|
[page 124, continued:]
|
|
|
CHAPTER XIV.
THE
Jane Guy was
a fine-looking topsail schooner of a hundred and eighty tons burden.
She
was unusually sharp in the bows, and on a wind, in moderate weather,
the
fastest sailer I have ever seen. Her qualities, however, as a rough
sea-boat,
were not so good, and her draught of water was by far too great for the
trade to which she was destined. For this peculiar service a larger
vessel,
and one of a light proportionate draught, is desirable — say a vessel
of
from three to three hundred and fifty tons. She should be
barque-rigged,
and in other respects of a different construction from the usual South
Sea ships. It is absolutely necessary that she should be well armed.
She
should have, say ten or twelve twelve[[-]]pound carronades, and two or
three long twelves, with brass blunderbusses, and water-tight
arm-chests
for each top. Her anchors and cables should be of far greater strength
than is required for any other [page 125:] species
of trade, and, above all, her crew should be numerous and efficient —
not
less, for such a vessel as I have described, than fifty or sixty
able-bodied
men. The Jane Guy had a crew of thirty-five, all able seamen, besides
the
captain and mate, but she was not altogether as well armed or otherwise
equipped as a navigator acquainted with the difficulties and dangers of
the trade could have desired.
Captain Guy was a gentleman of great
urbanity of
manner, and of considerable experience in the southern traffic, to
which
he had devoted a great portion of his life. He was deficient, however,
in energy, and, consequently, in that spirit of enterprise which is
here
so absolutely requisite. He was part owner of the vessel in which he
sailed,
and was invested with discretionary powers to cruise in the South Seas
for any cargo which might come most readily to hand. He had on board,
as
usual in such voyages, beads, looking-glasses, tinder-works, axes,
hatchets,
saws, adzes, planes, chisels, gouges, gimlets, files, spokeshaves,
rasps,
hammers, nails, knives, scissors, razors, needles, thread,
crockery-ware,
calico, trinkets, and other similar articles.
The schooner sailed from Liverpool on
the tenth of
July, crossed the Tropic of Cancer on the twenty-fifth, in longitude
twenty
degrees west, and reached Sal, one of the Cape Verd Islands, on the
twenty-ninth,
where she took in salt and other necessaries for the voyage. On the
third
of August, she left the Cape Verds and steered southwest, stretching
over
towards the coast of Brazil so as to cross the equator between the
meridians
of twenty-eight and thirty degrees west longitude. This is the course
usually
taken by vessels bound from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope, or by that
route to the East Indies. By proceeding thus they avoid the calms and
strong
contrary currents which continually prevail on the coast of Guinea,
while,
in the end, it is found to be the shortest track, as westerly winds are
never wanting afterward by which to reach the Cape. It was Captain
Guy's
intention to make his first stoppage at Kerguelen's Land — I hardly
know
for what reason. On the [page 126:] day we were
picked
up the schooner was off Cape St. Roque, in longitude 31 W.; so that,
when
found, we had drifted probably, from north to south, not less than
five-and-twenty
degrees.
On board the Jane Guy we were treated
with all the
kindness our distressed situation demanded. In about a fortnight,
during
which time we continued steering to the southeast, with gentle breezes
and fine weather, both Peters and myself recovered entirely from the
effects
of our late privation and dreadful sufferings, and we began to remember
what had passed rather as a frightful dream from which we had been
happily
awakened, than as events which had taken place in sober and naked
reality.
I have since found that this species of partial oblivion is usually
brought
about by sudden transition, whether from joy to sorrow or from sorrow
to
joy — the degree of forgetfulness being proportioned to the degree of
difference
in the exchange. Thus, in my own case, I now feel it impossible to
realize
the full extent of the misery which I endured during the days spent
upon
the hulk. The incidents are remembered, but not the feelings which the
incidents elicited at the time of their occurrence. I only know, that
when
they did occur, I then thought human nature could sustain
nothing
more of agony.
We continued our voyage for some
weeks without any
incidents of greater moment than the occasional meeting with
whaling-ships,
and more frequently with the black or right whale, so called in
contradistinction
to the spermaceti. These, however, were chiefly found south of the
twenty-fifth
parallel. On the sixteenth of September, being in the vicinity of the
Cape
of Good Hope, the schooner encountered her first gale of any violence
since
leaving Liverpool. In this neighbourhood, but more frequently to the
south
and east of the promontory (we were to the westward), navigators have
often
to contend with storms from the northward which rage with great fury.
They
always bring with them a heavy sea, and one of their most dangerous
features
is the instantaneous chopping round of the wind, an occurrence almost
certain
to take place during the greatest force of the [page 127:]
gale. A perfect hurricane will be blowing at one moment from the
northward
or northeast, and in the next not a breath of wind will be felt in that
direction, while from the southwest it will come out all at once with a
violence almost inconceivable. A bright spot to the southward is the
sure
forerunner of the change, and vessels are thus enabled to take the
proper
precautions.
It was about six in the morning when
the blow came
on with a white squall, and, as usual, from the northward. By eight it
had increased very much, and brought down upon us one of the most
tremendous
seas I had then ever beheld. Everything had been made as snug as
possible,
but the schooner laboured excessively, and gave evidence of her bad
qualities
as a seaboat, pitching her forecastle under at every plunge, and with
the
greatest difficulty struggling up from one wave before she was buried
in
another. Just before sunset the bright spot for which we had been on
the
lookout made its appearance in the southwest, and in an hour afterward
we perceived the little headsail we carried flapping listlessly against
the mast. In two minutes more, in spite of every preparation, we were
hurled
on our beam-ends as if by magic, and a perfect wilderness of foam made
a clear breach over us as we lay. The blow from the southwest, however,
luckily proved to be nothing more than a squall, and we had the good
fortune
to right the vessel without the loss of a spar. A heavy cross sea gave
us great trouble for a few hours after this, but towards morning we
found
ourselves in nearly as good condition as before the gale. Captain Guy
considered
that he had made an escape little less than miraculous.
On the thirteenth of October we came
in sight of
Prince Edward's Island, in latitude 46° 53´ S., longitude
37°
46´ E. Two days afterward we found ourselves near Possession
Island,
and presently passed the islands of Crozet, in latitude 42°
59´
S., longitude 48° E. On the eighteenth we made Kerguelen's or
Desolation
Island, in the Southern Indian Ocean, and came to anchor in Christmas
Harbour,
having four fathoms of water.
This island, or rather group of
islands, bears southeast [page
128:] from the Cape of Good Hope, and is distant therefrom
nearly
eight hundred leagues. It was first discovered in 1772, by the Baron de
Kergulen, or Kerguelen, a Frenchman, who, thinking the land to form a
portion
of an extensive southern continent, carried home information to that
effect,
which produced much excitement at the time. The government, taking the
matter up, sent the baron back in the following year for the purpose of
giving his new discovery a critical examination, when the mistake was
discovered.
In 1777, Captain Cook fell in with the same group, and gave to the
principal
one the name of Desolation Island, a title which it certainly well
deserves.
Upon approaching the land, however, the navigator might be induced to
suppose
otherwise, as the sides of most of the hills, from September to March,
are clothed with very brilliant verdure. This deceitful appearance is
caused
by a small plant resembling saxifrage, which is abundant, growing in
large
patches on a species of crumbling moss. Besides this plant there is
scarcely
a sign of vegetation on the island, if we except some coarse rank grass
near the harbour, some lichen, and a shrub which bears resemblance to a
cabbage shooting into seed, and which has a bitter and acrid taste.
The face of the country is hilly,
although none of
the hills can be called lofty. Their tops are perpetually covered with
snow. There are several harbours, of which Christmas Harbour is the
most
convenient. It is the first to be met with on the northeast side of the
island after passing Cape François, which forms the northern
shore,
and, by its peculiar shape, serves to distinguish the harbour. Its
projecting
point terminates in a high rock, through which is a large hole, forming
a natural arch. The entrance is in latitude 48° 40' S., longitude
69°
6' E. Passing in here, good anchorage may be found under the shelter of
several small islands, which form a sufficient protection from all
easterly
winds. Proceeding on eastwardly from this anchorage you come to Wasp
Bay,
at the head of the harbour. This is a small basin, completely
landlocked,
into which [page 129:] you can go with four
fathoms,
and find anchorage in from ten to three, hard clay bottom. A ship might
lie here with her best bower ahead all the year round without risk. To
the westward, at the head of Wasp Bay, is a small stream of excellent
water,
easily procured.
Some seal of the fur and hair species
are still to
be found on Kerguelen's Island, and sea elephants abound. The feathered
tribes are discovered in great numbers. Penguins are very plenty, and
of
these there are four different kinds. The royal penguin, so called from
its size and beautiful plumage, is the largest. The upper part of the
body
is usually gray, sometimes of a lilach tint; the under portion of the
purest
white imaginable. The head is of a glossy and most brilliant black, the
feet also. The chief beauty of plumage, however, consists in two broad
stripes of a gold colour, which pass along from the head to the breast.
The bill is long, and either pink or bright scarlet. These birds walk
erect,
with a stately carriage. They carry their heads high, with their wings
drooping like two arms, and, as their tails project from their body in
a line with the legs, the resemblance to a human figure is very
striking,
and would be apt to deceive the spectator at a casual glance or in the
gloom of the evening. The royal penguins which we met with on
Kerguelen's
Land were rather larger than a goose. The other kinds are the macaroni,
the jackass, and the rookery penguin. These are much smaller, less
beautiful
in plumage, and different in other respects.
Besides the penguin many other birds
are here to
be found, among which may be mentioned seahens, blue peterels, teal,
ducks,
Port Egmont hens, shags, Cape pigeons, the nelly, seaswallows, terns,
seagulls,
Mother Carey's chickens, Mother Carey's geese, or the great peterel,
and,
lastly, the albatross.
The great peterel is as large as the
common albatross,
and is carnivorous. It is frequently called the break-bones, or osprey
peterel. They are not at all shy, and, when properly cooked, are
palatable
food. In flying they sometimes sail very close to the surface of the [page
130:] water, with the wings expanded, without appearing to
move
them in the least degree, or make any exertion with them whatever.
The albatross is one of the largest
and fiercest
of the South Sea birds. It is of the gull species, and takes its prey
on
the wing, never coming on land except for the purpose of breeding.
Between
this bird and the penguin the most singular friendship exists. Their
nests
are constructed with great uniformity, upon a plan concerted between
the
two species — that of the albatross being placed in the centre of a
little
square formed by the nests of four penguins. Navigators have agreed in
calling an assemblage of such encampments a rookery. These
rookeries
have been often described, but, as my readers may not all have seen
these
descriptions, and as I shall have occasion hereafter to speak of the
penguin
and albatross, it will not be amiss to say something here of their mode
of building and living.
When the season for incubation arrives, the
birds assemble
in vast numbers, and for some days appear to be deliberating upon the
proper
course to be pursued. At length they proceed to action. A level piece
of
ground is selected, of suitable extent, usually comprising three or
four
acres, and situated as near the sea as possible, being still beyond its
reach. The spot is chosen with reference to its evenness of surface,
and
that is preferred which is the least encumbered with stones. This
matter
being arranged, the birds proceed, with one accord, and actuated
apparently
by one mind, to trace out, with mathematical accuracy, either a square
or other parallelogram, as may best suit the nature of the ground, and
of just sufficient size to accommodate easily all the birds assembled,
and no more — in this particular seeming determined upon preventing the
access of future stragglers who have not participated in the labour of
the encampment. One side of the place thus marked out runs parallel
with
the water's edge, and is left open for ingress or egress.
Having defined the limits of the
rookery, the colony
now begin to clear it of every species of rubbish, picking [page
131:] up stone by stone, and carrying them outside of the
lines,
and close by them, so as to form a wall on the three inland sides. Just
within this wall a perfectly level and smooth walk is formed, from six
to eight feet wide, and extending around the encampment — thus serving
the purpose of a general promenade.
The next process is to partition out
the whole area
into small squares exactly equal in size. This is done by forming
narrow
paths, very smooth, and crossing each other at right angles throughout
the entire extent of the rookery. At each intersection of these paths
the
nest of an albatross is constructed, and a penguin's nest in the centre
of each square — thus every penguin is surrounded by four albatrosses,
and each albatross by a like number of penguins. The penguin's nest
consists
of a hole in the earth, very shallow, being only just of sufficient
depth
to keep her single egg from rolling. The albatross is somewhat less
simple
in her arrangements, erecting a hillock about a foot high and two in
diameter.
This is made of earth, seaweed, and shells. On its summit she builds
her
nest.
The birds take especial care never to
leave their
nests unoccupied for an instant during the period of incubation, or,
indeed,
until the young progeny are sufficiently strong to take care of
themselves.
While the male is absent at sea in search of food, the female remains
on
duty, and it is only upon the return of her partner that she ventures
abroad.
The eggs are never left uncovered at all — while one bird leaves the
nest,
the other nestling in by its side. This precaution is rendered
necessary
by the thievish propensities prevalent in the rookery, the inhabitants
making no scruple to purloin each other's eggs at every good
opportunity.
Although there are some rookeries in
which the penguin
and albatross are the sole population, yet in most of them a variety of
oceanic birds are to be met with, enjoying all the privileges of
citizenship,
and scattering their nests here and there, wherever they can find room,
never interfering, however, with the stations of the larger species.
The
appearance of such encampments, [page 132:] when
seen
from a distance, is exceedingly singular. The whole atmosphere just
above
the settlement is darkened with the immense number of the albatross
(mingled
with the smaller tribes) which are continually hovering over it, either
going to the ocean or returning home. At the same time a crowd of
penguins
are to be observed, some passing to and fro in the narrow alleys, and
some
marching with the military strut so peculiar to them, around the
general
promenade-ground which encircles the rookery. In short, survey it as we
will, nothing can be more astonishing than the spirit of reflection
evinced
by these feathered beings, and nothing surely can be better calculated
to elicit reflection in every well-regulated human intellect.
On the morning after our arrival in
Christmas Harbour
the chief mate, Mr. Patterson, took the boats, and (although it was
somewhat
early in the season) went in search of seal, leaving the captain and a
young relation of his on a point of barren land to the westward, they
having
some business, whose nature I could not ascertain, to transact in the
interior
of the island. Captain Guy took with him a bottle, in which was a
sealed
letter, and made his way from the point on which he was set on shore
towards
one of the highest peaks in the place. It is probable that his design
was
to leave the letter on that height for some vessel which he expected to
come after him. As soon as we lost sight of him we proceeded (Peters
and
myself being in the mate's boat) on our cruise around the coast,
looking
for seal. In this business we were occupied about three weeks,
examining
with great care every nook and corner, not only of Kerguelen's Land,
but
of the several small islands in the vicinity. Our labours, however,
were
not crowned with any important success. We saw a great many fur seal,
but
they were exceedingly shy, and, with the greatest exertions, we could
only
procure three hundred and fifty skins in all. Sea elephants were
abundant,
especially on the western coast of the main island, but of these we
killed
only twenty, and this with great difficulty. On the smaller islands we
discovered a good many of the [page 133:] hair
seal,
but did not molest them. We returned to the schooner on the eleventh,
where
we found Captain Guy and his nephew, who gave a very bad account of the
interior, representing it as one of the most dreary and utterly barren
countries in the world. They had remained two nights on the island,
owing
to some misunderstanding, on the part of the second mate, in regard to
the sending a jollyboat from the schooner to take them off. |
|
|
|
|
|