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Chapter IV. Heading South

As soon as the ship cleared land her anchors were got on board and securely lashed on the foc’le and the cables unbent and stowed in the chain-lockers. The hawse pipes, which were open to the mess deck under the foc’le, were then plugged with large wooden plugs (hawse plugs) and well cemented before fitting an iron plate over the whole inside, which in turn was also cemented. This kept the mess deck dry and snug. The cable would not be again bent until we approached our next port of call, which might be a matter of weeks or even months.

After leaving Cardiff we made for Funchal, Madeira. The weather was very fine with light head winds so we steamed all the way. This gave an opportunity to get all the loose stores that had been brought aboard at the last moment properly stowed and everything as it should be aloft.

We had been at sea a few days when it was reported to me that the skid beams over the galley, which had been fitted in London for the stowage of two of the lifeboats, were ‘on a wind’ as the sailors put it, meaning they were working badly with the rolling of the ship. On examination I discovered the reason, both boats had been loaded to capacity with all the crockery, glassware, cases of bottled stores and other fragile articles for safety. There must have been at least a ton or so. The skids were never intended, or expected to stand up to such an undue strain. I fixed them by fitting two heavy struts, or shores, one on each side of the ship. These were quite effective and were still in place when we left the ship at the end of the expedition.

From the very outset the spirit of the expedition was the spirit of Drake. The gentlemen pulled with the mariners, and the success achieved was in a great measure due to the splendid cooperation of all hands irrespective of rank. I do not suggest for one moment there was any easy going familiarity, such as one meets everywhere today, for we had the greatest respect and admiration for our officers and would have followed them anywhere. They were of course ‘hand picked’ one might say, there were no less than eleven thousand applications from people in all walks of life, eager to sail this great adventure.

All the Afterguard, with the exception of the Captain and the watch keeping officers, were detailed to work with the seamen in watches, making and furling sail, and even the scientists soon became very much at home whether aloft or sweating up the braces on deck.

Captain Oates and Doctor Atkinson were also told to work with me as carpenters mates when not otherwise employed on deck. Captain Oates was extremely keen and soon became very useful. I often gave him jobs which he did entirely on his own.

Between times the scientists fitted in the work of their own particular ologies. One of them, Doctor Nelson, kept regular watches in the engine room as engineer in charge of the watch when the ship was under steam. Often, when passing through the tropics, an officer would take over the fireman’s watch just to give him a spell, and at the same time earn a little fresh water from the hot well for a bath.

When the ship was steaming, coal had to be trimmed from the main hold to the coal bunkers on the poop. This was another job which the Afterguard made their own during the forenoons.

They also did most of the hand pumping when the ship was under sail only. Everybody was kept fully occupied and there was never any lack of volunteers for any old job that turned up.

The food was of the very best quality and plenty of it, full and plenty, no waste as it says in ship articles. We had two excellent chefs who took a pride in their craft and only once during the whole three years did we miss a meal, a breakfast, during exceptionally bad weather and even then we had a large slab of chocolate apiece.

About eight days after leaving Cardiff we arrived at Madeira. What a beautiful sight the island was from the harbour in the sunshine of a lovely summer’s afternoon. Almost as soon as we had dropped anchor we were surrounded by scores of bum boats loaded with all kinds of wares for sale, or even exchange for old clothes, fruit, cigars, perfume, jewellery, a great variety of table and household linen, gorgeous ladies’ underwear, most of it the beautiful needle work for which the island is well known.

The guides, all clamouring at once to be engaged to show off the sights of the island, were a scourge. The best way it seemed to rid oneself of this nuisance was to engage the most pugnacious member of the fraternity to keep the remainder off. After dark the place was like a scene from fairyland, illuminated with myriads of tiny coloured lamps amongst the trees which with the strumming of guitars, the scents of luscious fruits and flowers on the balmy air was something not easily forgotten.

A voluntary boat’s crew from the Afterguard, including the Captain, came in for us in the evening, I‘m afraid I, at least, did not feel very comfortable to be sitting back whilst the officers bent their backs to the oars. It was something I had not been used to in ‘Andrew Miller’ (RN) and just goes to show how deep are the habits formed by long training.

Before sailing we took a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables aboard. Amongst the fruit was a large basket of lovely ripe apricots, I had never seen them before, except out of tins, and didn’t even guess what they were.

The weather continued fine as we steamed southwards to pick up the north east Trade Winds. Shoals of flying fish continually bobbed out and in the long, oily swell, some no bigger than a good size bumble bee whilst the largest of them were a little larger than a herring. They shoot out of the water to escape from their enemies, the porpoises and dolphins, and can fly comparatively long distances. It is always a point for discussion as to whether they fly or just volplane. I have watched them very carefully but cannot claim to have seen their wings move in the same way a bird flies. It was particularly noticeable they kept going by just touching the water with the lower half of their tails, which they wriggled violently and gained sufficient impetus to continue their flight. I think a hundred to two hundred yards is easily within their power. At night, after dark, it is usual to fix a light on the rail of the ship to attract these fish, and it is very rare not to find a few on deck in the morning. They are very good eating and well worth no little trouble to get a nice fresh fish breakfast. They have very large wings, almost transparent, and beautifully marked like butterflies. The sailors used to set these wings on pieces of board to dry before varnishing them as souvenirs for their friends at home. It was generally the case of many were dried but few were varnished. The ship’s cat soon found out where they came from and would wait in place of vantage for them to fly on board.

Soon we picked up the Trade Winds which blow steadily from the north east. Fires were drawn to save coal for the times when we would get head winds, or perhaps no winds at all, as in the Doldrums and we were then under sail only.

So far the voyage had been almost like a yachting cruise and I was enjoying life to the full. The weather got warmer as we worked our way through the Tropics and became very stuffy below decks. Many of us slept on the foc’le. It was lovely to lie and gaze aloft at the sails billowing to the fresh breeze in the moonlight, the only sounds being the slight sighing of the wind through the rigging, the swish, swish of the waters round the bows as the ship sped onward, an occasional shout from the lookout as he struck the bell and hailed the bridge to report ‘all’s well’.

Now that we were under sail some of the ship’s weaknesses became apparent and I, with my mates, was kept very busy. The hand pump too took up a lot of my time as we now depended on it entirely to free the bilges of water from the leak.

One day the main top-gallant yard stripped the lightning conductor from the top gallant mast. This was a number one priority job. It was not the easiest of places to work a breast drill, to bore holes in the copper strips to rivet the ends of the conductor together. The rolling of the ship caused the breaking of more than one drill before the job was completed. Captain Oates was my mate at the time. As soon as this job was done, the out riggers to the main top-gallant mast back stays carried away and had to be renewed.

About this time the after end of the coal-bunker came away from the ship’s side entirely, the fire and bilge pump with it. With the assistance of the Norgwegian Lieutenant. I made three large angle irons and plate brackets, using a rivet forge in the stoke-hold. This made a good strong job and never showed any sign of weakness afterwards. Before I had completed the bunker job I was called on deck. The hoop on the heel of the spanker boom had come off and had, of course, to be replaced at once, so that the spanker could again be set.

Often during the night I would have to strip the hand pump to clean valves. I didn’t mind this job as I generally got a good stiff tot of Peter Dawsons whisky from the officer of the watch. This I appreciated very much for more reasons than one, for I missed my daily tot of rum that I had been used to in the Royal Navy.

‘Splicing the Main Brace’, a tot for all hands was reserved for special occasions, such as birthdays or when the weather was extra bad and both watches were on deck, or any other event or occasion that might serve as an excuse for a celebration. Captain Oates thought the anniversary of Napoleon’s birthday was an event of sufficient importance for celebration. I don’t know whether it actually was the ‘Little corporal’s’ birthday or not, and I’m not quite sure that it worked, but at least it was worth a try on.

When my birthday hove round I went aft, full of the joys of anticipation to collect the usual two bottles to celebrate the occasion with all hands for’d. I got a shock when I was told I had already celebrated my birthday at least four times and the ship had only been in commission about eight months! I chose to believe it was a bit of a leg pull, surely I was not so absent minded as that or was I?

It generally seemed to blow gale force on Sundays, and church which was usually held in the saloon would have to be postponed. Our first real gale happened on a Sabbath. The ship was struck by a sudden squall that split the main top-gallant sail from head to foot before the halyards could be let go to lower the yard.

The top-gallant mast bent like a whip stick. I was sent aloft to examine the mast as it was thought it might have sprung. Whilst I was giving it the once over, standing on the main upper top sail yard and hanging on to the rigging, the ship was stuck by another squall and the halyard of the yard, on which I was standing, was let go with a run. I managed to jump into the rigging and got off with only the loss of my cap which sailed off to leeward it might have been worse.

All hands had a pretty tough time that day hoisting up the yard and then having to let them go again and again whilst the seamen unbent the split sail and bent a new one. The Captain thought this an occasion that warranted the ‘Splicing of the Main Brace’, even a gale might have a silver lining.

By this time we were all becoming real ‘shellbacks’, almost buccaneers, at least that’s how we felt as we hauled on the ropes clad only in a pair of dungaree trousers. The life was certainly agreeing with me for I had already put on a stone and felt fitter than ever before. We took full advantage of the heavy, tropical rain to do our dhobeying (washing clothes). Scuppers were plugged to accumulate the rain water on deck. Then in our birthday suits, we had combined shower bath and washing day. When there was little wind and the ship was scarcely making any headway, some of the officers took their bath over the side on the end of the rope, but an ominous shadow under the ship (Johnny shark) on one occasion caused this style of bathing to lose its popularity. It was considered wiser to take the ‘waters’ in smaller doses by means of a bucket dipped over the side.

Going through the hottest part of the Tropics we were each allowed two small bottles of a very light beer daily. This was greatly appreciated as a change from the ship’s water which however carefully the tanks were looked after, became flat and discoloured with the rolling of the ship. Occasionally a bottle of stout, of a well known export brand, was substitute for the beer. This was excellent but it had one disadvantage, it was odds on the entire contents of the bottle would shoot up under the deckhead and of course be lost.

The ship’s cat in a bunk of its own was comfortable whatever the weather conditions were like for rest of the crew

Commander Evans