Round the Horn before the mast

Choosing a Ship--Signing on--Don Henderson--At a Seaman’s Tailor--First Day’s Work--Cleaning the Stringers--Sailors _v._ Base-ballers at Cricket--The Seaman’s Institute--My Carr...

A Lively Time crossing the Bay--Mooring Ship--Sea Serpents--An Old South Seaman--More Cricket--The Bilges again--Lining the Hold--The Art of Painting--Mosquitoes and Song--Bleed...

Man the Capstan--Making Sail--Picking the Watches--Going About--My Gaff-topsail--Timekeeping--The Binnacles--Matches--Dandyfunk and Crackerhash--Dutchmen and Dagos--Johnsen’s Lo...

Cross the Line--“Stand by your Royal Halliards”--Making Rovings--Johnsen tries to Knife the Second Mate--Tarring Down--Dancing in the Dog Watch--Sails--Discourses on Modern Wind...

Grand Yachting--From the Bowsprit End--A Bad Squall--Fore-royal blows away--On the Fore Upper-topgallant Yard--A Battle with the Elements--Wilson and Myself on the Main-yard--Ca...

A big Beam Sea--Rolling both Rails Under--Port Watch washed away from the Fore-braces--The Deck-bear--Dollops--Blood-stirring Work--Main-deck under Water--Half-deck Water-logged...

On the Banks--A Low Glass--Blowing Again--I Fall and Shake the Poop--Taylor’s Whitlow--Sea-Boils--Pipes growing Scarce--“Storm along, Stormie”--The whole Crew washed away from t...

Old Slush and Greasy Food--A Fleet of Wind-jammers collected by the Head-wind--Johnsen the Jonah--Washing Clothes--Quartermaster--Amusements in the Night Watches--Painting Down-...

Shifting Sail Again--My Long Trick--Among the Western Isles--Slippery Decks--At Work in the Hold--A Broken-down Steamer--Heavy Gale--Between Two Seas--Loring Washed Out--Hove-to...

“The Coastwise Lights of England”--Queenstown--Away for Birkenhead--News of the Boer War--A Christmas Dinner--A Harbour Stow--A Sailor’s Plans--My Last Wheel--Befogged in the Me...

“Serene, indifferent of Fate, Thou sittest at the Western Gate; Upon thy heights so lately won, Still slant the banners of the sun; Thou seest the white seas strike their tents,...

_Friday, 28th July._--We were turned out at 3.30, and started unmooring ship in the dark; no light work, shorthanded as we are. The tug was soon fast alongside, however, and awa...

Heh! Walk her round. Heave, ah, heave her short again! Over, snatch her over, there, and hold her on the pawl, Loose all sail, and brace your yards back and full-- Ready jib to...

_Thursday, 14th September._--We crossed the line last night about four bells in the first watch. Needless to say, in these days of prose, Neptune did not show himself above the...

_Sunday, 1st October._--The _Royalshire_ is travelling faster to-day than she has done yet, going over 10 knots under all sail--splendid sailing! Ten knots may not seem a great...

_Wednesday, 11th October._--A good blow, and a big beam sea. We are logging 10 knots, and rolling both rails under; for the first time, we have been getting the water in the hal...

We are on the banks now, and there is a pretty big sea running. Occasional hail-storms in the morning, but by noon we had crossed the terrible banks, and were in lat. 52°.14 S.,...

To-day we passed the tropic of Capricorn, and so are once more in balmy climes; but, alas! no signs of the south-east trade wind, and we are zigzagging along with the yards hard...

_Sunday, 10th December._--A rippling breeze and a peeping sun. The _Royalshire_ is lying over to it under all sail, with her yards braced up. In the lee scuppers a roaring torre...

Soon after four this morning a light gleamed on the blackness of the horizon, and we knew that we were being welcomed by the “Coastwise Lights of England,” as Kipling so graphic...