With Scott Before The Mast. Francis H. Davies
under sail only.
So far the voyage had been almost like a yachting cruise and I was enjoying life to the full. The weather got warmer as we worked our way through the Tropics and became very stuffy below decks. Many of us slept on the foc’le. It was lovely to lie and gaze aloft at the sails billowing to the fresh breeze in the moonlight, the only sounds being the slight sighing of the wind through the rigging, the swish, swish of the waters round the bows as the ship sped onward, an occasional shout from the lookout as he struck the bell and hailed the bridge to report ‘all’s well’.
Now that we were under sail some of the ship’s weaknesses became apparent and I, with my mates, was kept very busy. The hand pump too took up a lot of my time as we now depended on it entirely to free the bilges of water from the leak.
One day the main top-gallant yard stripped the lightning conductor from the top gallant mast. This was a number one priority job. It was not the easiest of places to work a breast drill, to bore holes in the copper strips to rivet the ends of the conductor together. The rolling of the ship caused the breaking of more than one drill before the job was completed. Captain Oates was my mate at the time. As soon as this job was done, the out riggers to the main top-gallant mast back stays carried away and had to be renewed.
About this time the after end of the coal-bunker came away from the ship’s side entirely, the fire and bilge pump with it. With the assistance of the Norgwegian Lieutenant. I made three large angle irons and plate brackets, using a rivet forge in the stoke-hold. This made a good strong job and never showed any sign of weakness afterwards. Before I had completed the bunker job I was called on deck. The hoop on the heel of the spanker boom had come off and had, of course, to be replaced at once, so that the spanker could again be set.
Often during the night I would have to strip the hand pump to clean valves. I didn’t mind this job as I generally got a good stiff tot of Peter Dawsons whisky from the officer of the watch. This I appreciated very much for more reasons than one, for I missed my daily tot of rum that I had been used to in the Royal Navy.
‘Splicing the Main Brace’, a tot for all hands was reserved for special occasions, such as birthdays or when the weather was extra bad and both watches were on deck, or any other event or occasion that might serve as an excuse for a celebration. Captain Oates thought the anniversary of Napoleon’s birthday was an event of sufficient importance for celebration. I don’t know whether it actually was the ‘Little corporal’s’ birthday or not, and I’m not quite sure that it worked, but at least it was worth a try on.
When my birthday hove round I went aft, full of the joys of anticipation to collect the usual two bottles to celebrate the occasion with all hands for’d. I got a shock when I was told I had already celebrated my birthday at least four times and the ship had only been in commission about eight months! I chose to believe it was a bit of a leg pull, surely I was not so absent minded as that or was I?
It generally seemed to blow gale force on Sundays, and church which was usually held in the saloon would have to be postponed. Our first real gale happened on a Sabbath. The ship was struck by a sudden squall that split the main top-gallant sail from head to foot before the halyards could be let go to lower the yard.
The top-gallant mast bent like a whip stick. I was sent aloft to examine the mast as it was thought it might have sprung. Whilst I was giving it the once over, standing on the main upper top sail yard and hanging on to the rigging, the ship was stuck by another squall and the halyard of the yard, on which I was standing, was let go with a run. I managed to jump into the rigging and got off with only the loss of my cap which sailed off to leeward it might have been worse.
All hands had a pretty tough time that day hoisting up the yard and then having to let them go again and again whilst the seamen unbent the split sail and bent a new one. The Captain thought this an occasion that warranted the ‘Splicing of the Main Brace’, even a gale might have a silver lining.
By this time we were all becoming real ‘shellbacks’, almost buccaneers, at least that’s how we felt as we hauled on the ropes clad only in a pair of dungaree trousers. The life was certainly agreeing with me for I had already put on a stone and felt fitter than ever before. We took full advantage of the heavy, tropical rain to do our dhobeying (washing clothes). Scuppers were plugged to accumulate the rain water on deck. Then in our birthday suits, we had combined shower bath and washing day. When there was little wind and the ship was scarcely making any headway, some of the officers took their bath over the side on the end of the rope, but an ominous shadow under the ship (Johnny shark) on one occasion caused this style of bathing to lose its popularity. It was considered wiser to take the ‘waters’ in smaller doses by means of a bucket dipped over the side.
Going through the hottest part of the Tropics we were each allowed two small bottles of a very light beer daily. This was greatly appreciated as a change from the ship’s water which however carefully the tanks were looked after, became flat and discoloured with the rolling of the ship. Occasionally a bottle of stout, of a well known export brand, was substitute for the beer. This was excellent but it had one disadvantage, it was odds on the entire contents of the bottle would shoot up under the deckhead and of course be lost.
The ship’s cat in a bunk of its own was comfortable whatever the weather conditions were like for rest of the crew
Commander Evans
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