CHAPTER III.

Cape Frio--Arrive at Rio de Janeiro--Magnificent Harbour--An Hour on Shore--Crucifix-bearers--Wooden Collars--The Captain’s good Advice--Christmas Day--Plum-duff--Close-reefed Topsails--A Sight of Tristan de Acunha--The Gun-boats cast off--Algoa Bay--Foul Weather--Money landed in Surf-boats--Port Elizabeth at a Distance--Discontent--Natal--A Snuffler--Simon’s Bay, Cape of Good Hope--Romantic Scene--Bullock-wagons--A brooming Party--Savage Landscape--A good Word for Government--Sailors’ Orchards--A fresh Departure--Four Gun-boats--A Truant--Strait of Sunda--Boatswain Birds--Anjeer--Java--Sumatra--Singapore--Something to laugh at--Waterspout--Arrival at Hong-Kong--The Letter-bag--News from Home.

On the 3rd of December we were close to Rio, so we painted the _Highflyer’s_ outside, and touched her up here and there, in order to present a neat appearance in harbour. While we were painting and cleaning it had fallen calm, and we lay rolling about within sight of Cape Frio and the distant mountains till the evening of the 6th, when a light wind springing up carried us into the harbour. As we arrived and anchored after dark I could not judge of the place, except where the rows of lights reminded me of streets; and I turned in anxious to turn out, and get a sight of much-talked-of Rio de Janeiro. My feelings, after a long passage across the Atlantic, with rough duties, were very joyous, and the scene inspired me with pleasurable emotions.

Daylight showed me the narrow entrance between two lofty hills, one of which, from its shape, is called the Sugar Loaf, and the ranges of solid-looking forts, within which the harbour suddenly widening spreads itself like an extensive lake, sprinkled with many beautiful islands. On the left appeared the city, with its fortifications and shipping; on the right the open country, in all its vegetative richness, and dotted with the gay villas of the luxurious planters. The city stands on a tongue of land, the hills above it are covered with houses, public buildings, churches, and many convents, surrounded by shady groves and rich gardens. Seamen do not see much of foreign countries after all, for I was ashore only about an hour. The streets are narrow, but well paved and lighted, and have plenty of good shops. I observed many little niches, containing an image of the Virgin Mary, which poor people use as chapels. Beggars creep about, carrying ornamented crucifixes, to which some of the passers-by make a bow, when of course the beggar expects a fee.

We coaled here, and the lighters were brought alongside by blacks, some of whom, lean and haggard, had shackles on their legs, others wore wooden collars, heavily bound with iron. They looked so wretched, and yet worked so hard, that we wished we could have done them some good. Whether they were slaves, or only black convicts, I leave it for others more learned than myself on the subject to say. For my part, though we lay at Rio five days, I got no more than this little glimpse of the Brazilian capital.

We went to sea with fine weather, and for many days had a quiet monotonous life, varied in my own case by the captain sending for me and giving me a little good advice, which I made up my mind to try to keep. He ended by saying, “Be civil to all; be smart; and _always_ do as you are told, then you will get on.” One effect of this kind word was to make me a little less troublesome to the first-lieutenant.

Nothing occurred to break the dull routine of sea life till Christmas Day, which of course I cannot pass over in silence. Our chaplain read the Church Service, and preached a sermon, in the forenoon, and after that was over all hands began to think about dinner. In our mess we had a big ‘plum-duff,’ and a thundering sea-pie made with salt meat, and a dessert of cakes and bananas. During dinner the captain was carried round in a chair, and loudly cheered, according to general custom, the band marching before him, playing, as if in mockery, the _Roast Beef of Old England_. The afternoon was spent as we pleased; but in the evening we illuminated the lower deck with candles, which shone famously, while the captain came round and “spliced the main-brace,” after which the hands cheered, and danced, and sang, till they were tired. Later in the night, when nearly all on board were asleep, and all was quiet, remembrances of home and kind faces sitting round the cheerful hearth came strongly to my mind, and tears started to my eyes as I wished I was among them. The whole day’s proceedings reminded me of a country fair, and I was glad when all was over.

The same night, during the middle watch, it came on to blow hard; but the captain objected to reef, as many of the hands were not sober, from the effect of their revels, so the watch took in the small sails, and lowered the topsails upon the cap; even then, and with the two gun-boats in tow, our gallant ship foamed through the seething water eleven and a half knots, and being rather light by the head she kept her decks anything but dry. The next day saw us under close-reefed topsails, with heavy sea and heavy drizzle. If the youngsters who read this want to know what reefing topsails means, here is a notion. The order, “Hands reef topsails!” is followed by a tremendous rush, each one of us striving to be in the rigging before his fellow, treading on one another’s fingers, hustling, and well-nigh capsizing a shipmate out of the shrouds. Then holding on by the yard, we get out on the foot-ropes, and gather up the sail as far as the reef-band, and hold it firmly in our grasp, ready to tie the points, while the captain of the top is hauling out the weather-earring, which must be always secured first. All this time it may be raining hard, pelting into your eyes and ears, running in a merry stream down your back; and the yard strains and jerks with the furiously flopping sail till you are all but knocked off. As soon as the weather-earring is hauled out, “Haul out to leeward” is the cry, and the lee-earring is tied; then the impatient officer below sings out, “Sheet home;” “hoist away;” and before you are barely clear of the yard, the ‘sheets’ are close ‘home,’ and the sail rehoisted. You descend to the deck again, the ship staggers on under her lessened canvas, the rain still pelts down upon you, and the loose bottoms of your trousers carry off little rivulets of water. Such watches as these did not tend to make us amiable; and look out for squalls if you put a messmate out in dirty weather. We used to stand pretty much as a donkey does in the middle of a field, silent and sullen; and when the watch was relieved we were always ready to dive below, and get a shift of dry clothes.

On the 6th we sighted at a great distance the island of Tristan de Acunha; it loomed very big in the evening light. Some of our men said that it rises in a sheer precipice six hundred feet above the sea. I noticed plenty of seaweed to-day, and also the beautiful blue tint of the water in some parts, and its exceeding clearness. In calm weather we could see the fishes fathoms deep below the surface.

On the 16th we cast off our two gun-boats, giving them orders to proceed to Simon’s Bay, while we headed away for Port Natal, with a slashing breeze on the ‘quarter.’ The next morning, getting well in, we could see the coast very plainly, bold and mountainous, generally sloping away to the sea, and well wooded, but no signs of habitations. Early on the morning of the 22nd we arrived under steam, and amid tremendous rain, at Algoa Bay; and here was a pretty place to lie, such a tremendous surf rolling in and breaking in hollow booming waves against the beach. The ship, pitching continually, took heavy seas over the bows and through the hawse-pipes, which flooded our lower deck. All night we kept anchor watch, and had plenty to do in swabbing the lower deck and keeping it free from water. Our watch kept on hard at it every minute of the four hours, and I was not sorry when eight bells struck and we were relieved. I needed no rocking to send me to sleep, and I slept too soundly to have ugly dreams.

We lay here three days before we could do anything, on account of the heavy surf, and after all the money which we had to deliver was landed in surf-boats, under the charge of an officer. As I did not go ashore I could only see Port Elizabeth from a distance. It is built on the wild slope overlooking the bay, without much regard to fitness of style. It does, however, a great and thriving trade in wool and wine, and has two churches, but how they get filled on Sundays in such a wild-looking place is a question I’m not prepared to answer. The coloured people offer a strange sight to a visitor as they warp him ashore in their boats, with but a scanty show of clothing, and then up with him, pick-a-back, and carry him across the broken water to the beach.

On the 25th we left for Natal. During the trip I had very gloomy and dissatisfied thoughts, getting very sick of the company I was in, and my mode of life. On the 1st of February we dropped anchor in the roadstead of Natal. The country looked beautiful; fine gradually rising hills, densely wooded, even to the water’s edge, and large tracts of pasturage. As at other places along this exposed coast, merchandise and passengers are generally landed by surf-boats, which are very buoyant, and well adapted for their use. Not having a chance to go ashore, I saw nothing of the settlement, but I heard it was very flourishing.

We sailed from here shortly after for our proper calling place, Simon’s Bay, the port of the Cape of Good Hope, and had a capital run till within a day of the Cape, when we encountered a regular snuffler, but scudded before it under close-reefed main-topsail. The wind howled fearfully among the cordage and rigging, and soon raised a heavy sea, which sometimes made a clean breach right over the forecastle and main-deck. To crown all, a misty, cutting sleet came on, and we were tossing about, not exactly knowing our whereabouts, for two days. Then, the gale abating and the fog dispersing, revealed to us the welcome land. We were yet some miles distant, so we made all possible sail, but the wind being light and ahead, we were all that day and part of the next beating in; however, about eight o’clock in the evening of the 8th, we ‘let go’ our anchor in Simon’s Bay.

I was one of the first on deck the next morning, to look at the town. It is prettily situated on the side of a lofty hill, which towers grandly aloft, scantily clothed with herbage, and having rather a wild-looking appearance. The outlines of grim hills in the distance, the deep azure overhead, and the primitive look of the town, rendered the scene quite romantic. The one principal street runs along the foot of the hill, and houses are scattered some distance up its side; this one street is very irregular, and in wet weather not favourable to locomotion. A good trade is done with Cape Town, about twenty-five miles distant; the goods are brought in wagons and carts, drawn by bullocks or ponies. It is a nice sight to see twenty or thirty oxen, mostly fine animals, drawing a lumbering wagon at a surprising rate along a rocky and sandy road not yet acquainted with Macadam.

While lying here I was one of a brooming-party, who went away into the country to cut stuff to make brooms for the ship’s use. How I did enjoy it! It was a green spot in my heart for long after, and even now I recal it with pleasure. Judging from what I saw on this excursion, the country is of the same hilly nature farther inland. As we journeyed along, gloomy-looking hills, covered with gorse and heath, rocks of startling and almost unreal shapes cropping out in all directions, some piled up almost symmetrically, and only wanting imagination to convert them into a rude forest temple, others scattered, blackened, and riven, as if blasted by the hand of some mighty destroyer, were the chief features.

But what surprised me most was the almost total absence of living sights and sounds; not a single whistle or chirrup did I hear to disturb the savage solitude and silence. The only signs of life, besides a few working parties of natives, were now and then a lonely Hottentot farm, whose owner was invariably kind and hospitable, and who appeared to be contented; for, said he, when asked how he got on, “I makes pretty good money of what I sells, and I like the Gov’ment.” These farms had generally a well-stocked orchard, which some of our party treated as if it belonged to themselves, and came away loaded with grapes, peaches, apples, and quinces, as many as they could cram into the breasts of their blue frocks. The grapes were large and luscious; and didn’t we quench our thirst with fruit while returning along the rough hilly track, with our load of broom-stuff, in the evening. In some places we saw a good many of the Cape sheep, with their big tails, which seemed to be a wearisome drag. I was glad to get so interesting a sight of Africa, as I had always a feeling of mystery about it, whether on account of its vegetable world, its mighty forests, or its probable future. I longed for another run on shore, where fruit is so cheap, and fish in plenty may be had for the catching. I had hoped, too, for a sight of Cape Town, and to get letters from home, but the town was twenty-five miles distant, and not a letter was there for me. Seamen and seaboys, however, have to bear many a disappointment for the sake of duty.

On the 22nd we sailed for Singapore, with four gun-boats in company, having to take on with us the _Haughty_ and _Forrester_, which the _Cruiser_ had left behind, and did not stop to look after. And so it went on, sometimes sail, sometimes steam, till the night of the 24th of March, when we lost one of our little fleet, and had to burn blue-lights and fire signal-guns, but all to no purpose, for when daylight appeared the truant was nowhere to be seen. She had dropped astern at a surprising rate.

April found us still voyaging onwards. On the 12th we saw and passed Christmas Island, at the entrance of the Strait of Sunda. It appeared prodigiously wooded, and rose to a good height from the water. It is not very large; apparently, I should say, about the size of the Isle of Wight; it is about two hundred and eighty miles from Anjeer Bay, and directly in the route through the Strait. Here we caught a bird of a strange character, web-footed, and with plumage of snowy whiteness. There were plenty of birds also hovering at a great height above the ship, called, nautically, ‘boatswain birds,’ perhaps from their uttering a note somewhat like that functionary’s call. They were exceedingly pretty, having beautiful white diamond-shaped feathers in the breast, and long forked tails; they glide about with very graceful motions, and often follow a ship for miles. We arrived in the evening of the next day at Anjeer, and in the morning numbers of small boats put off. Eggs, luscious peaches, pine-apples, guavas, and melons, so tempting as to make one’s mouth water to look at them, and all remarkably cheap. A couple of fine fowls can be got for a shilling. On looking ashore but few houses can be seen on account of the density of the foliage, groves of plantain, coffee, spice, and other precious trees, lining the shore to within a yard of the water’s edge. The island has a fine appearance, rising majestically in the interior to the height of mountains among which lie beautiful valleys and fruitful plains, glowing in all the glories of a luxuriant tropical vegetation.

As we were on the point of heaving the anchor up for departing, our lost gun-boat rejoined us. When she parted from us she was driven by the gale into St. Paul’s, where the captain took in a great stock of salt fish, in case he might not fall in with his consort again, and then made all possible speed to Java Head, and just in time: had we been an hour sooner in our arrangements, or he an hour later, we might not have met again this side Hong-Kong, if ever he got there. Of course she was immediately taken in tow; for, said our captain to her commander, “I’m determined you shan’t be lost again;” and, with one or two exceptions, we towed her continuously from Anjeer to Hong-Kong, about 1250 miles. As we progressed under steam through the Strait, we left behind us Sumatra and Java, and many other and smaller islands, with low-lying shores and a wonderful growth of tangled vegetation, that seemed as if it rejoiced under the tremendous heat that made us all feel so lazy and envious of the cool depths where the shadows of the dense foliage slept far down beneath the unrippled surface of the water. It is in such times as these that the seaman’s patience is sorely tried, and his baser or nobler traits called forth. The sun strikes down with intense heat, no friendly cloud tempering his rays; the deck is unbearably hot to the naked feet; the pitch in the sides and seams of the deck melts and oozes out; the tar drops from the rigging; the very anchors at the bows become too hot to be touched, and over oneself comes such an intense feeling of drowsiness and lassitude, that it positively requires an effort even to speak, and one feels happiest when able to lie down. Fortunately, being under steam, we had but little going aloft. Coleridge hit the very thing in his _Ancient Mariner_.

About the middle of April we heard of the disturbances in China for the first time, and also what kind of work we might expect there; but I felt very jolly, and was rather glad I was going to smell powder than otherwise.

We anchored, upon our arrival in Singapore, about two miles from the shore, so that all I could make out was a confused mass of houses, surrounded by trees, and what appeared to be well-cultivated plantations and patches of woodland. A large number of the inhabitants are Chinese, who, with their usual avidity, are trading and working incessantly. Most of the boating work is done by Chinese coolies, who are “notorious thieves,” but who work hard. The flags of almost every nation may be seen waving in the breeze from the different shipping which lie in the port. The next day, Sunday the 26th, gave us no rest. We worked as hard then as any other day; it was the first time that I had not observed a Sunday properly, or been exempt from ordinary duty; and in the evening we steamed away from Singapore with our four charges.

About four days after we had been out a laughable incident occurred, which some may not think very likely, but nevertheless it was so. About two bells in the last ‘dog-watch,’ the man at the mast-head sung out, “Boat on the starboard bow!” This, of course, put us all on the alert, and we might have been seen in eager expectancy and various attitudes leaning over the netting, or sitting on the bulwarks, but sure enough there was the boat, and the men plainly discernible, about two miles from us. Of course our imagination was worked up as to the boat--how did it come there?--and at last, as the people in the boat seemed very apathetic, some hazarded a conjecture as to its being a boat at all; the majority were certain it was; and the first-luff gave orders for the side-ropes to be rove, and everything in readiness to receive the strangers. Of course we put out of our course and steamed towards it; and when we were about within hail, what should it prove to be but a log of timber, with seven large birds on it, which flew away as we passed them. This occasioned a general laugh, of course, so certain had every one been as to its being a boat. The intense heat may have lent a hand to help the deception.

Our next visitor was a large waterspout, but it didn’t pass within a dangerous distance of us; my idea of it was certainly more grand and startling than the reality. And so at last we reached the end of our long voyage, and about ten o’clock on the morning of the 13th of May we steamed into the harbour of Hong-Kong with our four ducklings, and, steering close to the admiral, anchored under his stern, after a voyage from England of seven months sixteen days. We had sailed in all 19,175 miles, and, considering we had towed the gun-boats 14,000 miles, and brought them safe to port, we had reason to be satisfied with our passage. Our bag of letters came on board, and I had a rare bundle: it was just dinner-time, but I didn’t care now for the fat pork and biscuit. I took my letters, and went and sat down between two guns, when I found I had a letter and paper for every mail since my departure. I was soon deep in their contents, and forgot in them my disappointment at the Cape.