Although I had seen many wonderful
views, many new and interesting natural phenomena, I yet longed for
my accustomed fields, in which we do not find magnificent and
overpowering scenes, but lovelier and more cheerful ones. The
separation from Herr Knudson and the family of Bernhoft was more
difficult. I owed all the kindness I had experienced in the island,
every good advice and useful assistance in my travels, only to them.
My gratitude to these kind and good people will not easily fade from
my heart.
At noon I was already on board, and had leisure to admire all the
gay flags and streamers with which the French frigate anchoring here
had been decked, to celebrate the anniversary of the July
revolution.
I endeavoured to turn my attention as much as possible to exterior
objects, and not to look at our ship, for all that I had
involuntarily seen had not impressed me very favourably. I
determined also not to enter the cabin till we were in the open sea
and the pilots had left our sloop, so that all possibility of return
would be gone.
Our crew consisted of captain, steersman, two sailors, and a cabin-
boy, who bore the title of cook; we added that of valet, as he was
appointed to wait on us.
When the pilots had left us, I sought the entrance of the cabin, -
the only, and therefore the common apartment. It consisted of a
hole two feet broad, which gaped at my feet, and in which a
perpendicular ladder of five steps was inserted. I stood before it
puzzled to know which would be the best mode of descent, but knew no
other way than to ask our host the captain. He shewed it me at
once, by sitting at the entrance and letting his feet down. Let the
reader imagine such a proceeding with our long dresses, and, above
all, in bad weather, when the ship was pitched about by storms. But
the thought that many other people are worse off, and can get on,
was always the anchor of consolation to which I held; I argued with
myself that I was made of the same stuff as other human beings, only
spoiled and pampered, but that I could bear what they bore. In
consequence of this self-arguing, I sat down at once, tried the new
sliding-ladder, and arrived below in safety.
I had first to accustom my eyes to the darkness which reigned here,
the hatches being constructed to admit the light very sparingly. I
soon, however, saw too much; for all was raggedness, dirt, and
disorder. But I will describe matters in the order in which they
occurred to me; for, as I flatter myself that many of my
countrywomen will in spirit make this journey with me, and as many
of them probably never had the opportunity of being in such a
vessel, I wish to describe it to them very accurately.
