CHAPTER XIX
Wednesday, March 27.—The Cape Meteorological Commission has sent Graham the following instruments with a request that he would take regular observations—
An aneroid barometer.
A Fortin mercurial barometer.
Dry and wet bulb hygrometers.
A maximum thermometer.
A minimum thermometer.
A five-inch rain gauge.
The hygrometers and thermometers are to be kept in a Stevenson's screen. Whether he will be able to take the readings as often as is suggested is doubtful, but it will be interesting work.
Some rather amusing letters have been received. One from a high Turkish official runs thus—
"Constantinople,
"21 Septembre, 1906.
"MONSIEUR LE GOUVERNEUR,
"Je me permets de vous prier d'avoir l'extrême obligeance de m'indiquer le nombre total des habitants de Tristan da Cunha avec Dépendances et la quantité de ceux qui appartiennent à la religion mahométane, avec l'indication du nombre des Sunites ou Chütes et de leur nationalité respective.
"Dans l'attente de votre réponse je vous prie, Monsieur le Gouverneur, de vouloir bien agréer mes salutations distinguées et mes remerciments anticipées."
There is a very interesting letter from the Dixie professor of Ecclesiastical History, Cambridge, who asks Graham to collect for him whelks, limpets, periwinkles, snails, cowries, etc. Here is an extract from it—
"It is not, however, the shells I care for, but the teeth of the animals within. I have just one species from Tristan—a small land shell of an interesting genus (Balea). One species is European, one Japanese, the third Tristan. Its nearest ally is an enormous Eurasian genus (Clausilia) of seven hundred species which hardly gets into Africa and does not cross Behring Strait, though there are thirty more in Peru and one in Porto Rico. So you see how strangely isolated your Tristan species is. Its nearest cousins are in Tunis and Abyssinia. I fancy the land shells of Tristan will not have a Magellanic character like the one Kerguelen species. Anyhow they are sure to be intensely interesting."
Good Friday.—We have had a beautiful day, just like a spring day at home. We had service at 10.30 which lasted a little over an hour. About fifty-eight were present. The men are not attending so well now. The two new arrivals do not come to church, and I think it induces the others to stay away. We had service again at three o'clock, after which Graham and I went to inquire after Mrs. H. Green, who has been ailing with rheumatism. It is an old complaint, and due, it is thought, to exposure on the mountain years ago. She went up with a party on to the Base; a fog came on, and she became separated from her companions and wandered hopelessly about with her dog. The fog was followed by a heavy thunderstorm with vivid lightning, and she was drenched through. Barefoot and wet to the bone she lay all night in the ferns with the dog at her side. Next morning her hands were so swollen with the cold she had no use in them until the sun came out and warmed them. Her only food was birds' eggs which she occasionally sucked. She was not found till the next afternoon, though a search party had been out twice to look for her. She was in bed for a week, and ever since has been subject every few years to prolonged rheumatic attacks accompanied by great depression which often lasts for months. She is a nice-minded woman, very quiet, and grateful for anything done for her. In this she is unlike many who accept everything as a matter of course.
The three Repetto girls and Sophy have been weeding the garden, which has been rather neglected lately. We have planted some trees in it grown from Eucalyptus seed collected on Table Mountain. I planted it here in pots which I kept in the dark, and it came up well. About a hundred and sixty sturdy little trees are the result. In years to come they may be useful for firewood. In a book on forestry left here by Mr. Tooke, they are said to be very useful trees to grow for this purpose, as they bear lopping well.
Easter Sunday.—At the Holy Communion to-day there were twenty present; some coming for the first time, and one or two men coming who had not communicated since Mr. Dodgson's time. All who had been prepared for Confirmation were invited except the boys and girls.
I am thinking of starting a Bible class for girls on Sundays. I feel I do so little for them. We see most of those girls whose ages range from nine to thirteen.
A thunderstorm has just passed over us; the effects on sea and land were most beautiful, everything assuming such a vivid colouring as one only occasionally sees.
Wednesday, April 3.—We got up early this morning, as Graham was going to the Ponds, but Henry Green sent down to say it would be better to put off going until to-morrow, as it looked like rain. One or two of the girls are going, so I have decided to go too. I believe it is a stiffish climb. We spent the afternoon among the cases trying to find one containing material. Then we unpacked a kettle, which we badly need; we have had lately to boil our water in a saucepan.
Friday, April 5.—Yesterday we again got up early and were ready to start for the Ponds, when Henry again sent down to say it was going to rain.
We have two invalids to visit now. The one is Mrs. Henry Green who makes no progress at all, and seems very miserable. I really think she ought to be in bed, but she says their bedroom window does not open, and she feels the heat of the room. The other is Charlotte Swain, who apparently has a housemaid's knee. It is very painful and much swollen. I have painted it with iodine, which has reduced the swelling.
A little time ago we happened to say to Tom Rogers how tiring we found cooking in the sitting-room owing to the fire being on the hearth, which entailed constant stooping. Two or three days afterwards he came to measure the fire-place, and that afternoon he and Bob Green fixed two large stones, raising the fire a good foot. But the men are not always so ready to help. We wanted them to build on an extra room to our house, as there is no larder and the kitchen is very small. Our bedroom and the kitchen share the same window, and when the wind is contrary the smoke pours into the bedroom. We thought the west-end wall might be taken down and the room built without very great difficulty. All hands met to-day to consider this, when most of the men refused to do anything, though some were quite willing to help. The life here very much conduces to every man looking out for himself. Graham tried to point out to them how important it was they should build a church and house if they want a clergyman or teacher to come here in the future; and that they could not expect Lucy Green and Betty Cotton to always give up their houses; but they did not seem inclined to do anything. If a clergyman or teacher came they would like him to board with one of themselves—an impossible arrangement. They do not understand the need of a larder, the greater part of them keeping groceries in the bedroom, sometimes under the bed. We have to keep a large barrel of flour, our bread and milk in the sitting-room.
Saturday, April 6.—The men appeared en masse early this morning to say they were ready to start upon the house. We thanked them, but under the circumstances thought it best not to have the work done. They ought really to build on to their own houses, for some are very short of bedrooms, and the sitting-room has nearly always to be used as a bedroom too. They can build if they like, for a few years ago on his marriage Bill Rogers built a house which looks very well; getting timbers for the roof is the great difficulty. We hear that Lavarello was very sorry he had refused his help to build the room and that night paced up and down vexed with himself for so doing.
Sunday, April 7.—This afternoon I started the Girls' Class half-an-hour before service. As soon as I left the house all seven girls flew round the corner to join me. For the last hour they had been waiting at Betty Cotton's just opposite. They are very pleased at having a class. It makes such a difference teaching children to whom almost everything in the Bible is new. They listened so attentively. We have begun with Genesis and I do hope to make the teaching practical. After service we went to the Henry Greens', who live up the hill in a direct line from here. She is much the same. Chris is at last beginning to walk, but cannot speak a word. I believe they fear he is dumb. He understands very well what is said to him. I never saw a child tumble about more in his attempts to walk, but he does not seem to mind a bit and can walk backwards as easily as forwards.
Tuesday, April 9.—Repetto has been levelling the floor of our bedrooms preparatory to putting down some green linoleum, which we got to save labour, as it is so difficult to sweep and keep clean rough boards. Sailor-like, he slung the beds to a beam of the ceiling, which avoided taking them to pieces.
Thursday, April 11.—I have just finished a serge skirt; it has many gores in it, and has turned out better than I expected, indeed, it looks quite tailor-made.
We are having an incursion of rats, and traps are going off at all hours of the day and night. Most of the rats caught are small and more like mice. The other day my favourite chicken walked into the sitting-room and got its head caught in a trap. It extricated itself, but was so stunned it fell over and could not walk; it has since recovered.
Monday, April 15.—As there are holes in the roof it had been arranged that the back side of the house should be re-thatched, and the men, fourteen in all, came to-day to do it. We got up soon after five to be ready for them, and had time to go down for a bathe. They began by cutting the tussock in the garden. While they were doing that we partly emptied the loft. By the time we came back from school they were in full swing. After taking off the old thatch they swept the loft, and a nice time we had of it below. As soon as possible Ellen buckled to to sweep. When their work was done they had tea with biscuits and rock cakes. Nine hundred bundles of tussock were used to thatch the one side of the house. The men fasten the thatch to the rafters with tarred string using a large iron needle. Three men work together, one in the loft, one on the roof, and a third tossing up bundles. We had sent to the Cape for lead to put along the ridge in the place of turf, and this they have put on. We hope now the roof will be rain and dust-proof, and the walls less damp.
Poor Mrs. H. Green is still feeling very miserable; she manages to get about and that is all. Her eldest daughter, Ethel, who is just sixteen, is getting on so well at school. She is by far the best reader, reading quite fluently, and writes very well. She is very staid, and we think she might possibly act as school-mistress in the future. Her brother Alfred, two years older, has perseveringly stuck to his reading. He can hardly master even short words. Still, he is getting on, especially in writing and arithmetic. He is a very clean, neat and orderly lad, and has greatly brightened in appearance since he began coming to school. The elder girls will not do as well as the younger, who will soon outpace them. The former have lately been learning to write letters. Up till now two or three women and Repetto have written for the whole colony.
[Illustration: A GROUP OF ALL THE MEN]
Saturday, April 20.—We have been thinking with much satisfaction that our letters taken by the Grey-hound will probably be received in England to-day. Since she left a ship has not so much as been seen.
This has been an afternoon of knocks at the door. First, Repetto's, who came to replace the tin round the pipe on the roof, but it beginning to rain he helped instead to put together a churn. We have started making butter. Our next visitor was little Willie Repetto, who came for thyme and parsley. Next came Rebekah to borrow the boot-brushes and blacking for her brother, a weekly request; then Ned Green for matches for his grandmother. He was followed by Sophy who wanted medicine for her mother, and she by Arthur Rogers for leeks for his mother's soup. Lastly, came Rebekah again with Mabel for nails for nailing birds' skins on their house wall to dry them. This morning there was a request for baking-powder, and Harry Swain brought a pair of horns for a birthday offering. Many days are like this, and our house often resembles a shop.
It was Mary Repetto's birthday this week. I made her a pretty light-blue pinafore. She was very pleased with it, and her mother so much so, that Mary was sent with a live fowl as a return offering, but we did not accept it, as we want them to learn we do not wish to be repaid for presents.
Sunday, April 21.—We have been having good attendances in church lately. The men are again attending well, and two new-comers have started. On Sunday evenings, there being no service, we read aloud. Graham begins, and just now is reading Religions of the World. Then I read; my present book is called Holiness of Life. I have just been preparing a lesson for the women. I find Ryle's Expositions of the Gospels a great help, they are so simple and practical.