From Lower Deck to Pulpit

by Henry Cowling

There were landed from our ship quantities of stores, such as canvas to shelter the homeless people, and barrels of salt provisions as their victuals. The inhabitants after a while becoming somewhat reconciled to their misfortune, we left St. John's to see it no more, or so we then understood. We sailed for Bermuda, calling on the way at Halifax. "Just another cruise to the West Indies, boys, and then to dear old England," was the comforting assurance with which we often hailed one another. As on two previous occasions, so now again, we spent our Christmas at Bermuda with the fleet. The decorations on this our third Christmas-tide were not to be compared with the preceding year—a significant sign that there had been more scope for harmonious feeling between officers and men during the last twelve months. "Never mind, lads, we shall spend next Christmas at home," was the word of consolation passed from one mess to another.

It was customary when the fleet was thus assembled to hold battalion-days—that is to say, that all the various crews would land with their rifles and cutlasses, and a field gun from each ship. Headed by the flag-ship's band, we would be marched to a plain, and there engage in infantry drill as a battalion. Meantime the guns' crews were competing with each other as to their qualifications for smartness. The guns would be taken to pieces, unlimbered, and scattered on the ground, and the wheels of the gun-carriage wheeled away a considerable distance. On the order being given to "Limber up, and fire!" the crew which mounted its gun and fired the first shot earned the laurels. On one occasion the gun's crew of the 'Bellerophon' gained the honour, but unfortunately, through the neglect of one to serve the vent, the poor fellow lost his right arm, which was blown into atoms. I am pleased to add that every man and officer in the fleet freely gave him a day's payment, which in its totality amounted to nearly a thousand pounds.

It was during this stay at Bermuda that I was nearly shot dead. With others, I had landed to do my annual firing, which is required of every man in the navy. We had to fire ten shots from each firing point, which were separated a hundred yards apart from each other. There were six firing points, and therefore the limit for firing at the target was six hundred yards. I had fired my ten shots from the first point, and now had receded to the two hundred yards range. We fired in couples. I had made eight bull's eyes on the target, which delighted me, and after discharging my tenth shot my shipmate had still to fire his. He held the rifle in the firing position, and was in the act of pulling the trigger, when I passed within two inches of his muzzle. I just cleared it when the bullet was fired. It would have been my fault wholly and solely had an accident happened, as I ought to have dropped to the rear, instead of passing to the front. How can I doubt Providence in the light of this incident? It was God who made the trigger hard to pull that day, and I am positive that had it been an easy pull-off, the bullet would have passed through my head, as my mate fired from the kneeling position.

At Halifax all men who had no tunic were ordered to get one. A tailor came on board and took the measurement of such men, taking on shore the cloth to make the tunics. Twenty-six shillings were deducted from my payment, this being the price of my tunic, as I belonged to the class who were deficient of this article of uniform. Strange to say, a notice was hung up on the board a few weeks later, stating that tunics would henceforth be abolished in Her Majesty's navy. Then followed abundant complaint. "This is a hoax," said one. "Better far had we spent the twenty-six shillings in sausages," remarked another. At the time this notice appeared, I had not even tried on my tunic, and by way of comfort, it was pointed out by the officials that the tunics might be exchanged for fruit in the West Indies. This did not appeal very strongly to any.

For a long time a pet goat was kept on board. (By the way, I may say it was more of a pest than a pet.) It was the most curious animal that ever I had seen. It took a walk around the lower deck almost every night, making a dreadful noise which, of course, proved the means of awaking many sailors. The mess deck in the morning was usually strewn with boots and shoes, and the general cry was—"Where are my shoes?" for you may be sure that he who threw such weapons at the goat would not throw his own. Hence, if a man were looking for his shoes in the morning, it was a sure sign that he had not been annoyed by the goat's lower-deck visit during the night, or in other words, that he was a very sound sleeper.

To the carpenters, however, the goat was useful, as it had a habit of eating the shavings which fell from their benches. That, to my mind, was the one redeeming feature of this goat.

While we were at Bermuda it died. Scores of men went to its funeral. We managed to get a trolly and laid 'Billy' upon it. The procession was formed, and away we marched through the dockyard. Some of us were glad that we should see its face no more, others were rather sorrowful, and expressed their sorrow by wrapping around the goat their tunics. Never was a goat buried with such honours. I cannot tell you how many new tunics were buried with it, but there were many, and when it is remembered that the cost of each was twenty-six shillings one is right in concluding it was rather an expensive funeral.

The Third West Indian Cruise.

Away to the West Indies for the third and last time. We caught a large shark during this trip. Laying at anchor one afternoon in water which was infested by this class of fish, suddenly someone shouted, "There's a shark caught astern!" All hands hurried aft on the poop to see this sight. The bait, consisting of a large piece of pork, had invited this monster, which was now writhing in pain in the water. The gunnery instructor shot it, and with a jigger we hauled it aboard. It was then cut open, and a dexterous marine took out its back-bone, which he cleaned and varnished, and passing a steel rod through the various parts made an admirable walking-stick.

Rowing ashore in the cutter one morning I espied on the landing steps of the pier at Jamaica a large octopus. It had been left high and dry, and was therefore "like a fish out of water." Understanding it was a deadly enemy, I seized a long boat-hook, with which I pierced it to death; then drawing near, I examined it thoroughly, and counted its suckers.