Part 14 (2/2)
April 20th.--Off the east of Formosa, and during the middle watch, the s.h.i.+ps of the squadron were caught aback in a sudden squall. There was a deuce of a commotion up aloft, sails flapping and splitting, ropes cracking, and blocks rattling till further orders. To establish order amongst these refractory things the hands were called. Next day the wind crept ahead and gradually freshened to what looked and felt extremely like a gale. The poor little ”Foxhound” had a lively time of it, and proved herself unequal to such a buffetting. The ”Curacoa” was signalled to take her in tow, and the two fell rapidly astern, and finally disappeared, to rejoin us about the third day afterwards. On May first the ”Daring” parted company for Napa, the capital of Great Loo-Choo, our destination being Little Loo-Choo.
May 3rd.--I don't know if we do, but sailors ought to feel it a great privilege that they are enabled to see all the wonderful and varied sights so constantly surrounding them--the many countries and people they come in contact with. Of all strange, out of the way, scarce heard of places, perhaps, Loo-Choo has been less subject to the visits of vandals from Europe than any. If I am correctly informed it is now close on thirty years since a s.h.i.+p of war put in to Little Loo-Choo, and certainly never before such a squadron as the present.
But two visits of consequence have taken place during the present century; that of Captain Maxwell in the ”Alceste,” in 1817; and that of Commodore Perry, of the U.S. navy, in 1853; so that the little we do know of this _ultima thule_ is derivable from these sources. Strangely enough, the two accounts are broadly opposed to each other. Captain Maxwell found the people gentle, simple, and courteous; possessed of no money, no arms, without police, or punishments; whilst the land, he said, was an earthly paradise. I have in my possession an old print ent.i.tled ”the voyage of the 'Alceste,'” written by the surgeon of that s.h.i.+p; and that part of it which refers to this visit is most pleasurable reading. The commodore, on the other hand, endeavours to shew many of Captain Maxwell's eulogies to be erroneous. It is certain, says he, that the Loo-Chooans possess and understand the use of both money and arms; and that they have a very severe and cruel code of punishment. So far as we are able, let us judge which of the two descriptions comes nearest the truth.
The Loo-Choo group of islands lies in the North Pacific, and forms a semi-circle, extending from j.a.pan to the island of Formosa. The inhabitants number under three millions, perhaps. The two princ.i.p.al islands of the group are known as Great and Little Loo-Choo. It is to the latter that the following remarks must be understood to refer. This island is almost intersected by a narrow arm of the sea reaching far, far away inland amongst the richly clad hills and mountains. This, according to the charts, is Hanc.o.c.k bay, up which we are steaming.
Nature is looking her best as we pa.s.s, and wafting off to us her sweetest smells; a green summer mantle clothes every eminence and gentle slope; and the nestling villages have such a quiet, peaceful look, that it seems almost a pity to disturb them--as we certainly shall--from their dream-like repose. Each village possesses its water mill or mills, so that the natives are not entirely ignorant of mechanics.
Hundreds of canoes, of the rudest construction, crammed with men, women, and children, put off to us when we came to anchor. Though it is said they are of mixed Chinese and Ano origin; the people are of cast countenance, and style of dress peculiar to the j.a.panese; they have, however, a way of doing their hair, all their own. The men gather all theirs into a tuft at the poll, where it is secured with a silk marling, the extreme ends forming a sort of fringe, like a plume of feathers. The very fine, long, and glossy hair of the women is rolled jauntily on the top of the head in a loose spiral coil, resembling the volutes of a sh.e.l.l. Through this rather graceful head-dress they stick a long silver pin, in some cases a foot long.
They appear a very timid race. This is particularly noticeable on board.
Whether it was because they saw none of their own s.e.x amongst us, I know not; but I doubt if the women saw much of what they had come to see, as most of their time was pa.s.sed in eclipse under their husbands' lee, and whose hands they never once loosed from the time of entering the s.h.i.+p until they left us again. We treated them to sailors' fare, allowing them the free run of our bread barges, and endeavoured all we could--but without success--to set them at their ease. They were all highly perfumed with the penetrating odour of garlic. I noticed that the married ladies, in common with Ano women, tattoo the backs of their hands, though not their mouths.
One king generally suffices a people,--and even one is often found too much--but this race tolerates _three_, or did until very recently; one of their own; the emperor of China, whom they call father; and the mikado of j.a.pan, whom they style mother. To both their ”parents” they pay an immense tribute, which annually absorbs two-thirds of their produce. It will be inferred from this that the condition of the lower cla.s.ses is very unfavorable.
Since we have been on this station these islands have been a bone of contention, between China and j.a.pan, as to which shall possess them; the old ”father” and ”mother” farce being recognised as played out by mutual consent. The j.a.ps, in 1877, took the initiative, and sent an expedition to Napa, and forcibly made the native king prisoner; and before the Chinese were aware of what was taking place, the j.a.panese were administering the laws in all parts of the little kingdom, and gradually absorbing it into their empire. The question between the two nations is far from being settled yet, and may at any future time prove a _casus belli_.
The appearance of the houses on sh.o.r.e has given rise to not a little speculation. All that we are enabled to make out of them from the s.h.i.+p is a thatched roof raised about ten feet off the ground, and supported on four stout uprights. Can these be dwelling houses? On landing, and coming close up with them, we at once saw that whatever else they were intended for, they were not places of abode. Close under the admirably palm thatched roof is a strongly-made, tray-shaped floor, with a small locked door beneath the eaves. Such was their simple structure. After a little thought, we arrived at the conclusion that they must be granaries for the stowage of grain, possibly the government tribute houses, as they were of different design and vastly superior build to the mud and stick hovels in which the people live. In their surroundings the natives exhibit all the squalor and dirt of China, with none of the cleanlier qualities of the people of j.a.pan. Though they followed us about in droves, they never attempted any familiarities; in fact our first overtures were treated with awe-like silence. The only words we understood, in common with them, were ”tabac” and ”Ya-pun” (j.a.pan); indeed j.a.pan is the beginning and end of their ideas--their one standard of perfection. Everything they noticed about us--watches, biscuit, the b.u.t.tons on our clothing, our _boots_ even--were all qualified with the word ”Ya-pun,” in a most admiring and reverential tone. Seemingly the Loo-Chooans have never heard of England, though on pa.s.sing a school house--wherein were about a score of children on their knees behind a similar number of box-like desks, one of the youngsters jumped up and shewed me an English spelling book!
We saw no money amongst them. They however recognised the j.a.panese silver yen, but more on account of the inscription on it than from any knowledge of its money value, I think. b.u.t.tons were eagerly sought after.
Their wants seem to be extremely few and simple; and being excellent agriculturists and expert fishers, the land and sea amply supply these demands. Their chief export is raw sugar. We noticed some women at rude looms engaged in manufacturing a coa.r.s.e kind of cloth out of cocoa-nut fibre; but from its appearance most of their wearing apparel is of j.a.panese fabrication. The parents are very affectionate towards their children--who, by the way, don't trouble their mammas for more clothes than they were born in, until they are about seven or eight years old.
The earth teems with beautiful and profuse vegetation--for the most part in a wild state. Magnificent convolvuluses and lilies, rare ferns--of which I gathered, perhaps, as rare a collection--amongst them two or three species of tree ferns, great raspberries and gooseberries; and a very arcadia of flowers, lovely objects all for the artist's pencil.
The women seem devoid of that quality we so much admire in Englishwomen, and which is so rarely found beyond England's sh.o.r.es--the quality of modesty. It is rather embarra.s.sing, for instance, whilst bathing to find your clothes--which you had left on the beach--the centre of an admiring and criticising crowd of ladies, handling and trying on each separate article of your rather intricate wardrobe, and wis.h.i.+ng, no doubt, the owner would swim to sh.o.r.e and help them in their efforts. Such unaffected simplicity and ingenuousness is most refres.h.i.+ng to witness.
How extremely alike child nature is all over the world! Observing a little half-famished girl in a canoe alongside, I handed her a piece of jam tart through the port. At first she was at a loss what to do with it, but soon following out an universal law in such cases, she ventured to put it to her mouth. The result may be expected; for no matter how widely tastes differ, every child likes jam. It was real good to see the hearty way in which that copper-skinned maid smacked her tiny cherry lips, and looked her grateful thanks through her great l.u.s.trous almond eyes. With the intention, perhaps, of sharing the delicacy with her brothers and sisters, who shall say? she carefully wrapped up the remainder, and placed it inside her only garment. How often, dear reader, have you and I not done similarly at school feasts? Though this little Loo-Choo's heart was willing, the flesh was weak; the parcel was again taken out, re-examined, and re-tasted--but with evident reluctance--till, finally, after a few ineffectual efforts to overcome selfishness, the whole was consumed.
It is satisfactory to be able to write that in their dealings with this simple people our men acted always with kindness and consideration; paying, or offering payment--for it was generally refused--for everything they had.
The arrival of the ”Swift” with our mails was the signal for our departure from pleasant Loo-Choo.
Perhaps it may be remembered that just about this time English society at home seems to have undergone a mental crisis which, at one time, certainly threatened the fabric of its reason; and all about that absurd pachyderm ”Jumbo.” Of course, more or less, any agitation emanating from home must in time reach Englishmen abroad; thus the ”Jumbo” wave visited these seas, and day after day, week after week, it was nothing but ”Jumbo.” You would have thought the whole s.h.i.+p's company was sickening for elephantiasis. Some funny fellow in the squadron noticing this weakness, attached the name to our s.h.i.+p which, amongst the blue jackets at least, has entirely supplanted the original one. But this by the way.
Well, we reached Nagasaki without accident; coaled, and left for Kobe,--south of Kiusiu--with a rattling breeze fair abaft. All went smoothly until we arrived off Satano-Misaki, the southernmost point of Kiusiu. The word ”Satano,” if it be, as is said, of Portuguese origin, needs no comment. Here the fine breeze forsook us, and left us in a flat and quite unexpected calm; for, generally speaking, in rounding this cape the reverse of calms is met with. To make matters still more unpleasant, a heavy ground swell began to set through the straits, and the squadron having fires drawn at the time we all found ourselves in the doldrums. Still, however, there was something of a current which had its effect on the s.h.i.+ps, so that it was impossible to keep in anything like station. In this state of affairs the ”Curacoa” drifted on top of the ”Daring,” and cracked her up a bit, rendering extensive repairs to her absolutely necessary. She was despatched on to Kobe for this purpose.
After varying fortunes, now a calm--anon a gale, we arrived at Kobe on June 3rd. This makes the sixth time during the commission we have touched at this place, and strange coincidence! on fives times out of the six we have anch.o.r.ed at noon, and have dined off that delightful compound, pea-soup, on entering the harbour.
Meanwhile the admiral and the ”Swift” are away in Corea, negociating a treaty with that nation.
On reaching Yokohama we found our antic.i.p.ated pleasures doomed to disappointment; for that yearly visitant, cholera, was holding high revel in the town, and doing pretty well just as it pleased.
Nevertheless, the admiral arrived the previous day, and gave leave to the squadron until 9 p.m., with injunctions against visiting certain localities.
A few days subsequently we were joined by the ”Cleopatra,” late of the flying squadron, but detached at Suez for service on this station. The ”Comus,” meanwhile, is about to leave for the Pacific to replace the ”Champion,” ordered to join our flag.
In spite of the precautions supposed to have been observed, cholera at length discovered itself in the fleet; and on the 27th June a case from the ”Vigilant” and another from the ”Encounter,” were conveyed to the hospital. At once further restrictions were placed on the leave, and though not absolutely stopped it was curtailed to sundown.
July 2nd.--Resumed our cruise (now under the admiral) to the northward.
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