The call of "all hands up anchor," awakened us on the morning of the 18th of March, and before all hands were on deck, we were being towed out of the harbor by one of the small steamers, to undertake the longest part of our cruise. The view was then as fine as could be imagined; we were near the outlet, but Corcovado, Sugarloaf, The Forts, and town were all in sight, and we had but to turn our eyes from one magnificent sight, to have them greeted by another. I was much struck by the appearance of Sugarloaf Mountain as we passed; it is of great height, and the reader will readily understand the peculiarity which gives its name. At the time a cloud encircled its brow, within a short distance of the summit, yet leaving its peak plainly visible, as if a wreath had been cast over it, and had rested in that position. But soon Rio, and its beauties had faded in the distance, and we were steering our lonely course for the Cape.
CHAPTER II.
Telling Tales out of School—Double the Cape—The Flying Dutchman—Albatross and Cape Pigeons—Catching the Albatross—The Man who Ate the Albatross—Superstition of Sailors—Man Overboard—Lying to—Accident—Death—The Sailor's Grave.
It is very difficult to find incidents on board of a man-of-war which you can feel justified in setting before the public; for be it known, in regard to the "secrets of this prison-house," that "such unwonted blazon may not be." Now, on board a merchantman, a person might, if afflicted with Cacoethes Scribendi, detail the peculiarities of the skipper, and any little accident which may have befallen him; such as the admixture of briny fluid, which Father Neptune may have chosen to infuse into his glass of sherry, by sending an envoy, in the shape of a wave, across the poop, who dropped his credentials as he passed over the unclosed skylight: the numerous evils which befell the mate: the jokes of Jones: the puns of Smith, or the sallies of Sandy. But here we are forbidden to walk shodden over sacred ground and details of the cruise must be confined to generalities; otherwise the travels of the celebrated Gulliver would be eclipsed, Baron Munchausen lose his claim to veracity, and the shade of the venerable Miller slink back to its original punishment.
A strong northerly wind drove us along the coast of Brazil a little farther south than was our intention to have steered; but upon its changing, we mended our course, and soon doubled the Cape of Good Hope, without any incident worthy of notice,—not even seeing the Flying Dutchman; and if I except the white-winged albatross which followed in our wake, and the graceful Cape pigeon that strove to emulate our speed, I may say that, to all appearance, we were alone upon the ocean,—the moving centre of one vast dial of water enlarging its circumference as we advanced. But here I must be allowed to notice the occurrence of one of those coincidences which serve to keep alive those smouldering fires of superstition, which Education and Experience have done so much to quench. It had been the practice to fish (?) for the friendly and companionable albatross with a line towed astern, to which a hook was attached, baited with a piece of pork. Now many had been the protests made against these proceedings by some of our most stanch and fearless men. They prophesied in substance, if not in words, that
"It was not, nor could it come to good."
Yet these prophecies were disregarded, and notwithstanding their solemn murmuring and ominous shakings of the head, the sport was continued; and many a wondering albatross was bitten, when he took a bite at the treacherous pork; until one day, after numbers had been taken, one of the messes determined to have a sea-pie, of which the body of one of these birds should be the component part. If force could have been used to prevent the consummation of this deed, that mess had not dined that day: but as the crew on board of a man-of-war have no other recourse but to report their grievances to the first lieutenant, and that not being deemed advisable in such a case, these men were allowed to eat the albatross. Now I do not pretend to identify the captor of the bird, nor was I able to point out the person who ate the greater portion of him when transformed into a pie; but it so happened that the next morning, about seven bells, the ship was alarmed by the cry of "A man overboard!" This is an appalling sound at any time; but when the ship is making ten knots, with a heavy sea on, the chances for a fellow-creature's fate, make the moment one of dreadful anxiety, and especially to the commander, one of fearful responsibility; as to save one life, that of ten or more must be risked. Ready for the occasion, ours never hesitated. The ship was put about at once, and as her headway was reduced, a boat prepared for lowering, volunteers to the rescue called away, and the boat at once so crowded as to make it necessary to order men out of her before she could be let down. She had barely touched the water, when the men gave way; but now came the difficulty, which way to steer? Our velocity had been so great as to leave the poor fellow miles astern; and as every one had been engaged at his station in wearing ship, the bearings of the place where he was struggling for dear life had become confused. Twenty voices shouted out "Pull there!" "Pull here!" and as many hands pointed to as many different directions. Our commander, who had carefully scanned the surrounding waters, and had shown the greatest solicitude for the fate of the poor fellow, combined with that steady coolness so necessary in such moments, ordering silence, made a signal for the boat to pull towards a spot where a number of albatross were hovering. The midshipman in the boat at last comprehending the signal, pulled as directed; and then, after hoisting in what appeared to be the life-buoy, which had been let go on the first alarm, headed for the ship. To lessen the distance, in such a heavy swell, the ship also approached the boat; and as she bent her head gracefully towards that which she had so long sustained at her side, I could hardly divest my mind of the idea that she was possessed of instinct, and sought with maternal eagerness her tiny child, which had strayed upon the ocean. As the boat approached, from the forecastle the man's form could be distinguished;—he was saved! Soon he was handed over the side, given over to the surgeon to resuscitate, and the next day was about, and attending to his duty. And now for the connection of the albatross with this accident. One of his messmates declared most solemnly that he had seen an albatross sweeping over the topgallant forecastle whenever this man—who had feasted upon one of his kind—had appeared upon it; and that at the very moment of his disappearance, (he fell from the head,) this same identical bird had made a swoop, and carried him overboard! Then, the men in the boat also affirmed, that when they reached the drowning man, two albatross were holding him up by the hair, whilst others, circling round his head, pecked wickedly at his face; thus retaliating upon one who had devoured their species, by picking his bones in return. But if the truth must be told, however disposed the birds may have been, they were the means used by Divine Providence to prolong the sailor's life; for they not only sustained him, as they would have done any other desirable object, by pecking at it, but also directed us where to send the boat to his assistance. So the man who ate, escaped the more prolonged punishment of him who
——"shot the albatross."