,000 miles from the source of -origin. - -"A full account of this eruption, which was investigated in detail by -committees and sub-committees of the Royal Society, comprising many of -the leading scientists of the day, has been published in a volume of -nearly 500 quarto pages, under the editorship of Mr. G. T. Symons. In -this book every branch of the phenomenon and its effects have been most -thoroughly dealt with, and is consequently well worth perusal." - -What Captain Lecky has said may well cause us to pause and wonder -how a "Great Sea Wave" would affect Coney Island of a hot Sunday in -midsummer. - -However, on the ship _Fuller_, to get back to our muttons, we thought -of no Coney Island. We were very much at sea, and thankful for the fact -that the waves could grow no larger. For it is a fact that the rapid -rate of progress of waves serves to limit their height, for as soon as -the speed of the wave becomes about half that of the speed of the wind -the accelerating effect of the wind action remaining is absorbed by the -friction of the water particles, and the waves are at their maximum. - -We had a splendid opportunity to study the waves, and it was with a -never-failing fascination that I always looked for the occasional -grouping of three or four large rollers, rising above the rest, due to -a piling up because of differences in rate of progress. On the ships -of an earlier day, the fear of being "pooped" was always uppermost in -the minds of timid helmsmen, but on the _Fuller_ we were protected in -a measure by the wheelhouse. This structure, right aft against the -taffrail, served as a shelter, and at the same time housed the tiller, -the tiller shackles, and the relieving tackles. The fore part was given -over to the wheel and was quite fancy, immaculate white gratings -under foot, bright wood panelling inside and brass fittings wherever -possible. A sliding shutter overhead was thrown back, when on the -wind, to allow the helmsman a sight of the weather cloth of the mizzen -skysail. Just forward of the binnacle, and taking in the whole front of -the wheelhouse, was a window fitted with sliding shutters. At least one -of these was always open, for the officer of the deck never came into -the wheelhouse when on duty, merely shouting his orders to the man at -the helm. The good sense that finally provided wheelhouses on sailers -was amply justified. Comparative warmth and protection from wind and -sea helped just that much in steering, and a far better course was held -through the long, strenuous watches of heavy weather. The wheelhouse -was always one of the most comfortable spots aboard ship. - -To my mind, steering was a lot of fun. This was specially so in good -lively weather. The direct pull of the rudder, the "kick" and the -"feel" of the ship never failed to thrill me with a sense of power. -Just as handling "the stick" on a good able boat in fine brisk weather -is a sport of never-ending delight, so the trick at the wheel aboard -the _Fuller_ always made me feel that I was the man who sailed the -ship. - -The pointer by old Bo'sun Dreilick, of the _St. Mary's_, and now of the -_Newport_, that ancient mariner of many, many voyages, filled with the -accumulated wisdom of the seven seas, stood me in good stead. "When -at the wheel, work the ship in your mind as if you had charge of the -watch," was his advice. Doing this aboard the _Fuller_ with such a -consummate sailor as Mr. Zerk in charge was an instructive exercise. -During daytime tricks I could see where sails needed trimming, or where -a shift of canvas would help her, and would often have everything -settled in my mind before the mate would notice things. At night it was -different. The least shift of wind or the slightest change of weather -always found him on the alert. To an ambitious lad, anxious to master -the hoary art of conducting a ship across the surface--decidedly, -surface--of the many wrinkled ocean, this practice can be recommended; -the only trouble is that such ambitious lads are now scarce, and the -ships are scarcer still. - -Captain Nichols had a pleasant way of coming up, especially during the -second dog watch, after the mellowing influence of a Chow dinner, cabin -style, and conversing for a minute or two. He would let drop a hint as -to where we were and sometimes give me sights to work out. While we -were making such heavy weather of it and the wheel was hard to manage, -he told a story calculated to make me anything but cheerful. The ship -had yawed and the slap of the rudder sent the wheel over against all -the "beef" I could bring to bear. Then suddenly, when the pressure -shifted to the other side, the wheel came back with the kick of a -stubborn mule, and I was bodily lifted off my feet, saving my head by -doubling about the spindle. - -"Look out, son!" shouted the Old Man. "I had a sailor thrown up against -the top of the wheelhouse once and his skull bashed in. That was his -last trick at the wheel. You better be careful." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -MAN LOST OVERBOARD - - -At this stage of the voyage hardship had become a habit; rotten tack -and half-cooked cracker hash all went the same way; we were toughened -to the grind. A mess of weevil-ridden hard bread was disposed of by -knocking the worms out and eating what was left, the crumby, mealy -stuff, soggy with damp, was often made more palatable by heating in -the galley with a sprinkle of molasses or a coating of our abundant -sugar. The working of the ship was done in grilling discomfort of -wet clothing, and the cold added its quota to our troubles day after -day. But for all that we were living. The scenes of wild fury that -only those who have run before it in the latitudes of Cape Horn can -understand, spread about us in a fitting panorama to the tragedy -of suffering on our half-drowned deck. Surely the angels must have -wondered at the vast ambition of men who dared such dangers and -lived such hardships; all of which vast ambition could be summed up -in one sentence--the pay of an able seaman out of the port of New -York--eighteen dollars per month, minus "advance" and the deduction for -"slops," leaving the net earning in the neighborhood of ten or eleven -dollars. - -We were getting our romance in the raw, however, and, like most things -in this world, we were paying for the show--working our way--through -experiences that only those who go down to the sea in deepwater sailing -ships know anything about. - -Endless rows of mighty snarling combers, the howl of sleet-laden wind -tearing through the glistening gear aloft, and the blind rush of -snowstorms, crusting everything with a powdering of white, gave us a -real taste of weather such as I had never experienced before. - -"Thank God we are going before it, and not trying to beat back," said -Hitchen to me one night, as he came aft to relieve me at the wheel. - -John Aahee, of the starboard watch, disappeared and we thought he had -been lost overboard. For two days we missed him and kept the news from -Black Joe and Kahemuku, who were in a state of low spirits, where the -loss of Aahee would have well-nigh proved fatal. On the third day after -the absence of John he suddenly reappeared, when the boys of our -watch heard a loud knocking on the under side of the forehatch. Having -enjoyed a two days' sleep on the sugar in the 'tween deck, he climbed -in by way of the forepeak, which had been opened in order to rouse up a -barrel of saltpork. - -The mate threatened to put him in irons for shirking duty and promised -all sorts of dire punishment. However, the poor Kanaka was so far gone -that it seemed he never would survive, and I believe he was positively -numb when the mate made him finish out the last two hours of the watch -on deck by bending over the bilge pump, "to get the sleep out of your -eyes, you ---- black." - -July Fourth found us nearing the end of our southing. We experienced -a moderation in the weather, and set the fore and main t'gans'ls. The -fore t'gans'l split during a squall that blew up before it had been set -an hour, and we at once got busy in sending down this rag and bending -another sail which went with a loud "bang!" during the midwatch, Second -Mate Tom being on deck and Captain Nichols pacing up and down on the -forward side of the wheelhouse. - -"There she goes again!" we heard them shouting out on deck, amid the -din of wind and the booming of the seas as they fanned away from the -flare of our bows, when her head doused down into the back of a roller. -The report as the new canvas split was sharp and characteristic, waking -most of us, as it was directly overhead. - -"I hope they don't call us out," was the thought expressed by all; we -plunked down in our blankets with a will as though we were going to -wring every last fraction of sleep out of each precious second of the -few hours of the watch. - -Our days were becoming more than merely strenuous, they were of that -dead level of sustained hardship where the senses cease to register -the added kicks, but go on in a sort of merciful anesthesia, no doubt -brought about by the toxic action of prolonged fatigue. - -On the glorious Fourth, Chow had spread himself to the extent of -favoring the fo'c'sle mess with two large pans of gingerbread, nicely -cut into squares, so that everyone would get his lawful whack. This -gingerbread was a special stunt in baking such as I have never seen -its like before or since. The top crust was flexible, and leathery, -of a deep seal brown. The bottom was hard and usually well burnt. By -grabbing the top crust and the bottom, the middle portion could be made -to stretch at least twice its size and then broken apart, but long -strings like cobwebs would connect the two halves. We blamed it for the -boils that appeared on most of us toward the end of each passage, for -Chow liked to bake it, and we had it at least once a week or oftener. - -Poor Frenchy was taken sick during those dismal days, and when he -mustered aft one dog watch, and promptly swooned, we picked our -shipmate up and carried him to his bunk with heavy hearts. If gloom -could kill a man, Frenchy would have cashed in his record during the -next few days. The fo'c'sle was as sad a hole as a man could think of. -Captain Nichols came forward and examined Frenchy during our watch on -deck. This was a sort of concession to the proprieties, as he only -came forward of the main hatch one other time on the voyage that I can -recall. After his professional visit the steward called me aft and -handed me a large tumbler full of a dark liquid called "black draft" by -Australia; it had marvelous cathartic power. I was instructed to give -this to Frenchy at one dose. What it did to him in his weakened state -can be imagined. - -The next day the mate came to the fo'c'sle and examined the sick man -and reported aft. Frenchy had said he was much better, which was a -lie, but a wise one. I then prevailed upon Chow to give me some cabin -stew that he was preparing, and with this under his belt and a hook pot -of coffee, cabin style, Frenchy felt better. I also broke out a set of -brand-new underwear that I had been saving against an emergency. It was -extra heavy, and with this on him and the good food, he felt like a new -man. Chow fed Frenchy for three days, and fed him well, after I had -prevailed upon Chips to give him the parrot, Jake. Fortunately Frenchy -recovered before Jake got in his fine work in the galley, for in less -than a week the latter was back under the fo'c'sle head again, having -started his talk about "to hell with the grub," etc. This was more than -Chow could stand, and one night his cage shot out of the lee door of -the galley amid a series of quirks and screeches, and Fred rescued the -bird from a comber that was about to curl over the bulwark. - -Our precautions in the way of preventer gear and rolling tackles were -employed as on the passage out, and the relieving tackles were hooked -to the tiller in the after wheelhouse. Captain Nichols also had two -heavy hawsers bighted about the base of the mizzen mast and flaked down -on the cabin top ready to pay out through the quarter chocks should -we by any chance broach to. At the end of these we had constructed two -improvised sea anchors or drags. Under ordinary circumstances we would -have been hove to in such weather as we were having, but the wind was -fair and the captain determined to run before it as long as possible. - -Discomfort and hardship on board were not altogether confined to the -fo'c'sle. The after cabin was washed out a number of times and the -mate was swamped by the seas backing up in the waist and running over -the sills of the cabin doors. Mr. Zerk was much less violent during -the stormy days. The hard drive to the south and east put a feeling of -common danger into the minds of all; it had a very beneficial effect. -So far as the psychic aspects of the voyage went, we were happy. - -Also, we were, with the possible exception of Black Joe and Kahemuku -of our watch, and the unfortunate Aahee of starboard, a very ready and -smart crowd. When I say possible exception in referring to the Kanakas -I mean that these unhappy people were always running with the crowd, -and while always in the way they bent what beef they had to any gear -we might be hauling on. Sailors have a weird wail, or dirge, without -words, to which they sway at brace or halyards and Black Joe became -proficient in this, throwing his whole spirit into the thing. Even in -those days of actuality the perfect picture of glistening oilskins and -the splashing sea, with the human cry of labor mounting above the snap -of the storm, was driven home to me--and I was mighty wet and tired, -too. - -On July tenth we were still going large before a heavy sea. Second Mate -Tom was on deck in the afternoon watch and, the wind having moderated -some, his crowd were aloft shaking the reef out of the fore upper -tops'l. Aahee was on the lee yardarm and as the sail dropped a squall -of wind slapped along suddenly, and he, holding on to the jackstay with -all of his might, turned a complete somersault as his heavy boots shot -up from the footrope. He was wrenched from the yard, his body struck -the belly of the reefed foresail and dashed into the sea. Some claimed -he also struck one of the jib boom guys. - -All hands were called and the ship hove to. Mr. Zerk stormed out on -deck mad clean through, and Captain Nichols conned the wheel, myself -and another man from starboard being at the spokes. A half barrel of -oil was broached into the sea as we braced sharp and put down the -helm, manning the lee fore braces with great speed. The main spencer -was hauled out and reefed spanker set while we braced sharp forward. -Mr. Morstad had thrown over two life buoys, but we could not see either -one of them. As we hove to the seas swept over us with redoubled fury, -the racket aloft being frightful. We then realized how hard it was -blowing. Captain Nichols estimated it at from 9 to 10 on the Beaufort -Scale,[9] and the _Fuller_ bore down almost on her beam ends. - - [9] The Beaufort Notation, to indicate the force of the wind. - - 0 Calm. - 1 Light airs: just sufficient to give steerage way. - 2 Light breeze. Ship under all plain sail 1 to 2 knots. - 3 Gentle breeze. " " " " " 3 to 4 " - 4 Moderate breeze. " " " " " 4 to 5 " - 5 Fresh breeze. Ship close hauled can carry Skysails. - 6 Strong breeze. " " " " " Topgallant sails. - 7 Moderate gale. " " " " " Reefed topsails. - 8 Fresh gale. " " " " " Lower topsails, courses. - 9 Strong gale. " " " " " Lower topsails; reefed courses. - 10 Whole gale. Hove to, under main lower topsail and reefed foresail. - 11 Storm. " " under storm staysails. - 12 Hurricane. " " under bare poles. - -To launch a boat would have been madness and we watched the sea for a -sight of Aahee or of the life buoys, all, however, without success, as -no doubt he had drowned at once and the buoys were several miles to -windward, while we were drifting off faster than they. - -Once hove to we shortened down for the night under lower tops'ls and -storm stays'ls. The death of Aahee was tragic in the extreme; Kahemuku -cried in his bunk, and no means could be found to stop him. Black Joe -said nothing, he ate in silence, and when we went below he turned in -without a word. - -They were one less to starboard; only a weak brown man gone, a poor -piece of human wreckage washed loose from that plaything of the storm, -a ship at sea. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -AUSTRALIA'S STORY - - -Following Frenchy's sickness, Australia and I chummed together as -Frenchy, by common consent, was allowed to perch on a coil of rope on -the main hatch just forward of the mast during the night watches, the -mate winking at this whenever the weather was not too bad. - -On such nights Australia and I would stump the wet deck and we got -to be very good friends. Unlike so many of the crew, I remember his -name, John Roth, and from what he told me at various times I knew -that he had come from a good family, as such things go, people in -easy circumstances. His grandfather had settled in England, coming -originally from southern Germany, and his father had taken over and -extended a business founded at that time. Roth had received a good -education, evidently, though he was of a shiftless temperament and -his talk savored of the fo'c'sle and not the schools. He unburdened -himself as we tramped the deck and I found him to be a charming -companion and much deeper than was my idea of the devil-may-care -deserter from the _Falls of Ettrick_, who had impressed me as a sort of -scatterbrained ne'er-do-well, when we first bumped against each other -in the fo'c'sle of the _Fuller_, for my bunk was ahead of his, as we -settled down in that first mixup, months before. - -[Illustration: Australia] - -"I'll tell you, Felix, there's lots of blokes who have had less chances -than me, and is well off today. I always got in the way of trouble and -you bet trouble never missed me once." - -This sounded like something new, so I kept my mouth closed instead of -replying after the usual manner of deck chums making conversation. - -"When my father died," went on Australia, after a long pause, "my -brother took the management of the business. He was in the building -trade and doing very well at it, supporting mother, two sisters, -brother and myself. My brother James had quit school and was helping -father at the time of his death. I was at school near Winchester, much -to my disgust, for I hated school and wanted to go to sea." Australia -paused. He was strangely sober and we paced on deck for a turn or two -in silence. Then he continued, and I remember how his words came -slowly but with a long-forgotten attention to choice and grammar. - -"On the settlement of the estate of my father a small legacy of four -hundred pounds was left me, and with the business safe in the care -of my brother I felt at liberty to quit school and go to sea. I had -an idea that I would settle down somewhere with my money and be a -gentleman planter, or something like that. At any rate, I cashed in -and, with more money in my pocket than was good for me, put to sea in -the fo'c'sle of a ship out of London bound for Melbourne. I'll call -her the _Iverclyde_, that's near enough. They shipped me 'ordinary,' -and when I handed the mate a five-quid note, as I asked for the job, -he was sure he had hooked a fool, or a lunatic. The rest of my fortune -I carried in a wallet in the bottom of my chest, a place no one would -ever think of searching for money. - -"The _Iverclyde_ was an iron ship, a wet ship, if you know what I mean. -We was drowned and we was starved, but never overworked. Once the crowd -went aft and told the mate they wanted to put the main topgans'l on -her, as she was rolling so. The mate he says, 'All right, Bo'sun, set -the main topgallant sail,' and that is the way we worked. - -"We ran into Table Bay, with a sprung bowsprit, lifted loose of the -gammoning when she was taken aback while the mate was sleeping against -the binnacle. This was my chance, and by use of another note, I got -smuggled ashore with a suit of dirty dungaree and a big bundle of -damp Bank of England notes, leaving the rest of my kit behind. I soon -got some decent clothes, and put up at the Royal Hotel. The life in -Cape Town suited me, I made friends among a fast bunch, spent the -filthy, and enjoyed the air of mystery that surrounded me. No one ever -suspected that I was from the _Iverclyde_, though I saw our captain -walk by the hotel once; in fact I was very safe there. - -"Shortly after the ship left, I found that I was being shadowed. Some -bloke was always in my wake. I tried to get him and blow him to a dog -watch of drinks and find out his game, but it was no use. When they -saw I was on to them, for they watched every move I made, and I was -spending free, the gentleman aft gives the signal and I am arrested. -It seems that an embezzler was wanted and they had me spotted for -the game. Not knowing the lay they was on, I did not get my story -straight at first, thinking they was still after me for deserting the -_Iverclyde_. This was bad. They chucked me in jail and kept me there -for three months, lifting what was left of my wad. 'I say, is this all -that's left?' the officer exclaims, counting the notes. They expected -to pick up about ten thousand pounds. - -"When the correctness of my story was proved, they let me go. I heard -that the blackleg they was after was caught in Calcutta. - -"Sure, they let me out and gave me what was left of my wad. Almost half -gone, but then I had three months of lodging and tucker free and a -little over two hundred saved. I was a wiser one after that, but I was -still a fool, which was something I did not find out till later. - -"In order to get away from Cape Town, and at the same time follow my -idea of settling down in some warm climate where a man can become a -planter and have a lot of blacks do the work for him, I shipped before -the mast on the Dutch bark _Java_, out of Amsterdam, bound for Batavia. -This craft had put in short of water and several hands who had died on -the passage down to the Cape. The _Java_ was unlucky. The most unlucky -tub that ever sailed, except the _Flying Dutchman_, but unlucky enough -for any real ship. We winds up in a typhoon, a hundred miles west of -the Sunda Strait. The masts went by the board and at the end of the -blow, after two days of pumping and praying, a steamer picks us up. She -was bound for Singapore. The second mate of the steamer, a young fellow -from London, decided he wanted to work the _Java_ into port, his idea -being Anjer. The skipper says 'all right' and he called for volunteers. -As I said, I was still a fool, so I joined five other men and with the -young second mate we was put on board the _Java_; I was the only one of -her own crew and this scared me. Them Dutchmen knew when they were well -off; and they stayed aboard the steamer. - -"The second mate of the steamer did not know exactly what to do. He -said, 'We will get up a jury mast,' but there was nothing to make a -jury mast out of. The steamer was far down on the horizon when we found -by sounding the well that the old tub was gaining water fast. After -that we did nothing but pump. We pumps for the best part of a week. I -don't remember what we ate, or if we did not eat. The crowd on board -curses our young skipper, and pumps. They kept on pumping because we -found the long boat that we depended upon stove in and all of the -thwarts smashed. - -"At the end of the week another blow comes up from the West. 'So -long, good old London Town,' one of our fellows sings out. 'The hell -with dyin' tired,' and he drops the pump handle and sits down. We all -do the same, and the second mate, who took his trick along with the -rest, says, 'I guess you are right; we might as well rest a bit before -swimming.' - -"We rested all afternoon and till late at night. I had my wad in a -pouch at my belt and each of us had two life belts. We ate a little; -the young second mate found a small beaker of rum in the cabin and we -had some of that, and some hard bread and a hunk of cheese. I drank -very little rum; I was afraid of going to sleep. - -"At about midnight we caught the beach. We were in the breakers before -we knew it and when she struck, the sea breached over her and away we -went. I lost my two life belts the first thing and made up my mind to -die, but I held my breath. Might as well die with my lungs full of air -I figured as I went over and over. The water was warm, and I did not -mind it. Before I knew where I was, I washed up on the beach and was -lucky enough to get clear of the undertow. All I had on was a pair of -torn pants and my belt with the soaked notes. Not a sign was to be -had of any of the salvage crew, and the beach for miles was strewn -with bits of wreckage. At daylight I was met by a man coming out from -behind a clump of small trees. He was dressed in dirty white clothes -and had a young beard. I told him the yarn of the wreck and asked him -where I was. He directed me to Anjer, about thirty miles east along the -coast. I asked him if he could give me some clothes. He said yes, if I -would wait where I was he would be back in about two hours. - -"Well, to make a long story short, as they say, I waited, being a -natural born fool and not knowing any better. Still," and Australia -paused in his extraordinary tale, "I don't think anyone else would -have done different. I was so glad about meeting this man that I -carefully unrolled a wet five-pound note and set it out on a rock to -dry, weighting it with a little stone. I wanted to square him for his -trouble. - -"About noon my man shows up. He has a suit of white cotton clothes that -were not any too new, a pair of shoes, brogans, they call them, and a -straw sun helmet. He also gave me a half loaf of bread, after I handed -him the five-quid note. This took his breath away, so he got reckless. - -"About two miles out of Anjer I was met by two constables. They ran at -me so fast that I knew there was something wrong and before I could -say Jack Robinson they had the bracelets on me, and was going through -my pockets for weapons. They got the wad, and that settled me. 'Gawd,' -I says, 'what am I in for now?' My clothes was stripped off of me in -the jail, and took as evidence, I found out later. When my shoes came -off, my left foot, for I wore no sox, was a dull red, like rust--this -was blood. - -"'You are charged with murdering the keeper of the Fourth Point Light!' - -"'Great Gawd!' I cries, 'what next!' - -"Well, they has me, and no mistake. I am a British subject and I set -up a roar. The Consul was called, and I tried my best to get him to -believe my story. It was no go. 'Bally rot!' he says. - -"I was sent to Batavia, and held for murder. Fortunately my story -about what happened in Cape Town was verified in an unexpected manner -or things would have gone hard with me. What saved me was a newspaper -story of my jail term in that port, my belt of money, and my hard -luck in being taken for the crook. This tallied with my yarn when I -gave an account of myself, and the fact that the _Java_ had sailed, -as I said, and the story of the salvage crew put on her, sent on from -Singapore when the steamer arrived, helped me. The British Consul -took up matters, and by spending the greater part of what I had left, -funds that were again at my disposal, I cleared myself. However, in the -meantime, my people in England had got the story of my being a murderer -with full details of the horrible deed. It killed my mother, who was -in feeble health. Nothing of the clearing up ever reached the other -members of my family and to them I am a murderer to this day. - -"I left Batavia on a tramp steamer bound for Sydney, a wiser young -fellow than ever before, also a much poorer one, for I had just two -pounds in my pocket when I went ashore. - -"My narrow escapes had the effect of making me restless. In the next -two years I worked at every trade and calling that I could lay my hands -to. I tried sheepherding, I went into the bush and tried farming, -working as a laborer. I worked as a blacksmith in Sydney after picking -up something of the trade travelling with a small circus. In Melbourne -I started a very good business in peddling milk. I gave this up as soon -as it began to pay me and I could afford the help to make it easier. -Again I shipped to sea. News of my mother's death had reached me, and I -worked my way back to England. My brother had married and would have -nothing to do with me. My name was never mentioned in his home. Both -of my sisters had married and moved away, one to Scotland and one to -America--Canada, I think. Then I went to Liverpool and shipped on the -iron bark _Falls of Ettrick_. Now that is my story. Rotten, eh? Well, -I hope some day to settle down, and quit this thing for good. I have -cheated the rope out of a good stiff by helping along the murderer with -five-quid, and nearly paid for it with my own neck; I almost got mine a -number of times before and since. If I had a decent chance I could make -good, if I only could settle down and stick." - -"You ought to get married; that would settle you, Australia, old boy," -I offered, somewhat taken aback at the recital, for it was poured out -from the heart. I knew that a strange sort of adventurer was telling me -the things closest to his soul. What I said jarred. - -"Married? Say, kid, I've tried that game. Yes, sir, I've been married -twice, and I suppose they could jail me for that, too." - -"Twice?" - -"You bet. Once in Melbourne, and again in London, when I came home and -found I was a murderer yet." - -"What happened to your wives?" - -"I don't know. Guess they are married again, leastways the one in -London is. She was no good. Thought I was a rich bushman and wanted to -get in on the wad. But the wife in Melbourne was decent. I should have -stuck; that was when I was in the milk business." Australia paused. -"I hope she sold that for a decent figure. You see she was expecting -something, and--oh, rats--what am I saying----" - -"Weather main brace!" sang out the mate, and in a moment we were -tailing to the rope, and Fred and Black Joe were wailing in the night -as we swigged at it. The watch was nearly over and Mr. Zerk was working -the sleep out of us. As for me, I was wide awake. Australia never -mentioned his story again, except to say in an offhand way that it was -all a lie about being married twice. "I just wanted to see how far I -could go with you," he said. - -Australia was a wiry chap of medium size, full of life and a distinct -ornament to the fo'c'sle. He was never at a loss for a witty retort -and his sallies at the expense of the mate--during the watch below of -course--furnished endless amusement. He always shaved in port except -for a diminutive mustache, but at sea he sported a growth of beard, -merely trimming this with a large pair of scissors such as tailors use -for cutting heavy cloth, a murderous weapon that he carried in a canvas -sheath nailed to the inside cover of his sea chest. - -Unlike sailors on shorter runs, and that hybrid animal, the deckhand -in steam, the sailor on board a deepwater ship has a sense of home. He -occupies the same bunk for a year or more at a time, and in spite of -the way he is robbed, or perhaps I should say, was robbed, he carried -a small accumulation of household goods, things that the crimps and -boarding masters did not consider worth while stealing. Every bunk in a -measure reflected the personal taste of the owner. - -Australia was one of the few men on board the _Fuller_ who owned a -mirror. When he wanted to nail this up under the lamp in the fo'c'sle, -there was a storm of protest, and the damning implement of an effete -civilization was again restored to his chest. A mirror was only -permissible on rare occasions when a man shaved; otherwise it was -taboo. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -STORMY DAYS - - -"Diego Ramirez ahead, a point on the port bow!" This was the news that -greeted us as we turned out on the morning of July 17th, 1898. It -was Sunday, cloudy, but clear, one of the first days without snow or -hail since the fourth of July. Off to the E. S. E. was a sail and by -the long time it took us to raise her we knew she too was a homeward -bounder. - -The morning watch had set all of the tops'ls, shaking the reefs out of -the fore and main, and we were sent aloft to loose the main t'gans'l, -sheeting home and hoisting away with a will. As we raced along under -the lowering gray, the rocky islands of Diego Ramirez stood out with -the distinctness of cameos cut against the light skyline to the -northeast. The breaking and dashing of the white frothy seas marked -them well and served to remind us that we were plowing in a fairish -sort of a seaway ourselves. Our added sail made the riding better and -we hove the log after getting the t'gans'l on, showing a speed of ten -knots. - -As it was Sunday, there was no objection to our doing some sightseeing; -I got the ship's head from the wheelhouse and went forward and made -sketches of the island, the first one, bearing north, magnetic. This -gave a continuous line with a cleft near the eastern side. A few -minutes more and the cleft opened up, showing Diego Ramirez to be at -least two separate islands. My sketches were made on N.; N.N.W.; and -N.W. - -[Illustration: SHIP'S HEAD N.E. x E. Var. 1-1/2 Pt E. ISLAND THREE -POINTS FORWARD OF PORT BEAM or NORTH (Magnetic)] - -[Illustration: ISLAND BEARING N.N.W. (Magnetic)] - -[Illustration: ISLAND BEARING N.W. (Magnetic) DISTANT 4 MILES] - -Australia also got busy with his case of crayons, for he was an artist -as well as a story-teller, and his sketch of Diego Ramirez is one of -the most cherished souvenirs in my scrapbook. - -All hands gazed at that bit of weather-scarred rock jutting up from the -troubled waters, with a feeling of reverence. It was the turning point, -the high tide of distress on many a hard voyage into those stormy -waters. Kahemuku and Black Joe watched it with a sort of fascination. -No green-capped cliffs with white cataracts dashing into a warm deep -sea as at their native islands of Hawaii. Not a scrap of verdure, not a -ray of hope, only black-blue water and sullen sky with between them the -primal crags rearing their worn heads above the sea. - -Since John Aahee was lost, the brown-skinned brothers had merely -suffered to exist. They talked much together, and Aahee was mentioned -constantly. We did our best to cheer them, though to tell the truth we -all felt the death keenly. To starboard they missed him more than we. -Second Mate Tom was of course blamed by the fo'c'sle judges, though he -had nothing to do with the accident any more than having been on deck -at the time. - -As we quickly dropped Diego Ramirez on the quarter, we went below at -noon for our dinner. The day was incredibly fine for that season and -we made the most of it. We were then tearing past the south point and -would soon get some northing into the course. Cape Horn lay far below -the horizon to the north, and from the progress we were making we had -hopes of establishing a record, for the _Fuller_ at least. We had made -the run from Honolulu to Diego Ramirez in forty-five days; as a matter -of advance information to the reader, it took us sixty-three days more -to sail from Ramirez to the Delaware Capes, our passage as a whole -merely proving a very fair one of one hundred and eight days, against -one hundred and twenty-one on the passage out. This difference of -thirteen days in favor of going east can be attributed to the westerly -winds off Cape Horn. From this it will be seen that the ship _A. J. -Fuller_ was not the fastest craft afloat, and yet she was far from -being the slowest. - -The sail ahead of us proved to be a Norwegian bark. We came up to her -in handsome style, our ensign snapping from the monkey gaff, and as her -colors went up, we "dipped" in the long graceful salute of the sea. -The bark made her number and asked to be reported. She was droughing -along at a slow pace under reefed main upper tops'l, lower tops'ls, and -reefed fores'l, showing a leg-o'-mutton sail on the mizzen. We were -then under all plain sail to royals, and must have made a glorious -picture to the sailors lining the sides of the square-head craft. -Moments like that make one tingle with pride at the sight of the -colors, a sort of pride that seldom comes to those who sail under the -flag in these degenerate days. - -From Diego Ramirez we shaped a course to take us well clear of Staten -Land; the familiar sound of this name was like home, and I found myself -talking about it in the dog watch with peculiar relish. Old Smith of -starboard joined us, and told of having run through the Strait of Le -Maire on the passage to the eastward. This is safe enough, though -careful skippers like Captain Nichols prefer the wider reaches of the -Atlantic to the Le Maire Strait, dividing Staten Land from the larger -island of Terra del Fuego. - -As we brought the wind about two points abaft the port beam, the -sky started to thicken and during the early watches of the night we -were again treated to real Cape Horn weather. At midnight we took -in the lighter canvas, reefing the main t'gans'l. By eight bells in -the midwatch we had her staggering under reefed fore and main upper -tops'ls, lower tops'ls and reefed fores'l, fore topmast stays'l, and -reefed spanker. We were making heavy weather of it, the seas dashing -high over the fo'c'sle head as she buried her nose whenever a big -roller tumbled in under the counter. - -There was no warm breakfast, Chow having been flooded that morning by a -heavy sea. The door to the carpenter shop was stove in and poor Chips -was in a state bordering on hysteria, with all of his tools wet. To -add to our woe, and looked upon as a sign of bad luck by all hands, -the parrot was drowned when his cage unshipped from the hook under the -fo'c'sle head and he was deposited in the scuppers. He lay there all -night and was picked up by the starboard watch in the morning. Poor -Jake, of all the sad birds that ever cruised on stormy water, you were -the unluckiest as well as the most profane. - -Everything was afloat fore and aft. The fo'c'sle was swimming and the -after cabin was also washed out when a storm shutter carried away on -one of the ports. Brenden, Frenchy and I were called aft during our -watch below on Monday forenoon and told to swab up the captain's -quarters. We worked the better part of an hour in these palatial -spaces, our caps respectfully tucked into our pockets. The captain gave -us a large tin of cabin roast beef, and a half can of fine pilot bread, -as a reward for our trouble. Of course we shared this forward and we -had a rather elaborate spread that noon--a clammy cracker hash which we -threw overboard, hot slops, and the grub from aft. - -"Give me meat like this and they can take my watch below any day," was -Frenchy's opinion of the canned roast beef. At about the same time, no -doubt many of our soldiers were dying of this stuff under the hot sun -of Cuba,--they called it embalmed beef. - -Ramirez is in 56 degrees 29 minutes south, corresponding in latitude to -the Wrangell Astronomical Station just south of Sitka, Alaska. When we -remember that the Antarctic winter is even more severe than that of the -northern hemisphere, it will be possible to get some idea of the state -of the sea through which we were racing. Running north between Staten -Land and the Falklands we encountered a succession of storms that -were calculated to impress us with the quality of the Cape. We were -under shortened canvas most of the time, and as the winds became very -unsteady, we were compelled to wear ship frequently, the great seas -making it difficult to attempt to put her about in the eye of the wind. - -My journal entries follow, covering the last two weeks of heavy -weather, shifting winds, and great cross seas; a period of cold and wet -without parallel on the voyage: - - July 18th, 1898. Wind hauled to S.E. at end of day. Yards sharp up on - starboard tack. Heavy snow at nightfall. Cold. Saw some small cakes of - pan ice. Wind stronger. - - July 19th. Snow, hail, and ice, all over decks. Wind moderate, - from S.E. as before, veering a point at noon. Braced in yards. Set - topgallant sails. Overhauled another homeward bound bark; could not - make out her colors. - - July 20th. No snow today, but very cold. Are heading N.N.W. Wheel from - four to six during washdown, glad to get out of it. Passed between - Falkland Islands and mainland today, no land in sight. Wind holding - steady. - - July 21st. Colder today. Wind freshening. Furled fore and main upper - topsails in the midwatch. Heading N.N.W., starboard tack. Looks bad. - Rigged life lines today. - - July 22nd. Wore ship in morning watch, set fore upper topsail and - mainsail. Ship under fore and main upper topsails and two courses, - fore topmast staysail and spanker. - - July 23rd. Warmer, but still cold enough for my monkey jacket. Weather - puzzling. Old Man seems worried. Told me we were a long way from home; - I know it. - - July 24th. Sunday. Wind unsteady. At braces most of day. Calm in - afternoon. Got orders to shorten down to reefed topsails. Caught two - Cape Pigeons in dog watch. Let one go and took wings of best one. - Glass falling. Got up rolling tackles. Steadied out life lines. All - hands forward hope the skipper has made a mistake. Funny sky to south. - - July 25th. Wind jumped out of the south last night. Heavy sea running. - Colder than before. Sleet in the wind. Under lower topsails and reefed - foresail. Running fast. Shipping blue water. - - July 26th. Running with wind one point on starboard quarter. Sea came - aboard in midwatch and carried away the freeing ports on port side, - from mainmast to the poop. After cabin flooded again. Colder, hail all - night. - - July 27th. Wind abating. Got sail on her to topgallant sails. High sea - running. All hands standing by. Ship yawing badly. Took in mizzen - topgallant. Blowing up again at end of day, started to shorten down. - - July 28th. All hands took in the mainsail at six this evening. Called - all hands at six bells in first night watch and took in foresail. - Living gale. Under lower topsails and fore topmast staysail. - - July 29th. We hove to at daybreak. Got her around in the smooth and - used a lot of oil to windward. Under fore and main lower topsails. We - took in the mizzen lower as soon as she came around and set the mizzen - storm sail. Fore lower topsail blown out of bolt ropes at noon. All - hands on deck, aft on poop. Everything streaming to leeward. Captain - rates wind at 11. Hail and sleet all night. Very cold. - - July 30th. Still blowing hard. Sent down remains of fore lower - topsail and bent new one. Set this at four bells in afternoon. Wind - moderating. Warmer. - - July 31st. Sunday. Gale dropped, day broke fine. Set all sail to - royals. Warm. Had plum duff. Drying clothes. Are making ten knots - and going faster as sea goes down. Deck wet, rigging forward full of - clothes. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -HEADED NORTH - - -"Well, for one I am damn glad we are through with it," said Brenden -during a discussion of Cape Horn weather that went on forward as we -cleared out the damp fo'c'sle that wonderful Sunday following the -gales. "This makes five times around for me and I hope to God the last." - -"How far to Pilladelpia?" chirped up Kahemuku, his face again -approaching its natural brown, though lean and worn beyond all -resemblance of his Honolulu poi-fed chubbiness. - -"Ha! The Kanaka is coming to life!" kidded Australia. "Well, me brown -brother and fellow shipmate, if I do call you that, even though you are -not white, Pillerdelpia is a long way off yet. The walking is bad and -if I was you I would stay aboard a while longer. In fact you will have -to ride all the way with nothing to do but work, me hearty, work." - -All hands were feeling good. Black Joe hung around the galley all -Sunday helping Chow and for supper that night he was rewarded by a -large sea pie, one of the bright-red confections made of the mysterious -"pie fruit." A chemist might analyze it as a composition of apple -peelings, glucose, acetic acid and aniline dye. My, but how good it did -taste! The human system demands its poison. Folks ashore prefer theirs -in the most expensive form, while we poor sailors on the ship _Fuller_, -on that memorable voyage in the year of the great war with Spain, -took our weevils, which are no worse than Roquefort, only larger, and -relished them. We ate many cockroaches browned in the cracker hash and -dandy funk, and drank their extract in the tea and coffee, beverages, -so called, for want of other names. As for the sea pie, it acted as a -corrective to the gingerbread. When Shakespeare asked, "What's in a -name?" he had certainly never experienced such a voyage as ours. - -Following our dose of weather we entered upon a spell of work that -carried us well up to the latitude of Cape Frio. The gear had to be -overhauled in all of its details; whips of braces shifted end for end, -new chafing mats and battens seized on to the stays taking the place -of those worn through, and the slack standing rigging set up. - -Our own gear, the clothing of the crew, was sadly in need of attention -and every dog watch found the fo'c'sle busy with thread and needle. -Frenchy was our top notch sailor man at sewing. He could ply a needle -with the best housewife that ever swapped a bit of scandal at a sewing -bee. He did not use a thimble, but handled a long coarse needle, -pushing it through with the calloused end of his thumb, a simple and -effective method for those gifted with the necessary toughness of -cuticle. I had always wanted a pair of real seagoing canvas pants such -as Robinson Crusoe must have worn, before he skinned the historic goat, -pants wide in the legs, and fashioned of well weathered stuff, soft and -comfortable. My good shipmate constructed them for me. They were not -beautiful, but being what was left of an old skysail, a veteran of many -voyages, a romantic piece of canvas that had swept the starry paths on -many a balmy night, dew-bleached and mellow, they meant much to me. -These pants were very homelike, and I never was able to wear them out. - -In patching and sewing we managed to do wonders with old rags that at -first seemed beyond all hope of redemption. Also, owing to the near -approach of the payday, we begrudged the slop chest any further inroads -upon the accumulated wealth that was to belong to us; the sailor's pot -of gold, sitting so brightly, way beyond to the north, where our dream -rainbow ended in cynical old New York. - -About this time Peter came in for a lot of joshing by the men of his -watch. He had an old long-tailed oilskin coat given him by Chips. Such -a garment is never worn by sailor-men who have to go aloft, it being -the sole prerogative of officers and idlers who never venture above the -sheer pole. However, with Second Mate Tom on deck, many strange things -happened in the starboard watch, and Peter, the stiff tails of his long -coat sticking out in the wind, would go up the rigging as unconcerned -as if it was the recognized and proper thing for a sailor-man to wear. - -It happened that during a rain squall at the latter part of his watch -on deck, he was sent up to furl the main skysail, and we tumbled out -just in time to see him going up the weather rigging with his long -yellow tail sticking out above his legs for all the world like a huge -pale cockroach. At the same time First Mate Zerk stood aghast at the -unusual spectacle. - -"Come down out of that! Hey you! _Lay down!_" Peter heard and obeyed. -"Lay aft!" "Yes, sir!" "Hey, Chips!" "Aye, aye, sir!" from Chips. -"Bring a knife aft. Cut the tail off of this. Now!" Chips had trimmed -a good two feet off of Peter. "That looks fine. Now take off another -foot, we want to have this fine fellow in style." - -When Chips got through, after a lot of sarcastic criticism by the -mate, and laughter by all hands mustered in the waist, Peter looked -like a well trimmed bird. His jacket was so short that the drip from -its end went into the top of his trousers. He made a move to pick up -the discarded tail, no doubt thinking it would do to sew on as an -extension. "No, you don't!" shouted the mate. "Throw that overboard, -Chips! Now, go forward, watch below. No, you don't," to Peter; "you lay -aloft and furl that sail, my fine fellow, and show us what a starboard -watch hand can do." - -Poor Peter lay up in a dismal manner and after a lot of shouting from -the deck, he came down and went below with a good half hour of his -watch gone, all on account of the offending garment, showing that even -at sea the correct thing in dress is essential; at least it was so in -those strict old days. - -Officers in the old ships were very precise as a rule in matters of -this kind. A number of years after the coat incident, I was serving -under Captain Geo. D. Morrison, one of the old-time sailing-ship -masters. We were on the bridge of a fine steamer. Eight bells had just -been made and a quartermaster, an important little man, came up out -of the fo'c'sle where he had his quarters, and as he walked aft along -the forward well deck he drew a huge silver watch out of his pocket as -though to verify the correctness of the bells on the bridge. - -"Great Scott!" exclaimed the skipper. "What in thunder are we coming to -with sailors carrying watches? I suppose they will carry walking sticks -next. But, sir," turning to me, "not on my ship! Send that man down to -the chart room!" - -When Erricson, the quartermaster, arrived on the bridge, I sent him -down to the skipper. The old man closed the chart room door, he was a -very religious man, and after a short session, the quartermaster came -out looking much scared. When we got to San Francisco, he was paid off, -and Captain Morrison handed me an envelope to give to the man; this -contained a heavy turnip-like object that no doubt was the offensive -watch. - -As soon as warm weather struck us, the last remnant of our potato -bin went bad, and some of them were thrown overboard. This ended a -duty that had helped to pass away many an hour for the farmers of -the watch when they were sent forward to pick the sprouts off of the -spuds and discard those that were too bad. Chow always picked out the -bad ones anyway, and for the most part we subsisted on concoctions of -half-rotten potatoes. Someone, Old Smith, I believe, said that raw -potatoes were good for the scurvy. We all tried eating them. Scouse and -the Kanakas were the only ones who could stomach the raw tubers. They -always picked out the best sound potatoes and seemed to relish them; at -any rate they robbed the cabin table of a good many messes of selected -spuds. - -When the old potato bin was knocked down, we had a general clean up -under the fo'c'sle head, a scrubbing and overhauling of the bo'sun's -lockers, the paint locker, and the oil stores. The short half deck -forming the fo'c'sle head was not high enough for a man to stand -upright under it, the lockers being arranged along the sides up into -the bow. In the very nose, next to the hawse pipes, were the toilets -of the ship, that is, those for the crew. These were very wet and -uncomfortable in heavy weather. They were kept scrupulously clean, -however. Large oil tanks were provided above these, fitted with small -copper tubes leading into the sea alongside of the forefoot of the -ship. Small cocks provided for the release of oil in heavy weather. - -The bo'sun's locker contained everything necessary for carrying on the -marling-spike work of the ship; fids, serving mallets, iron spikes, -and the like. The tar pots were strung along a beam in the top of the -locker and the shelves at the sides held the deck stores of small -stuff, _marline_, _spun yarn_, _rope yarn_, _houseline_, _hambroline_, -_roundline_, _ratline stuff_, etc. Several new coils of various sizes -of rope, untarred hemp and manila were always carried in the bo'sun's -locker against an emergency. Another compartment of the locker held the -deck tackles, the "handy billys" and all emergency gear. This locker -also carried the _straps_, rope circles used in attaching tackles to -spars and rigging. Of such straps we had hundreds, always in apple-pie -order. Small "_salvagees_" for clapping a fall onto a stay, large -three-inch rope straps for hooking the rolling tackles onto the mast -doublings. The compartment for blocks was also kept in fine shape, so -we could lay our hands on things in the darkest night. Great _snatch -blocks_ for carrying a tack or sheet to the main or fo'c'sle head -capstan, or for taking the fore or main tops'l halyards to the same; -_secret blocks_ for _bunt jiggers_, a small round block about the size -of a soup plate, with the sheave completely covered, the whip, for it -is a single block, reeving through small holes in the edge of the shell -to prevent the canvas fouling between the rope and the sheave as is -possible in an ordinary block. _Clump blocks_, small and "clumpy" like -a roly-poly baker's loaf. These are very strong blocks and are used at -the ends of the staysail and jib sheets for the reeving of the whips. -These sheets, as sailors know, are always in two branches and the clump -block makes it easy to haul the weather sheet, block and whip over the -stay without catching, as the lee sheet is hauled aft. There are others -called _sister blocks_, _double_ and _treble blocks_, _fiddle blocks_, -great _jeer blocks_ for sending up and down heavy spars, stepping -masts, etc. Many of the blocks aboard ship take their names from the -particular use to which they may be put, such as _quarter blocks_, -_brace blocks_, _hanging blocks_, _clewline blocks_. - -When we were cleaned up forward, and ready for the last long spell -of fine weather, with its round of marling-spike work, chipping, -painting, tarring and holystoning, we were treated to a few hours of -excitement that was different from the usual thing of that kind aboard -the _Fuller_, as we had a chance to enjoy the show like spectators at -the rail, and not, as on most occasions, when we saw the circus in the -same way that the performers see it, namely, dangling from the flying -trapeze near the top of the tent. - -It was on a wet Friday morning; we were scrubbing deck paintwork when -the "wheel" sang out, "Steamer ahoy!" - -This was unusual, and all hands were astonished at the closeness of a -cloud of smoke that was tearing toward us from somewhere to windward. -Captain Nichols came out on deck and got the long telescope to bear. He -pronounced her a cruiser. - -She was coming for us fast; suddenly she altered her course fully four -points and came in under our stern. She was a dirty white, streaked -with rust, a fair-sized armored cruiser, two funnels with a military -mast between them. - -"Break out the ensign, Mr. Zerk. Might as well show her who we are." -Indeed, the cruiser was reading our name and hailing-port on the broad -transom in letters of shining gold. - -"She's a Spaniard, one of them has a mast between two funnels," someone -said. I remembered this, having in mind the pictures of the Spanish -ships in West Indian waters, published in the magazines while we were -in Honolulu. - -"All out for Barcelona!" shouted the mate. The ensign went up, and we -dipped. The cruiser ran up the Argentine colors, answered our salute -and resumed her course. - -"Hey, you loafers, get back on that paint work; this ain't no Spanish -prison!" - -Of course we all grinned at the great humor of the joke, and began to -rub with our brick dust rags; the starboard watch went below at once, -for it was unhealthy to be seen standing around on deck during a watch -below. We all knew that the afternoon below would soon be gone and -hoped to stall off the day of doom as long as possible. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -FO'C'SLE DISCUSSIONS - - -Frenchy, Brenden, Australia, and myself were told off as a special -gang, in the port watch, to set up the topmast and topgallant shrouds, -worked slack by the heavy weather we had just encountered. We were in -the tops most of the watch, as the wind held fairly steady, and passed -the time pleasantly, yarning as we worked; talking in sotto voce of -course, and busy as monkeys in a jungle. The tops, as some landsmen -may not know, are not exactly at the top of things, but they are the -platforms about a fourth of the distance up the masts where the heel of -the topmast rests on the trestle trees of the lower mast. - -The top consists of a platform, semicircular in shape, the curved -side forward. The topmast shrouds are led to the edges of the top, -giving them a certain "spread." The historic "lubber's hole" is to be -found in this piece of ship's furnishing, and one can hardly pick up -an old-time volume of sea adventure without some reference to it, -or I should say "them," for there are two lubber's holes in each top -platform. The lower rigging runs up through the lubber's hole, passes -around the lower mast head resting on the "_bolsters_," which in turn -rest on the _trestle trees_, which in turn rest partly on the _hounds_ -and on the _bibbs_. The hounds are formed on the mast where it is -squared at the point where the _doubling_ begins. Just below this the -bibbs are bolted on on each side,--now, I suppose we all know how it -is done. It is certainly as clear as crystal to a sailor, who knows -all about it already but merely likes to read over the familiar names, -no doubt recalling many hours spent in the tops of old-time ships. The -pull on the topmast shrouds is taken by the _futtock shrouds_, iron -rods running down from the lower dead eyes of the topmast rigging, -through the rim of the top, to an iron band around the lower mast -fitted with eye bolts, some six feet below the top platform; this is -the _futtock band_. - -In an interesting book called "The Sailor," the hero, Henry Harper, -"slides" down the futtock shrouds to the deck. As he is still going -strong on page 450 and the "slide" occurs on page 48, we conclude that -Henry was a pretty tough lad. - -The futtock shrouds run up from the mast and out board to the rim of -the top. A sailor going aloft must go out on the futtock ratlines -hanging like a fly. This is easy enough and the quickest way up. The -lubber's hole provides a safer way, but as its name implies, it is -considered an unworthy method of going aloft. At least such was the -opinion in those good old days. - -Where these futtock shrouds pass down between the lower mast shrouds is -a stout oaken or hickory batten seized to the lower rigging. This is -the _futtock staff_. - -The tops have been getting smaller as the art of rigging has -progressed. At one time they were very large, affording room for a -numerous company, the topmen, and in the old days they served as -fighting platforms for the small-arm men. On the old schoolship _St. -Mary's_, the tops were very commodious; a top chest was provided abaft -the mast for the small gear and spikes, tar and slush pots, etc., that -might be required aloft. I remember a tired boy going aloft in the fore -top on his way to the fore tops'l lookout, and lying down behind the -top chest for a nap. A half hour afterward, when he was missed on the -yard, a general alarm failed to find him, and the ship was mustered and -every crook and corner searched. Finally another hand was sent aloft, -and spied the culprit. What happened to him the next morning when he -was brought to the mast can be imagined. - -In the top we were very comfortable, the shadow of the lower topsail, -and the pleasant back draft of the canvas, making it ideal for work. We -set up the topmast rigging, the burtons being led to the deck, where -the men at work chipping iron deck fittings, or scraping the bright -work, would tail onto the falls when we sang out, the mate telling -them when to "come up," as we clapped on our rackings and seizings in -shipshape style. - -Aloft with these men I picked up a lot of the fine points of rigging. -Discussions between Frenchy and Brenden were frequent, and not often -they differed beyond all hope of agreement on matters that might seem -trivial. Brenden had sailed in the Rickmer's ships, the great German -drivers that hold so many of the present day sailing records for iron -ships. His seamanship was of a more modern type. He was the best wire -splicer in the crew, and gave us many pointers. Frenchy, though, was -far better on the old-time seamanship brought to such a high state of -perfection in the sailing craft of the French navy; vessels used for -the purpose of training their naval seamen. - -Often when being relieved by Hitchen, Old Smith, and Axel, the -starboard watchers, who carried on the work while we were below, -we would stay aloft with them during the first dog watch until our -supper was ready, spending the time yarning. The second mate never -said anything and we were always careful not to let the mate catch -us. Hitchen had sailed in the large ship rigged yacht _Valhalla_ when -she came out. She was the finest yacht afloat manned by a complement -of ex-naval men. Hitchen, however, claimed he had never been in the -navy. We often deferred to Hitchen, who was a student of seamanship, -and carried a dog-eared copy of "Tinmouth's Inquiry Into Points on -Seamanship," a learned book going into the intricacies of throat -seizings, or the advantages and disadvantages of turning in _cutter -stay_ fashion with reference to the attachment of dead eyes. - -But most of our knowledge was not to be found within the covers of -books. An enthusiast even then, I retain some of it, still what would I -not give to have at hand a stenographic record of our "gamming" in the -broad tops of the good ship _A. J. Fuller_? - -[Illustration: Axel.] - -Of the merits and demerits of various ships and rigs we had plenty of -tales on this part of the passage by men who had served in them through -long, hard voyages. "The average British sailing ship is a disgrace to -the red ensign," was the way Hitchen put it when speaking of the ships -of his native island. "She feeds poor, very little is spent to maintain -her, the running gear is one mess of splices before it is picked into -oakum, and very little work is done. The _British Monarch_ was a fair -sample of this class of vessel. I wouldn't say anything if we did -not know how to do things better. Take Lord Brassey's ships; the old -sailers of the White Star Line, in which they trained their officers -for the liners; these vessels are a credit to the flag. But too many of -our ships are run on the cheap. I don't say that they are hard on the -crew, in fact they are easy, but it's rotten poor grub and no pride. -You hate them at sea and are ashamed of them in port." - -"The bounty ships are good; they carry a good crew, and do a lot of -sailing. Not much laying in port. You see they must cover miles to get -their subsidy from the government. Sailors is what the French people -want. The pay is too little for me. Anyhow, I'm going to quit," was -Frenchy's contribution. - -"For hard work and hell, give me the Rickmer's ships out of Bremen. -Next to the American ships, they are the worst; regular German army -discipline on the water. They feed and pay better than most Dutchmen, -but they don't care how many men they kill on a passage." Brenden's -opinion was authoritative. - -We all, however, agreed, that the Yankee sailing ship was driven as -hard as any ship afloat, and that the grub, in port at least, was the -best fed to sailors on any sea. - -"Say, if our grub is good, what in thunder do you call bad grub?" I -asked one day, after one of our learned discussions. - -"My boy, bad grub," and Hitchen, to whom I had put the question, dwelt -lovingly on the words, "bad grub"! "Bad grub is Act of Parliament -rations of so much, or I should say, so little, meat, either salt pork -or beef taken from the pickle in the harness casks and weighed on a -rusty scales by the second greaser each day, and given out to the crew. -So much flour, so much pease, and so much hard tack. All rationed out -with the whack of water, and carried to a filthy galley where the -unappetizing slops is cooked up in some tropic region, and served to -the British merchant sailor with a regulation dram of lime juice, just -calculated to keep the scurvy out of his knuckle joints. That is bad -grub. Yes, we have about the same scale here, but you don't see them -follow it so close. The American shipowner knows better, he wants to -get a lot of work out of his crew, to keep his ship up and to make fast -passages; he knows he must feed the gang to make them do it without -chucking overboard a lot of corpses. I tell you, lad, bad grub is a -rotten dish, but not a rare one. When your meat sours, and the filthy -flour is full of blue mold, say, you are getting it rich then. Did you -ever drink sour goat's milk? No? Well, bad grub is as bad as that." - -"That sounds bad, but how about the weevils?" I asked, thinking he had -forgotten our white worms. - -"Weevils! Why, weevils are a sign of good grub. Grub fit to feed -weevils is tip-top fodder. See how nice and fat they get. A mess of -fresh weevils is simply another way of getting your game with the taste -of white plump meat." - -"You make me sick, Hitchen," I burst out, as I dropped over the edge -of the top and down onto the futtock shrouds. I gained the deck fairly -nauseated--a near seasickness, a malady that otherwise never troubled -me. My stomach was as empty as the famous cupboard, and with the keen -sea air and the healthy appetite of a boy of eighteen, I was famished -as I went forward to supper, but Hitchen's philosophy of food values -so upset me that I could eat nothing but a piece of selected tack, one -free from holes that I was fortunate enough to find in the bread barge. - -After that I steered clear of food discussions, and tried to forget -the whole subject; it was hardly worth while talking about anyhow. -We confined ourselves to talk about _timenocles_, _catharpins_, and -of the best way to _thoroughfoot_ a rope. Frenchy, who had sailed in -the Mediterranean a good deal, told us of the strange craft called a -_ybeck_, her mainsail having a large button in the belly of it, to hold -in the bulge of the sail, somewhat after the manner of our midship tack. - -We talked of _bonnets_, and of _Jimmy Greens_, and of the ancient curse -of _stunsails_. These men had sailed in the East, and knew the queer -rigs of the great junks and seagoing sampans of the Yellow Sea and the -Inland Sea of Japan, places I was later on to visit, and to verify the -stories told me on the _Fuller_. There were tales of paper flareups, -and on the part of Frenchy, who had chased them in a frigate, of -Chinese pirate junks armed with stink-pots, and smooth-bore carronades. - -Of our own rigging, and of what went before it, we were of course amply -reminded by our work. In the older ships, when tophamper was not as -refined as on the _Fuller_, the royal yards, and higher, if crossed, -would be sent down on the approach of heavy weather. In some ships, -men-o'-war especially, the sending down of royal yards at night was a -regular custom. In some of the old Dutch East Indiamen, it was also the -custom to shorten down for the night, and make all snug; a comfortable -way of doing things in keeping with large well-fed crews, Edam cheese, -and waistlines of ample proportions. - -On the later ships, the Yankee sailers of the day whereof we write, -nothing was ever sent down. Yards might blow down, but they never came -down by the free will of the master. The extensive use of wire in -rigging, and the more secure type of metal fittings, bands, etc., made -the old precautions unnecessary. Besides, time had to be considered as -an important element in the profits of the voyage. As freight rates -became lower, the rate of driving increased, and speed was more and -more necessary to success. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -THROUGH THE TRADES - - -While still in the S.E. trades we started our last long drill of all -hands on deck in the afternoon; the final clean-up for port was to be -a thorough one. Paintwork was scrubbed and, when clean as new ivory, -it was given a coat of fresh white paint, stroked on with the greatest -care. This done, the decks were again holystoned fore and aft; a most -thorough job. We then knocked about in the doldrums for a week or ten -days, and on Sunday, August 21st, we crossed the line for the last time -on that voyage. - -Ordinarily one might suppose that this last leg of the long passage -home would be the most pleasant of all and that as port loomed ahead we -would once more feel the genial glow of good fellowship that blossomed -so warm upon our approach to Honolulu. But we were apparently nearing -a bleak coast; a hard material country where the sailor-man was on a -strictly commercial basis of so little per month, and more men than -billets; the crew would go, of course, and no one cared how much they -cursed the ship, for they would do that anyway. The grub was worse -because it was older; weevils were more in evidence than before, not to -mention other pests such as rats and cockroaches, and we were feeling -the effect of too close associations, a period of discontent, soon to -change, but at that time most trying. Also, it was hot, as hot as it -ever gets on the sea; our irritation became worse with every delay of -head wind or of calm. - -Mr. Zerk, for reasons unknown to us, became exceedingly brash; he went -about looking for trouble, and always found it, working us without -mercy in the heat of the day, and horsing us about at night. His -relations with the second mate were strained more than ever, and some -of the men of the starboard watch came forward with a tale of a big row -between the skipper and the mate, the sounds having come up from the -after companion; of course, anything like that would never take place -upon those well-disciplined decks. - -This succession of troubles had its climax one morning when the mate -set upon Chips, that most gloomy and industrious of all carpenters. -The lanky one, in returning from the poop with the running lights, had -through some carelessness allowed several drops of oil to smirch the -spotless planks. - -"You dirty low-down bum! What do you mean by spilling that grease all -over the deck?" - -"Ay spill nothing!" shouted Chips, his slow soul riled to the point of -protest at this latest insult. - -"You didn't, hey? Well, _I'll_ spill something!" The mate jumped down -the ladder from the poop and made after Chips, who was in the waist. -Chips saw him coming, and as he had a heavy brass side light in each -hand, he was helpless. Realizing this, he started to run and reached -the door of the lamp locker as the mate came up to him. Chips turned, -dropping the lights, and as he faced the furious first officer, that -gentleman let drive a terrific crack with his right, fetching Chips -just below the ear, and lifting him clean over the sill into the lamp -locker. The mate went in after Chips and for a few minutes the place -was in an uproar. The mate stepped out, his hands covered with blood. - -We were taking down the gear from the pins, after the washdown, and a -number of us stood horrified in the waist, a feeling of deep repulsion -coming over us. A big splotch of blood on the shirt front of the mate -must have come from Chips' nose. - -The mate looked at us. He opened his mouth as if to bawl some order, or -hurl some epithet at the men of his watch who had witnessed the brutal -assault. Suddenly he turned round, and looked into the door of the lamp -locker, a small room in the after end of the forward house. - -"Get a bucket of water and clean up this mess. It's a lucky thing you -didn't bust them lights when you dropped them." He was addressing -Chips, who came out of the door a moment later, hobbling to his room. -The mate went aft, washing off his hands in a bucket of water that -stood on the main hatch. - -No one said anything, even in a whisper, but when we went below at -eight bells and were assembled around the kids, one of the boys spoke -up. - -"Chips is cleaning up the lamp locker." - -"I hope he reports Mr. Zerk to the Shipping Commissioner," I said. "If -he does enter a complaint he has plenty of witnesses. It will mean jail -for that bully, and he deserves it." - -"Sure, he deserves to be hung," said Brenden. "But Chips will keep his -mouth shut." - -"Why?" I asked. - -"If he makes a squeal, this will be his last ship. Chips has seen worse -than he got, and should have kept his mouth shut. He gets forty dollars -a month, ten more than the second mate. The Squarehead's no fool." - -"Well, I call it a dirty piece of work." - -"Righto!" agreed Australia. "That rotten bull ought to be hung by his -thumbs." - -While little was said about this particularly raw piece of brutality, -it made a great difference to us in so far as we seemed to realize, of -a sudden, that the fo'c'sle was apart from things aft, and that it was -just as well that we felt a little more agreeable toward each other. - -The constant rubbing noses over the stinking grub, and the continued -driving, with no rest in the afternoons, made life anything but -pleasant while we lingered in the tropics. But the blood spilled by the -mate, as I have said, clarified our atmosphere forward. - -Talk of the days to come again waxed plenty, and plans were gone over -and over in the night watches. In calm, we fretted and fumed, watching -and whistling for a breeze as though our very lives depended upon the -blowing of a gale. Hitchen, one calm Sunday afternoon, cut a cross in -the mainmast in order to bring on a wind; as this piece of vandalism -was done in the second mate's watch, and in a place where it could not -be seen without a search, no evil consequences ensued. - -As on Sunday we got our watch below in the afternoon, word was passed -to us of the port watch, about the cross on the main mast, and in the -first dog watch I went aft and inspected it, pretending to hitch up a -coil of rope that hung inside of the fife rail. We lay with our head -yards sharp up to starboard, and the after yards back against the -starboard rigging, on the other tack, the courses were guyed out by -slap lines, and as the ship yielded to the gentle roll of the swell, -the reef points would ripple against the canvas in a way that sounds -different from anything else in the world. - -We were speculating upon the efficacy of the cross. - -"We will have a wind before midnight," declared Frenchy with positive -conviction, and during the dog watches we talked of nothing else. - -Charlie Horse came out on deck in the second dog watch carrying his -Bible, with a quotation about the wind. "Thou hearest the sound, but -canst not tell whence it cometh," he read, "for the wind bloweth where -it listeth." Charlie Horse placed a deep significance upon the cutting -of the cross in the mast. The faithful became more and more perturbed -as the sun set and no sign of wind rewarded their belief in the cross. - -We came on deck for the first night watch, and it was still dead calm, -the sky clear and the stars shining with extraordinary brilliancy. A -slight dew began to settle as the watch wore on and presently a sound -aloft of the flapping of a skysail started us to attention. Wind! But -where from? - -Aft the mate and Captain Nichols were holding up wetted fingers trying -to feel the direction of the airs, that were undoubtedly stirring from -somewhere. - -Frenchy used a different method, one I prefer to the wetted finger, as -it gives a more accurate sense of direction. He held his hand, palm -down, and with fingers slightly spread. By pointing the fingers around -the horizon, the slightest breeze will make itself felt against the -sensitive skin between the bases of the fingers. - -"There!" cried Frenchy, his hand pointing broad abeam to starboard. I -tried it, and sure enough, I felt the slightest coolness between my -fingers. Indeed our paws were none too sensitive, being calloused and -hardened by many moons of hauling at gear, and from much anointing in -slush and tar pots. Presently things were moving aft. - -"Port main; starboard crojik braces!" sung out the mate, and we walked -the yards around lively. The canvas began to belly out, and in a few -minutes our hot faces were fanned by a refreshing breeze. This was -the first touch of the N.E. trades, and by midnight we had our yards -trimmed with the wind close hauled on the starboard tack and the -_Fuller_ heading well on her course toward home. - -When the starboard watch came on deck, Hitchen was all smiles, and the -wise prognosticators of both watches were well pleased with themselves. -They had got away with it by a narrow margin. - -"I predicts that it's colder tomorrow," chipped in Australia. - -"We got bean soup tomorrow, I bets," Scouse ventured, for in spite of -the vindication of Frenchy, Hitchen and the others, we let it be known -that luck was given the credit--luck _and the cross_. Most sailors of -those days believed certain things, and a cross in the mainmast was as -sure to bring wind, as a ring around the moon was a sign of rain. - -During our last spell in the tropics, with our clear nights of calm, -Australia astonished us by his remarkable familiarity with the names -and constellations of the brightest stars. As I had a fair knowledge of -these from my studies on the schoolship, and also had my Lecky, with -the wonderfully simple star charts prepared by that master mariner, we -passed some profitable and interesting hours. Even today I never miss a -chance to glance at the clear sky at night and renew acquaintance with -the great stars of the heavens. - -Australia had picked up his knowledge from a sheepherder in that far -country and knew the southern constellations better than I did. We all -know the Southern Cross, or at least have heard of it, and by the way -it is not much of a cross, though one of the two large stars pointing -toward it, _Alpha Centauri_, is said to be the nearest to the earth -of all the fixed stars. This is also a double star, but a powerful -telescope is needed to distinguish the separate bodies. - -_Canopus_, another whopper of the southern heavens, ranks next to the -Dog Star, _Sirius_, and we never tired looking at these magnificent -gems of the night as they shone with living fire in the clear deep -blue of the tropic heavens. As I gaze from time to time at the -constellations, at _Cassiopeia's_ _Chair_, the _Great_ and _Little -Bear_, the _Swan_, and the giant _Vega_, at _Orion_, _Leo_, or the -_Sickle_, and _The Cutters' Mainsail_, I think of those days on the -_Fuller_ when we conned them in mute wonder, as sailors have in -countless ages gone before, and listened to the names by one more -learned than the rest. _Altair!_ _Regulus!_ _Aldebaran!_ _Arcturus!_ -_Capella!_ _Procyon!_ _Sirius!_ _Spica!_ _Antares!_ _Fomalhaut!_ -_Achernar_ and _Adara!_ what do these names mean to the modern human -calling himself educated? Since those days I have spent four years at a -university, and have drilled through the technical course in astronomy, -given to civil engineers, but I don't recall what was taught about -the great stars of the heavens that we learned to know by their first -names on that far off voyage. Of the present rank and file, who discuss -anything and everything smart folk busy themselves about, how many can -identify this company of noble names of the great blazing suns that -swing across the heavens? - -And black nothingness is also to be found in the heavens, in the _Coal -Sack_, a blank space of the night sky, near the _Southern Cross_, in -the black depth of which no telescope has yet revealed a star. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -APPROACHING HOME - - -Once well in the trades we sailed along with great regularity, running -up our latitude with the precision of a steamer. While still within the -belt of thunder showers I had an experience that cured me of a habit -of long standing. I would, whenever possible, if on lookout, strip -on the approach of a shower while in mild weather, and enjoy a fresh -water bath. I usually pulled off my shirt and trousers, and balling -them in a knot would tuck them around the clapper of the great bell on -the foremast, this kept them dry, and left me to enjoy the refreshing -rain. Of course lookouts were only stood at night. This last time, a -beautiful black cloud came down with the wind, we were close hauled -under all plain sail, and it did not look like a job that would need -me down from my station. Accordingly, I stripped and going to the -bowsprit, caught hold of the fore stay and started some gymnastics in -anticipation of a real douse from aloft. It was not long in coming, -and with the coldness of it, and the look of the white caps lashed up -under the cloud as it bore down on the ship, I felt that I had made a -mistake. It was hail and not rain that came and while I was dragging my -clothes out from under the bell and getting into them, I underwent a -pummelling that left me sore from head to foot. - -Of course we always went barefoot, except in real cold weather, and -on the clean decks of a ship, this has much to recommend it. On the -_St. Mary's_ the order to go barefoot was always given when at sea -during warm weather, and on the _Fuller_ I found that all hands forward -did this as a rule. How beautifully simple it makes things cannot be -imagined, except by those who are lucky enough to be able to look back -at barefoot boyhood days. - -While working up in the trades, we again shifted to better canvas, -and also got our cables up and shackled to the anchors, these being -sent off the fo'c'sle head and hung under the catheads, the flukes, of -course, gripped into the bill boards. - -We had a lot of rain at this stage of the voyage, and as the wind was -strong the rigging would dry out rapidly after each wetting. Manila -rope shrinks very much when wet, and this sort of weather always kept -us on the go "checking" ropes to prevent damage to gear aloft, and then -as the stuff dried out we would have to take in the slack all round. -The remarkable strength of this shrinking process is shown in the grip -of lashings put on dry, and then wet just before taking up their work. -Rafts put together on deck and hove overboard are a good example of -this sort of thing. - -September 10th, found us one hundred days out from Honolulu. This -was on a Saturday, and that afternoon we were permitted to have a -last field day. Also we sighted a steamer, a welcome indication of -approaching shore lines. - -"Here, Felix, take this." Australia handed me a sheath knife that I had -always admired. "Remember me by it," he said. We were digging among our -personal belongings, and as Australia passed around a number of things -among the watch, the crowd all looked over their gear and there was a -general exchange of remembrances. Scouse gave me a tintype he had taken -in Honolulu, and Frenchy gave me a handsome pair of beckets with turks -heads, that he had worked for my sea chest. Pipes, and even tobacco, -changed hands. - -The weather was much cooler, though far from uncomfortable, and as -we neared port, talk about the future again came to the fore, there -having been a lapse of several weeks, almost a month, following the -great revival of interest when we had put the Horn safely behind us. -Work kept up incessantly, and as a final splurge, we scrubbed the ship -over the side down to her copper composition, and painted her fore and -aft, finishing off with a white stripe in the line of her sheer. As the -scroll work forward, under the bowsprit, that did duty in place of a -figurehead, and the scroll work aft, had been gilded only the voyage -before, the _Fuller_ presented a very neat appearance. - -The brass work lining the pin rails, and aft on the poop, was polished -to perfection, and every last turn and corner was done to the final -satisfaction of the mate. Aloft we were as trim as a ship ever got. No -loose ends, all mats and chafing gear neatly stopped in position, masts -scraped clean and rubbed with just enough grease to keep the parrals -from sticking, yards scrubbed and painted, and the tops and doublings -bright as a new pin. We were to go into port with the old girl -reflecting a well spent voyage, for the critical eye of Captain Burnham -would appraise her, and rate his captain and mate acccordingly, for he -was a most knowing old ship manager. - -A week of rains and blows with fair wind was followed by a day of calm, -a heavy fog settling down. We had been sighting vessels constantly, -schooners and steamers, and knew we were close to our port. The old -mechanical fog horn, an ancient device worked by hand, was set croaking -on the fo'c'sle head, a job as bad as the bilge pumps, and we lay -flapping our idle wings in the mist. Several casts were taken with the -deep sea lead; we were in soundings. - -The following day, Sunday, it cleared a bit, with a warm sun on the -waters, but the wind was still up and down and a rim of mist shut us -in, for our horizon was very dim. - -"Keep that horn barking!" shouted the mate after the washdown. I was on -the fo'c'sle head breaking my back over the ancient contraption, when -an echo seemed to come in over the bow. The fog had shut down again. - -"Steamer off port bow!" I shouted, for I recognized the deep tones of a -whistle. - -"Aye, aye! Give her the horn!" - -I pumped down hard, and a moment later a tug shoved her nose through -the mist, a stumpy craft with the typical high pilot house of the -American tug boat; we were home at last! - -"Where bound, Captain?" came the hail. - -"Delaware Breakwater!" - -"Want a tow?" - -"How far are we?" - -"About three miles!" - -"All right, give us your line!" - -As the tug ranged ahead and took our heaving line, we read her name; -she was the _Atkins Hughes_, of Philadelphia. - -Droughing slowly through the heavy fog, we furled sail and toward noon -were at anchor behind the Delaware Breakwater. A launch came out and -we found the war with Spain was over, the date of our landfall being -September 18th, 1898. - -We heard of the great battle off Santiago, and that the Hawaiian -Islands had been annexed. Peter and I got the surviving Kanakas, -Kahemuku and Joe, up on the fo'c'sle head and made them give three -cheers for their new country. After several starts they did this very -well, much to our amusement. - -"Where is Pilladelpia?" Kahemuku wanted to know. - -"Right up there, Kahee," said Peter, pointing up the Delaware. "Now -that you are an American citizen you will have a fine time when you get -there." - -That Sunday afternoon we sat about yarning; anchor watches were chosen, -and a full night in was before us. We were tired and sea worn and a -trifle sad. Back of us the hard days of the voyage, ahead of us, what? -We were soon to part and no one mentioned this important fact. We were -glad, of course, happy to so soon collect that long looked forward to -payday, and to carry out the great plans so long in the making. I felt -a hollow homesickness that had to be suppressed with a firm hold and, -as we rested, smoking and yarning, I have no doubt many wondered if -they were really to act upon the good resolutions so bravely determined. - -Axel and Frenchy joined me on the fo'c'sle head and we talked of many -things. I was going home, but they wanted me to surely write them. Both -were to ship as soon as possible for their native shores. Old Smith was -as quiet as it is possible for a sailor of the old school to be. He sat -on the forehatch smoking. "What are you going to do?" I asked Smith. - -"Well, if what I have done before is any criterion," he said grandly, -"I guess I am going to sea again as soon as my pay is spent and I get -a ship. China for me next, I am through with the Horn." - -[Illustration: WATCHING SHORE AT DELAWARE BREAKWATER] - -The light on Cape May, the twinkle of lights ashore, and the clear -autumn night following the day of fog, came as a welcome relief. We -needed sleep; we were tired and we were on the eve of parting. I -remember during my anchor watch, from two to four in the mid watch, I -stumped the deck in a highly reminiscent mood. Several times I went to -the fo'c'sle doors and looked in; bad as the drill had been, I hated to -leave it. - -On Monday, Captain Nichols went ashore and sent out fresh provisions, -but there was no mail for us forward. Orders were to come soon and we -spent the time polishing and cleaning as if our salvation depended upon -the brilliance of the ship. The day passed without word, and we kept at -our brass and paintwork until Wednesday, when orders were received for -New York. The _Hughes_ was notified, and on Thursday noon, a break in -her engine having delayed her, the tug took us in tow for Sandy Hook. -We found the wind favorable off the Five Fathom Bank lightship and set -all plain sail to top-gallant-sails. At midnight it started to rain, -and the wind freshening, we were startled by a commotion under our bows -and found we were bearing down on the _Atkins Hughes_, her smoke pipe -sheering off to one side of our flying jibboom, and her steam whistle -protesting in strident blasts. - -We at once shortened down to lower tops'ls and topmast stays'ls, and as -we gathered in her wings the old ship lay back on the hawser; for the -last time that voyage she had felt the independent urge of her canvas. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -THE END OF THE VOYAGE - - -A gray dawn broke to seaward, and as the flash of the Navesink Light -dimmed, and the bulk of the land defined itself in the lifting haze to -the west, we picked up our pilot. In past the low spit of the Hook, up -through the main ship channel and past the Narrows, we labored aloft, -furling sail, giving it a harbor stow, while Mr. Zerk watched us with -critical eyes. - -The day was fine, warm sunshine welcoming us, and a strange unnatural -brightness seeming to radiate from every nook and corner of the -_Fuller_--she was groomed, polished, and triple polished for this very -day. We brought up near Bedloe's Island, under the lee of the great -statue, anchoring shortly after noon. The glitter of the tall buildings -on Manhattan, and the busy harbor scenes, constantly called to our sea -weary eyes. All hands went forward to a dinner of cracker hash, and a -pale looking duff to which Chow had added an extra ration of molasses, -black like tar, and a huge can of coffee; all of the tack in the bread -barge was broken and mealy as if it had been searched for weevils -before coming forward. - -"To hell with this grub," growled Old Smith, as he filled his pannikin -with coffee and lit his pipe. "I'm eating white man's tucker tonight. -To hell with this, I can wait." - -However, most of us were too hungry to wait; but the near approach of -human victuals made our mouths water. All about the fo'c'sle bags and -chests were hauled out from under bunks and benches and were being -stowed. - -"That looks like them!" Australia at the starboard fore channels was -scanning several small boats coming out toward the ship. "I bet old -pedlar O'Brien is coming out to make me a present of a watch," he said, -at which we all laughed. - -"Where are they?" a half dozen got up to watch the boats coming out -from the Battery with interest. - -"Are you going to stay by?" asked Frenchy. "If you've got any place to -go to, don't leave, but stay by." - -"Guess I'll stick," I said, "as I am going to my uncle's house. Why -don't you stay by?" - -"They make it tough for you if you do," said Frenchy, nodding at the -boats which were now coming alongside with a spurt, the runners, for it -was they, racing to see who would get over the side first. - -At that time there was a gentlemen's agreement--if we may call it -such--between the boarding house keepers, in the business of fleecing -sailors in the port of New York, whereby all victims were parcelled out -according to an impartial schedule, so many sailors to each house. When -a rich deep waterman came in, the boarding houses in the combine would -each get two or three men, stripping them of the greater part of their -payday. When a crew was wanted for a vessel outward bound, they would -supply the men in the same manner, taking the advance notes in payment -for board, clothes, and what not. Sometimes a sailor beat a boarding -master but not often, for Jack generally came in fat and went out under -bare poles, with nothing but a kit of second hand slops, as the sole -increment from his previous voyage. - -As the runners bumped alongside, with a great show of rivalry and -cheery greetings, for they all knew just who was on board, we were -treated to an exhibition of rapid fire generosity and open-handed -welcome, by gentlemen of the waterfront, men wearing derby hats and -stiff shiny collars, watch chains, and flashy pins stuck into bright -neckties. These worthies scrambled up the fore channels like monkeys -and onto the deck. The game was to get a sailor to accept a card. As -soon as one of the boarding house cards was in the horny fist, that man -was marked and belonged to that particular house. This rushing at first -consisted in a scramble for the most desirable victims, that is the -weakest and most easily fleeced. - -An evil-looking, pimply-faced runner backed me against the forward -house and thrust a card into my hand. He insisted, and I protested. -He had a breath that was strong, and told me how well his house could -take care of me. Good grub, a good crowd there, and he even mentioned -other advantages. He tried to put a five dollar bill into my hands. He -was most insistent; finally he saw that he was wasting precious time, -and darted after an easier victim. The runners swarmed about the decks, -two and three men from each house. In the two sides of the fo'c'sle the -crimps were assisting the men in the final roping of their dunnage, -bottles of whisky were being sampled. Some of the men proudly handled -showy watches, Australia surely got his watch, a big gilt turnip which -he showed me with pride. - -"See, I got it." - -"How much?" I asked. - -"Only ten dollars--take it off my pay day. This watch is worth half of -that," and Australia winked at me. He had a bottle of whisky in his -jacket pocket. - -All hands were becoming hilarious. The runners seemed uneasy, for -the _Fuller_ was known as a bit of a rough ship, and it was strictly -against the law for them to be on board. But a pay-off of close to -three thousand dollars forward was too tempting to allow around loose -in the harbor. - -"No more of this work wagon for me," shouted Australia. Snatches of -song were interrupted by an order of unmistakable force. - -"Lay aft, all hands!" It was Mr. Zerk who came forward and bellowed at -the gang about the fore fife rail. - -We mustered aft, the shore harpies watching us from the sides of the -forward house. - -"All here?" - -"All aft, sir," Old Smith answered. - -Captain Nichols stepped out on the break of the poop. - -"Men," he began, "the voyage is over, but we will lay in the bay and -strike t'gallant masts before we go under the bridge. You can do this -if you want to, or you can go ashore now. I have found you a good -crew, ready, and sober. Those who want to go ashore step over to port." -All hands did, including Second Mate Tom, who now stood with his old -messmates, after a brief four months as an officer aft. - -"Peter, come back, and you, Felix. You two stay aboard till we dock. -The rest of you can go. I want to say 'good-bye' and wish you good -luck. Be careful where you go and what you do." - -As the skipper finished the longest speech we had ever heard him make, -he turned sharply and walked aft to the companion. We felt like giving -a cheer, but the cold eye of the mate was on us. There was a shuffle -and hesitation as to what was next. - -"Lay forward and get your dunnage, mind that paintwork when you go over -the side." Mr. Zerk had given his last order to our crowd. - -With discipline a thing of the past, with the hasty donning of wrinkled -shore clothes, and the ever present tempters, plying them with whisky, -the crew became a strange, wild-eyed crowd. Old Smith, Hitchen, and -Axel seemed to know what they were about. Scouse was belligerent, half -tipsy, and wild with the knowledge that he was at last to step from -those hated decks. Frenchy, of all the gang, showed the most sense. -"I am saving all I can out of this," he said. "I will ship across to -England or France, as soon as possible." - -"Come on, stay aboard," I urged. - -"If I do, I'll never get a ship out of New York," and he knew what he -was talking about. - -Brenden was frankly drunk, _soused_ was his condition, and as fine -a sailor-man as there was. I had a lump in my throat when the boats -pulled away. There was much hand shaking and waving. Peter and I stood -on the fo'c'sle head watching them row ashore. Scouse got up in his -boat time and again and shook his fist at the ship. - -Among the departed ones, Kahemuku and Black Joe were in tow of a -colored mission that had sent a boat for them. These poor Kanakas had -very little coming to them, and they offered no temptation to the -greedy runners. On the other hand, Tommy, for a brief term second -mate, at thirty dollars per month, presented the juiciest picking, -and strangely enough fell to the lot of the most inexperienced of the -crimps who picked him up by accident after the struggle was supposed to -be over as he emerged from his exalted cabin under the poop. Tom also -departed from the immaculate decks with a feeling of genuine relief. - -"Well, they're gone," said Peter. - -"I wish they were back," I said. - -"Me too," was his reply. - -When the last boat had vanished beyond the South Ferry slip, we entered -the deserted fo'c'sle. The disorder incident to such hurried departure -was everywhere evident. Small personal belongings of no intrinsic -value, but speaking eloquently of their owners on the long voyage past, -were scattered about, Brenden's calendar over his bunk attracted my -eye, and I saw that he had carried it along to the last day and had -evidently made a calculation of his payday on the beam over his bunk. -Names were scratched over most of the bunks. Frenchy, always neat, had -left behind a small canvas pouch in which he kept his tobacco and pipe, -this was empty, however; a few old burnt pipes, easily identified, were -abandoned in favor of the more effluvious five cent cigars so liberally -passed around by the runners. In the starboard fo'c'sle, Charlie Horse -and Tony had cleaned up their bunks before leaving, but Old Smith left -his a sight. Odd playing cards were scattered about, and the smell of -whisky, from recent spillings, gave this austere den the air of a -blind pig. Old oilskins that had been cast off, by the advice of some -of the crimps, were all missing. Peter remembered seeing one of the -shore gang bundle these up and take them, no doubt to help outfit the -poor fellows again in exchange for their advance; not an item seemed to -have escaped the plundering crowd from the beach. The fo'c'sle on my -side was populated with ghosts; I was glad when the mate called us aft -and ordered the decks swept down. - -"Cabin grub for supper tonight," announced Peter, coming from the -galley. Sure enough, we were given two plates of corned beef hash, -made with real potatoes, while some letters that had come aboard were -sent forward. I was happy to learn that my folks were well and knew -of our arrival, having received the report from Delaware Breakwater. -We were particularly happy in all this, but in spite of good news, of -good food, and our approaching liberty, we were sad. The _Fuller_ was -peopled with the spirits of those so recently departed. Somewhere on -shore among the twinkling lights that began to flicker as the dusk -crept over the bay, our shipmates were carousing in the wicked city, -laying the foundation for another voyage of endless hardship and -privation. - -Peter and I, with Chips, who remained on board, were told off as anchor -watch during the night, each taking a three-hour shift; three hours -that to me passed very quickly as I tramped the decks of memory on that -haunted ship, and thought of that first night watch when Frenchy and I -paired off to stump from the pin rail to the forward house, and spin -our yarns, and lay the foundation for a friendship that I have never -forgotten. - -In the morning the shore riggers came on board, taking complete charge. -Mr. Zerk walked the deck but never gave an order, and those rough and -ready men struck the topgallant masts in jig time, lowering the skysail -masts so the tall trucks of the _Fuller_ would clear the span of the -Brooklyn Bridge. How they went rough-shod over the decks with their -spiked boots, while we had to submit all of our shoes to the mate for -inspection before wearing them so he could satisfy himself that no -nails remained in the soles. - -By two that afternoon, the topgallant masts were lowered and a tug came -alongside, making fast to our quarter; we slowly headed up the East -River, past the South Ferry, and our starting berth at the foot of -Maiden Lane, then under the Brooklyn Bridge. The rattle of the trains, -the near approach of the life and hum of the great city filled me -with a strange wonder. As we came alongside at Williamsburgh, Mr. Zerk -said we might pack up and go when we pleased. Captain Nichols called -Peter and me aft and handed us each a letter; mine was to serve me two -years later--when I was twenty-one--as part of the required service -testimonials for admission to the examination for second mate in sail -and steam vessels. The letter read: - - NEW YORK, Sept. 24th, 1898. - - This is to certify that Felix Riesenberg has made the voyage in the - Ship _A. J. Fuller_ from New York to Honolulu and back to New York, - and I have found him to be a smart, steady, and faithful young man. - - C. M. NICHOLS, - Master, Ship _A. J. Fuller_. - -I am as proud of this letter now as I was on the day it was given me, -and with this precious paper in pocket, our chests trundling along -behind on an express wagon, Peter and I walked up the wharf, two -sea-tanned, hard-fisted youngsters in a land of strange activity, -noise, cobblestones, and freedom. We parted at the Brooklyn Bridge, -he going to friends in Brooklyn, and I to the home of my uncle in -Manhattan. Behind us lay one of life's great experiences--a voyage -around Cape Horn in an American three skysail yarder, a last proud -example of the fine sailing ships that once carried the starry ensign -to the four quarters of the globe. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -THE LONG-LOOKED-FOR PAYDAY - - -On Monday, Sept. 26th, 1898, three days after our arrival in the bay, -we were paid off before the United States Shipping Commissioner, the -short interval having worked a deplorable change in the crew. Whoever -was responsible for a condition so well calculated to cause the -downfall of the returning deepwaterman, has a great weight of iniquity -resting against his eternal soul; no doubt this responsibility was so -well divided that each and every one of those guilty felt that his -individual part in the great scheme of debauchery would go unnoticed. - -I like to believe that all of them, boarding masters, crimps, runners, -politicians, shipping officials, owners, managers, and masters who were -parties to the fate that befell the men of the _Fuller_, have long -since received their due reward in full consciousness of its meaning. -Nowadays things are managed better, thanks to the greater influence -of such noble establishments as the American Seamen's Friend Society, -the Seamen's Christian Association in West Street, and the Seamen's -Church Institute, on South Street, clubs where sailors are given room -and board, are outfitted, and are able to bank their payday. Healthful -amusements and recreation are provided, without that sanctimonious -atmosphere that seems to curdle many well-meaning attempts of this -sort and most of the shipping companies secure their crews through the -Institute. - -But in 1898, the deepwater sailor was at the mercy of the hungry sharks -who had full sway in the vile business of ruining the souls and health -of sailors in order to rob them of the few dollars earned during a year -or more of cruel labor on the sea. - -I have forgotten just where the shipping office was located, but it -was somewhere near Beaver Street and the waterfront. I was on hand -bright and early, anxious to see the crowd. The three days of rest and -good food, and wholesome amusement, those happy days at the home of my -uncle, had put me in fine condition; I never felt better in my life, -and I was looking forward to a visit with the old gang. I wanted to -take a trip around the waterfront with Frenchy and Australia, as we -had often planned, and have a good dinner ashore, such as Frenchy and -Tommy and I enjoyed in Honolulu. - -The shipping office, as I remember it, had a dingy outer room in which -the crew to be paid off awaited the pleasure of the haughty officials. -One must be a sailor about to receive the scant reward for a year of -toil, to fully appreciate the high and mighty character of such minor -public officers as waited upon us on that bluest of all blue Mondays. - -A gruff understrapper told me where to wait, and in the course of a -half hour the crew, in tow of the crimps, appeared on the scene; I -would like to draw a veil over this part of the story and leave the -reader the simple picture of the men rowing toward the Battery, with -Scouse shaking his fist at the ship, but realism, which in itself -constitutes the highest romance, bids me tell things as I saw them, and -the final tragedy is a part of the old days under sail that none of us -wish to see return. - -I looked for Frenchy, but hardly knew him. His beard was trimmed -close to his chin, he wore his old cap but had on a cheap new suit of -clothes, wrinkled as though he had slept in them, and his eyes were -bloodshot. He seemed to avoid me, as he hung in the rear of the crowd. -For every man to be paid off, at least two crimps were on hand. - -All were more or less under the weather, the smell of cheap whisky -permeated the room, and the ribald jests of the crimps, the constant -whooping up of an ill-sustained merriment, gave the gathering a ghastly -character that drove home to me with peculiar force. No doubt the close -approach to the money caused the robbers more than a passing thrill. -A couple of special bouncers from the inner office appeared when the -gathering became too obstreperous, and I had a chance to say "hello" -to the gang. Peter was there, sober, and wide-eyed with astonishment, -having come from the house of Mrs. Burdick, the good angel of the -waterfront. Australia, in a new rig, derby, watch, and soiled linen, -kept bursting into song; not the songs of the sea, but some cheap new -airs picked up along the Bowery. - -"I owe them half of what's coming to me," he whispered, as if this was -something to be proud of; a crimp slid up, and he at once ceased his -confidences; all hands acted as though they were in charge of jailers, -which in fact they were. - -Brenden, Charlie Horse, and Tommy sat in a corner, sullen, and I judge -partly sober. - -Their attendants were anything but friendly. Martin, Fred, Tony, and -Old Smith had given themselves over body and soul. Smith was already -promised a ship, to sail in a week, so he had seven more days of -hilarious living to look forward to, and then another drill, around -the Horn or the Cape of Good Hope; another such voyage as we had just -passed through. - -Axel and Hitchen were in their old clothes; they had seen the sights, -but seemed far steadier than the rest. - -I cornered Frenchy. "What are you going to do when you get your pay?" I -asked. - -"I will pay up what I owe and ship for England or France." - -"Better buy a steerage passage for Havre," I reminded him, when the -crimp who owned him closed in, and a bull voice from the back room -ordered us to line up for our pay. - -My name was one of the last to be called, and as I got my pay, -something over one hundred and twenty-five dollars, with slops and -allowance given in Honolulu deducted, I returned to the outer room and -found most of the men gone. As fast as they had got their money, the -crimps had hurried them off to their respective boarding houses. The -Kanakas came in, still in charge of the colored mission, or whatever -it was, that had them in tow, apparently the only honest people there, -and I bid those simple fellows good-bye; whether Kahemuku ever got to -"Pilladelpia," I don't know; I hope he did. - -Presently I was on the street. The crew of the _Fuller_ had vanished. -I looked for Peter; he was gone. I stood alone and strangers passed, -bumping into me, no doubt thinking me a sunburned country yokel, -stranded in those busy, narrow streets. - -That afternoon I saw Captain Shackford, of the American Line, and was -promised a billet as cadet on the _St. Louis_, just returned to the -passenger service after her brief career as an auxiliary cruiser during -the war with Spain. My service in sail was completed, and I was to -experience eighteen months, as quartermaster, for I was soon promoted, -on the _St. Louis_, during her golden age, when for a brief period it -looked as though the Stars and Stripes were again to come into their -own upon the Western Ocean. - - - -Printed in the United States of America. - - - - * * * * * * - - - -The following pages contain advertisements of a few of the Macmillan -books on kindred subjects. - - - - -The Adventure Library - -_EDITED BY HORACE KEPHART_ - -_Uniformly bound in cloth, each $1.25_ - - - THE GOLD HUNTER - BY J. D. 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With blue-depthed shadows imposed from -green-depthed foliage of great trees upon deep lawns that cushion -underfoot." - -"In this journal I have tried to limn a picture of the charm of the -Hawaiian Islander as he was, and of his becoming, together with the -enchantment of his lofty isles and their abundant hospitality." - - - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York - - - - -The Cruise of the Snark - - BY JACK LONDON - - _Decorated cloth, 8vo, $2.50_ - - -One of the most adventurous voyages ever planned was that of Mr. -London's famous _Snark_, the little craft in which he and Mrs. London -set forth to sail around the world. Mr. London has told the story in a -fashion to bring out all the excitement of the cruise. - -Those who have read Mrs. London's sparkling _Log of the Snark_ will -enjoy Mr. London's _Cruise of the Snark_ as well. - -"Deserves an honourable place in the literature of travel and -adventure."--_Outlook._ - - -The Log of the Snark - - BY MRS. CHARMIAN K. LONDON - - _Illustrated, $2.50_ - -"The daily pages written on shipboard or in the harbors of the Cannibal -islands sparkle with their adventures, for a woman's point of view -of native women is vastly more entertaining than a man's, and Mrs. -London writes with frankness that is both startling and picturesque. -Anyone lured by the South seas as a playground, or through devotion -to Stevenson's Samoa, will revel in this book, illustrated with -photographs made by the Londons and uncensored."--_Cleveland Leader._ - - - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious printer errors have been corrected. 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