TOUR IN CALIFORNIA. CHAPTER I. Departure from the Chesapeake-The Straits of Le Maire-A Squall-Fire at Night-Straits of Magellan-Remarks on Lima and its Inhabitants-Carthagena. ABOUT midsummer, in the year 1845, we sailed from the Chesapeake in the fine sloop-of-war Cyane, to join the United States Squadron cruising in the Pacific. We had a long passage of fifty-six days to Rio Janeiro, nothing of consequence occurring to break the monotony of the trip, the ship's company being chiefly occupied in the exercises customary on board a man-of-war, at the commencement of the cruise, which are necessary to render the crew efficient to contend either with "the battle or the breeze." We crossed the equator in longitude 21 deg. west, and in a few days afterwards took the S. E. trade; but, unluckily, in latitude 20 deg. south, we encountered an equinoctial storm, after which we had head winds until our arrival at Rio. Our stay there was short, as we were under orders to get on our station as soon as possible, in view both of the threatening aspect of our relations with México, and of the expectation which then prevailed that England might interfere in case our forces on the Pacific should land to take possession of any portion of the Mexican territory. 2 OFF CAPE HORN. After leaving port, we had more head winds, and a gale from the eastward. Arriving off Staten land on the twentysecond day out, we found ourselves near the coast, with the Straits of Le Maire lying most invitingly open before us, and a fine leading wind from the northward, which would have carried us through in a few hours. Had we taken advantage of our favorable position we should have shortened our passage by a fortnight of its worst weather; but instead of doing so, we stood to the eastward round Cape St. Juan, thereby depriving ourselves of sixty miles of westing, for which we paid dearly. During twenty-five days we had the wind dead ahead, veering from W. N. W. to W. S. W., with a head sea, and gales of wind succeeding each other in rapid succession, blowing in heavy squalls, accompanied with snow and hail. Our gallant ship, however, proved herself a good seaboat and weatherly enough, although very wet and uncomfortable, like all single-decked sloops-of-war. She ran no risk except once, when, at the close of a tremendous squall, a huge "comber" came curling over the lee-quarter, and stepped on board, deluging the deck, fore and aft, waist deep, and washing away some light articles. Had this ugly customer come in to windward it might have proved troublesome, for one of those mountainous seas fairly shipped would swamp a deep-waisted ship of this class. Thus, and slowly enough, wore away the tempestuous month of November off Cape Horn. In this stormy region the squalls come up in massy threatening clouds, which lurk near the horizon, while the sky above is perfectly clear; but suddenly the tempest bursts upon the devoted ship with a fury which would do credit to a legion of unchained demons, and the lurid clouds, like an assailing army, discharge volleys of sleet and hail-stones, with the velocity, and almost with the effect of small shot from muskets, rapidly retreating to leeward as they discharge their vexatious weapons. Suddenly the sun shines out again as brightly as ever, his brilliant and joyous rays contrasting strangely with the stern scene presented by the noble ship struggling with turbulent waves under close-reefed main-topsail, her slippery deck exhibiting a piteous spectacle in the persons of the drenched and shivering "watch." In these high latitudes the principal dangers to be dreaded are the floating icebergs, which sometimes encumber the ocean, and on which has been wrecked many an unfortunate vessel, painfully looked for until hope has fled from the anxious hearts of those concerned in her sad fate. The thermometer always indicates the approach of the ship to the vicinity of these dangerous floating islands of ice, but a good look-out is also invariably kept. One cold, wet, and stormy night, having the deck in the mid-watch, and thinking of the warm beds and snug snoozes of the folks at home, or it may be of the fine weather which existed at that very time in Lima, and the good accommodations at the "Golden Ball" or "Morius," I was suddenly aroused from my meditations by some of the men running aft and singing out, as I thought, "ice! ice!" Suspecting we were close on board an iceberg, I ordered the helm up, when I saw a volume of thick smoke pouring up the main hatchway, and my heart actually seemed as if all at once it would fall into my very best India rubber waterproof boots, of Horace Day's patent, as the conviction forced itself upon me, that it was the opposite and more dreaded element of fire we should have to contend with. "Up courses! rig the pumps! beat to quarters!"—and before the little drummer had found either his wits or his drum, the hammocks were stowed, the hatchways battened down, and the crew mustering at their quarters at the windward battery, while the marines, with fixed bayonets, their officer at their head, occupied the lee-side of the quarter-deck. Hackneyed as I am, by long familiarity with such scenes, I cannot help feeling that there is something very impressive in the morale of man-of-war discipline on an occasion like FIRE ON BOARD. this. Should an alarm of fire be given on board a United States ship, "quarters" are to be beaten as soon as possible, while the first lieutenant, carpenter, and a "fire party" promptly repair to the scene of the conflagration. If reinforcements are necessary, they are provided in detachments from the "divisions" who remain at their guns. On the present occasion the fire was caused by the accident or negligence of the hospital steward, who was making some pleasant mixture in which spirits of turpentine was an ingredient, and being brought into contact with his candle by a sudden lurch of the ship, instantly blazed up, and for the short time the fire lasted, smoked and burnt most infernally. Very luckily, the flames did not communicate with the principal vessel, containing about a gallon of spirits, and which stood near, or the whole inflammable contents of the dispensary, as well as the light and dry wood work of the shelves, &c., would soon have raised a beautiful blaze, and the whole of us might have been sent as a burnt sacrifice to Davy Jones, in this remote corner of his "locker." Our crew, although for the most part young and new to the "service," behaved with remarkable steadiness, mustering at their quarters as if for combat with a mortal foe, while the moon's pale light, as she came forth fitfully from the ragged storm-clouds, was reflected back from cutlass and bayonet. Thus, as if he were about to meet sternly face to face a human enemy, the seaman prepares to grapple with his most dreadful and insidious foe, from which, surrounded as he is by the opposite element, and cut off from all the world, there can be no retreat, no hope of escape, save in coolness, discipline, and courage. At this period of the year the days are long, and through the hours of darkness we were favored with the zodiacal light shooting from the horizon to the zenith. But although it is accounted a favorable season of the year, we gained every mile by hard carrying through a high sea, and against constant adverse winds. |