Chapter Twenty-ninth.

CLOUD AND CLIPPERTON ISLANDS--WHALES, SHARKS, PORPOISES, AND DOLPHINS--A SHARK CAPTURED--SHARK STEAK--“CAUDLE LECTURE”--DEATH OF SAMUEL B. LEWIS--A CALM--FOOT RACES BY THE SHIP’S FURNITURE--PASSENGER PECULIARITIES--SHORT OF PROVISIONS--“BOUT SHIP”--FIRST OF JANUARY--ITS LUXURIES AT SEA--A TAME SEA-FOWL--A PASSENGER DYING--A SHARK--A DELIGHTFUL EVENING SCENE--A DEATH--BURIAL AT SEA BY CANDLE LIGHT--A TURTLE NAVIGATING THE OCEAN--HIS SUSPICIOUS CONDUCT--A WRITTEN PROTEST AGAINST THE CAPTAIN--COCUS ISLAND--CAPTURING “BOOBIES.”

On the 17th, we passed under the lea of Cloud island--lat. 19°, long. 103°. 21st; passed Clipperton island, lat. 11°, long. 103°. The air is filled with sea-fowl; the island is a rocky pile, having the appearance of a dilapidated castle; and is surrounded by a low sandy beach. We are surrounded by whales, sharks, porpoises and dolphins; our first mate strikes a porpoise at midnight, and it is hauled on deck by the crew.

On the 22d, the mate struck a shark; it was hauled on deck, and we had shark-steak for breakfast. All out with the captain, and the lectures he receives are only equalled by those of the amiable “Mrs. Caudle.” He finds himself wofully in the minority, and confines himself to his state-room. We not only charge the adverse winds to his account, but the destitution of the ship; of his guilt of the latter charge, the jury were unanimous.

24th. The death of Samuel B. Lewis is announced. He was buried at 9 A.M., lat. 6°-12´ north. He was from Elmira, N. Y., where he leaves a widowed mother to mourn his untimely death. On my return, I learned that subsequent to his starting for California, his father was accidently killed; the mother wrote for her son; he was her only solace; upon him she leaned for consolation; but on a dreary night, as the wind howled mournfully without, she dreamed her son returned, and as she was about to clasp him to her bosom, he shrunk from her sight and disappeared forever.

We have a calm for several days with intense heat; a general restlessness is felt, passengers are out of patience; our ship has not sufficient headway to cause her to mind the tiller; she rolls about like a log, now plunging, throwing her sails all aback, now rising on a sea, the rigging slackens, the spars and yards creak, the sails again fill, and everything is again drawn to its utmost tension; she again plunges, reers, and rises lengthwise of a sea; she careens and is thrown almost upon her “beam-ends.” Trunks change sides, tables stand on their heads, barrels get up foot-races, much to the annoyance of the passengers, who, with shins in hand, enter most vehement protests, throwing in, an occasional oath by way of emphasis. Jack “yarns” on the forecastle, Tom has out a shark-hook; the cook has been mast-headed by the captain; T----n comes down from the shrouds with a “damn my shirt-tail _to_ h--l,” looks at his boots and goes up again; Wright exclaims, “certingly.” Palmly looks from under his quaker hat, and swears at the captain; the Dutchman, with red whiskers, opens his mouth, which very much resembles a cavity in a brick-kiln; he looks an oath in Dutch, but don’t speak. To calm our ruffled passions we were informed that we were short of provisions, and were to be put upon allowance.

On the 28th, the captain gave the order, “bout ship,” and we stood in for the main land, 550 miles distant, lat. 6°, long. 96°. On the 29th, a fine breeze springs up, we again change our course and stand east, in the direction of Panama.

January 1st, 1850, lat. 6°, long. 9°; heat most oppressive; we have hard fare for breakfast, same for dinner and supper. Oh, ye knights of “Gotham!” did we not envy you? You, who are now cloyed with luxuries and greeted by the smiles of friends, but little dream that he who, twelve months ago, was your companion, has this moment dined upon sea-bread that has become the home of vermin, and beef on about the fourth anniversary of its salting, boiled in ocean-water.

A small bird flies on board in an exhausted condition; it is quite tame and eats food from our hands. Our inquiries in reference to its home and destination, were in vain; it remained on board during the day, and seemed to appreciate our kindness.

It is rumored that one of our passengers is dying; a shark is at this moment passing under the bow of the ship, as if anticipating his prey. 4th, rainy morning; it clears up at one, and we have a most delightful evening; a heavy cloud settles around the horizon, leaving us, as it were, in a lake as calm as a mirror. I never witnessed a more beautiful scene; I am, however, in no humor to enjoy it. This is our thirty-eighth day out, and the prospects most discouraging; I am over due at home, and half the journey yet to be performed.

At 7 P.M. it was announced that Wm. F. Capron, of Palmyra, N. Y., was dead; he was sewed up in a canvas shroud, and thirty minutes after his death, with lights on deck, in latitude 6° 34´ N., he was consigned to the ocean.

5th. Delightful morning, with fine breeze. We saw a large turtle floating on the surface of the water, asleep; we lowered a boat, and pulled off for him, but he awoke, and suspecting our movements, applied his propellers with great dexterity, and diving toward the bottom he was soon out of sight. He probably hailed from Cocus Island, distant one hundred and twenty miles; his object in cruising in these waters we were unable to learn. It being Monday, it was shrewdly suspected that he had been out, on the previous night, in search of bright eyes. His being asleep in the middle of the day, and his apparent _embarrassment_ on being discovered, were evidence upon which almost any jury would have convicted him.

6th. Calm, heat insupportable, and we are short of provisions. I have a warm conversation with the captain, and draw up a protest, have it signed by the passengers, designing to lay it before the consul at Panama.

PROTEST.

We, the undersigned, passengers on board the ship Edward Everett, Capt. HENRY SMITH, do hereby most solemnly aver that we were induced to take passage on said ship by representations made by said Capt. Smith and his agents, which representations were, that he had on board an extra supply of ship-stores, and that extra provisions had been made for the comfort of passengers. For this _extra provision_ an extra charge of $100 in the first, and $25 in the second cabin, had been made, above that of any vessel sailing from the same port for the same destination, during the present season.

The above-named Capt. Smith, through public advertisements and otherwise, called the attention of invalids _particularly_, to the superior arrangements made for their comfort, that a physician would be in attendance, &c.

Immediately upon getting under weigh we learned, to our sorrow, that we had been grossly deceived; that the above representations were false. Our provisions, many of them, were damaged, and, we were credibly informed, were purchased as such at San Francisco. Of some of the articles that are indispensable at sea, we were short, and immediately put upon allowance.

Some of the passengers had made arrangements to work their passage, but upon first putting to sea were unable to do duty. The Captain called upon them in person, ordering them from their berths and on duty, threatening, in case of non-compliance, to put them ashore on the first island. Mr. Saml. B. Lewis, of Elmira, N. Y., who was working his passage as under-steward, was compelled to do duty when unable, and finally compelled to take to his berth, from which he never arose. Just previous to his death he manifested a wish to see the Captain, and said, “If I die my blood will be upon the Captain’s head.”

The invalids, being compelled to live on the coarse fare of the steerage, suffered for want of nourishing food, of which the ship was entirely destitute, there not being a particle of dried fruit, preserved meats, wines, or any one of the articles thought indispensably necessary on ship-board.

The physician, (whose father and Captain Smith were the owners of the ship,) paid no other attention to the sick than dealing out medicines, which he did _only_ at the most exorbitant charges. In some instances, passengers, after having been sick for days without nourishment, were obliged to buy flour of the Captain at exorbitant prices, and cook with their own hands something to sustain life.

There have been five deaths on board, during the voyage. Wm. F. Capron, of Palmyra, N. Y., we do most solemnly believe died for want of proper nourishment; and in the case of Wm. B. Lewis, we believe he was brought to a premature death, by treatment received at the hands of the Captain, together with the want of proper nourishment after his prostration.

Aside from the above unheard-of conduct, Capt. Smith went to sea without a single life or quarter-boat, consequently entirely unprepared to save life in case of accident, showing a recklessness of human life in the highest degree reprehensible, which should not be passed over in silence.

We regret exceedingly that we are obliged to make the above charges against an American Captain, a class of men so justly celebrated for philanthropy and kindness; but the circumstances under which we are placed leave no alternative; and we hereby most respectfully request that our Consul at Panama will immediately enforce the law in this case, believing that a few public examples will put an end to the abuse.

AT SEA, _January 6th, 1850, lat. 6° N., lon. 92° W._, having sailed from San Francisco, 28th November, 1849.

(_Signed_,)

ROBT. N. TATE, First Mate of Ship Edward Everett.

J. M. LETTS, N. Y. N. N. RAPELYE, “ J. R. THORNE, “ J. H. R. FAIRCHILD, “ W. COOK, Mo. WM. TANNER, “ J. SCORBOUGH, “ J. H. HESS, “ J. J. STARKY, Iowa. R. H. CALDWELL, Ohio. J. K. TURK, “ D. MCCULLY, Iowa. C. L. HOAG, N. Y. J. H. MUMBY, “ A. RILEY, “ GEO. N. SEYMOUR, “ JAS. REED, M. D., “ H. MARKS, “ S. H. STEVENS, “ J. F. ALLEN, “ J. GAFFNEY, N. J. J. PIERSON, “ P. D. ELMENDORF, “ G. SILLCOCKE, “ G. A. BARNES, Ind. J. C. CORWIN, Mo. F. MINTON, “ B. SWART, “ M. Z. SUZEE, “ J. TURNER, “ Z. REDWIN, “ J. ALBRIGHT, “ J. L. SIMMONS, “ S. D. BALDWIN, “ B. HOLT, “ J. N. YORK, “ J. N. CLAUSON, Mo. J. D. MOTT, “ R. N. SULLIVAN, Mass. J. H. GREEN, “ J. H. FICKET, “ J. R. FOSTER, “ J. M. RICHNEY, Ill. J. SHARP, Ohio. L. H. MCGEE, “ S. HEATH, Me. C. B. CASTELLA, Ky. H. S. SHOUDY, “ WM. E. JUDD, Md. ROBT. HOLLAND, Conn. F. P. BERKEN, N. O. H. STARKFLEET, “ J. P. PETERSON, “ J. B. HALL, Pa. J. WILLIAMSON, “ S. GRIFFIN, Va.

7th. Pass within forty miles of Cocus Island.

8th. Indication of land; a cloud of “boobies” surround the ship, lighting on the spars and rigging; we divert ourselves by tying clubs to fishing lines, throwing them around their necks, and hauling them in. They appeared to enter into the sport with as much zeal as ourselves, for upon being released they would fly around, and seem to say, “do it again.”

Chapter Thirtieth.

INTENSE HEAT--HUMAN NATURE AS EXHIBITED BY THE PASSENGERS--DANGER, NOT APPREHENDED--A TATTLER--A “DUTCH JUSTICE”--“LONG TOM COFFIN”--A QUAKER HAT--AN INDIVIDUAL RUNNING WILD--HIS OATHS, DEPREDATIONS, MUSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SHOWMAN PROPENSITIES, AND PUGILISTIC DEVELOPMENTS--“BLUBBER,” BUCKSKIN, AND “THE LAST RUN OF SHAD”--A CAPSIZED WHALE-BOAT--THRILLING SENSATION--HARPOON USED--A SHARK--“LAND HO!”--GULF OF PANAMA--SOUTH AMERICAN COAST--“SAIL HO!”--DOLPHIN FOR DINNER--A WHALE--A TERRIFIC GALE--OUR SAILS AND SPARS CARRIED AWAY.

January 8th. CALM with intense heat. Our ship rolls about at the mercy of the sea, the spars creaking, and the sails displaying as little ambition as if they designed to enfold the yards in an eternal sleep. This example of tranquillity was but illy followed by the passengers; it appeared to foment their passions, bringing the evil ones to the surface. Each was disposed to demand an apology from his neighbor for wrongs either real or imaginary, (mostly of the latter;) the neighbor declaiming, in the most vehement manner, that he is the injured party.

What a motley group! what an exposition of the dissimilarity of human nature! Here are my friends Fairchild and Seymour, all they should be, disposed to look upon the brightest side of the picture; McG. offering $100 for the strength he once had; “he would whip that d--d Englishman,” the Englishman, at the same time, swelling and blowing about, with the pomp and glory of “Old England” flitting through his imagination, quite ignorant of his impending danger. Gates, on the alert for news for the captain’s ear, for which he gets an occasional cup of coffee, together with the universal detestation of the passengers; the “Dutch Justice” strutting about with all the pomp of brainless vanity; the professor, learned in love, law, and physic, which comprises, in his estimation, all that can be learned in this world; “Long Tom Coffin,” the very “beau ideal” of the hero himself, stretched out on the quarter-deck, very much resembling a pair of oyster-tongs. He had Blackstone and Kent at his tongue’s end, and swore that, on his arrival in Maine, he would prefer a “BRIEF” for the captain’s especial edification; P----ly, sitting under a quaker hat, as forbidding in appearance as he is in fact, damning all indiscriminately who differ with him in opinion. T----n, who in attempting to relate an occurrence commences at the last word, throwing the balance on the top of it, in the most unintelligible confusion. He is about twenty-one years of age, has been well brought up, with a good education, but is now running wild. He blacks his boots and starts for mast-head; half-way up, he halts, looks at his boots, suspects that they might have received a higher polish, and with a “d--n my shirt-tail to h--l,” comes down again. He discovers some one’s can of preserved meat; he takes it to the cook, and soon _some one_ is invited to dine with him, and if he discovers _some one’s_ bottle of wine, some one is _almost_ sure to get _one_ glass of it. He had a passion for music, but generally sung in parodies, as follows:

I’m sitting on a stile, Mary, Not knowing where to jump; My foot it slipped, I caught a fall, And struck upon a stump, Ittee bump, ittee bump, ittee bump.

almost indefinitely, closing up with “well, well, d--n my shirt-tail to h--l, d--n it _to_ h--l,” and again starting for mast-head; he would probably reach the first yard, when a new idea, and he would be again on deck, playing superintendent of a caravan, with “John, take that little monkey from his mother, or he will _suck_ her to death, not that I wish to disturb the animals in their innocent amusements, but by G--d the public eye must be respected; music, ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, well, well, &c.” He is now interrupted by “Blubber,” alias “Livingston & Wells’ Express;” a short quarrel, and they square off for a fight. Blubber is backed by Buckskin, alias “the last run of shad,” and they don’t fight.

We have a steward that knows his place, and another that does not deserve one on this earth; a cook who has not been accused of washing himself during the voyage, and one who appears never to have been guilty of the act. A negro who knows his place and keeps it, a white man, his neighbor, assuming everybody’s place but his own; one man with no appetite, another creating a famine in his immediate neighborhood; five crazy men, fifty invalids, a penurious doctor, two mates--Tate and Barry--noblemen of nature’s own make, and a captain who was made afterwards. In one thing _only_ were we unanimous, which was the condemnation of sailing vessels in general, and the “Everett” in particular, including her captain.

11th. We discover something near the horizon resembling a capsized whale-boat. This causes a great sensation; the first mate mans the quarter-boat and pulls off for the object. The passengers watch most intently, the little craft as it rises upon the crest of a mountain-wave, and now disappearing, again rises to our view, still nearing the object in the distance. As they approach still nearer, through the ship’s glass, we see fowls rising from it, and now the mate, standing in the bow, elevates the harpoon, as if to strike. A large sea-fowl still clings to the object; as they approach still nearer, it flies. The mate throws the harpoon and soon they are returning to the ship. They pronounced the object a pine-log. They have a Dolphin and several small fish; a cry of shark, and a large one passes along the weather side, four are following astern, accompanied by their pilots. We use the harpoon, but without success.

12th. 4 A.M., cry of “land ho!” I dress and go on deck; we are in sight of Points Mala and Puerco, at the entrance to the gulf of Panama, 100 miles from the city. A steamer is just passing the point into the gulf; a strong wind is blowing off the land, and west and in, running close on the wind. We beat all night, and in the morning find ourselves in the same position.

13th. Wind still dead ahead; after standing in and nearing the South American coast, we put about on the other tack; the wind soon “hauls,” and we stand directly for the point and soon enter the mouth of the gulf. At 4 P.M., mate cries out from mast-head, “sail ho!” “How does she bear?” “Two points off leeward bow, sir.” Delightful sunset; a school of porpoises are tumbling about in ecstasies.

14th. Pleasant morning; we are just off the inner point. A fine breeze blows off, our ship bows to the impulse, and we stand along under the lee of the land. Cry of dolphin, captain strikes one with the harpoon, it struggles with the instrument, disengages itself, and disappears in the direction of the bottom; he strikes another, it is hauled safely on board and served up for dinner. A whale passes, but not sufficiently near to receive our salutation. 4 P.M., it blows a gale, captain cries out, “clue up the top-gallantsail,” “aye, aye, sir.” During the night we have a terrific gale; it carries away our jib, foretop-sail, foretop-gallantsail, maintop-staysail, and maintop-gallantsail.

15th. The gale still continues; we are driven out of sight of land, but arrive in sight of the South American coast at 3 P.M., the Andes towering up, hiding themselves in the clouds.

16. Strong winds; we are about sixty miles from Panama, running close in shore. At evening, the kind-hearted inhabitants light beacons upon the side of the mountain, to guide us during the night. At nine we put about on the other tack, and at four in the morning were within ten minutes run of being aground.