The pirates who kept the Indian Ocean in such a state of excitement, during a great portion of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, made this their stronghold for some time; but having dug through the solid lava a distance of fifteen feet in search of water, they abandoned their intention of settling there, and took up their abode in St. Mary’s island, on the east coast of Madagascar. In 1799, a force from Bombay, under Lieutenant Colonel Murray, was sent to occupy it, with the view of preventing the French troops, then engaged in the occupation of Egypt, from proceeding to India to effect a junction with Tippoo Saib. The troops were subsequently withdrawn, and it has remained unoccupied until the British standard was again hoisted upon it in 1857.
There being no water on the island, and but a scanty supply to be obtained from the adjoining mainland, the water-tanks which have been lately constructed are supplied from Aden, and reservoirs to collect the rain are being erected, which, together with a condensing apparatus, will fully supply its wants in this respect.
In proceeding up the Red Sea the weather was oppressively hot, and at night the majority of the passengers were to be found on deck—sleep being almost out of the question. In the day time the awnings—good, strong, and thick as they were, well fitted, and beautifully spread—afforded but a poor protection against the powerful sun. From noon to three in the afternoon one was best below to avoid a sun-stroke, which with some appeared imminent.
The ship was greatly over-crowded with passengers; all invalids, and many of them in a most critical position. There was abundance of discontent, but those on board the vessel were not at all to blame; everything the vessel afforded was dealt out with a liberal hand, and from Captain Cooper, the commodore of the line, to the youngest subordinate, all was attention and civility.
Soon after passing Perim we sighted the comet, and this afforded a subject of wonder and conversation to all. Two days before arriving at Suez, the coals in the bunkers ignited, and the fire was kept down by large applications of water; but the matter was well concealed by the officers of the “Simla,” and I believe that few of those on board were aware of the great danger we were in at one time.
We arrived at Suez on the morning of the 6th October, and the “Columbia” arrived a few hours after us, with the Australian mails and passengers. As it was telegraphed from Alexandria that the steamer of the Australian line was at anchor in that harbour, and the Peninsular and Oriental steamer had not arrived, of course the “Australians” got the preference, and the “Indians” had to wait until the former were despatched by train.
By a succession of blunders, caused by the employés on shore, we had neither lunch nor dinner on board the “Simla;” and as we were all hurried to our breakfast at six o’clock in the morning, we were in want of some refreshment on landing at Suez at 4 P.M.
At the hotel they could have given us some dinner, but the railway people told them that a sumptuous entertainment was provided on the road.
The railroad not being finished to Suez, we had to perform some portion of the journey in two-wheeled machines, very similar to those used in England for sea-bathing. Each of these machines contained six persons, and they were drawn by two horses in the shafts and two mules for leaders. There were about thirty of these machines to start together, and having formed our party of six, we took possession of one of these vehicles.