1904 - Campbell, R. Reminiscences of a Long Life in Scotland, New Zealand - FIRST AND SECOND SEA VOYAGES, p 6-11

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FIRST AND SECOND SEA VOYAGES.

TRADE being so very bad, and as I never had any inclination for idleness, I shipped on board the Wolf's Cove, bound for Dalhousie in North America, to load timber. Nothing remarkable happened during the voyage. One young man took fever, while an elderly one was seized with lumbago, but both recovered satisfactorily. We made the return trip without any adventures, arrived safely in Liverpool, and I made the best of my way home. What I saw of North America did not impress me favourably. Butcher meat was scarce, and of very poor condition. Salmon was the only plentiful article of food, an immense fish being procurable for one shilling. When I reached home I was offered a table at the Dalmonach Print Works, where I remained for some years.

During my stay at Dalmonach Print Works I took to myself a wife--marrying, on the 8th November, 1839, Christina McArthur. In the same year I organised a boat-racing club for pulling boats, calling it "The Loch Lomond Regatta Club." I acted as secretary, and the following were the committee: James Miller, John Stewart, Geo. Richardson, Ewing Hamilton, John Willie, John Taylor, Norman Nicholson, and William Rutherford. The first regatta was a very small affair, very few boats being entered for it. My crew was in for almost every race, and my boat (the Royal Tar, white flag with a red ball) was very successful, and got in first in several races.

After some time trade again became very quiet, and I shipped for the Mediterranean in the Chieftain, bound for Sicily. We called at Malta, where we stayed for two months, having lost our fore-top mast in a levanter. The weather was splendid while there, so that we had every opportunity of view-

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ing this quaint, old-fashioned town. I went to St. John's Church, a building well worth looking at. It was built by the Crusaders and endowed by them, and is therefore a very wealthy church. The paintings and statuary are magnificent. The roof is built in arches, and each arch is decorated with a picture of some Bible scene. The figures are life size, and one --the picture of Herod's decree to slay all the male children-- is truly wonderful. A mother is represented sitting by the fire nursing her child; two men come in, each with a halberd; she lifts the skirt of her dress and throws it over the child, thinking to hide it, but in her agitation she leaves a bit of the leg exposed. Poor mother! the expression on her face is so terrible in its fear, and yet so natural, as also are the faces of the men. The furniture and details of the room are worked out so perfectly, that, with the addition of the faces and figures, one can hardly think it is not a reality, instead of being only a picture. It is fifty-two years since I gazed on it, and to-day it is as fresh in my memory as if my visit were but yesterday. Another painting shows Herodias waiting at the prison gate for the head of John the Baptist. There are two ruffians holding John, while one is cutting off his head. This picture is also fearfully real like--the convulsed features and eyes starting out of the sockets of the victim; the fierce looks of the ruffians; and on the other side of the slightly open door Herodias, with the trencher in her hand, and the malignant look of exultant triumph on her face. A magnificent piece of statuary is Mary nursing the child Jesus, and John the Baptist (himself a small child) playing with the baby's toes. The whole group is so real and life-like that one can almost imagine he hears the child cooing, and sees it kicking up its heels in play.

Another study I should like to describe stands within the silver gates of the altar. It is the Baptism in the Jordan. Jesus is standing up to the ankles in water; John the Baptist a little higher, on a large stone, with a shell of water in his hand. He is pouring the water over the head of Jesus. This group, I should think, would greatly shake the faith of a

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believer in dipping, and would convince him of the utter fallacy of the thing. I used to take up my position as close as possible to the silver gates of the altar, being very doubtful as to whether they were genuine silver, but I found they were so.

The dress of the priests was very gorgeous. At High Mass, on the table before them, is a representation of the Crucifixion --Jesus on the Cross, and the twelve apostles near by. These figures are fifteen or eighteen inches high, and said to be in solid gold, as were also the candlesticks. The figures were originally life-size, and there was a golden as well as a silver gate to the altar. The value of jewellery belonging to the church was fabulous, and when Napoleon took the island and saw all this grandeur, he coveted it. He said the apostles were not fulfilling their destiny, viz., to preach the Gospel to all nations. As they had been there long enough, he would send them to France. He accordingly put all the jewellery and valuables he could collect on board a brig, and sent her off, but she foundered in the Gulf of Lyons, and all was lost. I saw in a paper not many years ago that a syndicate had been formed to get some one to dive and try to recover some of this great wealth. The floor of St. John's is laid in black and white marble, in the form of a hexagon, I think. There are no seats in the edifice--those who do not stand or kneel carry their stools with them.

We were in Malta, too, during the time of the Carnival, which lasts for three days. It is the continuation of an old heathen custom, held in honour of the goddess Flora. It is a time of license and wickedness--no sin being looked upon as an offence. We also went to see the cave of St. Paul. It is four miles from the town, so we hired horses and rode. We were only charged 2s 6d, which was very reasonable. Every half mile of the journey you came upon a statue of the saint. A small boy ran beside us all the way, acting as guide.

There is an arch at the entrance to each street in the town, and just inside these the men sleep--they never know any other bed. In fact, the poverty that exists is dreadful. The

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rich and poor women wear the same style of dress, but the wealthy have richer materials. The women are extremely graceful, and their dress enhances their appearance, being elegant like the wearers. As showing the state of things, we were loading wheat for Liverpool, and the men employed to help us received only 4 1/2d per day, and all the food they had for a meal was a raw turnip--not very large--and half a glass of black stroke, an inferior kind of wine. Fruit was very cheap. One could get a hatful for a penny. The harbour of Valetta, being the headquarters of the warships in the Mediterranean, is necessarily very lively, especially on Sunday.

We said farewell to Malta and sailed for Gibraltar. Going along the African coast, opposite Tangiers we became becalmed, and fears were entertained of our drifting on the shore. The wind got up, however, and saved us. As we neared the Rock, we saw a cat's-paw, and before long the wind blew with such fury that we thought the masts would be out of the ship. We furled all sails and hove to, and were driven by the gale as far as the coast of Malaga. It took us just a week to reach Gibraltar. The wind blew so dreadfully after we got into the harbour, before we dropped anchor, that I had to stand with the main topsail halliard in my hand all night, sometimes pulling it in and sometimes letting it fly, whichever suited the wind. The weather settled in the morning, and we got snugly anchored.

Being a Sunday, we went ashore and saw the parade, after which we began to notice things around us, and we were very much struck with the different nationalities represented. The Moors took our fancy, being a very handsome race. Afterwards I took a walk through the Gardens, admiring the many beautiful flowers, and went up the hill to see the stalactite rock. The soldiers used to break off pieces of this rock, and make them into all sorts of nicknacks for sale--that being the reason for putting the very strong gates at the entrance to the grounds. The rocks are really wonderful. One sees shapes of all sorts-- for instance monkeys, as natural-looking as if they had just fallen from a tree. On the Promenade there is a statue of

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Admiral Duncan. lie has a large key in his hand, and a forge at his feet, representing his withstanding the siege. Provisions were getting low, and the Spaniards were starving them. Knowing that surrender must come, the Admiral had decided to give up the key, and had started on his way with his officers to do so, when they met a soldier, who was intoxicated. They accosted him, and in turn he asked where they were going. They told him, and he replied, using very unparliamentary words: "Give it to them red hot!" The officer ordered his arrest for offensive language, at the same time telling Duncan what the man said. He wondered what his meaning could be, and when the soldier became sober the Admiral asked him to explain. He said he meant that they should make the balls red-hot and fire on the ships--the cold shot would not penetrate the cork with which the vessels were coated. Admiral Duncan took his advice, with the result that the enemy's ships were burnt, and the "key" of Gibraltar was retained by the British.

I pulled two bits of geranium, and was fortunate enough to get them alive to Scotland.

I also examined the burying-ground. The graves of those who fell at Trafalgar were beautifully decorated with shells, which were built round the graves in a very picturesque fashion. Although charmed with all I had seen in the way of places, and the different dresses of the people, I could not help feeling great admiration for the 26th Cameron Highlanders. They made a perfect picture, for they were handsome men. Amongst a motley throng of Greeks, Turks, Moors, Spaniards, Russians, &c, the Highlanders, in their national dress, with their fine, stalwart figures, stood conspicuously alone.

At sunset a gun is fired, and everyone must leave the Gardens or be locked in till the gun is fired again at sunrise. When I got outside the gate, and was speaking with a soldier, a Captain Macpherson came up. I had met him in Malta, and as we stood chatting some Yankees came along who were slightly intoxicated. They were very noisy and offensive, and

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we complained of their behaviour. The soldier seized them and pitched them over the jetty into a boat.

I took a walk to St. Anthony's Cave. This is supposed to be the outlet of a submarine passage from Ape Hill on the African side. It is also supposed to account for the monkeys sometimes to be seen on the Rock, as it is a well-known fact that there are no monkeys in Spain, and that is the only feasible mode of their transmission.

The people born on the Rock are called "Rock Scorpions," and cannot compare with the Spaniards. Seen riding, though, they look very well, their gay dress adding very much to their appearance.

When the first fair wind arose, about a hundred of us got up sail to take our departure from the Key of the Mediterranean. A man-of-war called the Ganges was also waiting, and we derived great pleasure from watching their manoeuvres. We all got out together, and it was a pretty sight. It was a lovely night; the moon shimmering on the water, tipping it with silver, and the twinkling stars reflected in the depths below; Ape Hill in the distance, rising darkly above the sea; and, lastly, all the ships clustering round the warship reminded one of a duck and ducklings. By daylight we were all scattered, and when we got to the English Channel, the last of the fleet--a Dutch brig --left us. We sailed on until we got to the channel of the Mersey, when the pilot came aboard. All went well, and at last we were safely berthed in Liverpool Docks.

After spending some time in Liverpool we set sail for Glasgow, having rather a rough passage. The wind blew a perfect gale when we were off the Isles of Craig, and as there were only three of us aboard, we were not at all sorry when the river pilot came on and took us to Glasgow. At that time my home was in Alexandria, but when the ship was lying at Glasgow I lived principally on board.