Part 12 (1/2)
The sea was rugged, and the _Spray_ washed heavily when hauled on the wind, which course I took for the island of Rodriguez, and which brought the sea abeam The true course for the island est by south, one quarter south, and the distance was nineteen hundred miles; but I steered considerably to the ard of that to allow for the heave of the sea and other leeward effects My sloop on this course ran under reefed sails for days together I naturally tired of the never-ending ot whenever I showed myself on deck Under these heavy weather conditions the _Spray_ see behind on her course; at least, I attributed to these conditions a discrepancy in the log, which by the fifteenth day out fro amounted to one hundred and fifty miles between the rotator and the one, and so I kept an eye lifting for land I could see about sundown this day a bunch of clouds that stood in one spot, right ahead, while the other clouds floated on; this was a sign of soht, as the sloop sailed on, a black object appeared where I had seen the resting clouds It was still a long way off, but there could be no uez I hauled in the patent log, which I was noing more from habit than fro before this If one thing was clearer than another in her voyage, it was that she could be trusted to coh at the saive her the benefit of even the least doubt The officers who are over-sure, and ”know it all like a book,” are the ones, I have observed, reck the most shi+ps and lose thewas one often e fish; two out of the four blades of the rotator were crushed or bent, the work probably of a shark Being sure of the sloop's position, I lay down to rest and to think, and I felt better for it
By daylight the island was abeam, about three miles away It wore a hard, weather-beaten appearance there, all alone, far out in the Indian Ocean, like land adrift The ard side was uninviting, but there was a good port to leeward, and I hauled in now close on the wind for that A pilot came out to take h a narrow channel a that at all of the islands some reality was insisted on as unreal, while improbabilities were clothed as hard facts; and so it happened here that the good abbe, a few days before, had been telling his people about the co of Antichrist, and when they saw the _Spray_ sail into the harbor, all feather-white before a gale of wind, and run all standing upon the beach, and with only one man aboard, they cried, ”May the Lord help us, it is he, and he has come in a boat!” which I say would have been theNevertheless, the neent flying through the place
The governor of the island, Mr Roberts, came down immediately to see what it was all about, for the little toas in a great commotion
One elderly woman, when she heard of my advent, made for her house and locked herself in When she heard that I was actually co up the street she barricaded her doors, and did not coht days Governor Roberts and his family did not share the fears of their people, but came on board at the jetty, where the sloop was berthed, and their exa boys took charge of the _Spray's_ dinghy at once, and reat hospitality toto the _Spray_
My first day at this Land of Promise was to me like a fairy-tale For many days I had studied the charts and counted the tiht his entrance to the Islands of the Blessed, looking upon it as the ter run, s hich, from this time on, I could keep well supplied And behold, here was the sloop, arrived, and uez On the first evening ashore, in the land of napkins and cut glass, I saw before s with handles knocked off Instead of tossing on the sea, however, as I ht hall, surrounded by sparkling wit, and dining with the governor of the island! ”Aladdin,” I cried, ”where is your laot at Gloucester, has shown s than your smoky old burner ever revealed”
The second day in port was spent in receiving visitors Mrs Roberts and her children came first to ”shake hands,” they said, ”with the _Spray_” No one was now afraid to come on board except the poor old woman, who still maintained that the _Spray_ had Antichrist in the hold, if, indeed, he had not already gone ashore The governor entertained that evening, and kindly invited the ”destroyer of the world” to speak for hiers of the sea (which, after the manner of many of our frailest mortals, he would have had sht and darkness he exhibited on the wall pictures of the places and countries visited on the voyage (nothing like the countries, however, that he would have roaning, ”Wicked world! Wicked world!”
When this was finished his Excellency the governor, speaking words of thankfulness, distributed pieces of gold
On the following day I accompanied his Excellency and fa the hills The good abbe of San Gabriel entertained us all royally at the convent, and we re his place, the abbe said, ”Captain, I eion you e, and that our Saviour the Christ be alith you!” To this good ionists been so liberal there would have been less bloodshed in the world”
At Rodriguez onepure and wholeso built a reservoir in the hills, above the village, and laid pipes to the jetty, where, at the tih tide In former years ater was used, and more or less sickness occurred from it Beef may be had in any quantity on the island, and at a moderate price Sweet potatoes were plentiful and cheap; the large sack of thes kept unusually well I siranates were e sack of them, as many as a donkey could pack from the orchard, which, by the as planted by nature herself
CHAPTER XVII
A clean bill of health at Mauritius--Sailing the voyage over again in the opera-house--A newly discovered plant na ladies out for a sail--A bivouac on deck--A warm reception at Durban--A friendly cross-examination by Henry M Stanley--Three wise Boers seek proof of the flatness of the earth--Leaving South Africa
[Illustration: The _Spray_ at Mauritius]
On the 16th of Septeuez, the mid-ocean land of plenty, I set sail, and on the 19th arrived at Mauritius, anchoring at quarantine about noon The sloop was towed in later on the same day by the doctor's launch, after he was satisfied that I had mustered all the crew for inspection Of this he seemed in doubt until he examined the papers, which called for a crew of one all told fro that I had been well enough to coave me pratique without further ado There was still another official visit for the _Spray_ to pass farther in the harbor The governor of Rodriguez, who had ular mail, private letters of introduction to friends, told me I should meet, first of all, Mr
Jenkins of the postal service, a good man ”How do you do, Mr
Jenkins?” cried I, as his boat swung alongside ”You don't know me,”
he said ”Why not?” I replied ”Froain replied, very solemnly ”And alone?” ”Yes; why not?” ”And you know o,” cried I, ”when you and I had a warmer job than we have now” (even this was hot) ”You were then Jenkinson, but if you have changed your na soul, entered into the spirit of the jest, which served the _Spray_ a good turn, for on the strength of this tale it got out that if any one should go on board after dark the devil would get him at once And so I could leave the _Spray_ without the fear of her being robbed at night The cabin, to be sure, was broken into, but it was done in daylight, and the thieves got no s before ”Toht them red-handed, as it were, and sent the to pilferers, for they feared Ledson more than they feared Satan himself Even Mamode Hajee Ayoob, as the day-watchman on board,--till an ehtened hihts, or even till the sun went down ”Sahib,” he cried, ”there is no need of it,” and what he said was perfectly true
At Mauritius, where I drew a long breath, the _Spray_ rested her wings, it being the season of fine weather The hardshi+ps of the voyage, if there had been any, were now computed by officers of experience as nine tenths finished, and yet soet that the United States was still a long way off
The kind people of Mauritius, to ed up the opera-house, which they had named the ”_shi+p Pantai_”[F] All decks and no bottoave me free use of it while I talked over the _Spray's_ adventures His Honor the overnor from the poop-deck of the _Pantai_ In this way I was also introduced again to our good consul, General John P Campbell, who had already introducedwell acquainted, and was in for it now to sail the voyage over again How I got through the story I hardly know It was a hot night, and I could have choked the tailor who overnor saw that I had donelike a man ashore, and he invitedfriends
[F] Guinea-hen
It inter still off storht whistle there I deter Rose Hill, Curipepe, and other places on the island I spent a day with the elder Mr Roberts, father of Governor Roberts of Rodriguez, and with his friends the Very Reverend Fathers O'Loughlin and McCarthy Returning to the _Spray_ by way of the great flower conservatory near Moka, the proprietor, having only that reat honor named it ”Slocu hiood botanist sees are in different countries! In Boston, Massachusetts, at that tientleman, so I was told, paid thirty thousand dollars to have a flower na flower either, while ”Slocuel-wurzel!
I was royally entertained at Moka, as well as at Reduit and other places--once by seven young ladies, to whom I spoke of my inability to return their hospitality except inthe!” they all cried
”Then please name the time,” I said, as meek as Moses ”To-o, ood for a whole week afterward, aunty! Say yes, aunty dear!” All this after saying ”To-irls in Mauritius are, after all, the sairls in America; and their dear aunt said ”Me, too” about the saht say inrecurred to me that on the very ”to-morroas to dine with the harbor-master, Captain Wilson
However, I said to h seas; these young ladies will have _h to be at the dinner, after all” But not a bit of it We sailed alht of Mauritius, and they just stood up and laughed at seas tu the worst weather of it I could, and spinning yarns to the aunt about sea-serpents and whales But she, dear lady, when I had finished with stories of ht along, enough to last a week, for I had told them about my wretched steward
Theladies seasick, the more they all clapped their hands and said, ”How lovely it is!” and ”How beautifully she skims over the sea!” and ”How beautiful our island appears from the distance!” and they still cried, ”Go on!” We were fifteen er cry, ”Go on!” Then the sloop swung round, I still hoping to be back to Port Louis in time to keep my appoint the coast fast enough; but Ithe coast on the way home, for as we came abreast of Tombo Bay it enchanted my crew ”Oh, let's anchor here!” they cried