Historical Romance of the American Negro

by Charles Henry Fowler

"The Sabbath-day came around, and there were two church services in the Grand Saloon. We all went both times, which proved, as I thought at the time, the greatest treat in our whole life. The singing, the prayers, the sermons, and everything else combined to form a novelty that I am again quite at a loss to explain.

"And yet there were many on board who never went to a church service at sea, although it was the very joy of our lives, and a treat that turned our gallant ship into a floating heaven on the deep. It is just the same on shore. There are people who live next door to the church who never enter its portals once in their lives.

"We spent a good deal of time watching for vessels on the ocean, and saw plenty of them. We passed quite close to several, and spoke to a few. Some of them came so near that we saw everything on deck, and that was something when far from home.

"What a glorious sight it was to behold the red, red sun rising out of the waves in the East every morning, like a great, big, round, red cheese, and again to watch him at night going down in all his glory in the West, like a red and fiery wheel, flooding all the main with the splendor of his glory, as he sank down into his water bed! We used to stand on the open deck, and watch the 'glorious god of day' sink, sink, sinking, till at last he quite disappeared from view. Then the fair-faced silver moon, fair Luna, Queen of Night, arose in the East, and flooded all the ocean with her silver shining that was laid so entrancingly upon the rolling waves, whilst the thousand stars came out in ones, and twos, and hundreds, and bestudded all the skies. Thus again we would gather out upon the deck at night, and watch the starry heavens, and the moon, and listen to the wild waves of the North Atlantic rolling away, far and near; and when night came on, we found ourselves pretty well worn out after another long and busy day. But we slept well, as indeed we well might, for the good Lord and the sailors were ever taking good care of us all and the brave Sarmatian was battling her rapid way cross the North Atlantic.

"As I used to stand and muse upon the deck, it often occurred to my mind how all the ancestors of the colored race in America had been borne over the waves of the self-same North Atlantic over which we were now sailing, though farther to the South. Over these waves, also, the great Fred. Douglass had passed several times on his journeys to and from the British Isles; for he is one of the great pillars of history, and has filled the whole world with his fame. His renown is bright all over the earth!

"Thus time passed on, day and night, and we all enjoyed ourselves to the top of our bent; at the grand piano in the saloon, watching the play of the wild waves of the rolling deep, etc., etc. The excitement in every bosom began to rise as we drew near to the land, and when the old head of Kinsale rose from the main in the southwest of Ireland, there was truly a most tremendous flurry in every heart. And as the Sarmatian passed rapidly along, one lofty, frowning headland after another rose from the waves, reminding one of grand lofty church steeples placed at intervals here and there; then the bold, precipitous coasts ran far away back into some estuary or firth, at the head of which a river came pouring down from the interior of the land. A heavy summer shower of rain came up all of a sudden, after which the sun burst out with indescribable splendor, and a mighty rainbow stood over the entire convex of heaven, with its great feet like elephant's legs, deep down in the ocean. Our American sea-gulls came bravely on, and in Irish waters were met by Irish sea-gulls, and countless wild sea-mews.

"The excitement that began when we passed the Old Head at Kinsale did not subside. It went on, grew and increased hour after hour, as we called at Queenstown, and then moved on to Liverpool. Nothing was now thought of nor talked about but John Bull and his Island—Britannia, the Pride of the Ocean, the home of the brave and the free! We noticed that we were no longer upon the big, blue waves of the North Atlantic, but ploughing our rapid way across the shallower green seas of the British Isles—quite a pleasant change in its way, after so much blue, because nature's green is a beautiful color.

"It was time for us to go to bed, as we approached St. George's Channel, that divides Ireland from Wales; but we were all up and fresh, and bright as buttons in the morning, when Holyhead, the Isle of Anglesea, and the bold mountains of North Wales arose almost perpendicular out of the Irish Sea, and dipped their feet, deep, deep into the waves.

"The excitement on board now among us all was simply dreadful! We were so near home, and yet not quite there! Hundreds of ships in all directions were moving about over all the sea; and no wonder, because we were close to the doors of one of the most famous queen seaports that this world has ever seen. At last we came up in front of the City of Liverpool, and having a tremendous traffic in full view, and here we had to lie till two o'clock in the afternoon, when the tide would be full, and we could cross the bar of the Mersey. We crossed the bar in due time, and got into that famous river, came up to the Great Landing Stage where we landed in great excitement, for here at last was John Bull and his Island!

"Having landed and passed the custom-house officers, we procured cabs and drove to our appointed quarters in the city, where we received a most hearty welcome upon our arrival, and were ushered into our rooms, and we never felt more thoroughly at home in our lives. The good people seemed determined to make us feel all right, and to make a good impression on the Americans. The English tea time, 5 P. M., drew nigh, and we had toast and tea, with jams, etc., in the regular English fashion. It was delightful to have all things so nice in a foreign way. The fire was also delightful in the open grate, and that also looked most cheerful. Pictures of Queen Victoria and the royal family hung from the walls, and battle scenes by land and sea, and landscape pictures powerfully reminded us that we were now under the British flag, and in another part of the world.