Two or three gentlemen passengers were still sitting up in the cabin as the captain passed through to his room. One of them said, “where are we now, Captain Scobie?”
With a dry smile he replied, “Just turning the corner of Melbourne Road, gentlemen. It’s a grand road, six thousand miles long very straight, but very uneven at present. Wants a sight of levelling down as some of you will find before another forty-eight hours are past. Good-night all.”
Towards four a.m., the bank of cloud astern had risen until it was nearly overhead. Then a slight puff of cold air came from the westward. The chief officer on the alert cried out “Stand by the watch.” Ere a few seconds had passed every man was at his post ready for the next order. “Square the after yards,” shouted the mate. With a roar, a rattle and a shout round went the yards as the big ship payed off with her head to the eastward. “Square away the foreyard,” gleefully called out the mate again. Although up to the present there was hardly a breath of air a big swell was rising from the westward, a sure forerunner of a storm. For over an hour the ship lay rolling gunwales under, until we expected every moment to see the masts roll over the side. It was a fearful time for all on board, but at last a low, murmuring sound was heard coming up astern of us, “stand by, everybody!” called out the mate. The order was no sooner given than with a roar the west wind struck us, the ship staggered for a moment, and every rope and sail fairly cracked again with the pressure; then, with a leap and a plunge, the noble vessel bounded forward on her long run to the eastward, she had entered Melbourne Road in earnest.
The captain came on deck with a broad smile on his face, even his cross eye seemed to twinkle merrily, he was happy now. The breeze freshened rapidly and the sea rose to a fearful height.
The following day it was blowing with the force of a hurricane; the royals were made fast and all the upper fore and aft sails taken in and secured. Everything about the deck was doubly lashed, the booby hatch aft was secured with wire lashing, and all the passengers fastened below. By noon the next day the ship had run three hundred and eighty-two miles in twenty-four hours. The whole surface of the ocean was one mass of white foam, like carded wool, and when a sea broke the spray would fly as high as the topsail yard. It was a grand, yet an awful sight, when the great ship was in the trough of the sea, the mountainous waves seemed on a level with the topsail yard, and it looked utterly impossible for the ship to climb over them; but nobly she rose to her duty, though the decks were constantly swept by the quartering seas, as the ship yawed in spite of her helm.
For ten days did the westerly gales continue, and everybody on board was sore with tumbling about. To cheer us, the captain reported on that day that the ship had made 3,480 miles, an average speed of 14½ knots per hour, a splendid piece of work. And still the gale howled and shrieked, and still the noble ship sped onward through the wild angry seas, which every moment threatened to engulf her. The heart of every seaman on board throbbed with joy and pride at the splendid behaviour of the ship, as she rode over the mountainous sea, and shook herself free from the inrushing waters. Not a rope had parted, not a sail had split so far. But alas, there was sorrow and trouble in store for us, and that soon. At midnight on the eleventh day, the gale suddenly moderated, and before daylight it had died away, leaving a fearful sea running after her, and at times tremendous seas would break on board. The heavily rigged ship rolled from side to side, having no wind to steady her. No rigging that was ever made could stand such a strain long, and the following night the foremast, with yards and sails went over the side. The chain-plates drew out of the ship’s side with the enormous strain on them; the lower mast carried away about one foot below the main deck; and in its fall the immense fore-yard cut the bulwarks down to the deck on each side. We all thought she was gone, but soon we heard the captain’s voice roaring above the noise of the sea:
“Stand clear of the deck!”
Every man sprang to shelter, not a moment too soon either, as a tremendous sea broke on board. The ship broached to, it smashed the boats and washed away everything moveable from the decks. The noble ship shuddered and paused like a frightened thing, then, crippled as she was, again shook herself free, but she was in a sad plight.
“All hands clear away the wreck!”
With axes, knives and chisels the rigging was cut to let the broken mast and yards drift clear of the ship. The steerage passengers were battened down in the steerage, and their cries were heartrending. After the wreckage was got clear, the captain ordered the main topmast backstays to be cut away on the lee roll, as there was a danger of the whole mast falling aft on the deck, but before the men could carry out his orders the mast was carried away and came down with a crash on the port side.