Sail After Sail Was Added, As We Drew Into Fine Weather; And In
One Week After Leaving Cape Horn, The Long Topgallant Masts Were
Got Up, Topgallant And Royal Yards Crossed, And The Ship Restored
To Her Fair Proportions.
The Southern Cross we saw no more after the first night; the
Magellan Clouds settled lower and lower in the horizon; and so
great was our change of latitude each succeeding night, that we
sank some constellation in the south, and raised another in the
northern horizon.
Sunday, July 31st. At noon we were in lat. 36° 41' S., long.
38° 08' W.; having traversed the distance of two thousand miles,
allowing for changes of course, in nine days. A thousand miles
in four days and a half! - This is equal to steam.
Soon after eight o'clock, the appearance of the ship gave evidence
that this was the first Sunday we had yet had in fine weather.
As the sun came up clear, with the promise of a fair, warm day,
and, as usual on Sunday, there was no work going on, all hands
turned-to upon clearing out the forecastle. The wet and soiled
clothes which had accumulated there during the past month, were
brought up on deck; the chests moved; brooms, buckets of water,
swabs, scrubbing-brushes, and scrapers carried down, and applied,
until the forecastle floor was as white as chalk, and everything
neat and in order. The bedding from the berths was then spread on
deck, and dried, and aired; the deck-tub filled with water; and a
grand washing begun of all the clothes which were brought up.
Shirts, frocks, drawers, trowsers, jackets, stockings, of every
shape and color, wet and dirty - many of them mouldy from having
been lying a long time wet in a foul corner - these were all washed
and scrubbed out, and finally towed overboard for half an hour;
and then made fast in the rigging to dry. Wet boots and shoes
were spread out to dry in sunny places on deck; and the whole
ship looked like a back yard on a washing day. After we had
done with our clothes, we began upon our own persons. A little
fresh water, which we had saved from our allowance, was put in
buckets, and with soap and towels, we had what sailors call
a fresh-water wash. The same bucket, to be sure, had to go
through several hands, and was spoken for by one after another,
but as we rinsed off in salt water, pure from the ocean, and the
fresh was used only to start the accumulated grime and blackness
of five weeks, it was held of little consequence.
We soaped down and scrubbed one another with towels and pieces
of canvas, stripping to it; and then, getting into the head,
threw buckets of water upon each other. After this, came shaving,
and combing, and brushing; and when, having spent the first part of
the day in this way, we sat down on the forecastle, in the afternoon,
with clean duck trowsers, and shirts on, washed, shaved, and combed,
and looking a dozen shades lighter for it, reading, sewing, and
talking at our ease, with a clear sky and warm sun over our heads,
a steady breeze over the larboard quarter, studding-sails out alow
and aloft, and all the flying kites aboard; - we felt that we had
got back into the pleasantest part of a sailor's life.
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