In the trades, the tropics, & the roaring forties

Front matter

Glass r ?,. ( '

Book ,T5ft3

14,000 MILES IN THE 'SUNBEAM IN 1883

Preface

disposed to receive the result of my labours in as kindly a spirit as possible, and to treat even the most glaring faults with leniency.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. England to Madeira . i

II. Madeira . 23

III. Madeira 35

IV. Madeira 57

V. Madeira to Trinidad ....... 80

VI. Trinidad . . . . . 93

VII. Trinidad . . . .104

XI. Jamaica 203

XII. Across Jamaica ... ..... 244

XIII. Jamaica to the Bahamas ....... 285

XIV. The Bahamas 307

XV. Bahamas 328

XVI. Bahamas to Bermudas 359

XVII. Bermuda 389

XVIII. Bermuda . . . . 419

XIX. Bermuda to the Azores 458

XX. The Azores 470

Postscript 510

Appendix . . 513 wmm

PAGE

TAGF.

Title-page.

Mountain Huts . . . .

Dedication

Child's Funeral

The Bog Walk, Jamaica viii

Hammock ....

Chapter I. England To Madeira

Men were made to roam.

My meaning is —it hath been always thus : They are athirst for mountains and sea foam. Heirs of this world, what wonder if perchance They long to see their grand inheritance !

WE arrived at Dartmouth late on the evening of September 27th, 1883, and proceeded straight on board the ' Norham Castle,' in the ' Britannia's ' steam-launch, kindly lent us by Captain Bowden- Smith. Although the bulk of our luggage - had been shipped in London, our somewhat numerous packages and parcels comprised a good many little odds and ends that had been forgotten until the last moment, as is almost always the case when starting on a long voyage,

ON BOARD RHAM CASTLE:

l • r hat indefii to regions not hitherto ex-

plorqd|. and for which very authority recommends

something novel in I i impedimenta as absolutely

indispensable to comfo existence.

We found everytb torily arranged on board,

and that the rest of , who had embarked at the

Docks, had enjoyed spood passage round from the

Thames, and were all s. n very happily. The child-

ren were soon in bed a >; and we speedily followed

their example, so as to be able to make the most of the morning of the day on which we were to leave England for so long a time.

The cabin on deck, which Captain Winchester had so courteously placed at my disposal, was not only spacious, but was comfortably and even luxuriously fitted up. From the skylight hung a basket of flowers, on either side of which sweet potatoes, growing in glasses, sent their tender shoots, and bright green tendrils right across the ceiling. The furniture comprised a wardrobe, sofa, easy-chair, writing-table, and bookshelves ; so that with some more flowers from dear Normanhurst, and a plentiful supply of newspapers, periodicals, and books, I felt at once quite at home.

The view from the windows (not ports) early the next morning was charming. In the east the sun rose behind the wooded hills that, dotted with old houses and modern villas, slope gently from the placid waters of the land-locked harbour: westward the eye dwelt on the sharply contrasted effects of light and shade on the picturesque and old-fashioned town of Dartmouth.

There is no place in England quite equal to Dartmouth for beauty and originality ; and at the period of the regatta, in August, it is indeed the gayest of spectacles to watch the innumerable yachts, boats, and craft of all kinds, and the whole town brightly decorated with flags by day, and with

THE 'BRITANNIA:

myriads of little coloured lamps hung in festoons by night, while bands play, and the people seem to enjoy themselves more than an English crowd generally condescends to do.

At half-past nine the steam-launch came to take us on board the ' Britannia,' which vessel we found in the same perfect order as usual : the cadets all looking well and happy. Surely, if boys destined for the navy are capable of acquiring the necessary knowledge anywhere, they should do so here, where advantages of every kind are so abundant. The old models of ships used on board for purposes of instruction were very good : but the new ones that have been lately added are even more useful and complete. We were greatly interested in listening to a lecture that

was being .^^-^

given by one of the instructors on the model of an ironclad, divided into four sections;

so that the whole of her interior economy and construction could be thoroughly understood. Commander Bainbridge told me that the lads worked well at the models, flag and sail drill, signalling, and compass instruction; but that navigation and Euclid were quite a different matter, and that it was, as a rule, hard to get the cadets to take an interest in those subjects.

The beauty of the morning had now entirely faded away ; and one could almost imagine that some of the dear ones left behind were shedding gentle tears at our departure. To put it more prosaically, a regular west-country mist had come on, •depressing in itself and making everything look damp, dreary,

b2

DARTMOUTH EN FETE

PARTINGS.

and forlorn. After a brief walk on shore we returned to the ' Norham Castle,' just in time to transact a little final busiuNIi OF THE CASTLE LINE

• : ness, and to see the last sad partings between those ' outward bound ' and those ' left behind.' Assuredly those who go down to the sea in ships, and have their business in the great waters, especially those who travel frequently in large steamers, calling at many ports, and carrying passengers of all 1 at'onalities, behold strange and impressive sights, and have better opportunities of observing human nature in its various phases than fall to the lot of most people.

Such were my reflections as I heard the last starting-bell ring and looked out upon the flotilla of small boats by which we were surrounded, each containing one or more occupants interested in someone on board. At length the hawser was slipped from the big buoy ; the engines began to move almost imperceptibly ahead; and our last link with old England was severed. Heaven grant us all a safe voyage and a happy return !

We had scarcely got outside Dartmouth, when the ' Norham Castle' began to pitch and roll most unpleasantly. As

A MINIATURE DELUGE.

S the afternoon went on, matters became worse. A strong head-wind was encountered, with a somewhat dense fog and a good deal of rain, which increased towards six o'clock. Two hours later, when we sighted Ushant, the vessel was rolling heavily and shipping much water forward ; in consequence of which I decided to sleep below instead of in the Captain's cabin : the steward promising to pack up all my things and assuring me that they would be quite safe. I was too sea-sick to discuss the matter further ; and, having seen the children safely secured in their berths, I lay down on the sofa in their cabin, where, holding on tightly to the side, I slumbered in

the semi-conscious condition one falls into at sea in rough weather until I was suddenly awakened by piercing cries for help.

On rising I found that the water was washing all about the cabin, and that my big boxes, little boxes, bags, baskets, &c., were floating backwards and forwards across the floor. ' Sir Roger,' my black poodle, had jumped on the sofa, which was fairly dry ; and, keeping his balance with the

ALL AFLOAT

A MISSIONARY'S WIFE IN TROUBLE.

greatest difficulty, surveyed the scene with an air of calm disapprobation, occasionally uttering a low growl of decided annoyance and remonstrance, while I quickly put on an ulster and sea-boots. Outside the cabin the water was pouring like a cataract down the companion ; while the deck above leaked like a sieve, producing the effect of a continuous shower bath. Some accident seemed also to have happened to a

steam-pipe, judging from the clouds of steam which were escaping, and from the cries of two men who complained that they had been scalded by the boiling water. Struggling along the passage between the first and second class saloons, I found the water sufficiently deep to fill my high sea-boots and to compel poor ' Sir Eoger/ scalded after a few piteous cries

and fruitless attempts to walk on his hind legs, to swim after me. I soon met the poor creature whose shrieks had first roused me : — a missionary's wife on her way to South Africa, who was attired in the scantiest of garments, and trying feebly to come aft and get on deck. She implored me most earnestly to tell her if I thought we were going to the bottom ' at once,' in reply to which appeal I assured her that I did not think there was any immediate danger and that the ship only leaked from above because, by an unfortunate omission, her decks and coamings had not been recaulked after her last voyage to a hot climate in fine weather. It was now evident that a very heavy gale was blowing ; for the ship was not

DROWNING AS A MATTER OF TASTE.

only rolling at an angle which made it almost impossible to stand, but was ' labouring in a way I did not at all like and shipping large masses of water, a vast quantity of which streamed below. When the poor lady asked me if there was any danger, I suppose that I must have hesitated a little in my answer, for she added immediately, ' Think how dreadful it would be to be drowned and go to feed the fishes ! ' For the moment I could think of no more reassuring remark than that we must all die some day and somehow, and that I thought drowning was preferable to many other modes of death. My statement so astonished the poor Missionary's wife that I took the opportunity of her hesitation in replying to suggest that she should return to her cabin : a work of no little difficulty, for in her fright she had entirely forgotten the number and situation of her stateroom. Ultimately, with the assistance of another passenger we found it, not however without putting our heads into many other cabins, all in a sloppy condition, and containing more or less miserable and terrified occupants. Meanwhile, the gale continued to increase ; and the water continued to pour through the shrunk decks and other wood-work, in spite of the sky-lights being battened down, and all that could be done to stop the leakage.

After my midnight excursion I returned to my cabin ; propped myself in a corner ; and proceeded to pass the night as best I could, in what might be regarded as a very nearly air-tight but anything but water-tight iron box, rolling about at an angle of at least 45 degrees. Our berth was close to the pantry, the noises proceeding from which department were really appalling. First came vast crashes of crockery, the fragments of which appeared to get gradually broken up into smaller pieces as the ship rolled backwards and forwards, producing a sound like the breaking of waves on a rocky shore. By degrees the fragments seemed to become smaller

THE MORNING AFTER THE GALE.

and smaller, till towards morning the noise produced was that of the sea breaking on very small pebbles, varied by an occasional fresh crash, as something else was carried away. About 5 a.m. a heavier sea than usual struck the ship, which seemed to quiver for a minute on her beam-ends before she righted ; and there was a considerable cracking and splintering of wood-work to be heard, even above the roaring of the gale. I was afterwards informed that this sea washed away the starboard accommodationladder, and the meat-safe, and very nearly lifted overboard the big horse- ""^^ box, notwithstanding the strong

lashings by which it was secured.

LADDER WASHED AWAY

More than half of it was torn away ; and the poor Clydesdale that was inside had to weather the remainder of the gale with only one side to his house. The short-horn bull, which was on his way to Natal, and the good cow that supplied us with milk, fared rather better, being on the lee side of the deck.

As day broke, matters began to mend and the gale to moderate. One of our stewards came and helped me to get

T^p CAPTAIN'S CABIN WRECKED. 9

the children up ; for our maids, though quite well, were perfectly helpless. Overwhelmed, I suppose, by the novelty of the situation, they evidently meant to do nothing but lie in bed all day. With the usual tenacity of maids in such matters, instead of being satisfied with the cabin-boxes and bags provided for them for the voyage, they had insisted on having their own two big trunks in their cabin, where, washing backwards and forwards in water seven or eight inches deep, the extra luggage became unpleasant articles of encumbrance. The chief steward took pity on the children and me and moved us to his own cabin, which was dry though small ; and there we lay in a little heap, sea-sick and wretched, all day. Frederick (our own servant) and the stewards brought me at intervals the debris of my property from the Captain's cabin. It was truly lamentable to behold this wreckage of my belongings : everything being utterly and hopelessly ruined — books, bags, boots and shoes, alike soaked and useless. Two of the panels of the cabin had been smashed in by a heavy sea ; and the water had completely filled all the lockers. A great deal more must also have come in from above and from all sides, for the sofa-berth, a pretty high one, on which most of my things had been piled for safety, was inundated. From my travelling bag, containing all my little needments, ^more than a gallon of water was poured ; while my favourite despatch bag, in which, among other things, were numerous letters of introduction, was reduced to a pulp. The contents of a bank-note case were so saturated and mixed together, that it was with difficulty the numbers of the notes could be read. Soon after we had been moved, the steward brought us a little warm water in a tin pan, apologetically explaining that every jug in the ship was broken, which news did not surprise me, after the appalling noises which we heard last night. He also asked us what we should like to have to eat ; at the same time suggesting that cooking was difficult, and

A HOME ON THE 'ROLLING DE^P:

mentioning that we could not have anything cold, as the meat-safe and its contents had been washed overboard. I don't think that it mattered much, for nobody appeared to have a keen appetite.

The ship continued to roll and labour heavily, and the seas to wash over her fore and aft, making everything above and below wet and miserable. One sea, more mountainous than its predecessors, broke, as we were afterwards informed, thirty feet over the heads of those on the bridge. This state of things continued without interruption throughout the night, until early on Sunday morning, when things began to look a little brighter. About noon a few passengers might be seen to creep out of their berths and to compare notes on the experiences and miseries of the last forty-eight hours.

It was not an enlivening scene ; even now. The water was still washing about everywhere. It was impossible to ha"ve a bath, because the ten bath-rooms were full of wet cloths and

Wus-v-w clothes ; the carpets from the cabins were hung up to dry all over the place, together with garments of every description ;

AN ENCAMPMENT IN THE SALOON.

IE while the passages were cumbered with soaked portmanteaus, hat-boxes, and luggage of various kinds, which it was not practicable to send on deck to be dried, as the sea was still coming over freely fore and aft. The saloon was dark and airless, owing to the canvas covers on the skylights. There too the water was swashing backwards and forwards, three or four inches deep. The few people who were in the saloon wore mackintoshes and sea-boots. One old gentleman had even provided himself with a ' sou'-wester ' and an umbrella, and was sitting at the centre table holding on to a large glass of whisky and hot water, a necessary precaution against its being upset. In another, the driest, corner, was quite a picturesque little gipsy-like encampment, consisting of a Caffre and a Hottentot nurse with their mistresses' respective babies and children, all squatted on the floor on some bright coloured blankets and shawls, under umbrellas, with rugs and mackintoshes over them to protect them from the drippings from above.

Of course it was useless to think of having the usual church service ; but the weather continued to improve, and towards the afternoon many of the passengers came up to enjoy the bright sunshine on the few dry spots on deck. Among others, our two maids appeared in gorgeous array, each provided with a novel with a yellow cover ; but being told by more than one person that they would be much better employed below drying the clothes and getting things straight, they promptly

DRENCHED

AT THE MOUTH OF THE TAG US.

retired to their berths again and were seen no more. Perhaps it was as well for their own comfort that they thus vanished, judging from my own experiences ; for, in trying a little later on to get to my cabin on deck, I was caught by a sea which struck the vessel heavily, and drenched me to the skin.

*

CASCAES EAY

The sea was so much smoother when evening came, that at dinner there was quite a fair muster of passengers ; including a few ladies ; and I decided to sleep in my airy though somewhat damp cabin on deck again, in preference to the stuffy abode below, which the heat of the steam-pipes from the pantry rendered almost insufferable. At eleven o'clock we made the Burling Light some distance off ; and the next morning (Monday, October i) at 4 a.m. we found ourselves rolling about at the mouth of the Tagus, waiting for daylight, and a pilot to take us over the bar.

Cascaes Bay, where we have more than once lain in the ' Albatross,' ' Meteor ' and ' Sunoeam,' waiting for a storm to abate, or for the wind to change, looked bright and pretty in the early dawn, the little fort of St. Julien just catching the

A ILEET OF FISHING BOATS. 13 light between the passing showers ; and as the sun rose, its rays produced the most beautiful rainbow effects on the mountains of Cintra, and the wooded heights, crowned by the Castle of Penha. Cintra, lovely Cintra ! what happy days I have spent, time and again, among your groves and gardens ! Soon after getting under way again we met a large fleet of fishing boats going out to their daily labour, the variety of style shown in their shapes and rigs producing a pleasing absence of uniformity. Among them might be seen the now old-fashioned muletas, with their quaint bows, on board most of which a man stood on the gunwale throwing water into the sail with a long-handled metal ' skeet.' Others were lateen rigged, with a quaint little sail amidships, which in nearly every case was now being spread to catch the first faint breeze of morning. Each boat seemed to carry a large crew ; and, whatever other varieties of style their builders might have indulged in, one invariable feature was the representation of an eye painted in bold colours on the bow, to guard the fishermen from evil, and to ensure the protection of the Virgin.

At the little village of Cascaes some sort of bathing festival must have been going on, for I never saw so many people on the beach there before. The king has a palace close by, where he generally resides at this season of the year ; and the

H

LISBON.

place is also much frequented by the Portuguese in summer. The views on the water-way up the Tagus to Lisbon, including the mountains of Setubal and the Castle of Palmella on the heights on the one side, and the large church and picturesque Tower of Belem on the other, are delightful.

You may be sure we lost no time after the anchor was dropped in going ashore in the steam-tug, in which Mr. Pinto Basto, the Company's agent, had come alongside. Our first proceeding on landing was to visit a somewhat interesting market, where we enjoyed some fresh green figs and luscious grapes ; and then we turned our attention to the finny wonders of the deep in the adjacent fish market and the picturesque costumes of their vendors. The carriages we had sent for having at last arrived, some of our party went on an excursion to Belem ; while others, as I did, felt that having already

FRUIT MARKET, LISBOX

(a brush sketch)

conscientiously ' done ' the sights of the

neighbourhood, we might be allowed to

amuse ourselves by strolling up and down the streets and

looking about us. We. went first to the ' Silver' and 'Gold '

FRUIT MARKET, LISBON.

streets which, I was sorry to find, have deteriorated of late. 'Twenty, or even ten years ago it was possible to pick up here the most exquisite brilliants . and paste- work in antique settings

(to say nothing of old orders and , - "

crosses), at modest prices: now everything is modern and reminds one only of the Palais Eoyal. We consoled ourselves by a visit to another market, where we found the entrance to the butchers' department, to which our coachman drove us by mistake, defended by six bull-dogs, tied up, but still alarmingly fierce. As I led ' Sir Eoger,' in terror of his life, past them, I confess I felt personally uncertain as to whether the fero-

•cious-looking brutes might not take a piece out of one of my own ankles in making a dart at the poodle. Inside the market-place, each stall was sheltered by a huge umbrella ; and very gay the costumes of the market-women looked among the heaps of scarlet tomatoes, orange, green, and red capsicums and chillies, oranges, lemons, chestnuts, quinces, pears, apples, grapes, figs, bananas, and various other fruits, besides vegetables out of number. In one place there was an odd-looking old man in a long red coat, something like a 1 beadle's, collecting coppers for some charitable object ; while in another might be seen an aged priest in a violet cassock who was making his purchases, followed by a respectablelooking old major-domo bearing a huge basket in which to place them. A portion of the market was held in red wooden sheds, under the shade of some pepper trees, among which was one specially picturesque stall, presided over by

THE OLD ALMONER

FRUIT MARKET, LISBON.

a comely dame with a purple and yellow shawl across her shoulders, looking like a veritable Pomona among her luscious autumn fruits and succulent vegetables. The stall was hung round with wicker cages and baskets and rush chairs, and contained an immense stock of. gourds, pumpkins, and vegetable-marrows, which people seemed to purchase, not exactly by the yard, but by the foot and even the inch, the required length being cut off for each customer. An entire

LISBON*— MARKET SCENE

marrow would certainly have been too voluminous for any family, however numerous. Set up on end in rows, they looked like the stones placed against the sides of the road to protect the pathway or the borders of a lawn.

At two o'clock we had to be on board the tug, in which we returned to the steamer laden with fresh fruit, vegetables, butter,, &c. The ' Norham Castle ' was still surrounded by boats — for although the operation of coaling was finished, she was still taking in cargo ; and the decks were crowded with people who had come to see their friends, and with vendors of every imaginable article of Lisbon manufacture. They were

LISBON FISHERMEN.

quickly got rid of, however, and we were soon swiftly steaming down the river again. We met all the fishing boats returning from their day's water on to the

work, the men s^S ~"\ sails, and their

on board still * \- \ decks laden with

skeeting' the / s /^T \ P^ es °f fi sn °f

HAT-BOATS OFF I'AL.MELLA various sorts. They had evidently had a good take ; and the fishermen seemed in the highest possible spirits. We also passed several hay-boats, which, except . for the shape of the bows, differed little in appearance from the familiar Thames hayflat. Directly we . got outside the ship began to roll horribly again, which made dinner a most uncomfortable

meal. Everybody was glad when it was over ; though on deck things were not much more pleasant, for we were still

c

TAKING SIGHTS UNDER DIFFICULTIES

ADVANTAGES OF SMALL VESSELS.

shipping large quantities of water. There was no alternative, consequently, but to turn in early and hope that the next day might bring an improvement.

The events of the last few days have more than ever confirmed me in the opinion which I have always held, that while, up to a certain point, a big ship has advantages over a smaller craft in rough weather ; directly you get beyond that point and meet with a really heavy gale, it is far preferable to be in a buoyant craft of 500 tons, that bounds lightly over the waves like a cork, than in one of 4,000 tons that goes right through them. Of course the smaller vessel may sometimes have to lie hove-to for many days, where the larger ship would still be ploughing her way bravely against the storm and wind ; but even under those circumstances I think that the former would offer considerable advantages in the way of comfort, if not of safety. How I have longed for the dear old ' Sunbeam ' during the last few days, and how glad I shall be to get on board her once more !

The next morning was mainly spent in the not very lively amusement of sorting the debris from the Captain's cabin, throwing overboard what was utterly spoilt, packing for England what it was possible to repair, and putting the slight valid remnant into my boxes for Madeira. If it had not been intensely annoying it would really have been amusing to see the curious shapes some of the things had assumed : particularly boots and shoes that had been afloat in the two drawers under the bed, from which gallons after gallons of- water had been emptied. In the afternoon the first officer took us all over the ship, and even into the chart room, where we were allowed to look at the log and see the official description 01 the occurrences of the last few days. We were also shown the clinometer which, having registered a roll of 50 to port and 40 to starboard on the night of the storm, judiciously

AFTER A STORM.

declined to register any more. The ' Norham Castle ' is a spar-decked ship ; and the upper decks form delightful promenades in fine weather. To-day they were somewhat curiously decorated with strings of boots and shoes, of which there must have been many dozen pairs, and with the passengers' clothing hanging up to dry. In the forward part of the ship there had been a considerable diminution among the live stock : one hen-coop had gone bodily overboard ; while the occupants of the others, as well as some of the sheep, had either been washed away or drowned in their pens. I wonder what the feelings pf a poor Dorking fowl must be, fresh from a nice comfortable English farm-house, where it pecked about as fancy led it, or wandered at its own sweet will among sunny orchards rosy with flowers, in spring and full of fruit in summer and autumn, suddenly to find itself packed in a basket, sent off to market, and pent up in a closely-crowded coop with hundreds of strange congeners on board a vessel which rocks and tosses the unhappy bird in the

CONDITION OF THE LIVE STOCK, most unaccountable manner, quite beyond the scope of all previous experience, and, perhaps, finally at the mercy of the waves in the Bay of Biscay. The poor Clydesdale looked very sorry for himself. The short-horn bull, of which the stall was 6n the lee-side of the deck, had not suffered so much and was pretty cheery ; but the poor cow was lowing piteously and, I believe, utterly refused to give any milk. The handsome black retriever which General Valiant is taking out for Mr. Hinton looked rather miserable ; but a little turn on deck and then a warm in the engine-room passage soon made him all right. We went all through the engine-room, down into the stoke-hole, and even along the screw-alley — in fact wherever the chief engineer was good enough to take us. He showed us the machinery for

XORHAM CASTLE, IN THE OLDEN TIME producing the electric light and for working the refrigerator to preserve provisions ; both perfect in their way. In fact,

MUSIC IN THE SALOON.

nothing could be better arranged than all the appointments of this magnificent ship. The cooks' and stewards' departments are equally well managed. The second steward, William Phillips, was our bedroom steward on board the ' Sunbeam ' for some months, and went to Cyprus with us ; and as Tom had got him his present situation, you may be sure he does his best to look after us. His chief, Mr. Coe, has also been most kind and attentive, as indeed was everyone on board with whom we had anything to do.