As this settlement is part of a penal colony to which Great Britain consigns her malefactors, for from five years to the duration of their lives, to atone for offences against the laws of their country, the society is not, consequently, what we at home would call select; but, such as it is, it has its aristocracy. Although the majority of the inhabitants are convicts, some of whom have served out their term of punishment, the word convict amongst themselves is never used—it being apparently banished, by common consent, from their conversation. The convicts here form three grades—the members of the first, comprising those whose sentences have not been ameliorated, are under the strict surveillance of the government, and employed on government work. The second class are known as “ticket of relief holders;” these, for uniform good conduct, receive this ticket, which entitles them to choose their own employers and place of residence; but at the same time they are expected to give information as to where they reside to the police, and to be within doors at 8 o’clock in the evening. If these ticket holders continue to conduct themselves in a praiseworthy manner, they then receive a conditional pardon, which entitles them to leave the country, but at the same time debars them from returning to Great Britain or Ireland; or, if condemned in the colonies, from returning to the place of conviction; permission is, however, accorded to them to take up their residence in any other part of this colony, or in any colony under the control of the English government—England, by this precaution, guarding against the return of her prison population to her own shore. Hence these men, knowing that the stigma of conviction will cling to their skirts as long as they remain in this country, anxiously desire to embark in whalers—the United States being, in their eyes, the land of promise—and in this way numbers of emigrants of very doubtful character land on our shores. It is customary for whale-ships to engage some of these men; occasionally discharging their entire original crew, and shipping these in their places. We had a number of them during the voyage, and in this port we shipped two. I cannot but deprecate the practice of introducing men of such vicious antecedents, into a forecastle in which are American youths, who, by intercourse with such people, begin quickly to have very crude ideas of morality; and, unless there is some strong-minded person, with a clear, cool head, to rebut their specious arguments, they exercise an injurious influence on the minds of the young.
During the remainder of our stay in this port, we were engaged in giving liberty, boating ashore goods that had been sold or exchanged for potatoes—other vegetables not being procurable. Beef was furnished sparingly, it being alleged that a sufficient supply of it could not be procured; but as I then was, and since have been informed, that thousands of cattle were within a short distance of the town, the story requires confirmation to make it credible.
The articles chiefly disposed of here were Yankee notions—fancy shoes, soap, calicos, saddles, and other such stores. Formerly the whalers that resorted to these ports for provisions found a market for all their surplus articles; but, at the present time, over-importation has caused a total stoppage of their trade, except at ruinous prices. Every whale-ship that comes into this vicinity brings tons of tobacco in her outfit, and very little, if any, duty is paid upon it—it being mostly smuggled ashore. On the starting of a ship for port, the foremast hands always resort to the slop-chest for tobacco, which they carry ashore and dispose of at three times its original price; thus eking out their liberty-money to a respectable sum, and, much or little, expending it quickly.
The excise is guarded by the police, who, as a matter of form, look into every boat that comes in; but I have never seen any difficulty in carrying ashore, anywhere in the colony, twenty or thirty pounds of the weed about the person; and, once ashore, purchasers are readily found.
A few Americans are to be found here, in every case deserters from whaleships; who invariably, if at all attentive to business, in the course of a few years, accumulate an independence; but, unfortunately, they are too apt to imbibe a taste for that curse of this country, rum, and live from hand to mouth, until, becoming unsettled and weary, they embark aboard another whaler, and in time get home, having little or nothing due them, after a voluntary exile of eight or ten years from home and friends.
On the second liberty-day, given to the larboard watch, Kedge Anchor took French leave and fled to the bush for concealment. For some days we saw nothing of him; but, after a week’s absence, he was at the beach, very anxious to get aboard on any conditions. He returned miserably filthy and covered with vermin; his clothing almost gone, and what he had left was all of one color, from wallowing in his various sleeping places. Whilst ashore, he was under the guidance of a fellow, who, by flaming accounts of the condition of the country, induced him to desert, intending to apply to our captain for his berth. On Kedge’s return, he was greeted with laughter, in which he heartily joined; and, as it was impossible to get angry at him, he escaped with a reprimand; the captain at the same time assuring him, that if, at any future time, he repeated the attempt, he would not allow him to return aboard. What effect this had we shall discover as we proceed.
At 10¹⁄₂ A. M. on the morning of February 12th, the ship James Allen, and barque Henry M. Crapo, hove up their ground tackle and stood out to sea. The captain of the James Allen had been vaunting of the speed of his ship, and confidently asserting that she would outsail any ship or barque in the harbor, he issued a challenge. We hove up at 11 o’clock, half an hour later than he, and in the course of two hours had both the Crapo and James Allen on our lee quarter. As we passed the latter, our captain facetiously desired them to let go that hawser. They were too badly beaten to answer without displaying their chagrin; they therefore were discreet, and said not a word. As this ship was our consort from this time until July, 1857, I shall describe her and her appointments. Like us, she was built from an old fashioned model, but was a much younger ship. Her captain was of a diminutive person, and strove to atone for his small size by blustering; his first officer, who, from all accounts, governed the ship, delighted in a display of pugilistic powers, and kicked, cuffed, and boxed the men on the slightest provocation. She was two months longer from home than we, and up to this time had taken no oil. One circumstance that I omitted, in my remarks on Vasse, was the fact of a collation and a ball, held on board this ship whilst we lay there. Invitations were issued, and the elite of the vicinity, for miles around, accepted them, and at about 3 o’clock P. M. were conveyed aboard the Allen by the boats of the vessels in the harbor. All the vessels had their colors hoisted; the captains and chief mates were the only guests from the vessels. When the boats with their freight arrived alongside, a chair that had a whip attached to it was lowered, the ladies, singly, placed in it, and, reposing on the American flag, hoisted aboard. Here a canvass screen was extended across the quarter-deck, just abaft the mainmast, and, after a hearty repast, a negro fiddler, who is an American by birth, and the principal headsman at the bay whale-fishery, was called into requisition, and, with the assistance of a triangle player, discoursed music for the dancers. Soon the whole assembly were tripping the light fantastic toe, on the well-worn decks that had faced many a gale. The scene was pleasing. The coils of rigging, the shrouds, and lower masts dimly lit up by the globe lanterns, reflecting a striking picture, and reminding one of the smugglers’ jubilees, after a successful run; hardy, weather-beaten men, leading in the dance; fair maidens, I was about to say—but the scathing sun of Australia allows very few females to boast a fair complexion, although their nut-brown cheeks glow with health. The respectability of these people I know nothing about, except from hearsay; but that they were a motley collection I was assured of the following day, by hearing an old resident, a female, describe their efforts, or rather the efforts of some of the party, to appear covered with finery—devoting days to scouring the country and collecting it. My fair countrywomen must not think me embittered against their sex, or that I am anxious to do them injustice—God forbid; as a man and a sailor, I would scorn to do so; but as an American, I feel the superiority of my countrywomen over all of the sex in other countries that it has been my privilege to see; and to favorably compare these females with those of my native country, would, in my eyes, be an insult to the latter.
I must advert to another circumstance before taking final leave of the Vasse for “fifty-six”—that is the existence of the whale-fisheries in this bay; there being one here, and one thirty miles to the north-east, at a town known as Bunbry. At certain seasons the right and humpback whales resort to the various bays on this coast for the purpose of producing their young. A look-out is stationed on an eminence ashore, and several boat’s crews being near at hand, at the appearance of a whale the alarm is given, and they start in pursuit. At times their work is very easy, but if the whale should run out to sea, after being struck, they are obliged to tow him to the shears, and frequently a day and night are consumed in this arduous employment. If the whale is attended by a calf, they always fasten to the latter first, knowing that the mother, in her solicitude for her offspring, is very careful not to use her tremendous flukes; or if a humpback, her sweeping fins: but woe betide the boat, unless an experienced boat-header directs it, that is in the vicinity when she discovers that her calf is dead. She then remains close to the lifeless body, striking right and left with flukes and fins, to avenge her loss; and as the slightest tap from these formidable weapons would cause destruction, it requires all the boat-header’s adroitness to avoid them. The officers, boatsteerers, and, if they can by any means be procured, two-thirds of the crews are Americans: we having a world-wide reputation for skill in this pursuit.
CHAPTER IV.
And now we will return to our old barque, that we left beating out of Geographe bay, having distanced both her competitors, and established her reputation as a fast ship. At night we shortened sail and stood quarter watches, and from this time until the middle of the succeeding month, little occurred to vary the sameness of our life. We were aroused from inaction by the appearance of sperm whales. The boats were lowered, and the waist boat fastening, both irons drew. A few minutes after, the starboard boat fastened to another. These irons holding, after a two hours’ conflict we had a fine sperm whale alongside the ship without accident, except the voluntary discharge of the bomb-lance gun, which, fortunately, was productive of no injury. We had good weather, and soon he was disposed of in our lower hold. The following morning after his capture, we saw three other New Bedford ships employed in cutting in whales, making four of us successful in the war of extermination against the old squareheaders. The sperm whale, swimming in immense schools, and always pursuing a direct route, all ships that lay in their course have a chance at them. I have heard it asserted that at night these whales heave to, resuming their course at daybreak; but, although my informants were men who had been in the service for years, I consider this a mistaken opinion, as during the whole of our voyage I saw nothing to corroborate it. I have seen sperm whales at dusk, and in the night, and they were always on the move, and could not be discerned the following morning from the masthead.