THE ARGONAUTS OF CALIFORNIA.

 

 

 

 

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CHAPTER III.

 

A Gale--The Ocean Swell--Cape Horn--The Magellan Cloud--The Native Tradition.

 

As is very often the case in relation to human affairs, fate decreed otherwise, and in plain, unmistakable language we heard whispered by the gale which we encountered as it roared through the ship's rigging, "Go slow! go slow!" And we did. About three hundred miles from the land off the mouth of the La Platte we encountered what all of the old salts, as well as the young, fresh ones, declared to be the heaviest gale that it was ever our misfortune to encounter. It came from off the coast, and of course was favorable for us; but there was a little too much of it. The sea was smooth, for such was the velocity and force of the gale that when a billow attempted to asset its rights and raised its head above the general sea level, it was instantly blown off, leaving in its place but a mass of white and seething foam. In this manner, with our noble ship lying to with the lee rail under water, we remained for thirteen days. To cook was impossible, for the reason that, at the angle at which our galley stove cut the horizon, nothing would stay in the dinner pot, and we were obliged therefore to eat off-hand and at random whatever we could get. It was now getting monotonous, and to add to our troubles the Captain would not grant us permission to go on shore, and it even seemed to hurt his feelings when we asked him.

      On the evening of the thirteenth, the Captain, deprived of his accustomed rations of plum duff and soft tack, determined upon the tactics which he should adopt the following day if the gale did not abate and that was to run before the gale. This course was strongly objected to by the veteran skippers on board, who claimed that it would be a most dangerous proceeding and would never be adopted by anyone but a young and inexperienced commander. They had, as they explained, roamed the seas over from infancy and were well aware of the danger of running before a gale of such huge dimensions as we were then experiencing. They therefore strongly

 

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protested against it and assured the Captain that in case he did adopt that plan he must be responsible for all damages if the ship should run under and sink away down to the bottom in the cold sea, which they were most positive would be the case.

      The Captain, however, after lying all night on the edge of his bunk determined, notwithstanding their protestations, early the next morning to make a break for liberty. With a firm step and with salt water in his larboard eye, he ascended to the deck and soon the command was heard above the roar of the tempest: "All hand on deck!"

      In a few minutes every man of us was at his post as soon as we could find it, and when the order was given to the sailors who were holding fast to the wheel to let her go, they did, and it flew around in a most spiteful manner, as if conscious of its freedom. The bows of the ship swung around with the gale and we went flying amidst the foam upon the rough surface of the sea at a rate of speed nearly equal to a railroad train, and in a few hours were again upon our way with a fair wind and under full sail in the direction of Cape Horn.

      "Well, well!" exclaimed one of the veteran skippers, who had predicted all kinds of disasters to the inexperienced Captain, as a consequence of his rash proceeding, and who was now standing near the gangway holding in his hand a well-filled carpet-bag, and with a look of disgust and disappointment in his expectations stamped upon his weather-beaten contenance: (sic) "Yer come outer that gale in good seaman style; but if yer had only took my advice yer'd done it more'n a week ago."

      We arrived at Cape Horn on the 4th of July, and with a fair wind sailed around the dangerous point and entered the waters of the Pacific Ocean. This being our national holiday, we dressed up our vessel in appropriate attire, and with various instruments of music, the firing of guns and pistols, celebrated the day in true Yankee style, to the great astonishment of the seagulls, as well as the immense flock of birds of various kinds that arose into the air from the clefts and caverns of the massive rocks of the coast.

      Just previous to our arrival at Cape Horn, much surprise had been expressed by many of us at the unusual heavy swell of the sea or of the huge billows we encountered, but had been invariably reminded by the aged veteran seaman on board:

 

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      "Oh, pshaw ! these are nothing but ripples compared to what you will see when you reach Cape Horn. You just wait, and blast me eyes, but you will see them down there as high as the main mast."

      The consequence was that we waited. We now turned our attention to the heavy swells for which we had patiently waited, and found them nearly as represented, for they were immense, and to take a view of them from the cabin window at the stern of the ship required considerable nerve, as it really seemed, when the stern was away down in the trough between the great rollers, that nothing short of a miracle could raise the ship quick enough to prevent the huge billows from rolling over her. We found, however, upon experimenting with a long rope on deck, by shaking it up and down from one end, that in a similar manner the great billows do not move forward upon the surface of the ocean, as they have every appearance of doing, to the utter destruction of every object which

 

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they come into contact with, but that they simply rise and fall. It is this continual rise and fall of the water on the surface of the ocean that gives it the appearance of rolling onward in the form of huge billows.

      The traditions of the native Patagonians tell us that centuries ago a race of giants existed upon the extreme end of the South American continent; but whether that was their place of residence, or that they were there only upon a picnic excursion, is not definitely known. It unfortunately happened, however, that while there this great convulsion occurred, which separated the extreme end of the continent from the main land; and to their great astonishment, when aroused from their slumbers early one morning, they found themselves situated upon a high commanding eminence, at a distance from the main land, and entirely surrounded by water. To wade through the cold Southern sea to the main land again was out of the question, for they had come totally unprepared for such an emergency, having left their rubber boats at home. They were, however, giants, and knew their strength. Breaking the high mountain upon which they stood into fragments of suitable size they hurled them into the sea beyond, and using them for stepping-stones, regained the said continent without accident, or wetting a single foot. This is said to be the origin of those extreme Southern islands which they named Terra del Fuego.

      The end of the continent was by this convulsion broken apart, and through this break the waters of the oceans found their way, forming a very convenient channel for small vessels to avoid the dangers of the Cape in passing from one ocean to the other. This channel was discovered by Megellan.

      To the extreme southern point of the solid islands of rocks is given the name Cape Horn, around which it is difficult and dangerous to pass in consequence of the prevailing winds, which blow almost constantly from the west. It is at this point, also, that a good view is had of what is called the Magellan Cloud, not so named because Mr. Megellan first discovered it, but from the fact that the strait which he did discover, whether by accident or otherwise, is located immediately beneath it. At night, this cloud has the appearance of a mass of luminous vapor floating in space above, and such is its immense distance from our planet, that no telescope has as yet been constructed with power sufficient to

 

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enable our astronomers to determine its true character; or whether it is, as it appears, a mass of luminous vapor, or a cluster of celestial bodies like our own universe. Now, is it not possible that this is another universe similar to our own, located in distant space, and in company with thousands of other similar collections of celestial bodies which are scattered throughout infinite space, all moving in one general direction, and governed and controlled by the same ruling power? This is possible, and that each universe is separate and distinct from all others there is no doubt, and that to those who are dwelling upon the various planets of which they are composed, our own universe presents a similar appearance is very probable. In viewing these distant collections of celestial bodies in the firmament above, they may be very properly compared to swarms of gnats which we often witness sporting in the sunshine.

      With a fair wind, we laid our course for the port of Callao, in Peru. A few days followed of fair wind which seemed to increase in violence as we proceeded, until it had assumed the proportions of a very respectable gale, termed in Nevada a "gentle zephyr." It was during the continuance of his gale that a little incident occurred which may not be of much interest to seafaring men, and one of ordinary occurrence; but to those who do not go down upon the sea in ships it may be of some interest, since it illustrates the nature and character of the requisites of an able seaman and commander. During the gale, a block or shieve upon the end of the main yard was torn from its lashings, and fell upon the deck. The ship was luffed up into the wind: the great seas broke over the bows, and the mainsail threshed about in a terrible manner in its frantic efforts to free itself from its lashings, and to keep company with the gale. It was absolutely necessary that that block should again be placed and securely lashed upon the end of the yard, of which fact all the officers of the ship were well aware; but where was the sailor who had the courage to go out upon the end of that yard, when, as the ship rolled, the extreme end where the block was to be lashed was out of sight, became buried in the white foam of the huge billows? The Captain ordered no one to perform the dangerous duty, but asked the first mate, who was holding fast upon the rigging near, if any man would volunteer to do it? The mate, who was naturally of a modest and quiet disposition, raised his eyes aloft to the yard, then to the surging billows below,

 

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low, thought of his loved ones at home, and very modestly declined, with thanks. The second mate, a big burly seaman, turned his port eye toward the chief mate, concluded that he had a level head, and concurred for similar reasons. Our Captain, finding that no one on board of the ship was willing to perform the dangerous duty, remarked that he should then be compelled to do it himself. Taking the huge block, slung to his shoulder, he mounted aloft out upon the yard, where he succeeded in lashing it securely in its place, although not without a great deal of trouble and danger. The ship swung off again before the gale, and all danger was past.

 

 

 

 

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor

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