CHAPTER IV. "Once more upon the waters! Yet once more! Still must I on; for I am as a weed, Flung from the rock on ocean's foam, to sail Where'er the surge may sweep, the tempest's breath prevail." ON the morning of the 27th of October, we were once more upon the wide ocean, mounting over the waves, in as tight a little craft as could swim, with her three-bonneted sails spread out to the breeze, and ploughing up the brine to the depth of five feet and a half. We expected to arrive at the Mauritius in twelve or fourteen days; but we had water enough to last us twenty-six days, and plenty of rice, and pork, and fish, for all on board. The wind was pretty fair, and the weather pro mised to be good. I was busy all day washing my clothes; clearing away the smoke, and charcoal, and perspiration, from my face, hands, and feet; repairing my pantaloons; paring my ragged nails; combing my long uncombed hair; shaving my overgrown beard; detaching the loose skin from my hands and feet; and treating my sores and bruises, grown callous by constant irritation. The lascars were also busy making themselves more comfortable; cutting up gowns and pelisses, and tucking them together for their own wearing, and sheathing themselves in flannel. Our crew consisted of the captain, his mate, and two blacks. The gross weight of our cargo, and dead weight on board, was ten or twelve tons; yet she was as stiff as a salmon coble, and as tight as a cask; and, though every little babbling wave washed her decks, we were as dry below as a pepper-box. The captain spoke of the General's power, as a sea-boat, in the highest terms; and the confusion he had frequently occasioned to large ships, by overhauling them in spite of all their exertions to keep such a piratical-looking craft at a respectable distance, when it required the display of all the stripes and stars he could hoist, to restore them to composure. He said that in heavy weather she did not wait to go over the waves, but bored her nose straight through, and came out at the other side. She appeared to justify the high opinion of the captain; and, so far as personal safety was concerned, I could have gone round the world in her as willingly as on board any Indiaman; and would ever keep in mind this advantage, that where the General could get on shore, I would have many chances in my favour of getting high and dry also. Captain P. was a regular veteran to his trade, and had been knocking about in these high southern latitudes, all round the world, since 1799, to the great destruction of seals, and whales, and sea-elephants. Happening, when in London several years ago, to hear of an island being discovered to the southward of New Zealand, he hurried home to America; and, hoping to reap the first fruits, cleared out for the reported island with all despatch. About four months after, he made the latitude and longitude given out; but, after cruising about in all directions near it, he was forced to give up the pursuit as hopeless. He had lately been away amongst the Falkland, the Crozet, and Desolation Islands; but met with nothing except icebergs and snow showers, and incessant storms, sufficient to blow the few remaining "hairs off his head." Finding the surf in all places so high as to render it perilous to land a boat, he gave up the pursuit of the elephants; and, at the expense of having the head of his foremast carried away, his larboard bulwark stove in, and the prospect of foundering every minute, stood down for his old and nearly-forgotten friend Amsterdam. He made the island during the night of the 16th of October; and, passing within a few miles of our tent, went round, and came to anchor on the lee side. He had lived for three years at a time upon the island, sealing; and knew every creek, and bluff-head, and cave, by name. In 1799, he introduced a breed of hogs; these had increased and multiplied a thousand fold, and formed the chief subsistence of his party. I tasted one that they had shot two days before we embarked, and liked it much better than domestic pork. They live upon the roots of reeds and plants, and are very dexterous in plundering the eggs of the sea-birds, and capturing the young ones, and even the old ones themselves, if they can get at them. On that account very few birds build their nests on places accessible to them. In days prior to the swine democracy, the ground was literally covered with eggs at certain seasons. Several years ago he shipped a living cargo of them for the Mauritius; but there being a deficiency in hist commissariat, he sacrificed the weaker to gratify the cravings of the stronger, and saved the hogfed majority to bring a good price in Port Louis. During our abode upon the island we never saw a hog, though we often saw their traces. Captain P. was more fortunate; for he had not walked a mile, when two half-grown ones crossed his path at full squeak and cantering, and singed all over. About seven years before this, he landed a breed of goats and dunghill fowls. All the goats are now dead except two large males, which are as wild as deer. A few of the fowls still survive; but they are no less wild than their bearded contemporaries. A great number of penguins and albatrosses. hatch on the island; their eggs may be procured months of the year,According to Captain in abundance during nine they are very good eating. P., a young albatross is as tender as a chicken, and as great a dainty as a young turkey; however, it was not our fortune to fall in with any of these delicacies. I could fancy the climate of Amsterdam pleasant enough; but the soil seems unlikely to repay any degree of cultivation, the surface being chiefly covered with loose fragments of lava, strewed over in certain places with a few handfuls of soil-but the greater part is covered with a soft, spongy kind of turf. Captain P. spoke of the contiguous island (St. Paul's) in much more favourable terms. It is much less mountainous, and contains a considerable deal of good soil. It is also colonized with hogs, and contains a variety of garden vegetables, growing wild. It is remarkable for a fine large basin or harbour, about two miles and a half in circumference, where one hundred sail of the line might lie at anchor, in 29 fathoms water, in safety from all winds. The entrance to the basin is not more than 30 yards wide, and it does not contain more than six feet water; however, as the bottom is covered with loose stones, they could easily be removed, so as to allow of large ships entering it in safety. A strong current runs in and out with the rise and fall of the tide, rendering it dangerous to enter, unless with the flowing tide. The basin has been discovered to be the remains of a volcanic crater. |