Saturday, April 30th, brought to view a sail on our weather beam, the clipper whaler “Jireh Perry,” of New Bedford, Captain Lawrence. This man was a perfect tyrant on board ship, and no crew had ever sailed with him from home and returned. It was stated, and pretty generally believed, that he had killed no less than three men since he had become master of a ship; yet, because he always was fortunate enough to obtain large quantities of oil, and mean enough to treat his crew so that they would all desert at the last port touched at before leaving for home rather than go home in the ship, thereby leaving all the profits to the owners, he could obtain a ship of whom he liked.
A few days later we spoke the “Alabama,” Captain Coggeshall, who reported that the day before Captain L., of the “Jireh Perry,” had shot his cook for some trifling cause.
On Saturday, May 21st, we “gammed” with our old friends of the “Mohawk.” Probably the reader is unacquainted with the meaning of the term “gam,” which is peculiar to whalemen alone. It is simply visiting from one ship to another. When two ships meet, one captain invites the other to come on board and pass the day. On his arrival with a boat’s crew, the chief mate of the vessel that has given the invitation returns with a boat’s crew from his own ship to the stranger, thus leaving the two captains on one ship, and the two mates on the other, and exchanging boat’s crews. The first salute generally is, “How are you, shipmate? how long are you out? how much oil have you got? what part of the States are you from?” But a short time elapses before all hands are acquainted; the visitors are invited into the forecastle, where some time is spent in spinning yarns. After a short general conversation, the song is called for, and some one, generally the singer of the ship, leads off, singing some love-ditty, pirate, or sailor song, all hands joining in the chorus, and making the welkin ring. The song goes round, and he who can not sing must spin a yarn; all must contribute to the general amusement. The day passes pleasantly away, all labor being suspended except the look-out for whales and sailing the ship. These “gams” are to the sailor moments of recreation, and serve to create general satisfaction among all hands. During these “gams” whales are often raised, and the oil secured on the occasion is equally divided between the two ships, “be the same more or less.”
A queer genius was Captain Hayden, of the “Roscoe.” Meeting him about the 1st of June, Captain Ewer invited him on board. On crossing the “Roscoe’s” stern, we observed that Captain H. had his right arm in a sling. Fears were expressed that he had injured himself in some manner. His head also was bound up in a handkerchief. Coming alongside, the man-rope was swung to him, and he came up the ship’s side with one hand, keeping the other in the sling. After congratulations had been exchanged, Captain E. anxiously inquired what was the matter with his arm, “hoping he had not injured it severely, or broken any bones.” Captain H. replied, his countenance as grave as a judge, that “he had been at work very hard during the day, and his arm being somewhat tired, he was merely resting it!” Captain E. replied that he might have suspected some trick of that kind, and asked him “what was the matter with his head; if that had been hard at work also?” He pulled off the handkerchief which bound it, and exposed a completely bald head; making the remark that “he had not seen a whale for two months, and he had shaved his head, and should keep it so, until he took one hundred barrels of oil.” After passing a very pleasant day and evening they departed. We now shaped our course for the Bonin Islands.
It is sometimes the case that disputes arise among the foremast hands, and, instead of settling the matter in an amicable manner, resort is often had to blows. An instance of this kind occurring about this time, and reaching the captain’s ears, the disputants were called aft, and each were furnished with a rope, and ordered to flog one another until he told them to stop. This novel mode of settling the affair they did not relish, yet obey they must, and at it they went. After belaboring each other to their hearts’ content, they were ordered to cease, and went forward rather ashamed of themselves.
We saw the “E. L. B. Jenny,” of Fairhaven, Captain Marsh, on Friday, June 10th. They had taken, a few days previous, a whale which “stowed down” upward of one hundred and thirty barrels. Such whales are very “few and far between.”
On Wednesday, June 15th, we raised a strange sail to leeward. Running down to her, we found it to be the bark “Empress,” a Peruvian merchantman, from Cumsingmoon, China, to Callao, with four hundred Chinese coolies on board, bound to the mines in Peru. This system of deception is equaled only by the African slave-trade. The Chinese (who are generally of the lower classes) are allured, by flattering inducements, to go to California, or some other equally rich country, where, they are told, they will become rich in a few years, and can return to their own country. As soon as they get them on shipboard, a guard is stationed over them, with orders to shoot down the first one that shows any signs of resistance. Being kept such close prisoners, and on the coarsest food, they are naturally joyous at the sight of land, and leave the vessel with glad hearts, only to enter the slavery of the Peruvian mines. This species of slave-trade is, like the African slave-trade in our own land, forbidden by the laws of the country, but secretly connived and winked at.
“Ormsby’s Peak,” of which we give a sketch taken on shipboard, we saw on Saturday, June 18th. It rises about two hundred feet above the level of the ocean, and has no shallow shores around it. Soundings can not be obtained close to the rock. It is one of nature’s great curiosities.
On Thursday, June 23d, we first raised the Bonin Islands, consisting of Perry’s Group, Peel’s and Bailey’s Islands. We here caught a green turtle, who was asleep upon the water. We soon had him in our coppers, making turtle-soup for all hands.
The morning of Monday, June 27th, saw us close in to Peel’s Island. This island presents a fine appearance from the sea, the land being moderately high, and thickly covered with verdure. On the west side is a fine harbor with good anchorage, and very convenient for ships wishing to water. About 9 A.M. the wind died away, leaving it a dead, dull calm, and the current slowly drifted us toward the northern point of the island. As we neared the land destruction appeared almost inevitable, and we feared that the voyage of the “Emily Morgan” was about being brought to a sudden termination, leaving her bones to bleach upon the rocks. But an overruling Providence held all in His hands, and, when within a stone’s throw of the shore, we struck a westerly current, which swept us clear of the point.