They Were
Certainly Very Beautiful, But Not Equal To What Has Been Said Of Them.
They Are Too Indistinct.
To do the fish justice, there is nothing more
beautiful than the dolphin when swimming a few feet below the surface,
on a bright day.
It is the most elegantly formed, and also the quickest
fish, in salt water; and the rays of the sun striking upon it, in its
rapid and changing motions, reflected from the water, make it look
like a stray beam from a rainbow.
This day was spent like all pleasant Sabbaths at sea. The decks are
washed down, the rigging coiled up, and everything put in order;
and throughout the day, only one watch is kept on deck at a time.
The men are all dressed in their best white duck trowsers, and red
or checked shirts, and have nothing to do but to make the necessary
changes in the sails. They employ themselves in reading, talking,
smoking, and mending their clothes. If the weather is pleasant,
they bring their work and their books upon deck, and sit down upon
the forecastle and windlass. This is the only day on which these
privileges are allowed them. When Monday comes, they put on their
tarry trowsers again, and prepare for six days of labor.
To enhance the value of the Sabbath to the crew, they are allowed on
that day a pudding, or, as it is called, a "duff." This is nothing
more than flour boiled with water, and eaten with molasses. It is
very heavy, dark, and clammy, yet it is looked upon as a luxury,
and really forms an agreeable variety with salt beef and pork.
Many a rascally captain has made friends of his crew by allowing
them duff twice a week on the passage home.
On board some vessels this is made a day of instruction and of
religious exercises; but we had a crew of swearers, from the
captain to the smallest boy; and a day of rest, and of something
like quiet, social enjoyment, was all that we could expect.
We continued running large before the north-east trade winds for
several days, until Monday -
September 22d; when, upon coming on deck at seven bells in the
morning, we found the other watch aloft throwing water upon the
sails; and looking astern, we saw a small clipper-built brig with
a black hull heading directly after us. We went to work immediately,
and put all the canvas upon the brig which we could get upon her,
rigging out oars for studding-sail yards; and continued wetting
down the sails by buckets of water whipped up to the mast-head,
until about nine o'clock, when there came on a drizzling rain.
The vessel continued in pursuit, changing her course as we changed
ours, to keep before the wind. The captain, who watched her with
his glass, said that she was armed, and full of men, and showed no
colors. We continued running dead before the wind, knowing that
we sailed better so, and that clippers are fastest on the wind.
We had also another advantage. The wind was light, and we spread
more canvas than she did, having royals and sky-sails fore and aft,
and ten studding-sails; while she, being an hermaphrodite brig, had
only a gaff topsail, aft. Early in the morning she was overhauling
us a little, but after the rain came on and the wind grew lighter,
we began to leave her astern. All hands remained on deck throughout
the day, and we got our arms in order; but we were too few to have
done anything with her, if she had proved to be what we feared.
Fortunately there was no moon, and the night which followed was
exceedingly dark, so that by putting out all the lights and altering
our course four points, we hoped to get out of her reach. We had no
light in the binnacle, but steered by the stars, and kept perfect
silence through the night. At daybreak there was no sign of anything
in the horizon, and we kept the vessel off to her course.
Wednesday, October 1st. Crossed the equator in long. 24° 24' W.
I now, for the first time, felt at liberty, according to the old
usage, to call myself a son of Neptune, and was very glad to be
able to claim the title without the disagreeable initiation which
so many have to go through. After once crossing the line you can
never be subjected to the process, but are considered as a son of
Neptune, with full powers to play tricks upon others. This ancient
custom is now seldom allowed, unless there are passengers on board,
in which case there is always a good deal of sport.
It had been obvious to all hands for some time that the second mate,
whose name was F - - -, was an idle, careless fellow, and not much of
a sailor, and that the captain was exceedingly dissatisfied with him.
The power of the captain in these cases was well known, and we all
anticipated a difficulty. F - - - (called Mr. by virtue of his office)
was but half a sailor, having always been short voyages and remained at
home a long time between them. His father was a man of some property,
and intended to have given his son a liberal education; but he, being
idle and worthless, was sent off to sea, and succeeded no better there;
for, unlike many scamps, he had none of the qualities of a sailor -
he was "not of the stuff that they make sailor of." He was one of that
class of officers who are disliked by their captain and despised by the
crew. He used to hold long yarns with the crew, and talk about the
captain, and play with the boys, and relax discipline in every way.
This kind of conduct always makes the captain suspicious, and is never
pleasant, in the end, to the men; they preferring to have an officer
active, vigilant, and distant as may be, with kindness.
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