Two Years Before the Mast
not to let the convicts get our knives from us when on shore. The
worst part of the convicts, I found, were locked up under sentry in
caves dug into the side of the mountain, nearly halfway up, with
mule-tracks leading to them, whence they were taken by day and set to
work under task-masters upon building an aqueduct, a wharf, and other
public works; while the rest lived in the houses which they put up for
themselves, had their families with them, and seemed to me to be the
laziest people on the face of the earth. They did nothing but take a
paseo into the woods, a paseo among the houses, a paseo at the
landing-place, looking at us and our vessel, and too lazy to speak
fast; while the others were driving--or rather, driven--about, at a
rapid trot, in single file, with burdens on their shoulders, and
followed up by their task-masters, with long rods in their hands, and
broadbrimmed straw hats upon their heads. Upon what precise grounds
this great distinction was made, I do not know, and I could not very
well know, for the governor was the only man who spoke English upon the
island, and he was out of my walk.
Having filled our casks, we returned on board, and soon after, the
governor, dressed in a uniform like that of an American militia
officer, the Padre, in the dress of the grey friars, with hood and all
complete, and the Capitan, with big whiskers and dirty regimentals,
came on board to dine. While at dinner, a large ship appeared in the
offing, and soon afterwards we saw a light whale-boat pulling into the
harbor. The ship lay off and on, and a boat came alongside of us, and
put on board the captain, a plain young Quaker, dressed all in brown.
The ship was the Cortes, whaleman, of New Bedford, and had put in to
see if there were any vessels from round the Horn, and to hear the
latest news from America. They remained aboard a short time and had a
little talk with the crew, when they left us and pulled off to their
ship, which, having filled away, was soon out of sight.
A small boat which came from the shore to take away the governor and
suite--as they styled themselves--brought, as a present to the crew, a
large pail of milk, a few shells, and a block of sandal wood. The milk,
which was the first we had tasted since leaving Boston, we soon
despatched; a piece of the sandal wood I obtained, and learned that it
grew on the hills in the centre of the island. I have always regretted
that I did not bring away other specimens of the products of the
island, having afterwards lost all that I had with me--the piece of
sandal wood, and a small flower which I plucked and brought on board in
the crown of my tarpaulin, and carefully pressed between the leaves of
a book.
About an hour before sun-down, having stowed our water casks, we
commenced getting under weigh, and were not a little while about it;
for we were in thirty fathoms water, and in one of the gusts which came
off shore had let go our other bow anchor; and as the southerly wind
draws round the mountains and comes off in uncertain flaws, we were
continually swinging round, and had thus got a very foul hawse. We hove
in upon our chain, and after stoppering and unshackling it again and
again, and hoisting and hauling down sail, we at length tipped our
anchor and stood out to sea. It was bright starlight when we were
clear of the bay, and the lofty island lay behind us, in its still
beauty, and I gave a parting look, and bid farewell, to the most
romantic spot of earth that my eyes had ever seen. I did then, and have
ever since, felt an attachment for that island, altogether peculiar.
It was partly, no doubt, from its having been the first land that I had
seen since leaving home, and still more from the associations which
every one has connected with it in their childhood from reading
Robinson Crusoe. To this I may add the height and romantic outline of
its mountains, the beauty and freshness of its verdure, and the extreme
fertility of its soil, and its solitary position in the midst of the
wide expanse of the South Pacific, as all concurring to give it its
peculiar charm.
When thoughts of this place have occurred to me at different times, I
have endeavored to recall more particulars with regard to it. It is
situated in about 33º 30' S., and is distant a little more than three
hundred miles from Valparaiso, on the coast of Chili, which is in the
same latitude. It is about fifteen miles in length and five in
breadth. The harbor in which we anchored (called by Lord Anson,
Cumberland bay) is the only one in the island; two small bights of land
on each side of the main bay (sometimes dignified by the name of bays)
being little more than landing-places for boats. The best anchorage is
at the western side of the bay, where we lay at about three cables'
lengths from the shore, in a little more than thirty fathoms water.
This harbor is open to the N.N.E., and in fact nearly from N. to E.,
but the only dangerous winds being the south-west, on which side are
the highest mountains, it is considered very safe. The most remarkable
thing perhaps about it is the fish with which it abounds. Two of our
crew, who remained on board, caught in a few minutes enough to last us
for several days, and one of the men, who was a Marblehead man, said
that he never saw or heard of such an abundance. There were cod,
breams, silver-fish, and other kinds whose names they did not know, or
which I have forgotten.
There is an abundance of the best of water upon the island, small
streams running through every valley, and leaping down from the sides
of the hills. One stream of considerable size flows through the centre
of the lawn upon which the houses are built, and furnishes an easy and
abundant supply to the inhabitants. This, by means of a short wooden
aqueduct, was brought quite down to our boats. The convicts had also
built something in the way of a breakwater, and were to build a
landing-place for boats and goods, after which the Chilian government
intended to lay port charges.
Of the wood I can only say, that it appeared to be abundant; the island
in the month of November, when we were there, being in all the
freshness and beauty of spring, appeared covered with trees. These were
chiefly aromatic, and the largest was the myrtle. The soil is very
loose and rich, and wherever it is broken up, there spring up
immediately radishes, turnips, ground apples, and other garden fruits.
Goats, we were told, were not abundant, and we saw none, though it was
said we might, if we had gone into the interior. We saw a few bullocks
winding about in the narrow tracks upon the sides of the mountains, and
the settlement was completely overrun with dogs of every nation,
kindred, and degree. Hens and chickens were also abundant, and seemed
to be taken good care of by the women. The men appeared to be the
laziest people upon the face of the earth; and indeed, as far as my
observation goes, there are no people to whom the newly-invented Yankee
word of "loafer" is more applicable than to the Spanish Americans.
These men stood about doing nothing, with their cloaks, little better
in texture than an Indian's blanket, but of rich colors, thrown over
their shoulders with an air which it is said that a Spanish beggar can
always give to his rags; and with great politeness and courtesy in
their address, though with holes in their shoes and without a sou in
their pockets. The only interruption to the monotony of their day
seemed to be when a gust of wind drew round between the mountains and
blew off the boughs which they had placed for roofs to their houses,
and gave them a few minutes' occupation in running about after them.
One of these gusts occurred while we were ashore, and afforded us no
little amusement at seeing the men look round, and if they found that
their roofs had stood, conclude that they might stand too, while those
who saw theirs blown off, after uttering a few Spanish oaths, gathered
their cloaks over their shoulders, and started off after them.
However, they were not gone long, but soon returned to their habitual
occupation of doing nothing.
It is perhaps needless to say that we saw nothing of the interior; but
all who have seen it, give very glowing accounts of it. Our captain
went with the governor and a few servants upon mules over the
mountains, and upon their return, I heard the governor request him to
stop at the island on his passage home, and offer him a handsome sum to
bring a few deer with him from California, for he said that there were
none upon the island, and he was very desirous of having it stocked.
A steady, though light south-westerly wind carried us well off from the
island, and when I came on deck for the middle watch I could just
distinguish it from its hiding a few low stars in the southern horizon,
though my unpracticed eyes would hardly have known it for land. At the
close of the watch a few trade-wind clouds which had arisen, though we
were hardly yet in their latitude, shut it out from our view, and the
next day,
Thursday, Nov. 27th, upon coming on deck in the morning, we were again
upon the wide Pacific, and saw no more land until we arrived upon the
western coast of the great continent of America.
CHAPTER VIII
"TARRING DOWN"--DAILY LIFE--"GOING AFT"--CALIFORNIA
As we saw neither land nor sail from the time of leaving Juan Fernandez
until our arrival in California, nothing of interest occurred except
our own doing on board. We caught the south-east trades, and run
before them for nearly three weeks, without so much as altering a sail
or bracing a yard. The captain took advantage of this fine weather to
get the vessel in order for coming upon the coast. The carpenter was
employed in fitting up a part of the steerage into a trade-room; for
our cargo, we now learned, was not to be landed, but to be sold by
retail from on board; and this trade-room was built for the samples and
the lighter goods to be kept in, and as a place for the general
business. In the mean time we were employed in working upon the
rigging. Everything was set up taut, the lower rigging rattled down,
or rather rattled up, (according to the modern fashion,) an abundance
of spun-yarn and seizing-stuff made, and finally, the whole
standing-rigging, fore and aft, was tarred down. This was my first
essay at this latter business, and I had enough of it; for nearly all
of it came upon my friend S---- and myself. The men were needed at the
other work, and M----, the other young man who came out with us, was
laid up with the rheumatism in his feet, and the boy was rather too
young and small for the business; and as the winds were light and
regular, he was kept during most of the daytime at the helm; so that
nearly all the tarring came upon us. We put on short duck frocks, and
taking a small bucket of tar and a bunch of oakum in our hands we went
aloft, one at the main royal-mast-head and the other at the fore, and
began tarring down. This is an important operation, and is usually
done about once in six months in vessels upon a long voyage. It was
done in our vessel several times afterwards, but by the whole crew at
once, and finished off in a day; but at this time, as most of it came
upon two of us, and we were new at the business, it took us several
days. In this operation they always begin at the mast-head and work
down, tarring the shrouds, back-stays, standing parts of the lifts, the
ties, runners, etc., and go out to the yard-arms, and come in, tarring,
as they come, the lifts and foot-ropes. Tarring the stays is more
difficult, and is done by an operation which the sailors call "riding
down." A long piece of rope--top-gallant-studding-sail halyards, or
something of the kind--is taken up to the mast-head from which the stay