"ye'll hae the gudeness, mr. williams, to be vary parteecular in having the coals trimmed in the bunkers. i've nae been doon in yon bunkers mysel', and i hae nae time at this moment to gang there; but i mind hearin' tell that there's something peculiar about the construction of them, so i'll thank ye to gie your attention to the matter, as i maun gang awa' to the office the noo."
mr. williams, the second engineer, gave a rather gruff and surly response to the order of his chief, who immediately afterwards turned away and went on shore.
i, who was the third officer of the serampore, upon the main-deck of which vessel the above colloquy took place, was standing in the main hatchway attending to the stowage of the cargo, and took but little heed of the circumstance at the time, though events which took place subsequently brought it to my mind.
owing to some derangement of the company's lines of service in the red sea, it had been necessary to bring forward for immediate duty the old serampore, a side-wheeler, which, in consequence of the recent introduction of screw-steamers into our fleet, was beginning to be classed amongst the obsolete ones. orders had been given by the agent at bombay, where the ship was lying, to have the vessel got ready for sea at once and despatched to aden and suez, where her services were required to take the place of another ship in the regular line of eastern communication.
the captain, officers, and engineers had all been hurriedly selected from other vessels and appointed to this ship, the second engineer having been the only officer in charge while she was laid up. he had expected, with much confidence, that he would have been made chief engineer in the event of the ship being wanted again, and, no doubt, felt a considerable soreness at a chief engineer from another ship being put over his head.
at this moment the chief officer called out to me—
"have you got much more room there, hardy? there are two more boat-loads of stuff coming alongside now."
"yes, plenty of room, sir," replied i, and was soon busily engaged in superintending the safe stowage of boxes of tea, cases of indigo, and the other articles that composed our cargo. on the upper deck there was a constant stream of coolies shooting the baskets of coal down into the bunkers on both sides of the deck, through the small round holes which had been made for that purpose, and which were fitted with iron plates for covers let in flush with the deck, when closed.
from the fact that such a ship as the old paddle-steamer serampore was still available for service, it will be readily understood that the incidents i am about to relate did not happen yesterday. in fact it was before the days when the suez canal was opened; and consequently, when it was known in bombay that an extra p. & o. ship was put upon the berth, several officers and others who had come from up country, and were waiting for the regular mail to start to england, seized this opportunity, with the idea of getting a few more days in egypt than they would otherwise have been able to secure.
in due time the serampore was coaled and her cargo all in, so she slipped her moorings at masagon and took up her berth off the apollo bunder, where her passengers were to join her. as it was in the end of the month of july, we anticipated meeting the south-west monsoon in its greatest force, and had prepared for this by sending down all the serampore's upper spars, lowering the topmasts half-way down the lower masts, the backstays being "snaked" across and across the fore and main rigging on both sides, while the fore and main yards only were kept up aloft, and the trysail gaffs, with their respective sails.
"a quiet smoke."
the serampore, as it was the fashion with steam-ships of that period, had a goodly show of top hamper when she was all a-taunto, and stripped in the manner which i have just described, she appeared, in my eyes, to present a melancholy aspect, something like a skinned rabbit. but as i had only recently been enjoying sea life as a midshipman in a large sailing-ship, that fact may excuse the comparison in which i indulged as to her appearance.
we were to sail next morning at nine o'clock, and the evening was passed by the chief and second officers and myself in a quiet smoke and a chat about things in general.
"what's the new skipper like, mr. urquhart?" said the second officer; "do you know anything of him?"
"oh yes," replied the chief officer, "i think he's a very nice fellow."
"what's his name, sir?" said i.
"skeed," replied the chief officer. "he was in the navy once. i believe his nickname there was 'donkey skeed.'"
"'donkey' skeed?" said i, laughing; "what, on account of anything in his appearance?"
"oh no; not on account of his ears," replied the chief, "but on account of his obstinacy. when he once gets an idea in his head, nothing in the world will ever knock it out of him."
"where did you hear all this?" said the second mate.
"oh, i remember hearing about him at home from a naval man i knew who was messmate with him on the west coast."
"well," said the second officer, "there isn't much to be obstinate about at present, except fighting the south-west monsoon."
"exactly," replied urquhart; "and from what he said to me to-day that's just the very thing he's got in his head. he's got a new idea, he says, which he is going to try."
"what is it?" said the second officer and i simultaneously.
"well, he thinks that, instead of steering a direct course for aden right in the teeth of the monsoon, it would be better policy to edge away across the arabian sea on a nor'-west course, making the monsoon a leading wind, because he declares it his opinion that on the arabian coast the monsoon will be either much lighter or have drawn more to the southward."
"what did you say to that?"
"oh, i said i thought it might be so, but that we should have to traverse considerably more distance; to which he replied that the speed at which the ship would travel under the improved conditions of weather would make up for that."
"i'm not at all sure about it," said the second officer.
"nor i," said mr. urquhart. "but i believe he's going to try it this voyage anyhow. good-night, you fellows; i'm going to turn in."
early next morning several bunder-boats came alongside. the bunder-boats of bombay, i may mention, are the most convenient water-carriages possible, and very suitable for the wet and blowy weather prevailing in the monsoon. they are large, roomy boats, with a covered-in cabin in the after-part, capable of holding four or five people comfortably. they are rigged with two short masts and a patémar, or lateen sail, and carry a strong crew. the first passengers to appear were two ladies, two children, and an ayah. these proved to be mrs. woodruff, her sister miss reed, and her two children, the lady having been ordered home from allahabad, where her husband's regiment was stationed, on account of her health. a captain and subaltern of the same regiment, invalided; then two officers, captains thompson and shaw, from poonah, with their wives, going home on furlough; a professor from the university, named spiller; and two more ladies, wives of civil servants, made up the number. while the fourth officer was busy looking after the baggage, and before he had well got it out of the gangway, the quartermaster of the watch called out—
"look out, sir; captain's coming alongside."
"shove that bunder-boat off, out of the way! clear the gangway there!" and in another minute the serampore's white gig flashed up alongside, and captain skeed sprang up the accommodation ladder.
all of us on deck saluted him, and turning hastily to the chief officer, he asked—
"have you ordered steam, mr. urquhart, for nine o'clock?"
"yes, sir."
"the ship appears to be down by the stern. isn't she, mr. urquhart?"
"i believe she is, sir, a little. the carpenter hasn't given me the draught this morning."
"she appeared to me, as i pulled off in my gig, to be eight or nine inches at least, if not more."
"i thought she would do better in monsoon weather a little by the stern, but i'd no idea she was as much as that, and there's nothing in the cargo stowage that i'm aware of to account for it," said the chief officer.
"well, i don't know that it matters very much," rejoined the captain; "at all events, we can't alter it now. see everything ready for slipping from the buoy at nine o'clock. now we'll have breakfast," added he, as eight bells struck. "has the purser come off with the ship's papers yet?"
"not yet, sir; but he's been gone some time. i expect he'll be here every minute," replied mr. urquhart, as they entered the saloon together.
at the appointed hour the serampore slipped from her buoy, and steaming away through the shipping at anchor, soon passed the light vessel, and leaving colaba lighthouse on her quarter, began to breast the heavy seas and face the rain and spray that the fierce monsoon blast drove against her. in half-an-hour's time nothing was visible but the white-capped waves pounding against her bows, dimly seen at times through the thick driving rain that enveloped her, as it were, in a dreary and isolated world of her own.
"this is a pleasant prospect."
"this is a pleasant prospect," thought i to myself, as i buttoned up my oilskins and ascended the bridge ladder to relieve mr. urquhart at eight o'clock.
"keep her west-sou'-west," said that officer, "and call the captain if there is any change."
"all right, sir," said i. "what's she going?"
"five and a half," replied the chief officer; "twelve revolutions. keep a good look-out for ships, mr. hardy."
"ay, ay, sir," said i. "there's one comfort, that we can't change to much worse weather than we've got."
"no," said he with a laugh, as the serampore buried her broad bows right up to the heel of her bowsprit, over an extra heavy sea.
the chief officer and his satellite, the fourth, who kept watch with him, after divesting themselves of their oilskins, betook themselves to the comfortable and well-lighted saloon, where such of the ladies and gentlemen as had not succumbed to the influences of the weather and the diving of the ship, were endeavouring to get up a show of sociability; though not even miss reed, who had struck me at dinner as being a lively, agreeable, and pretty person, had courage enough to attempt a performance on the piano.
"i wonder how many days we're in for of this," thought i to myself, as i paced the bridge, the pitching of the vessel jerking me against the rail at every other step. "let me see—it's about 1700 miles to aden, i think. at the rate we're going, we shall have nearly a fortnight of this. it's enough to make one savage;" and to relieve my feelings, i immediately yelled out to the two look-out men who were on the forecastle (lascars, of course)—
"koop dek agle" ("good look out forward").
"acha, sahib" ("very well, sir"), came back like a shot from the men on duty, who were getting soused every now and then by the seas that broke over the bows.
the night was dark as well as thick. the wind howled shrilly through the serampore's rigging, giving me a melancholy accompaniment to my march backwards and forwards across the bridge platform. i kept a bright look-out for any ships that might be about, as we were just now in the track of vessels bound up to kurrachee or the persian gulf, and i knew that there would be scanty time to do anything to avoid a collision should we chance to meet one. nothing, however, happened to disturb the dull monotony of what sailors would describe as a regular pile-driving business.
at eight bells (midnight) i was glad to deliver up my charge to mr. sinclair, the second officer, and betake myself to my comfortable cabin and repose, which not even the staggering and pitching of the serampore, nor the dash of the spray and rain against my cabin, which was on deck, could disturb.
the next day the weather seemed to be, if possible, worse than it was when we started. the seas were heavier and more irregular, and the wind seemed to blow even harder than it had done. during my forenoon watch the log only showed five knots an hour, and the sky was so thick with rain and mist that we got no sights. some of the passengers made their appearance on deck, and tried to take constitutionals, pacing fore and aft the raised quarter-deck, but soon gave the attempt up as hopeless, and went below to amuse themselves with books or chess, cards or conversation.
my night watch was only a repetition of previous experience, and i fear it would tire my readers if i favoured them with a longer description of the wind, the sea, and the weather. it is necessary to make a voyage in the south-west monsoon before any one can quite realise what it means. the best description of it i can give in a few words is, a lengthened duration of a south-west gale in the english channel, with thick weather and a temperature of about seventy-five or eighty degrees.
on the fourth day out, i was keeping the forenoon watch as usual, and had left the bridge for a moment or two to compare the standard with the binnacle compasses, and as i passed the saloon companion, which had a hood over it facing aft, i saw miss reed with one of her sister's little girls standing at the top of the ladder. of course i lifted my cap and wished her good-morning.
"do you think we shall have any better weather soon, mr. hardy?" she asked. "i've been watching those great seas shoot up under the stern of the ship, and they do look so cruel and savage that it positively frightens one."
"i'm afraid there's not much chance of any real improvement till we get to aden," said i; "but there's nothing that you need be frightened about, for the old ship is as sound as a bell, and is fighting her way on as well as we could expect under the circumstances."
"my sister's a very poor sailor," said she, "and i don't believe she'd have come if she had thought it was going to be anything like this."
i had taken a step aft towards the binnacle, remembering that i was in charge of the deck, and that talking to passengers on duty was not exactly in harmony with the company's regulations, when the serampore, after making a moderate dive, encountered an unusually heavy sea, which threw her nose up into the air, as it were, and miss reed, having for the moment relaxed her hold upon the companion-rail, was, with the child, shot out upon the deck as if she had been flung by a gigantic catapult. the child was rolling towards the rail, where there was only a slight netting, which, if it parted, as being old it very likely might with her weight, would leave nothing between her and the raging sea beneath, when i made a desperate bound forward and caught a firm grip of her dress. at the same time swinging myself round, i was able with my left arm to arrest the headlong rush of miss reed against the corner of the skylight, towards which she was helplessly thrown. but the impetus with which she was flung was so great that i could only save myself from falling by pressing my back against the skylight.
"caught a firm grip of her dress."
in a minute she recovered herself, and seizing the child in her arms, she gave me a grateful look, and murmuring her thanks, allowed me to hand her down the companion.
i had scarcely done this when captain skeed popped his head out of his cabin door.
"send for the chief officer and chief engineer, if you please, mr. hardy."
"ay, ay, sir. quartermaster, tell mr. urquhart and mr. stewart that they are wanted by the captain."
in a few minutes both those officers were closeted with captain skeed.
as i resumed my walk on the bridge, i confess i felt some curiosity to know what the subject of the colloquy going on in the captain's cabin might be, for i was sure that something or other of importance must be under discussion. i had not long to wait for one result, at all events, of the deliberations. directly we made it twelve o'clock, and the second officer had handed in to the captain the ship's position by dead reckoning, for we had seen neither sun, moon, nor stars since we left bombay, i received orders to alter the course.
"keep her away to west-north-west, mr. hardy," shouted the captain from the quarter-deck; "and set the fore and aft sails with a single reef in them."
"port four points, quartermaster," said i; "keep her west-north-west. serang, sub adimee seeah carro seede mar" ("boatswain, pipe all hands make sail").
in a few minutes the trysails were opened out, the reef points tied, and the sails set, together with the fore topmast staysail. the monsoon was blowing from about south-west by south, so that with the sheets hauled flat aft they were just clean full, the luffs only lifting a little as the ship dived over the heavy seas. the alteration in the course brought the sea much broader on the serampore's bow, some of the waves, in fact, coming nearer her beam than her bow, but the canvas steadied her greatly. she only shipped half the quantity of water that she had been doing, and although her progress was not greatly accelerated, she went along much more steadily and comfortably than she had done hitherto. as soon as the sails were set and the men piped to dinner, sinclair came up on the bridge to relieve me.
"what was the council of war about? did urquhart tell you?" asked i.
"oh yes," replied sinclair; "the captain's determined to try his plan of making the arabian coast where the wind will help him, and then steaming up along the land to aden. from what urquhart said, he wanted to be sure about the coals, as we shall have a considerably longer distance to cover by the new route."
"i hope he hasn't made a mistake," said i; and leaving mr. sinclair in charge, i went off to work up the day's reckoning and have my lunch.
for the next five or six days the serampore was kept on the same course with the same canvas set; and it certainly appeared that the captain's theory was an accurate one, for as we approached the coast of arabia the monsoon blew rather less fiercely, and favoured our progress a little more, so that the serampore had been making six and six and a half knots by the log, instead of five and five and a half as she had been making before the course was altered.
on the forenoon of the tenth day from our leaving bombay the weather cleared up a little just before noon, as it frequently does, and gazing intently ahead, i fancied that i could see through the haze of rain that still remained, a darker appearance ahead than there would be with mere mist. at this moment the captain came up on the bridge. i pointed this out to him at once, exclaiming—
"that looks remarkably like the land to me, sir."
"so it does, mr. hardy," said the captain. "unless i'm very much out in my reckoning, we ought to make gebel camar, or the mountains of the moon, as they are called, very soon, and probably what you see is really the land."
at this moment mr. stewart, the chief engineer, came up the bridge ladder in an excited and hasty manner. a glance at his face told me, before he opened his lips, that something was wrong.
"captain skeed, i've just made the discovery that the large pockets in both the foremost bunkers are empty, and we haena got more than a few hours' steaming in the ship."
"good heavens! why you told me the other day that we had eight or ten days' full steaming in the ship."
"i know i did, sir, but i reckoned upon fifty tons in the twa pockets. it appears now that that fellow williams, who, i may say, has behaved more like a deevil than a mon all the voyage, never fashed himsel' to see the coals trimmed into the pockets, as i gave him orders to do in bombay."
"what does he say about it?" said the captain.
"he actually tells me that it was no his business, and i ought to hae seen to it mysel'."
"i never heard of pockets in bunkers before," said the captain.
"nor anybody else," said mr. stewart. "they're just bunkers within the bunkers. ye can't get to them frae the deck, and to fill 'em with coal it has to be passed in by the trimmers through a hole that's cut in the bulkhead."
"confound such contrivances!" exclaimed the captain, stamping his foot on the bridge. "well, mr. stewart, we must make a sailing-ship of her, that's all. there's the land, and we shall have to keep clear of it under canvas. how long will it take you to disconnect?"
"i dinna ken, sir, that ye can disconnect the paddle-wheels at all; and anyhow, if it's possible to do it, the gear will be set as fast as a rock, for i doubt if they've been disconnected since she was built."
"if you can't disconnect, then, can you take the floats off?"
"there's muckle sea on for a job o' that sort; but maybe by lifting the paddle-flaps at the top we could take the upper ones off."
"then keep enough steam so as to move the wheels as required, and set all your engineers to work to unscrew the bolts and take the floats off."
"vera weel, sir," said the engineer, and in a few minutes the four engineers and the boiler maker with all the firemen mounted the paddle-boxes with spanners and hammers, and set to work unscrewing the nuts and removing the floats as fast as they could, the engines in the meantime having been stopped.
the chief officer was then summoned by the captain to commence immediately re-rigging the ship. as the top-masts had to be swayed up and fidded, topsail-yards crossed, and top-gallant mast sent up, besides all the sails being bent to the yards, every soul of the ship's company was fully occupied for the rest of the day.
during all this time the serampore was gradually drifting towards the land, which became more distinct as we approached it.
by sunset the engineers had succeeded in getting off all the floats, the engines having been turned gently to move the wheels as required, and the sailor part of the ship's company had got matters so far advanced that we were able to set reefed topsails and courses upon the ship. the captain then summoned all of us officers to his cabin.
i could see that he had not even yet recovered from the exasperation caused him by what had taken place.
"i have sent for you all," he said, "to ask your opinions on the situation. it's no use to attempt to work the ship to aden under canvas. i propose, therefore, to heave-to till daylight, and then run into one of the bays on the coast to leeward of us. i see there is one marked on the chart between seger and kalfat, near the town of doan, and if i can make that without running up against any rocks i shall anchor the ship there. has any one anything better to propose?"
we all said no, and the council broke up.
in accordance with the decision arrived at, the serampore was hove-to for the night. at daylight next morning all sail was made on her, and with wind abaft the beam she ran in for the spot which captain skeed had indicated as suitable for his purpose.
the coast stood out barren and rocky, but there was a break in it visible right ahead. with the lead going, and a sharp look-out for rocks, we sailed into a small bight or bay under the lee of seger point, and let go her anchor in thirteen fathoms. as the cable was veered out she swung round head to wind and sea with her stern inland; but as she tautened her cable a crash sounded from aft, and we felt her stern bump upon a sunken rock.
"my god!" exclaimed captain skeed, "the ship is lost," and he fell upon the deck insensible. we carried him into his cabin, and the doctor was immediately summoned, but all his efforts to restore animation were unavailing. captain skeed was dead.
